locust
/ˈloʊ.kəst/noun, verb
locust is spelled L-O-C-U-S-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, locust means “Any of the grasshoppers, often polyphenic and usually swarming, in the family Acrididae that are very destructive to crops and other vegetation…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of locust is locusts.
How many letters and syllables are in locust?
| Letters | 6: L-O-C-U-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,918th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is locust?
Locust appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce locust?
- UK /ˈləʊ.kəst/
- US /ˈloʊ.kəst/
Locust has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-locust.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with locust?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as locust from its last stressed vowel (/oʊkəst/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of locust
- locusts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- locusting participle, present
- locusted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does locust mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of the grasshoppers, often polyphenic and usually swarming, in the family Acrididae that are very destructive to crops and other vegetation, especially migratory locusts (Locusta migratoria).
- 2
A fruit or pod of a carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua).
- 3
Any of various often leguminous trees and shrubs, especially of the genera Robinia and Gleditsia; locust tree.
- 4
A cicada.
- 5
derogatoryoffensiveA mainlander.
- 6
UKobsoleteslangA dose of laudanum.
verb
- 1
To come in a swarm.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Locust in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense type of grasshopper:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | locuste, criquet |
| German | Heuschrecke, Wanderheuschrecke |
| Portuguese | gafanhoto |
| Spanish | langosta, tucura, chapulín |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does locust come from?
Inherited from Middle English locuste, locust, from Anglo-Norman locuste, Middle French locuste, and their source, Latin locustam (“locust, crustacean, lobster”, accusative of locusta). Doublet of langouste. Noun sense 3 (“kind of tree”), originally referring to the carob (compare locust bean), is based on the resemblance of the trees' beanlike seed pods to the insect and is likely a semantic loan from Ancient Greek ἀκρίς (akrís).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).