litter

One entry found for litter.

Main Entry: ¹lit·ter
Pronunciation: 'li-t&r
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French litere, from lit bed, from Latin lectus -- more at LIE
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 /-t&-rE/ adjective
[litter illustration]