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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
caterpillar
noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
track
▪ It crosses terrain that overturns other robots or stops them dead in their caterpillar tracks.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ As the wasp hovered near, the caterpillars suddenly started flailing from side to side.
▪ In the Washington area, cabbages are vulnerable to two persistent pests: Aphids and cabbage moth caterpillars.
▪ It may take as long as a week for all the caterpillars to make their chrysalises.
▪ Just as only a caterpillar can become a butterfly, the formal stage seems a necessary developmental step to the skilful stage.
▪ The caterpillars can be picked off, but their coloring makes them difficult to see, especially when they are small.
▪ The old caterpillar skin peels back and falls away.
▪ When I arrived at the page on caterpillars, again I read the bold headings.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
caterpillar

Scorpion \Scor"pi*on\, n. [F., fr. L. scorpio, scorpius, Gr. ?, perhaps akin to E. sharp.]

  1. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of pulmonate arachnids of the order Scorpiones, having a suctorial mouth, large claw-bearing palpi, and a caudal sting.

    Note: Scorpions have a flattened body, and a long, slender post-abdomen formed of six movable segments, the last of which terminates in a curved venomous sting. The venom causes great pain, but is unattended either with redness or swelling, except in the axillary or inguinal glands, when an extremity is affected. It is seldom if ever destructive of life. Scorpions are found widely dispersed in the warm climates of both the Old and New Worlds.

  2. (Zo["o]l.) The pine or gray lizard ( Sceloporus undulatus). [Local, U. S.]

  3. (Zo["o]l.) The scorpene.

  4. (Script.) A painful scourge.

    My father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
    --1 Kings xii. 11.

  5. (Astron.) A sign and constellation. See Scorpio.

  6. (Antiq.) An ancient military engine for hurling stones and other missiles.

    Book scorpion. (Zo["o]l.) See under Book.

    False scorpion. (Zo["o]l.) See under False, and Book scorpion.

    Scorpion bug, or Water scorpion (Zo["o]l.) See Nepa.

    Scorpion fly (Zo["o]l.), a neuropterous insect of the genus Panorpa. See Panorpid.

    Scorpion grass (Bot.), a plant of the genus Myosotis. M. palustris is the forget-me-not.

    Scorpion senna (Bot.), a yellow-flowered leguminous shrub ( Coronilla Emerus) having a slender joined pod, like a scorpion's tail. The leaves are said to yield a dye like indigo, and to be used sometimes to adulterate senna.

    Scorpion shell (Zo["o]l.), any shell of the genus Pteroceras. See Pteroceras.

    Scorpion spiders. (Zo["o]l.), any one of the Pedipalpi.

    Scorpion's tail (Bot.), any plant of the leguminous genus Scorpiurus, herbs with a circinately coiled pod; -- also called caterpillar.

    Scorpion's thorn (Bot.), a thorny leguminous plant ( Genista Scorpius) of Southern Europe.

    The Scorpion's Heart (Astron.), the star Antares in the constellation Scorpio.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
caterpillar

mid-15c., catyrpel, probably altered (by association with Middle English piller "plunderer;" see pillage) from Old North French caterpilose "caterpillar" (Old French chatepelose), literally "shaggy cat" (probably in reference to the "wooly-bear" variety), from Late Latin catta pilosa, from catta "cat" (see cat (n.)) + pilosus "hairy, shaggy, covered with hair," from pilus "hair" (see pile (n.3)). Compare also French chenille "caterpillar," literally "little dog." A Swiss German name for it is teufelskatz "devil's cat." "The caterpillar has in many idioms received the name of other animals" [Kitchin, who cites also Milanese cagnon "little dog," Italian dialectal gattola "little cat," Kentish hop-dog, hop-cat, Portuguese lagarta "lizard." Compare also American English wooly-bear for the hairy variety. An Old English name for it was cawelworm "cole-worm." Caterpillar tractor is from 1908.

Wiktionary
caterpillar

n. 1 The larva of a butterfly or moth; leafworm. 2 A vehicle with a caterpillar track; a crawler.

WordNet
caterpillar
  1. n. a wormlike and often brightly colored and hairy or spiny larva of a butterfly or moth

  2. a large vehicle that is driven by caterpillar tracks; frequently used for moving earth in construction and farm work [syn: cat]

Wikipedia
Caterpillar (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)

The Caterpillar (also known as the Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar) is a fictional character appearing in Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Caterpillar (Elisa album)

Caterpillar is a best-of compilation by pop rock singer Elisa, mainly aimed at the international market. It's an international, revisited edition of Soundtrack '96-'06 and it has been published in Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Caterpillar (disambiguation)

A caterpillar is the larval form of some insects.

Caterpillar or Caterpillars may also refer to:

Caterpillar (1988 film)

Caterpillar is a 1988 short experimental film by Japanese underground filmmaker Shozin Fukui. Fukui made the film at around the same time as when he was working as a crew member for Shinya Tsukamoto's Tetsuo: The Iron Man. Both films utilize similar filmmaking techniques such as hyperactive, handheld camerawork and stop-motion photography.

Caterpillar (Mina album)

Caterpillar is an album by Italian singer Mina, issued in 1991.

In the first CD, Mina covers old hits, originally published between 1927 ( Hoagy Carmichael's " Stardust") and 1979 ( Gianna Nannini's "California").

