n.
Pronunciation: ' li-t ə r
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French litere, from lit bed, from Latin lectus ― more at LIE
Date: 14th century
1 a : a covered and curtained couch provided with shafts and used for carrying a single passenger b : a device (as a stretcher) for carrying a sick or injured person
2 a (1) : material used as bedding for animals (2) : material used to absorb the urine and feces of animals b : the uppermost slightly decayed layer of organic matter on the forest floor
3 : the offspring at one birth of a multiparous animal <a litter of puppies>
4 a : trash, wastepaper, or garbage lying scattered about <trying to clean up the roadside litter > b : an untidy accumulation of objects <a shabby writing-desk covered with a litter of yellowish dusty documents ― Joseph Conrad>
– lit · tery \ -t ə -r ē \ adjective