Meaning of caltrop in English

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈkæltrəp/

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  1. Noun

    caltrop

    Etymology

    Old English calcatrippe, denoting any plant which tended to catch the feet, from medieval Latin calcatrippa, from calx‘heel’ or calcare‘to tread’ + a word related to trap. caltrop (sense 1) was probably adopted from French

    Definitions

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

    Examples

    • « serious pasture weed »
  2. 2. a plant of the genus Trapa bearing spiny four-pronged edible nutlike fruits
  3. 3. Mediterranean annual or biennial herb having pinkish to purple flowers surrounded by spine-tipped scales

    Examples

    • « naturalized in America »