Caterpillar

Caterpillar is the common name for the larvae of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).

As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary and the larvae of sawflies commonly are called caterpillars as well.

Caterpillars of most species are herbivorous, but not all; some are insectivorous, even cannibalistic. Some feed on other animal products; for example clothes moths feed on wool, and horn moths feed on the hooves and horns of dead ungulates.

Caterpillars as a rule are voracious feeders and many of them are among the most serious of agricultural pests. In fact many moth species are best known in their caterpillar stages because of the damage they cause to fruits and other agricultural produce, whereas the moths are obscure and do no direct harm. Conversely, various species of caterpillar are valued as sources of silk, as human or animal food, or for biological control of pest plants.

Caterpillar (ride)

The Caterpillar ride is a vintage flat ride engineered by the inventor Hyla F. Maynes of North Tonawanda, New York who dubbed it the Caterpillar when it debuted in Coney Island, NY in 1925. It is a fast-paced ride that generates a decent helping of centrifugal force, causing the riders on the inside of the seats to crush the riders on the outside of the seats. It was once found at nearly every amusement park around the USA, but is now so rare that an original Caterpillar ride can only be found operating in two parks today. Though only two Caterpillars are known to be operating, there have been reports claiming there are additional Caterpillars in storage or standing (but not operating) at a few other parks.

The ride features a complete circuit of motorized vehicles which are connected end-to-end all the way around the ride, in a manner similar to a Music Express. Also, the cars travel a circular, undulating (wave-like) track very similar to that of a Tumble Bug. This ride is famous for its usually green canopy (one previously located at Geauga Lake had a yellow and black canopy) that automatically, or manually in the case of Heritage Park's, begins to slowly surround the cars and fully encapsulate them once the ride reaches its maximum velocity, though DelGrosso's operated without it. When covered with the canopy, the ride tends to look like a caterpillar, which is probably how Mr. Maynes got the name for his ride. A high powered fan located at one point under the carriage of the ride, was traditionally used to surprise riders with a blast of air as the cars go around the track.

The Caterpillar most likely served as Moser Rides' inspiration for the popular Music Express (sometimes Musik Express or Himalaya) style ride. Without the canopy, the ride basically looks like a stone-age Music Express, except the theming, lighting and loud rock music.

Caterpillar (2010 film)

is a 2010 Japanese drama film directed by Kōji Wakamatsu, partially drawn from Edogawa Rampo's banned short-story .

The film is a critique of the right-wing militarist nationalism that guided Japan's conduct in Asia during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. The film deals with various issues, such as war crimes, handicapped veterans, and spousal abuse. The film also deals with themes of sexual perversion and features graphic sex scenes.

It was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. Shinobu Terajima received the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival for her portrayal of Kurokawa's wife.

Usage examples of "caterpillar".

All during the outbound journey he snuggled within the confines of the Salyut living quarters as if it were a cocoon woven of steel and aerogel and glass within which struggled a caterpillar named Jimmy Poole.

Caterpillar also contributes to the continuing, growing antipathy between Alice and the creatures of Wonderland.

Other robots, small cars on caterpillar tracks, operated by Archimedean screws moved noiselessly down into the depths.

But different species can kill as many as two hundred kinds of pests, mostly caterpillars, like armyworms, cutworms, corn earworms, moths, leafworms and bollworms.

Staring out the window, she thought that the feathery blooms of the mesquite trees looked like little green caterpillars.

One species can parasitize a hundred kinds of caterpillars, including budworms and cabbage white butterfly larvae.

But the larva of the Calosoma sycophanta, which feeds on the Processional caterpillar of the oak-tree, pays no heed to it, neither does the Dermestes, which feeds on the entrails of the Processional caterpillar of the pine-tree.

Though these came in all sizes, they were all essentially of the same design: a fat cylinder of some transparent cladding, ribbed with metal, provided on both sides with caterpillar treads bearing cleats so large that they could also serve as paddles where the going underfoot became especially sloppy.

Two-wheelers, four-wheelers, pulled by horses, by sneering ptera-birds, by steam-wheezing constructs on caterpillar treads.

The spines of the caterpillar of our Oak Eggar moth are very brittle, and in handling these insects, great care must be taken, as cases are known of blindness having been caused by the spines being carried into the eyes by the fingers.

It pulled its rear up in a great arch, vised its prolegs into the hard earth, took the weight of its forebody, and with a flail lifted it, straightening the tube of bodiness, the humanish torso high at the end of outstretched grub physiognomy that batted uncertainly at the air, then onto the spongy caterpillar forelegs.

Tarzan watched them lazily from above as they scratched in the rotting loam for bugs and beetles and grubworms, or sought among the branches of the trees for eggs and young birds, or luscious caterpillars.

A moment later a gloom-shrouded figure moved out from beside a tent that housed one of the kootch shows, hurried across the concourse, slipped into the darkness on the far side of the Ferris wheel, no more than twenty feet away from me, reappeared in the moonlight by the Caterpillar.

They strike against leafhoppers, scale, Whiteflies, larvae of beetles, and caterpillars.

Pavement plenty good enough for motorcars crumbled when caterpillar treads supporting fifteen or twenty times the weight of a motorcar dug into it.