critter
nounUS /ˈkɹɪtɚ/ · UK /ˈkɹɪtə/
Etymology First attested 1815, from a dialectal pronunciation of creature.
1
Australia, US, Endearing, Usually A creature, and specifically, an animal or something animal-like.
- The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile.2013 July 26, Nick Miroff, “Mexico gets a taste for eating insects …”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 32:
2
Rail transport, Railways, Transport US A small locomotive used in an industrial setting.
- One of the biggest challenges facing a railfan photographer is the correct identification of one manufacturer's "critter" locomotive from that of another competing builder.2025 March 7 (last accessed), R. Craig Rutherford, The Diesel Shop:
- Derived terms
- congresscritter, crispy critter, crittercam, critterproof, crotch critter, fearsome critter, gendercritter, salescritter, spokescritter, werecritter
- Coordinate terms
- beastie