litter

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   Rubbish or trash left lying on the ground.

   Please don't drop litter in the park.

2. 2
   verb

   To leave rubbish lying around untidily.

   Cigarette butts littered the ground.

3. 3
   noun

   A group of young animals born to one mother at the same time.

   The dog gave birth to a litter of six puppies.

From Middle English litere, lytere, etc., from Anglo-Norman litere, litiere, etc., from Old French litiere (“bedding; bed of loose straw; litter”), from Late Latin lectuāria (“bedding; blankets”), from Latin lectus (“bed; couch”) + -āria (“forming related nouns”), from Proto-Italic *lektos (“[thing] lain upon”), from *leɣō (“to lie down”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-. Cognate with French lit and litière.

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