ETYM Old Eng. catyrpel, corrupted from Old Fren. chatepelouse, or cate pelue, from chate, French chatte, she-cat, fem. of chat, Latin catus + Latin pilosus hairy, or French pelu hairy, from Latin pilus hair. Related to Cat, and Pile hair.
A wormlike and often brightly colored and hairy or spiny larva of a butterfly or moth.
Larval stage of a butterfly or moth. Wormlike in form, the body is segmented, may be hairy, and often has scent glands. The head has strong biting mandibles, silk glands, and a spinneret.
Many caterpillars resemble the plant on which they feed, dry twigs, or rolled leaves. Others are highly colored and rely for their protection on their irritant hairs, disagreeable smell, or on their power to eject a corrosive fluid. Yet others take up a “threat attitude” when attacked. Caterpillars emerge from eggs that have been laid by the female insect on the food plant and feed greedily, increasing greatly in size and casting their skins several times, until the pupal stage is reached. The abdominal segments bear a varying number of “pro-legs” as well as the six true legs on the thoracic segments. + prikaži više

1. A soft thick wormlike larva of certain beetles and other insects.
2 One who does menial work; drudge
3. A slovenly person
4. Food

The larva of any geometrid moth.