noun
grasshopper
GRASS-hah-per/ˈɡræshɑːpər/
A plant-eating insect with long hind legs for jumping.
The grasshopper grips a blade of grass with its enlarged hind legs bent.
Etymology
Grass, hop, and the doer ending -er describe a creature that hops in grass, highlighting the jumping movement enabled by its long hind legs.
In context
The muscles in a grasshopper's legs are locked in tension to save up enough energy to catapult them from danger.
More examples
- The grasshopper chews a small hole in the leaf.
- Grasshoppers scatter as we walk through the meadow.
- A bird catches a grasshopper beside the fence.
Forms
grasshopper · grasshoppers
Similar words
- locust
- A grasshopper of a kind that can form destructive swarms.