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periodical cicada

Any of several cicadas of the genus Magicicada of the eastern United States that have a 17-year or 13-year life cycle and spend most of their lives underground as nymphs. Broods of periodical cicadas in a given region emerge synchronously in large numbers, metamorphosing into winged adults that mate, lay eggs, and die shortly thereafter.

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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