stridulate: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2 (Very Low Frequency)Technical/Scientific, Formal
Quick answer
What does “stridulate” mean?
(of an insect, such as a cricket or cicada) to make a harsh, shrill, chirping sound by rubbing certain body parts together.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
(of an insect, such as a cricket or cicada) to make a harsh, shrill, chirping sound by rubbing certain body parts together.
To produce a shrill, grating, or chirping noise, often by friction. While primarily used for insects, it can be metaphorically extended to describe any similar, repetitive, high-pitched sound.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. The term is equally rare and technical in both varieties.
Connotations
Purely technical and descriptive. Carries no additional cultural or emotional connotations in either variety.
Frequency
Extremely rare in everyday language in both BrE and AmE. Its use is almost exclusively confined to entomology, zoology, and nature writing.
Grammar
How to Use “stridulate” in a Sentence
[Subject: Insect/Animal] stridulates[Subject] stridulates [Adverbial: loudly, rhythmically]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “stridulate” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- On warm summer evenings, the grasshoppers in the meadow would stridulate incessantly.
- The entomologist recorded how the rare beetle stridulated by rubbing its abdomen against its wing cases.
American English
- The cicadas stridulated loudly in the trees, a sure sign of midsummer.
- He explained that the male cricket stridulates to attract a female.
adjective
British English
- The stridulating apparatus of the cricket was examined under the microscope.
- We listened to the stridulating chorus from the forest edge.
American English
- The stridulating sound of the katydids filled the night air.
- Researchers identified a new stridulating organ on the insect's legs.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in biological/zoological texts and research papers describing insect or arthropod behaviour.
Everyday
Extremely unlikely to be used or encountered.
Technical
The primary domain of use. Precise term in entomology for sound production via tegmina, wings, or legs.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “stridulate”
- Using it as a general term for animal sounds (e.g., 'The birds stridulated' is incorrect).
- Confusing it with 'straddle'.
- Incorrect pronunciation stressing the second syllable (/strɪˈdjuːleɪt/).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Primarily, no. It is a precise zoological term for sound production via friction in insects and some other arthropods (e.g., spiders, crustaceans). Metaphorical use for machinery or objects (e.g., 'the rusty hinge stridulated') is highly poetic and very rare.
The noun is 'stridulation'. Example: 'The stridulation of the cicadas was deafening.'
No, it is a very low-frequency, specialised (C2 level) word. An average native speaker might not know it or encounter it outside of nature documentaries or scientific literature.
'Chirp' is a general, common term for short, sharp sounds made by small birds or insects. 'Stridulate' is a specific, technical term describing the *method* of sound production (friction) used by certain insects to create their chirping or rasping sounds.
(of an insect, such as a cricket or cicada) to make a harsh, shrill, chirping sound by rubbing certain body parts together.
Stridulate is usually technical/scientific, formal in register.
Stridulate: in British English it is pronounced /ˈstrɪdʒʊleɪt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈstrɪdʒəˌleɪt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a cricket sitting on a STRIDe of grass, and it needs to communicate with its mate, so it LATE at night begins to STRIDULATE.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOUND IS FRICTION (The specific sound is conceptualized as the direct result of a physical scraping action).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the verb 'stridulate' most accurately used?