locust

/'loukəst/

Thân thiện

A locust swarm darkens the sky over a field.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of insect: A locust is a type of large, migratory grasshopper, typically found in warm regions, known for forming massive swarms that can cause significant agricultural damage by devouring crops.
   • A type of tree: A locust is also any of several hardwood trees belonging to the legume family (Leguminosae), known for their durable wood and often fragrant flowers.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Insect):
  • A swarm of locusts devastated the farmers' fields.
  • The biblical plague involved locusts covering the land.
• Noun (Tree):
  • The black locust is a common species in North America.
  • They built the fence from durable locust wood.

Advanced Usage

• Figurative use for a destructive force or a voracious consumer: The word can be used metaphorically to describe a person or thing that consumes or destroys resources greedily.
  • The invading army was like a plague of locusts, stripping the countryside bare.
  • He ate his dinner like a locust, leaving nothing for anyone else.

Variants and Related Words

• Locust tree: A more specific term for the tree species.
  • The honey locust tree has long seed pods.
• Locust bean: Refers to the edible seed pod of the carob tree (sometimes called locust).
  • Locust bean gum is used as a food thickener.

Synonyms

• For the insect: Migratory grasshopper, swarm grasshopper.
• For a destructive consumer: Devourer, scourge, plague.

Related Phrases

• A plague of locusts: An idiom referring to a devastating infestation, often used hyperbolically to describe any overwhelming destructive force.
  • The paperwork descended on his desk like a plague of locusts.

Học thuật

Noun

1. any of various hardwood trees of the family Leguminosae
2. hardwood from any of various locust trees
3. migratory grasshoppers of warm regions having short antennae

Từ đồng nghĩa

• locust tree