caltrop

• caltrap

From Old English calcatrippe (“plant that trips”), from Medieval Latin calcatrippa (“thistle”), from Latin calx or calcare + trappa.

• (General American) enPR: kăl'trəp, IPA^(key): /ˈkæltɹəp/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  • Rhymes: -æltɹəp
• (UK) enPR: kăl'trəp, IPA^(key): /ˈkæltɹəp/, enPR: kôl'trəp, IPA^(key): /ˈkɔːltɹəp/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

  • Rhymes: -æltɹəp, -ɔːltɹəp

caltrop (plural caltrops)

1. (weaponry) A small, metal object with spikes arranged so that, when thrown onto the ground, one always faces up as a threat to pedestrians, horses, and vehicles (also used as a heraldic charge).
   • 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.

2. (colloquial) The starthistle, Centaurea calcitrapa, a plant with sharp thorns.
3. 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.

• (weaponry): caltrap, galtrop, cheval trap, galthrap, galtrap, calthrop, crow’s foot, jackrock
• (starthistle): knapweed
• (Tribulus terrestris): puncturevine, cat's head, yellow vine, goathead, burra, gokharu, bindii.

• (weaponry): spike strip

• caltrop family (Zygophyllaceae)
• water caltrop

• caltrop on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Centaurea calcitrapa on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Kallstroemia on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Tribulus terrestris on Wikipedia.Wikipedia