lit·ter
litter
- pronunciation:
- lI
t
r
- parts of speech:
- noun, verb
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
pieces of waste paper and other objects scattered around a place.
We cleaned up the litter along the side of the road.
- similar words:
- garbage, junk, mess, trash
|
| definition 2: |
a group of young animals born to one mother at one time.
My cat had a litter of six kittens.
- synonyms:
- young
- similar words:
- issue
|
| related words: |
waste, young |
|
|
| part of speech: |
verb |
| inflections: |
littered, littering, litters |
| definition: |
to make messy by scattering waste paper or other objects.
He littered the floor with bits of paper. |
Litter comes from an early French word for "bed." "Bed" was the first meaning of the word in English, and all of its modern meanings have something to do with a bed.