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litter
[ lit-er ]
/ ˈlɪt ər /
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noun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to give birth to a litter: The cat had littered in the closet.
to strew objects about: If you litter, you may be fined.
OTHER WORDS FOR litter
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Idioms about litter
- the best or choicest of the animals, especially puppies, in a litter.
- the best of any class, group, or available selection.
pick of the litter,
Origin of litter
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English litere “bed, litter,” from Anglo-French; Old French litiere, from Medieval Latin lectāria, equivalent to Latin lect(us) “bed” + -āria feminine of -ārius noun suffix; see -er2
synonym study for litter
3. See brood.
OTHER WORDS FROM litter
Words nearby litter
litre, Litt. B., Litt. D., litten, Litten's phenomenon, litter, litterae humaniores, littérateur, litteratim, litterbag, litterbug
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use litter in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for litter
litter
/ (ˈlɪtə) /
noun
verb
Word Origin for litter
C13 (in the sense: bed): via Anglo-French, ultimately from Latin lectus bed
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
Medical definitions for litter
litter
[ lĭt′ər ]
n.
A flat supporting framework, such as a piece of canvas stretched between parallel shafts, for carrying a disabled or dead person; a stretcher.
The offspring produced at one birth by a multiparous mammal.brood
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.