CATERPILLARS
Noun
caterpillars
plural of caterpillar
Source: Wiktionary
CATERPILLAR
Cat"er*pil`lar, n. Etym: [OE. catyrpel, corrupted fr. OF.
chatepelouse, or cate pelue, fr. chate, F. chatte, she-cat, fem. of
chat, L. catus + L. pilosus hairy, or F. pelu hairy, fr. L. pilus
hair. See Cat, and Pile hair.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Definition: The larval state of a butterfly or any lepidopterous insect;
sometimes, but less commonly, the larval state of other insects, as
the sawflies, which are also called false caterpillars. The true
caterpillars have three pairs of true legs, and several pairs of
abdominal fleshy legs (prolegs) armed with hooks. Some are hairy,
others naked. They usually feed on leaves, fruit, and succulent
vegetables, being often very destructive, Many of them are popularly
called worms, as the cutworm, cankerworm, army worm, cotton worm,
silkworm.
2. (Bot.)
Definition: A plant of the genus Scorpiurus, with pods resembling
caterpillars. Caterpillar catcher, or Caterpillar eater (Zoöl.), a
bird belonging to the family of Shrikes, which feeds on caterpillars.
The name is also given to several other birds.
– Caterpillar hunter (Zoöl.), any species of beetles of the genus
Callosoma and other allied genera of the family Carabidæ which feed
habitually upon caterpillars.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition