Main Entry:

strid·u·late

Pronunciation:

\ˈstri-jə-ˌlāt\

Function:

intransitive verb

Inflected Form(s):

strid·u·lat·ed; strid·u·lat·ing

Etymology:

back-formation from stridulation, from French, high-pitched sound, from Latin stridulus shrill

Date:

1838

: to make a shrill creaking noise by rubbing together special bodily structures —used especially of male insects (as crickets or grasshoppers)

— strid·u·la·tion \ˌstri-jə-ˈlā-shən\ noun

— strid·u·la·to·ry \ˈstri-jə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē\ adjective