noun
locust
LOH-kuhst
noun
1
A swarming grasshopper that devastates crops and vegetation in huge numbers.
"A cloud of locusts stripped the fields bare within hours."
"Ancient Egypt suffered repeated locust plagues."
2
The carob tree, or its edible pod — sometimes called the locust tree or locust bean.
"Locust pods are ground into a flour used as a chocolate substitute."
How to Use Locust
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA swarming crop-destroying grasshopper — also the name of the carob tree, whose pods look a bit like the insect.
Common pairings
a swarm of locusts
locust plague
locust tree
Word Forms
locusted past tense, locusts plural, Locusts plural, locusts singular
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Etymology
From Latin locusta ("locust; also lobster"), via Anglo-Norman and Middle English locuste. A doublet of "langouste." The tree sense arose because carob pods resemble the insect's body shape.