caterpillar

Etymology

From Middle English catirpel, catirpeller, probably from Old Northern French catepeluse (Modern French chatte + pileuse (“hairy cat”)), from Late Latin catta + pilōsa.

noun

  1. The larva of a butterfly or moth; leafworm
    The bird just ate that green caterpillar.
  2. A vehicle with a caterpillar track; a crawler
  3. (mathematics) A set of subtrees of a tree
  4. A rapacious person preying upon the community. (Webster's 2nd Int.)

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