Meanings
plural caterpillars · alternative obsolete caterpiller
- The larva of a butterfly or moth; leafworm.
The bird just ate that green caterpillar.
2 more examples
[T]he fairer the Roſe is, the ſooner it is bitten with Catterpillers; […]
1590, T[homas] L[odge], “Alindas Comfort to Perplexed Rosalynd”, in Rosalynde. Euphues Golden Legacie: […], London: […] Thomas Orwin for T. G[ubbin] and John Busbie, →OCLC, folio 13, rectoA 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.
2003, Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake, Virago Press, published 2013, page 46 - A vehicle with a caterpillar track; a crawler.
- mathematicsA set of subtrees of a tree.
- obsoleteA rapacious, extortionate person preying upon the community.
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.
1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], page 33
present singular third person caterpillars · participle present caterpillaring · participle past caterpillared · past caterpillared · alternative obsolete caterpiller
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna large tracked vehicle that is propelled by two endless metal belts; frequently used for moving earth in construction and farm work
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Late Latincatta
- Old Northern Frenchcatepeluse
- Middle Englishcatirpel
- Englishcaterpillar
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”).
More words from Middle English, Old Northern French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans ruspe
- ruspelarva of a butterfly or moth
Ancient Greek κάμπη
- κάμπη (kámpē)larva of a butterfly or moth
Arabic يَرَقَة, دُودَة الْفَرَاشَة
- يَرَقَة (yaraqa)larva of a butterfly or moth
- دُودَة الْفَرَاشَة (dūdat al-farāša)larva of a butterfly or moth
- يَسْرُوع (yasrūʕ)larva of a butterfly or moth
Basque har, beldar
- harlarva of a butterfly or moth
- beldarlarva of a butterfly or moth
Bengali শুঁয়াপোকা
- শুঁয়াপোকা (śũẏapōka)larva of a butterfly or moth
Bulgarian гъсе́ница, вери́жен автомоби́л
- гъсе́ница (găsénica)larva of a butterfly or moth
- вери́жен автомоби́л (verížen avtomobíl)vehicle with a caterpillar track
Catalan eruga, eruga
- erugalarva of a butterfly or moth
- erugavehicle with a caterpillar track
Chinese Cantonese 毛毛蟲 /毛毛虫, 毛蟲 /毛虫
- 毛毛蟲 /毛毛虫 (mou⁴ mou⁴ cung⁴)larva of a butterfly or moth
- 毛蟲 /毛虫 (mou⁴ cung⁴)larva of a butterfly or moth
Chinese Mandarin 毛毛蟲 /毛毛虫, 毛蟲 /毛虫
- 毛毛蟲 /毛毛虫 (máomáochóng)larva of a butterfly or moth
- 毛蟲 /毛虫 (máochóng)larva of a butterfly or moth
- 履帶式車輛 /履带式车辆 (lǚdàishì chēliàng)vehicle with a caterpillar track
Czech housenka
- housenkalarva of a butterfly or moth
Danish larve, kålorm
- larvelarva of a butterfly or moth
- kålormlarva of a butterfly or moth
Dutch rups
- rupslarva of a butterfly or moth
Esperanto raŭpo, ĉenbendo
- raŭpolarva of a butterfly or moth
- ĉenbendovehicle with a caterpillar track
- raŭpovehicle with a caterpillar track
Estonian tõuk, röövik
- tõuklarva of a butterfly or moth
- rööviklarva of a butterfly or moth
Finnish perhostoukka, telaketjutraktori
- perhostoukkalarva of a butterfly or moth
- telaketjutraktorivehicle with a caterpillar track
- katepillarivehicle with a caterpillar track
French chenille
- chenillelarva of a butterfly or moth
German Raupe, Raupe
- Raupelarva of a butterfly or moth
- Raupevehicle with a caterpillar track
- Raupenfahrzeugvehicle with a caterpillar track
Greek κάμπια, ερπυστριοφόρος ελκυστήρας
- κάμπια (kámpia)larva of a butterfly or moth
- ερπυστριοφόρος ελκυστήρας (erpystriofóros elkystíras)vehicle with a caterpillar track
Hebrew זַחַל
- זַחַל (zakhal)larva of a butterfly or moth
Hindi इल्ली, पोका
- इल्ली (illī)larva of a butterfly or moth
- पोका (pokā)larva of a butterfly or moth
Hungarian hernyó, hernyótalpas traktor
- hernyólarva of a butterfly or moth
- hernyótalpas traktorvehicle with a caterpillar track
- lánctalpas járművehicle with a caterpillar track
