What is "stick insect"

Stick \Stick\, n. [OE. sticke, AS. sticca; akin to stician to stab, prick, pierce, G. stecken a stick, staff, OHG. steccho, Icel. stik a stick. See Stick, v. t..]

1. A small shoot, or branch, separated, as by a cutting, from a tree or shrub; also, any stem or branch of a tree, of any size, cut for fuel or timber.

   Withered sticks to gather, which might serve Against a winter's day.
   --Milton.

2. Any long and comparatively slender piece of wood, whether in natural form or shaped with tools; a rod; a wand; a staff; as, the stick of a rocket; a walking stick.

3. Anything shaped like a stick; as, a stick of wax.

4. A derogatory expression for a person; one who is inert or stupid; as, an odd stick; a poor stick. [Colloq.]

5. (Print.) A composing stick. See under Composing. It is usually a frame of metal, but for posters, handbills, etc., one made of wood is used.

6. A thrust with a pointed instrument; a stab.

   A stick of eels, twenty-five eels. [Prov. Eng.]

   Stick chimney, a chimney made of sticks laid crosswise, and cemented with clay or mud, as in some log houses. [U.S.]

   Stick insect, (Zo["o]l.), any one of various species of wingless orthopterous insects of the family Phasmid[ae], which have a long round body, resembling a stick in form and color, and long legs, which are often held rigidly in such positions as to make them resemble small twigs. They thus imitate the branches and twigs of the trees on which they live. The common American species is Diapheromera femorata. Some of the Asiatic species are more than a foot long.

   To cut one's stick, or To cut stick, to run away. [Slang]
   --De Quincey.

alt. Any of various insects of the order Phasmatodea that mimic sticks or twigs. n. Any of various insects of the order Phasmatodea that mimic sticks or twigs.

n. any of various mostly tropical insects having long twiglike bodies [syn: walking stick, walkingstick]