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
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
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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.