caterpillar Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a wormlike and often brightly colored and hairy or spiny larva of a butterfly or moth
  2. noun a large tracked vehicle that is propelled by two endless metal belts; frequently used for moving earth in construction and farm work
    cat.

WordNet

Cat"er*pil`lar noun
Etymology
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.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) 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.) A plant of the genus Scorpiurus, with pods resembling caterpillars.

Webster 1913