From the Latin verb strideo , squeak , squeak , whistle , buzz . It is the noise that cicadas make in summer and other insects when we say they sing. But the sound is not made with the mouth but by rubbing other organs of your body. Crickets make their cri-cri by rubbing their wings. Stridulation that is not exclusive to insects has many motivations: it can be a sexual call, a warning or a marking of territory.
