Main Entry: ¹lit·ter

Pronunciation: \ˈli-tər\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French litere, from lit bed, from Latin lectus — more at lie

Date: 14th century

1 a : a covered and curtained couch provided with shafts and used for carrying a single passenger b : a device (as a stretcher) for carrying a sick or injured person
2 a (1) : material used as bedding for animals (2) : material used to absorb the urine and feces of animals b : the uppermost slightly decayed layer of organic matter on the forest floor
3 : the offspring at one birth of a multiparous animal <a litter of puppies>
4 a : trash, wastepaper, or garbage lying scattered about <trying to clean up the roadside litter> b : an untidy accumulation of objects <a shabby writing-desk covered with a litter of yellowish dusty documents — Joseph Conrad>

— lit·tery \-tə-rē\ adjective

[litter illustration]