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 person2 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 floor3: 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]