CALTRAP

Noun

caltrap (plural caltraps)

Archaic form of caltrop.

Source: Wiktionary


Cal"trop, Cal"trap, n. Etym: [OE. calketrappe, calletrappe, caltor (in both senses), fr. AS. collræppe, calcetreppe, sort of thistle; cf. F. chaussetrape star thistle, trap, It. calcatreppo, calcatreppolo, star thistle. Perh. from L. calx heel + the same word as E. trap. See 1st Trap.]

1. (Bot.)

Definition: A genus of herbaceous plants (Tribulus) of the order Zygophylleæ, having a hard several-celled fruit, armed with stout spines, and resembling the military instrument of the same name. The species grow in warm countries, and are often very annoying to cattle.

2. (Mil.)

Definition: An instrument with four iron points, so disposed that, any three of them being on the ground, the other projects upward. They are scattered on the ground where an enemy's cavalry are to pass, to impede their progress by endangering the horses' feet.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

18 April 2025

GROIN

(noun) the crease at the junction of the inner part of the thigh with the trunk together with the adjacent region and often including the external genitals


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