Icelandic lirfa
- lirfalarva of a butterfly or moth
Indonesian ulat bulu, ulat
- ulat bulularva of a butterfly or moth
- ulatlarva of a butterfly or moth
Irish bolb
- bolblarva of a butterfly or moth
Italian bruco
- brucolarva of a butterfly or moth
Japanese 毛虫, 芋虫
- 毛虫 (kemushi)larva of a butterfly or moth
- 芋虫 (imomushi)larva of a butterfly or moth
- キャタピラ (kyatapira)vehicle with a caterpillar track
- 無限軌道 (mugen kidō)vehicle with a caterpillar track
Korean 모충, 애벌레
- 모충 (mochung)larva of a butterfly or moth
- 애벌레 (aebeolle)larva of a butterfly or moth
Latin ērūca, ūrīca
- ērūcalarva of a butterfly or moth
- ūrīcalarva of a butterfly or moth
- campēlarva of a butterfly or moth
- dolbalarva of a butterfly or moth
Latvian kāpurs
- kāpurslarva of a butterfly or moth
Lithuanian vikšras
- vikšraslarva of a butterfly or moth
Malay beluncas
- beluncaslarva of a butterfly or moth
Māori torongū, tōtorongū
- torongūlarva of a butterfly or moth
- tōtorongūlarva of a butterfly or moth
- whēlarva of a butterfly or moth
- mokamokalarva of a butterfly or moth
Norwegian Bokmål larve
- larvelarva of a butterfly or moth
Persian کرم صدپا
- کرم صدپا (kerm-e sadpâ)larva of a butterfly or moth
Polish gąsienica, licha
- gąsienicalarva of a butterfly or moth
- lichalarva of a butterfly or moth
- liszkalarva of a butterfly or moth
- pojazd gąsienicowyvehicle with a caterpillar track
Portuguese lagarta, veículo com lagartas
- lagartalarva of a butterfly or moth
- veículo com lagartasvehicle with a caterpillar track
Punjabi ਸੁੰਡ, ਸੁੰਡੀ
- ਸੁੰਡ (suṇḍ)larva of a butterfly or moth
- ਸੁੰਡੀ (suṇḍī)larva of a butterfly or moth
Romanian omidă, șenilă
- omidălarva of a butterfly or moth
- șenilăvehicle with a caterpillar track
Russian гу́сеница, гу́сеничный тра́ктор
- гу́сеница (gúsenica)larva of a butterfly or moth
- гу́сеничный тра́ктор (gúseničnyj tráktor)vehicle with a caterpillar track
Scottish Gaelic burras, bratag
- burraslarva of a butterfly or moth
- brataglarva of a butterfly or moth
Slovak húsenica
- húsenicalarva of a butterfly or moth
Spanish oruga, cuncuna
- orugalarva of a butterfly or moth
- cuncunalarva of a butterfly or moth
- convólvulolarva of a butterfly or moth
- revoltónlarva of a butterfly or moth
- teñalarva of a butterfly or moth
- orugavehicle with a caterpillar track
- tractor de orugavehicle with a caterpillar track
Swahili kiwavi, katapila
- kiwavilarva of a butterfly or moth
- katapilavehicle with a caterpillar track
Swedish fjärilslarv, mallarv
- fjärilslarvlarva of a butterfly or moth
- mallarvlarva of a butterfly or moth
- caterpillarvehicle with a caterpillar track
Tamil கம்பளிப்பூச்சி
- கம்பளிப்பூச்சி (kampaḷippūcci)larva of a butterfly or moth
Thai หนอนผีเสื้อ, ด้วง
- หนอนผีเสื้อ (nɔ̌ɔn pǐi-sʉ̂ʉa)larva of a butterfly or moth
- ด้วง (dûuang)larva of a butterfly or moth
- บุ้ง (bûng)larva of a butterfly or moth
- ร่าน (râan)larva of a butterfly or moth
Turkish tırtıl, paletli
- tırtıllarva of a butterfly or moth
- paletlivehicle with a caterpillar track
Ukrainian гу́сениця, гу́сінь
- гу́сениця (húsenycja)larva of a butterfly or moth
- гу́сінь (húsinʹ)larva of a butterfly or moth
Urdu سنڈی, پوکا
- سنڈی (sunḍī)larva of a butterfly or moth
- پوکا (pokā)larva of a butterfly or moth
Vietnamese sâu, sâu róm
- sâularva of a butterfly or moth
- sâu rómlarva of a butterfly or moth
- sâu bướmlarva of a butterfly or moth
Welsh lindysyn, Siani flewog
- lindysynlarva of a butterfly or moth
- Siani flewoglarva of a butterfly or moth
Yiddish שלייערל
- שלייערל (shleyerl)larva of a butterfly or moth
Cite this entry
caterpillar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caterpillar
“caterpillar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caterpillar. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “caterpillar,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caterpillar.
Source: caterpillar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.