[kat-uh-pil-er, kat-er-] 
| 1. | the wormlike larva of a butterfly or a moth. |
| 2. | a person who preys on others; extortioner. |
[kat-uh-pil-er, kat-er-] | a tractor intended for rough terrain, propelled by two endless belts or tracks that pass over a number of wheels. |
| cat·er·pil·lar (kāt'ər-pĭl'ər, kāt'ə-) 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. |
| Cat·er·pil·lar (kāt'ər-pĭl'ər, kāt'ə-) A trademark used for a tractor equipped with continuous chain treads. |
| caterpillar (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. |
Caterpillar
the consumer. Used in the Old Testament (1 Kings 8:37; 2 Chr. 6:28; Ps. 78:46; Isa. 33:4) as the translation of a word (hasil) the root of which means "to devour" or "consume," and which is used also with reference to the locust in Deut. 28:38. It may have been a species of locust, or the name of one of the transformations through which the locust passes, locust-grub. It is also found (Ps. 105:34; Jer. 51:14, 27; R.V., "cankerworm") as the rendering of a different Hebrew word, _yelek_, a word elsewhere rendered "cankerworm" (q.v.), Joel 1:4; 2:25. (See LOCUST.)
əˌpɪl