SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

spittlebug

play

noun spit·tle·bug \ˈspi-t^əl-ˌbəg\

Definition of spittlebug

: any of a family (Cercopidae) of leaping homopterous insects whose nymphal larvae produce a frothy secretion —called also froghopper

See spittlebug defined for kids

First Known Use of spittlebug

1882

Learn More about spittlebug

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spittlebug

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up spittlebug? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

nobby

play

cleverly stylish

Words at Play

a-woman-waits-at-the-end-of-a-gloomy-pier-does-she-wait-for-charon-the-ferryman-to-the-underworld-it-is-dark-but-she-carries-a-parasol

Great Words for Twilight and Darkness

Words for the goth in all of us

bunch-of-yellow-balloons-lit-by-the-sun

Helium: This Word Brought to You by a Solar Eclipse

And by the Sun, with some help from Greek.

watercolor-squares

We're Down With You Being—or Your Being?—a Square

It's about (you? your?) having your say.

Devilish Words

Don't blame a word use error on the devil.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz

Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz

Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz

Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

Play the game