caltrop
Use Caltrop in a sentence
trəp noun
1.
any of several plants having spiny heads or fruit, as those of the genera Tribulus and Kallstroemia, or the star thistle, Centaurea calcitrapa.
2.
an iron ball with four projecting spikes so disposed that when the ball is on the ground one of them always points upward: used to obstruct the passage of cavalry, armored vehicles, etc.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English calketrappe, Old English calcatrippe, colte-træppe, equivalent to calce- (< Latin calci-, stem of calx spur, heel) + træppe trap1
before 1000; Middle English calketrappe, Old English calcatrippe, colte-træppe, equivalent to calce- (< Latin calci-, stem of calx spur, heel) + træppe trap1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To caltrop
Collins
World English Dictionary
caltrop, caltrap or calthrop (ˈkæltrəp, ˈkælθrəp) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | any tropical or subtropical plant of the zygophyllaceous genera Tribulus and Kallstroemia that have spiny burs or bracts |
| 2. | water caltrop another name for water chestnut |
| 3. | another name for the star thistle |
| 4. | military a four-spiked iron ball or four joined spikes laid upon the ground as a device to lame cavalry horses, puncture tyres, etc |
| [Old English calcatrippe (the plant), from Medieval Latin calcatrippa, probably from Latin calx heel + trippa | |
| caltrap, caltrap or calthrop | |
| —n | |
| [Old English calcatrippe (the plant), from Medieval Latin calcatrippa, probably from Latin calx heel + trippa | |
| calthrop, caltrap or calthrop | |
| —n | |
| [Old English calcatrippe (the plant), from Medieval Latin calcatrippa, probably from Latin calx heel + trippa | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Caltrop
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
Example sentences
Running battles in combat-centric role-playing games can be as painful as stepping on a caltrop.
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