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Mormon cricket

A large flightless migratory katydid (Anabrus simplex) of western North America that is often destructive to crops and forage plants.

[Probably so called because the Mormon Church is prominent in the insect's range, and perhaps in direct reference to a swarm that threatened crops when Mormons first settled around the Great Salt Lake.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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