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caltrop
[ kal-truhp ]
/ ˈkæl trəp /
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noun
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.
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Also cal·throp [kal-thruhp], /ˈkæl θrəp/, caltrap.
Origin of caltrop
before 1000; Middle English calketrappe,Old English calcatrippe, colte-træppe, equivalent to calce- (<Latin calci-, stem of calx spur, heel) + træppetrap1
Words nearby caltrop
calPERS, Calpurnia, calque, Caltanissetta, Caltech, caltrop, caltrop family, calumet, Calumet City, calumniate, calumnious
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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
caltrop
caltrap calthrop (ˈkælθrəp)
/ (ˈkæltrəp) /
noun
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
Word Origin for caltrop
Old English calcatrippe (the plant), from Medieval Latin calcatrippa, probably from Latin calx heel + trippa trap 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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