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Added 9 October 2026

caterpillar

/ˈkætəˌpɪlə/ noun

In Latin: ērūca, ūrīca, campē Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about caterpillar at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The larva of a butterfly or moth; leafworm.
The bird just ate that green caterpillar.
A vehicle with a caterpillar track; a crawler.
A set of subtrees of a tree.

verb

To move along slowly, drawing one's body up, in the manner of a caterpillar.

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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