Lexic.us

Definition of Grasshopper

1. Noun. Terrestrial plant-eating insect with hind legs adapted for leaping.

2. Noun. A cocktail made of creme de menthe and cream (sometimes with creme de cacao).

Definition of Grasshopper

1. n. Any jumping, orthopterous insect, of the families Acrididæ and Locustidæ. The species and genera are very numerous. The former family includes the Western grasshopper or locust (Caloptenus spretus), noted for the great extent of its ravages in the region beyond the Mississippi. In the Eastern United States the red-legged (Caloptenus femurrubrum and C. atlanis) are closely related species, but their ravages are less important. They are closely related to the migratory locusts of the Old World. See Locust.

Definition of Grasshopper

1. Noun. (zoology lang=de) A herbivorous insect of the order ''Orthoptera'' noted for its ability to jump long distances. ¹

2. Noun. A cocktail made with crème de menthe and optionally with creme de cacao. ¹

3. Noun. (figuratively) a young student in initial stages of training who has been chosen on account of their obvious talent ¹

4. Noun. In ordinary square or upright pianos of London make, the escapement lever or jack, so made that it can be taken out and replaced with the key. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Grasshopper

1. [n -S]

Medical Definition of Grasshopper

1. 1. Any jumping, orthopterous insect, of the families Acrididae and Locustidae. The species and genera are very numerous. The former family includes the Western grasshopper or locust (Caloptenus spretus), noted for the great extent of its ravages in the region beyond the Mississippi. In the Eastern United States the red-legged (Caloptenus femurrubrum and C. Atlanis) are closely related species, but their ravages are less important. They are closely related to the migratory locusts of the Old World. See Locust. The meadow or green grasshoppers belong to the Locustidae. They have long antennae, large ovipositors, and stridulating organs at the base of the wings in the male. The European great green grasshopper (Locusta viridissima) belongs to this family. The common American green species mostly belong to Xiphidium, Orchelimum, and Conocephalus. 2. In ordinary square or upright pianos of London make, the escapement lever or jack, so made that it can be taken out and replaced with the key; called also the hopper. Grasshopper engine, a steam engine having a working beam with its fulcrum at one end, the steam cylinder at the other end, and the connecting rod at an intermediate point. Grasshopper lobster, cricket bird. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Literary usage of Grasshopper

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Century Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the English Language by William Dwight Whitney (1889)
"Snort-horned grasshopper, an ordinary grasshopper; a member of the family ... The earlier form of grasshopper. To lefe-wonne thar fruit gafe he And thar ..."

2. The Harvard Classics by Charles William Eliot (1910)
"OK THE grasshopper AND CRICKET THE poetry of earth is never dead; When all the birds are faint with the hot sun, And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run ..."

3. Handbook of Nature-study for Teachers and Parents: Based on the Cornell by Anna Botsford Comstock (1911)
"But in nature- study we must not make anything a burden, least of all the grasshopper, which being such a famous jumper as well as flier, does not long ..."

4. A History of the Earth, and Animated Natureby Oliver Goldsmith, Washington Irving by Oliver Goldsmith, Washington Irving (1854)
"That animal which is called the grasshopper with us differs greatly from the ... The little hissing note, also, of our grasshopper is very different from ..."

Other Resources: