litter

 
Pronunciation: /ˈlɪtə/

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] rubbish such as paper, tins, and bottles left lying in an open or public place: always clear up after a picnic and never drop litter [as modifier]: a litter bin
  • [in singular] an untidy collection of things lying about: a litter of sleeping bags on the floor
  • 2a number of young animals born to an animal at one time: a litter of five kittens
  • 3 (also cat litter) [mass noun] granular absorbent material lining a tray in which a cat can urinate and defecate when indoors: [as modifier]: a plastic litter tray
  • 4 [mass noun] straw or other plant matter used as bedding for animals: the plant burns discarded litter from poultry farms
  • (also leaf litter) decomposing but recognizable leaves and other debris forming a layer on top of the soil, especially in forests: the spiders live in leaf litter
  • 5 historical a structure used to transport people, containing a bed or seat enclosed by curtains and carried on men’s shoulders or by animals.
  • a framework with a couch for transporting the sick and wounded.

verb

[with object]
  • 1make (a place or area) untidy with rubbish or a large number of objects left lying about: clothes and newspapers littered the floor the sitting room was littered with books
  • [with object and adverbial] leave (rubbish or a number of objects) lying untidily in a place: there was broken glass littered about
  • (usually be littered with) fill with examples of a particular thing, typically something bad or unpleasant: news pages have been littered with doom and gloom about company collapses
  • 2 archaic provide (a horse or other animal) with litter as bedding.

Origin:

Middle English (in litter (sense 5 of the noun)): from Old French litiere, from medieval Latin lectaria, from Latin lectus 'bed'. Sense 1 dates from the mid 18th century