Caterpillar

Cat·er·pil·lar  (ktr-plr, kt-)

A trademark used for a tractor equipped with continuous chain treads.

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cat·er·pil·lar  (ktr-plr, kt-)

n.

1. The wormlike larva of a butterfly or moth.

2. Any of various insect larvae similar to those of the butterfly or moth.

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[Middle English catirpel, catirpeller, probably alteration of Old North French *catepelose : cate, cat (from Latin cattus) + pelose, hairy (from Latin pilsus; 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, *cancula, 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.

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caterpillar

Noun

1. the wormlike larva of a butterfly or moth

2. Trademark Also: (caterpillar track) an endless track, driven by cogged wheels, used to propel a heavy vehicle such as a bulldozer [probably from Old French catepelose hairy cat]

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caterpillar  (ktr-plr)

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.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	caterpillar - a wormlike and often brightly colored and hairy or spiny larva of a butterfly or moth Lepidoptera, order Lepidoptera - moths and butterflies tussock caterpillar - larva of a tussock moth cankerworm - green caterpillar of a geometrid moth; pest of various fruit and shade trees inchworm, looper, measuring worm - small hairless caterpillar having legs on only its front and rear segments; mostly larvae of moths of the family Geometridae Phthorimaea operculella, potato tuberworm - larva of potato moth; mines in leaves and stems of e.g. potatoes and tobacco cutworm - North American moth whose larvae feed on young plant stems cutting them off at the ground army worm, armyworm, Pseudaletia unipuncta - noctuid moth larvae that travel in multitudes destroying especially grass and grain beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua - moth larva that eats foliage of beets and other vegetables fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda - larva of a migratory American noctuid moth; destroys grasses and small grains Manduca sexta, tobacco hornworm, tomato worm - large green white-striped hawkmoth larva that feeds on tobacco and related plants; similar to tomato hornworm Manduca quinquemaculata, potato worm, tomato hornworm - large green white-striped hawkmoth larva that feeds on tomato and potato plants; similar to tobacco hornworm silkworm - the commercially bred hairless white caterpillar of the domestic silkworm moth which spins a cocoon that can be processed to yield silk fiber; the principal source of commercial silk giant silkworm, wild wilkworm, silkworm - larva of a saturniid moth; spins a large amount of strong silk in constructing its cocoon tent caterpillar - the larvae of moths that build and live in communal silken webs in orchard and shade trees lappet caterpillar - larva of a lappet moth webworm - several gregarious moth larvae that spin webs over foliage on which they feed corn borer, Pyrausta nubilalis - larva of the European corn borer moth; a serious pest of maize bollworm - any of various moth caterpillars that destroy cotton bolls cabbageworm, Pieris rapae - toxic green larva of a cabbage butterfly woolly bear, woolly bear caterpillar - caterpillar of numerous moths characterized by a dense coat of woolly hairs; feed on plants and some are destructive pests larva - the immature free-living form of most invertebrates and amphibians and fish which at hatching from the egg is fundamentally unlike its parent and must metamorphose
	2.	Caterpillar - a large tracked vehicle that is propelled by two endless metal belts; frequently used for moving earth in construction and farm work cat tracked vehicle - a self-propelled vehicle that moves on tracks trademark - a formally registered symbol identifying the manufacturer or distributor of a product

Translations

caterpillar [ˈkætəpɪləʳ] n → oruga

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caterpillar [ˈkætəpɪləʳ] n → chenille f

cpd [vehicle] → à chenille;

caterpillar track n → chenille f

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caterpillar [ˈkætəpɪləʳ] n → Raupe f

cpd (vehicle) → Raupen-

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caterpillar [ˈkætəpɪləʳ] n (ZOOL) → bruco

cpd [vehicle] → cingolato/a;

caterpillar track → cingolo

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caterpillar

n caterpillar [ˈkӕtəpilə]

the larva of a butterfly or moth that feeds upon the leaves of plants There's a caterpillar on this lettuce. rusper دودَةٌ، فَراشَةٌ гъсеница housenka sommerfuglelarve; kålorm die Raupe κάμπια oruga tõuk, röövik کرم حشره toukka, mato chenille זָחַל इल्ली कीड़ा gusjenica hernyó ulat fiðrildislirfa, tólffótungur bruco 毛虫 쐐기벌레 vikšras kāpurs ulat bulu rups sommerfugllarve; kålorm gąsienica lagarta omidă гусеница húsenica gosenica gusenica []larv, kål-, lövmask หนอนผีเสื้อ tırtıl 毛蟲 гусінь تتلی یا کسی کیڑے کا لاروا sâu bướm 毛虫

adj

moving on endless belts a caterpillar tractor. rusperagtige جَرّارَةٌ مُجَنْزَرَةٌ тех. гъсеничен pásový bælte-(køretøj) Raupen-... που μετακινείται με ερπύστριες de oruga lint- تراکتوری که به جای چرخ زنجیر دارد telaketju- à chenilles זוֹחֵל इल्ली, सूंडी gusjeničast hernyótalpas (traktor) traktor beltadráttarvél a cingoli 無限軌道式の 무한 궤도의 vikšrinis kāpurķēžu- traktor beluncas rupsband- belte-(kjøretøy) gąsienicowy de lagartas cu şenile гусеничный pásový goseničar guseničar bandtraktor, caterpillar ที่มีลักษณะเป็นข้อต่อกัน tırtıllı 履帶拖拉機的 гусеничний زنجیووں پرحرکت کرنے والی بڑی گاڑی ô tô xích 履带拖拉机