Or*thop"te*ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. straight + feather, wing.] Zool.
An order of mandibulate insects including grasshoppers, locusts, cockroaches, etc. See Illust. under Insect.
⇒ The anterior wings are usually thickened and protect the posterior wings, which are larger and fold longitudinally like a fan. The Orthoptera undergo no metamorphosis.
© Webster 1913.