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caltrop

[ kal-truhp ]

noun

  1. any of several plants having spiny heads or fruit, as those of the genera Tribulus and Kallstroemia, or the star thistle, Centaurea calcitrapa.
  2. 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.


caltrop

/ ˈkælθrəp; ˈkæltrəp /

noun

  1. any tropical or subtropical plant of the zygophyllaceous genera Tribulus and Kallstroemia that have spiny burs or bracts
  2. water caltrop
    another name for water chestnut
  3. another name for the star thistle
  4. military a four-spiked iron ball or four joined spikes laid upon the ground as a device to lame cavalry horses, puncture tyres, etc
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of caltrop1

before 1000; Middle English calketrappe, Old English calcatrippe, colte-træppe, equivalent to calce- (< Latin calci-, stem of calx spur, heel) + træppe trap 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of caltrop1

Old English calcatrippe (the plant), from Medieval Latin calcatrippa, probably from Latin calx heel + trippa trap 1
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Example Sentences

A telegram was accordingly despatched to Mrs. Caltrop, asking her to forward the address of the doctor in question.

Sooner or later, the worm forsakes this kind of caltrop which catches on to everything.

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Caltechcaltrop family