caterpillar

Classification · Explanation of Names · Identification · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

No Taxon (Glossary --use Taxonomy, then Info tabs to view entries)

No Taxon (C)

No Taxon caterpillar

Explanation of Names

Caterpillar has a fascinating etymology. According to Jardine, the English word is apparently a combination (by folk etymology) of cates, food (archaic English meaning choice food, or delicacies, from French acater to buy), and French piller, to rob. The original Old French word was chattepeleuse, a hairy cat. The French word is from Latin cattus cat, plus pilosus hairy (1). (Partridge, in Origins--A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, gives the Old French as cate plue, variant catepelose.)

Identification

caterpillar noun, plural caterpillars - the larval stage of butterflies and moths (order Lepidoptera).

A few examples:

See Also

metamorphosis

larva

instar

chrysalis

imago

Print References

Gordh, A Dictionary of Entomology, p. 170 (1)

Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913), available here--meaning of cates

Internet References

Jardine's Dictionary of Entomology

Works Cited

1.	A Dictionary of Entomology By George Gordh, David H. Headrick

Contributed by Cotinis on 26 May, 2007 - 3:01am
Last updated 6 March, 2008 - 3:47am

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