caterpillar

US /ˈkætɚˌpɪlɚ/ UK /ˈkætəˌpɪlə/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the larva of a butterfly or moth

A green caterpillar inched along the leaf's edge.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the larva of a butterfly or... larva grub

Simplified etymology

Caterpillar first appeared in English as catyrpel, probably an alteration of Old French chatepelose, literally “hairy cat.” Its modern spelling was probably influenced by the former English word piller “plunderer, ravager,” an apt association for a plant-eating larva.

Etymology

Probably from Old North French catepelose ('hairy cat'), from cate ('cat') + pelose ('hairy', from Latin pilosus), the form later influenced by piller ('plunderer') because caterpillars strip plants.

catepelose Old French pilosus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary

External links

# caterpillar

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈkætɚˌpɪlɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkætəˌpɪlə/

## Meanings
1. the larva of a butterfly or moth

## Examples
- A green caterpillar inched along the leaf's edge.

## Synonyms
- larva
- grub

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: catepelose
- Root: pilosus

## Etymology
Probably from Old North French catepelose ('hairy cat'), from cate ('cat') + pelose ('hairy', from Latin pilosus), the form later influenced by piller ('plunderer') because caterpillars strip plants.

## AI Etymology
Caterpillar is probably from Old North French catepelose ('hairy cat'), from cate ('cat') + pelose ('hairy', from Latin pilosus), the form later influenced by piller ('plunderer') because caterpillars strip plants. The historical trail runs through catepelose in Old French and pilosus in Latin. Morphologically, caterpillar is transparent: probably from Old North French catepelose ('hairy cat'), from cate ('cat') + pelose ('hairy', from Latin pilosus), the form later influenced by piller ('plunderer') because caterpillars strip plants. Used as a noun, caterpillar now means "the larva of a butterfly or moth", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- General Vocabulary

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