Never Miss a word!
Kids need Science
Kids Need Science is devoted to demystifying and explaining science, technology, engineering and math words, names, and concepts. Check back often for a science, technology, engineering or math word defined and explained every day.
  • BROWSE WORDS BY TOPIC
Map MAP OF VISITORS WORLDWIDE
Tip Jar. This blog is completely self-funded and is 100% original content. Consider a small donation to help buy dictionaries and images to use on this site. Thanks!
The word katydid is fairly new to English, and can boast two other unique features:  it is onomatopoetic and it is wholly American.  The American katydid was first described systematically by the great self-taught American botanist John Bartram in 1784.  The word did already exist in a different form, that some say is closer to the sound of the insect:  catedidist.  This form can be found as early as 1751, but as botanist to King George the Third and both colleague of and supplier to Carl Linneaus, Bartram’s spelling prevailed.  The katydid closely resembles the grasshopper but is in fact more closely related to crickets.  Final fun fact:  during mating, the male katydid presents the female katydid with a spermatophylax (no need to give the etymology of this word, the first half tells you all you need to know), a gelatinous mass that the female eats, presumably to aid in her survival.   Image courtesy jerryartphotos, under a Creative Commons 3.0 license.

The word katydid is fairly new to English, and can boast two other unique features:  it is onomatopoetic and it is wholly American.  The American katydid was first described systematically by the great self-taught American botanist John Bartram in 1784.  The word did already exist in a different form, that some say is closer to the sound of the insect:  catedidist.  This form can be found as early as 1751, but as botanist to King George the Third and both colleague of and supplier to Carl Linneaus, Bartram’s spelling prevailed.  The katydid closely resembles the grasshopper but is in fact more closely related to crickets.  Final fun fact:  during mating, the male katydid presents the female katydid with a spermatophylax (no need to give the etymology of this word, the first half tells you all you need to know), a gelatinous mass that the female eats, presumably to aid in her survival.  

Image courtesy jerryartphotos, under a Creative Commons 3.0 license.

October 3, 2012
1:49 PM
21 notes
High-res
#katydid
#john bartram
#science
#words
#linneaus
#latin
  1. genqueue reblogged this from catherinewillis
  2. doom-buggy reblogged this from kidsneedscience and added:
    katydid1992america...my high school computer system
  3. saheriously reblogged this from kidsneedscience
  4. jam-sensei reblogged this from lisgoe
  5. catherinewillis reblogged this from kidsneedscience
  6. lisgoe reblogged this from kidsneedscience
  7. kidsneedscience posted this