noun
cicada
Refers to the insect. 'Locust' is a common but technically inaccurate translation; true locusts are バッタ or イナゴ.
夏になると、蝉がうるさく鳴き始める。
In summer, the cicadas start buzzing noisily.
木の幹に蝉の抜け殻がくっついていた。
A cicada shell was stuck to the tree trunk.
noun
small pulley
Rare, specialized term for a small pulley, possibly from the resemblance of the rope groove to a cicada's wing veins. Not commonly used in modern Japanese.
この機械には「蝉」と呼ばれる小さな滑車が使われている。
This machine uses a small pulley called a 'semi'.
Katakana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially in informal contexts or when the kanji is considered difficult.
Outdated kanji form; not used in modern Japanese.
The word is native Japanese. The kanji 蝉 is a Chinese character used for the cicada. The reading せみ is the standard modern form; せび is an obsolete variant.