Litter



GRE Barron TOEFL 考研

解释

GRE 红宝书

• n. 垃圾; 一窝 ( 动物)
• ［英］ n. 垃圾 ( bits of rubbish)
• ［例］ litter papers around / a litter of kittens

Webster Collegiate

I. noun

• Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French litere, from lit bed, from Latin lectus — more at lie
• Date: 14th century
• 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>
• ? littery adjective

II. verb

• Date: 14th century
• transitive verb
  • 1. bed 1a
  • 2. to give birth to a litter of (young)
  • 3.
    • a. to strew with scattered articles
    • b. to scatter about in disorder
    • c. to lie about in disorder <their upside-down hats littered the top of the bar — Michael Chabon>
    • d. to mark with objects scattered at random <a book littered with misprints>
• intransitive verb
  • 1. to give birth to a litter
  • 2. to strew litter

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