litter
LIT-er
/ˈlɪtər/
A group of young animals born to an animal at one time. Also, trash scattered about, or absorbent material used in a cat's waste box.
Litter has three distinct meanings: animal offspring, scattered garbage, and cat sanitary clay. Context is crucial to avoid confusion.
The story behind the word. Litter has a fascinating history. It comes from the Latin 'lectus', meaning bed. It originally referred to a portable couch or bed, then to the straw used as bedding for animals, then to the offspring born on that straw bed, and finally to the scattered mess of straw (rubbish) and the absorbent material we put in cat boxes today!
Word relationships
- brood: Brood refers specifically to a family of young birds or insects, whereas litter is used for mammals.
- offspring: Offspring is a general term for children or young, whether born singly or in groups, while litter specifically means multiple young born at once.
Commonly confused with
- liter: Liter is a metric unit of volume, while litter refers to offspring, trash, or cat bedding.
Word family
- littered (adjective): Cluttered or scattered with rubbish.
- littering (noun): The act of discarding trash improperly in public.
Collocations
- litter of kittens
- cat litter
- litter box
- drop litter
Example sentences
- "A litter of young pigs was born, and Napoleon took them away to educate them." A classic political allegory describing farm animal life.
- "The mother cat kept her entire litter of five kittens warm and safe inside the quiet closet." Describing the care of newborn kittens.
Memory hook
A 'litter' of kittens sleeping on a 'litter' of straw in their 'litter' box. Litter = Bedding/Brood/Box.
When not to use
Do not use litter to describe a single offspring, or organized, neatly stored waste.
Fun facts
- The first commercial clay-based cat litter was invented in 1947 by Ed Lowe, who realized clay absorbed moisture much better than sand or ashes.
- A single litter of kittens can actually have multiple different fathers, a phenomenon known as superfecundation.
Related words
Also appears in
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