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cat·er·pil·lar 
Audio Help [kat-uh-pil-er, kat-er-] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [kat-uh-pil-er, kat-er-] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | the wormlike larva of a butterfly or a moth. |
| 2. | a person who preys on others; extortioner. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Caterpillar
To learn more about Caterpillar visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
Cat·er·pil·lar
Audio Help [kat-uh-pil-er, kat-er-] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [kat-uh-pil-er, kat-er-] Pronunciation Key Trademark.
| a tractor intended for rough terrain, propelled by two endless belts or tracks that pass over a number of wheels. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
| cat·er·pil·lar
Audio Help (kāt'ər-pĭl'ər, kāt'ə-) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Middle English catirpel, catirpeller, probably alteration of Old North French *catepelose : cate, cat (from Latin cattus) + pelose, hairy (from Latin pilōsus; see pilose).] Word History: Larvae of moths and butterflies are popularly seen as resembling other, larger animals. Consider the Italian dialect word gatta, "cat, caterpillar"; the German dialect term tüfelskatz, "caterpillar" (literally "devil's cat"); the French word chenille, "caterpillar" (from a Vulgar Latin diminutive, *canīcula, of canis, "dog"); and last but not least, our own word caterpillar, which appears probably to have come from an unattested Old North French word *catepelose, meaning literally "hairy cat." Our word caterpillar is first recorded in English in 1440 in the form catyrpel. Catyr, the first part of catyrpel, may indicate the existence of an English word *cater, meaning "tomcat," otherwise attested only in caterwaul. Cater would be cognate with Middle High German kater and Dutch kater. The latter part of catyrpel seems to have become associated with the word piller, "plunderer." By giving the variant spelling -ar, Johnson's Dictionary set the spelling caterpillar with which we are familiar today. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| Cat·er·pil·lar
Audio Help (kāt'ər-pĭl'ər, kāt'ə-) Pronunciation Key
A trademark used for a tractor equipped with continuous chain treads. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
caterpillar
c.1440, catyrpel, probably altered (by association with M.E. piller "plunderer") from Norm.-Fr. caterpilose, from O.Fr. chatepelose, lit. "hairy cat" (probably in ref. to the "wooly-bear" variety), from L.L. catta "cat" + pilosus "hair." A Swiss Ger. name for it is teufelskatz "devil's cat." Caterpillar tractor is from 1908.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| caterpillar | |
noun | |
| 1. | a wormlike and often brightly colored and hairy or spiny larva of a butterfly or moth |
| 2. | a large tracked vehicle that is propelled by two endless metal belts; frequently used for moving earth in construction and farm work |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
caterpillar [ˈkӕtəpilə] noun
the larva of a butterfly or moth that feeds upon the leaves of plants
Example: There's a caterpillar on this lettuce.
caterpillar [ˈkӕtəpilə] adjectiveExample: There's a caterpillar on this lettuce.
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moving on endless belts
Example: a caterpillar tractor
Example: a caterpillar tractor
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
| caterpillar
Audio Help (kāt'ər-pĭl'ər) Pronunciation Key
The wormlike larva of a butterfly or moth. Caterpillars have thirteen body segments, with three pairs of stubby legs on the thorax and several on the abdomen, six eyes on each side of the head, and short antennae. Caterpillars feed mostly on foliage and are usually brightly colored. Many have poisonous spines. |
| The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
Caterpillar
Cat"er*pil`lar\, n. [OE. catyrpel, corrupted fr. OF. chatepelouse, or cate pelue, fr. chate, F. chatte, she-cat, fem. of chat, L. catus + L. pilosus hairy, or F. pelu hairy, fr. L. pilus hair. See Cat, and Pile hair.]1. (Zo["o]l.) The larval state of a butterfly or any lepidopterous insect; sometimes, but less commonly, the larval state of other insects, as the sawflies, which are also called false caterpillars. The true caterpillars have three pairs of true legs, and several pairs of abdominal fleshy legs (prolegs) armed with hooks. Some are hairy, others naked. They usually feed on leaves, fruit, and succulent vegetables, being often very destructive, Many of them are popularly called worms, as the cutworm, cankerworm, army worm, cotton worm, silkworm. 2. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Scorpiurus, with pods resembling caterpillars. Caterpillar catcher, or Caterpillar eater (Zo["o]l.), a bird belonging to the family of Shrikes, which feeds on caterpillars. The name is also given to several other birds. Caterpillar hunter (Zo["o]l.), any species of beetles of the genus Callosoma and other allied genera of the family Carabid[ae] which feed habitually upon caterpillars.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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