Definify.com
Webster 1828 Edition
Caltrop
CALTROP
, n.1.
A kind of thistle, the Latin tribulus, with a roundish prickly pericarp; on one side, gibbous, often armed with three or four daggers; on the other side, angular, converging with transverse cells. It grows in France, Italy and Spain, among corn, and is very troublesome, as the prickles run into the feet of cattle.2.
In military affairs, an instrument with four iron points, disposed in a triangular form, so that three of them being on the ground, the other points upward. These are scattered on the ground where an enemys cavalry are to pass, to impede their progress by endangering the horses feet.Definition 2024
caltrop
caltrop
English
A caltrop used in the Vietnam war
The coat of arms of Boulaide, Luxembourg, featuring caltrops
Centaurea calcitrapa
Tribulus terrestris
Noun
caltrop (plural caltrops)
-
(weaponry) A small, metal object with spikes arranged so that, when thrown onto the ground, one always faces up as a threat to foot soldiers and horses.
- 1858, The journal of the British Archaeological Association
- ...her father, the emperor Alexius, who reigned AD 1081-1118, ordered caltrops to be cast in front of his archers...
- 1954, Joseph Needham, Ling Wang, Science and civilisation in China
- By Sung times, several different types of caltrops had been developed. As in earlier times, both caltrops could be made from both wood and iron...
- 2000, Alan Vick, Aerospace operations in urban environments: exploring new concepts
- Caltrops, tetrahedrons, and similar devices are designed to puncture vehicle tires or limit foot traffic. The standard design has four points.
- 1858, The journal of the British Archaeological Association
- (heraldry) The same object represented as a heraldic charge.
- (colloquial) The starthistle, Centaurea calcitrapa, a plant with sharp thorns.
- Any of a number of flowering plants in the family Zygophyllaceae, including several members of the genus Kallstroemia and the species Tribulus terrestris, native to warm temperate and tropical regions.
Synonyms
- (weaponry): caltrap, galtrop, cheval trap, galthrap, galtrap, calthrop, crow’s foot
- (starthistle):
- (Tribulus terrestris): puncturevine, cat's head, yellow vine, goathead, burra, gokharu, bindii.
Derived terms
- caltrop family (Zygophyllaceae)
Translations
weaponry
|
starthistle
Tribulus terrestris
|
|
See also
-
caltrop on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Centaurea calcitrapa on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Kallstroemia on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Tribulus terrestris on Wikipedia.Wikipedia