Definition of "caterpillar" [cat•er•pil•lar]

• The wormlike larva of a butterfly or moth. (noun)
• Any of various insect larvae similar to those of the butterfly or moth. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The second time I was onstage, I misspelled the word caterpillar and soaked a perfectly good purple skirt with my own urine."
• "The love of a bird for a caterpillar is a tenuous and passing attachment next to the bond between man and power."
• "Plants have some pretty impressive defenses, including the ability to swiftly produce volatile chemicals to attract "large predatory insects like dragon flies, which delight in caterpillar meat.""