cricket
cricket Lexical Profile
cricket Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A leaping insect of the family Gryllidae, native to varied global habitats and known for its long antennae and the chirping sound produced by males rubbing their specialized forewings together.
"We sat on the porch listening to the peaceful sound of a cricket chirping in the tall grass."
A bat-and-ball team sport played between two teams of eleven players on a grassy field, featuring a central 22-yard pitch with a set of wooden stumps called a wicket at each end.
"Cricket is incredibly popular in countries like India, Australia, and the United Kingdom."
British Fair, honorable, or socially acceptable behavior, typically used in the negative phrase 'not cricket' to denote unfairness.
"It is simply not cricket to read someone else's personal diary without their permission."
• verb
British To play the game of cricket.
"They spent the entire sunny afternoon cricketing on the village green."
• Rhymes for cricket
Word Origin & Etymology
The name for the insect derives from Old French 'criquet', related to 'criquer' (to creak or crackle), imitating its chirping sound. The sport's name likely originates from Middle Dutch 'kricke', meaning a stick or staff.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.