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Table of Contents POS
HYPHEN
WORDNET DICTIONARY
CIDE DICTIONARY
OXFORD DICTIONARY

caltrop

POS

Noun

HYPHEN

cal=trop

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WORDNET DICTIONARY

Noun caltrop has 3 senses

caltrop(n = noun.plant) devil's weed, tribulus terestris - tropical annual procumbent poisonous subshrub having fruit that splits into five spiny nutlets; serious pasture weed; Array

is a member of genus tribulus, tribulus

is a kind of subshrub, suffrutex

caltrop(n = noun.plant) water chestnut, water chestnut plant - a plant of the genus Trapa bearing spiny four-pronged edible nutlike fruits; Array

is a member of genus trapa, trapa

has particulars: jesuits' nut, trapa natans, water caltrop, ling, ling ko, trapa bicornis

is a kind of aquatic plant, hydrophyte, hydrophytic plant, water plant

caltrop(n = noun.plant) centauria calcitrapa, star-thistle - Mediterranean annual or biennial herb having pinkish to purple flowers surrounded by spine-tipped scales; naturalized in America; Array

is a kind of centaury

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CIDE DICTIONARY

caltrop, n. [OE. calketrappe, calletrappe, caltor (in both senses), fr. AS. collræppe, calcetreppe, sort of thistle; cf. F. chaussetrape star thistle, trap, It. calcatreppo, calcatreppolo, star thistle. Perh. from L. calx heel + the same word as E. trap. See 1st Trap.].

A genus of herbaceous plants (Tribulus) of the order Zygophylleæ, having a hard several-celled fruit, armed with stout spines, and resembling the military instrument of the same name. The species grow in warm countries, and are often very annoying to cattle. [1913 Webster]
An instrument with four iron points, so disposed that, any three of them being on the ground, the other projects upward. They are scattered on the ground where an enemy's cavalry are to pass, to impede their progress by endangering the horses' feet. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

caltrop, n. (also caltrap)
1 hist. a four-spiked iron ball thrown on the ground to impede cavalry horses.
2 Heraldry a representation of this.
3 any creeping plant of the genus Tribulus, with woody carpels usu. having hard spines.

Etymology

(sense 3) OE calcatrippe f. med.L calcatrippa: (senses 1-2) ME f. OF chauchetrape f. chauchier tread, trappe trap: ult. the same word

For further exploring for "caltrop" in Webster Dictionary Online