caterpillar
/ˈkætɚˌpɪlɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.38 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A vehicle with a caterpillar track; a crawler.
Example Sentences
- "The bird just ate that green caterpillar."
- "[T]he fairer the Roſe is, the ſooner it is bitten with Catterpillers; […]"
- "A caterpillar is letting itself down on a thread, twirling slowly like a rope artist, spiralling towards his chest. It’s a luscious, unreal green, like a gumdrop, and covered with tiny bright hairs."
- "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."
Etymology
From 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”). See Modern Norman cattepeleuse. Displaced native kaleworm, from Middle English cowle worm, cale worme (“caterpillar, corn weevil”), from Old English cawelwyrm, cawelwurm (“caterpillar”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: catirpel, catepeluse, catta
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkætɚˌpɪlɚ/
- British English: /ˈkætəˌpɪlə/