caltrop
any of several plants having spiny heads or fruit, as those of the genera Tribulus and Kallstroemia, or the star thistle, Centaurea calcitrapa.
an iron ball with four projecting spikes so disposed that when the ball is on the ground one of them always points upward: used to obstruct the passage of cavalry, armored vehicles, etc.
Origin of caltrop
1- Also cal·throp [kal-thruhp], /ˈkæl θrəp/, caltrap.
Words Nearby caltrop
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use caltrop in a sentence
A telegram was accordingly despatched to Mrs. caltrop, asking her to forward the address of the doctor in question.
The Childerbridge Mystery | Guy BoothbySooner or later, the worm forsakes this kind of caltrop which catches on to everything.
The Life of the Fly | J. Henri Fabre
British Dictionary definitions for caltrop
caltrap calthrop (ˈkælθrəp)
/ (ˈkæltrəp) /
any tropical or subtropical plant of the zygophyllaceous genera Tribulus and Kallstroemia that have spiny burs or bracts
water caltrop another name for water chestnut (def. 1)
another name for the star thistle
military a four-spiked iron ball or four joined spikes laid upon the ground as a device to lame cavalry horses, puncture tyres, etc
Origin of caltrop
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse