caltrop

enUK

cal·trop

C0043400 (kăl′trəp, kôl′-)n.1. See water chestnut.2. Any of various plants bearing small spiny fruits, especially of the genera Tribulus and Kallstroemia.3. A metal device with four projecting spikes so arranged that when three of the spikes are on the ground, the fourth points upward, used as a hazard to pneumatic tires or to the hooves of horses.

[Middle English calketrappe, from Norman French and from Old English calcatrippe, thistle, both from Medieval Latin calcatrippa, thistle : possibly from Latin calcāre, to tread on; see calque + trappa, trap (of Germanic origin).]

caltrop

(ˈkæltrəp) or

caltrap

;

calthrop

(ˈkælθrəp) n1. (Plants) any tropical or subtropical plant of the zygophyllaceous genera Tribulus and Kallstroemia that have spiny burs or bracts2. (Plants) water caltrop another name for water chestnut¹3. (Plants) another name for the star thistle4. (Military) military a four-spiked iron ball or four joined spikes laid upon the ground as a device to lame cavalry horses, puncture tyres, etc[Old English calcatrippe (the plant), from Medieval Latin calcatrippa, probably from Latin calx heel + trippa trap¹]

cal•trop

or cal•trap

(ˈkæl trəp)

also cal•throp

(-θrəp)

n. 1. any of several plants having spiny heads or fruit, as those of the genera Tribulus and Kallstroemeria. 2. an iron ball with four projecting spikes, one of which always points upward when the ball is placed on the ground: used to obstruct cavalry, vehicles, etc. [before 1000; Middle English calketrappe, Old English calcatrippe]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	caltrop - tropical annual procumbent poisonous subshrub having fruit that splits into five spiny nutlets; serious pasture weeddevil's weed, Tribulus terestrisgenus Tribulus, Tribulus - annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs of warm regionssubshrub, suffrutex - low-growing woody shrub or perennial with woody base
	2.	caltrop - a plant of the genus Trapa bearing spiny four-pronged edible nutlike fruitswater chestnut, water chestnut plantgenus Trapa, Trapa - small genus of Eurasian aquatic perennial herbs: water chestnutJesuits' nut, Trapa natans, water caltrop - a variety of water chestnutling, ling ko, Trapa bicornis - water chestnut whose spiny fruit has two rather than 4 prongsaquatic plant, hydrophyte, hydrophytic plant, water plant - a plant that grows partly or wholly in water whether rooted in the mud, as a lotus, or floating without anchorage, as the water hyacinth
	3.	caltrop - Mediterranean annual or biennial herb having pinkish to purple flowers surrounded by spine-tipped scales; naturalized in AmericaCentauria calcitrapa, star-thistlecentaury - any plant of the genus Centaurea

caltrop

cal·trop

caltrop

caltrap

calthrop

cal•trop

or cal•trap

also cal•throp

caltrop

Synonyms for caltrop

noun tropical annual procumbent poisonous subshrub having fruit that splits into five spiny nutlets

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noun a plant of the genus Trapa bearing spiny four-pronged edible nutlike fruits

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noun Mediterranean annual or biennial herb having pinkish to purple flowers surrounded by spine-tipped scales

Synonyms

Related Words