caterpillar
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom Middle English catirpel, catirpeller, probably from Old Northern French catepeluse (Modern French chatte pileuse (“hairy cat”)), from Late Latin catta pilōsa. The sense "rapacious, extortionate person" arose by association with obsolete piller (“plunderer”).
Pronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈkætəˌpɪlə/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈkætɚˌpɪlɚ/, /ˈkætəˌpɪlɚ/
Audio (US): (file)
Noun
editcaterpillar (plural caterpillars)
- The larva of a butterfly or moth; leafworm.
- The bird just ate that green caterpillar.
- A vehicle with a caterpillar track; a crawler.
- (mathematics) A set of subtrees of a tree.
- (obsolete) A rapacious, extortionate person preying upon the community.
- 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], page 33:
- Bristow Castle, which they say is held
By Busbie, Bagot, and their Complices,
The Caterpillers of the Commonwealth,
Which I haue sworne to weed, and plucke away.
Derived terms
edit- alfalfa caterpillar
- caterpillar catcher
- Caterpillar Club
- caterpillar eater
- caterpillared
- caterpillar fungus
- caterpillar hunter
- caterpillarization
- caterpillarize
- caterpillarlike
- caterpillar roll
- caterpillar searcher
- caterpillar skiing
- caterpillar track
- caterpillar tree
- Christmas caterpillar
- eastern tent caterpillar
- forest caterpillar hunter
- hog caterpillar
- looper caterpillar
- monarch caterpillar
- processionary caterpillar
- pseudocaterpillar
- puss caterpillar
- red-humped caterpillar
- saddleback caterpillar
- salt-marsh caterpillar
- sea caterpillar
- slug caterpillar
- tent caterpillar
- vegetable caterpillar
- woolly bear caterpillar
- zebra caterpillar
Translations
editlarva of a butterfly
|
vehicle with a caterpillar track
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Verb
editcaterpillar (third-person singular simple present caterpillars, present participle caterpillaring, simple past and past participle caterpillared)
- (intransitive) To move along slowly, drawing one's body up, in the manner of a caterpillar.
See also
editSwedish
editNoun
editcaterpillar c
- A vehicle with caterpillar track
- Synonym: bandfordon
Declension
editDeclension of caterpillar | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | caterpillar | caterpillarn | caterpillrar | caterpillrarna |
Genitive | caterpillars | caterpillarns | caterpillrars | caterpillrarnas |
References
editCategories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old Northern French
- English terms derived from Late Latin
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with usage examples
- en:Mathematics
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English terms with quotations
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English genericized trademarks
- en:Baby animals
- en:Insects
- en:Vehicles
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish common-gender nouns
- Swedish genericized trademarks