The taxonomic family containing all true cicadas, large insects with membranous wings that produce loud calls.
From Latin 'cicada' + '-idae' (Linnaean family suffix). Named directly after the insect, following Carl Linnaeus's system of scientific classification created in the 18th century.
Cicadidae is one of the oldest family names in entomology because cicadas were so obvious to ancient people—they're loud, conspicuous, and mentioned in Greek poetry, so when Linnaeus created his system, cicadas got a straightforward family name.
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