caterpillar

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkætəˌpɪlə/ (UK); /ˈkætɚˌpɪlɚ/, /ˈkætəˌpɪlɚ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English catyrpel,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} probably an alteration of Old North French *catepelose,^[2][3][4][6] a form of Old French chatepelose, literally “hairy cat”,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from chate “cat”^[2][6] and pelose “hairy”, from Latin pilosus (“hairy”).^[2][3][4][6] The ending was probably influenced by obsolete piller “plunderer”;^[3][4][6][2] Random House and the AHD also see the influence of cater “tomcat”, as in caterwaul.^[6][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The larva of a butterfly or moth (c. 1440).^[7][3][2]

Semantic evolution

The AHD notes that caterpillars are widely named after other animals: compare French chenille, literally “little dog”, and a German dialect word meaning “devil's cat”.^[2][4] According to the AHD, Johnson's Dictionary fixed the spelling -ar.^[2] From 1475 the word was used figuratively for a rapacious person who preys on society.^[7][6] The Caterpillar tractor, which moves on endless steel tracks, dates from 1908, named for its way of moving.^[7][4]

Timeline

• c. 1440 – catyrpel, the larva of a butterfly or moth.^[7][3][2]
• 1475 – an extortioner, one who preys on others.^[7]
• 1908 – the caterpillar tractor.^[7][4]
• 1916 – verb, to move like a caterpillar.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The wormlike, often hairy or brightly colored larva of a butterfly or moth.
2. Any of various similar insect larvae.
3. A vehicle such as a tractor that runs on continuous tracks, for which Caterpillar is a trademark.
4. (archaic) A person who preys on others; an extortioner.

Related words

• cat
• pilose
• pillage
• caterwaul
• chenille

References

1. [1] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. [1] [2] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press