Etymology Inherited from Middle English litere, borrowed from Anglo-Norman litere, from Old French litiere (“bedding; bed of loose straw; litter”), from Late Latin lectuāria, from Latin lectus + -āria.
Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals.
Quen he had made me hale and ferea. 1325, Cursor Mundi (Vespasian MS), lines 13817–8
As pelows ben to chambres agreable So is harde strawe lytter for the stable.c. 1430, John Lydgate, Horse, Goose, and Sheep:
3 more examples
To place daily under those Animals... a sufficient quantity of fresh New Straw, well spread, which is call'd making of Litter.1693, Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinie, translated by John Evelyn, The Compleat Gard'ner..., page 54:
John Baldwin held the manor of Oterarsee in Aylesbury of the king in soccage, by the service of finding litter for the king's bed, viz. in summer grass or herbs, and in winter straw.1774, Joseph Collyer, The History of England..., volume II, page 126:
The afterwards dry the horsedung in the sun, beat it with a mallet through fine sieves, and make it into litter for the horses; for no straw can be obtained for litter in Constantinople.1862, Albert Henry Wratislaw, Adventures of Baron Wenceslas Wratislaw of Mitrowitz..., Book II, p. 59:
2
Obsolete A bed, especially a pile of straw (sometimes also with blankets) used as a bed.
Near-synonyms: pallet, straw bed, hay bed (all broadly synonymous)
The traitours sought the Kyng... yn the withdrawyng chaumburs, yn the litters, undir the presses.1440, John Shirley, The Full Lamentable Cronycle of the Dethe and False Murdure of James Stewarde..., page 17:
2 more examples
Tho laye they doun on a lytier made of strawe, the foxe, hys wyf and hys chyldren wente alle to slepe.1481, The Historye of Reynart the Foxe, William Caxton, page 57:
They slept upon litters of jungle grasses, and for covering at night Jane Porter had only an old ulster that belonged to Clayton, the same garment that he had worn upon that memorable trip to the Wisconsin woods.1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 177:
3
Animal bedding together with its dung.
Silkworms... must be well cleansed from the litter.1835, Andrew Ure, The Philosophy of Manufactures, page 232:
The heir of an estate... troubled himself little about decorating his abode, and, if he attempted decoration, seldom produced anything but deformity. The litter of a farmyard gathered under the windows of his bedchamber, and the cabbages and gooseberry bushes grew close to his hall door.1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England..., volume I, page 320:
4
A mobile bed or couch transported upon or suspended from poles placed over human shoulders or animal backs.
... In a lytter made tho full royall...1410s, John Lydgate, Troy Book, Canto II
Glou. There is a Litter ready, lay him in't, And driue toward Douer friend...c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vi]:
5
Medicine, Sciences Synonym of stretcher, such a vehicle used for transporting the sick and injured, inclusive of designs carried in the hand.
He ordeyned lyttyers for the wounded knyghtes.c. 1480, Thomas Malory, chapter XIX, in Morte d'Arthur:
6
Broadly Any of the other similar conveyances, such as sedan chairs, hammock litters, and the like.
When they went out, they sat in litters, which were curtained.1922, Maneckji Nusservanji Dhalla, Zoroastrian Civilization, page 219:
"The Chengtu revolutionaries were fantastically colourful in the Szechwanese manner—they costumed themselves as heroes of the stage and their energies were chiefly occupied in tying ropes across the main streets so that when Imperial officials rode by in their litters they would have to get down and crawl under, losing face.1942 March, “Notes and News: Monument to a Stillborn Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 88:
7
Obsolete Synonym of straw, grass, etc. more generally, particularly in plaster, thatch, and mulch.
8
Obsolete An act of giving birth to a number of live young at the same time.
Let new planted Elms be kept moist by frequent refreſhings upon ſome half-rotten Fern, or Litter laid about the foot of the ſtem...1664, J[ohn] E[velyn], “. Chapter IV. Of the Elm.”, in Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-trees and the Propagation of Timber in His Majesties Dominions. […], London: […] Jo[hn] Martyn, and Ja[mes] Allestry, printers to the Royal Society, […], →OCLC, page 19:
9
Collective The whole group of live young born at the same time, typically in reference to mammals or (figurative, derogatory) unpleasant people or objects.
A Wolf came to a Sow, and very Kindly Offer'd to take care of her Litter.1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:
Strongly-marked differences occasionally appear in the young of the same litter.1859, Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species..., p. 10
2 more examples
When a man had married into a family where there was a whole litter of women, he might have plenty to put up with if he choose.1860, George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss, volume I, page 137:
The runt of the litter is the smallest or weakest of a group of puppies born together.
10
Waste or debris, originally any mess but now particularly trash left or thrown on the ground.
Near-synonyms: garbage; see also Thesaurus:trash
What are you doing?! There's a litter bin not three feet away.
3 more examples
Strephon, who found the room was void And Betty otherwise employed, Stole in and took a strict survey Of all the litter as it lay....1730, Jonathan Swift, The Lady's Dressing Room:
The British people seem incapable of avoiding the habit of leaving litter wherever they go, and the railways certainly seem to receive their fair share of it, in carriages and on stations.1962 October, Brian Haresnape, “Focus on B.R. passenger stations”, in Modern Railways, page 254:
In the case of a simple problem such as littering, the success or failure of a solution can immediately be assessed once and for all. A successful solution is one that results in no litter being present. Assuming the solution did not involve summarily executing anyone suspected of being about to drop litter, it is unlikely to have significant second-order effects.2023, Charles Chao Rong Phua, Policy Strategy and Innovation Primer..., p. 22
11
Uncommon A bed, a substrate formed from loose materials.
Having first made a litter of shingles, planks or billets, with a layer of charcoal powder several inches in thickness...1848, Friedrich Ludwig Knapp, translated by Edmund Ronalds et al., Chemical Technology, volume I, page 35:
12
The layer of fallen leaves and other loose organic material on the ground in a forest.
Litter, that portion of the forest floor which is not in an advanced state of decomposition.1905, "Terms Used in Forestry and Logging", Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Forestry, No. 61, p. 14
Forest animals use leaf litter in a variety of ways, including as food, shelter, nesting material, bedding, and camouflage.
13
Fuller's earth, clay pellets, wood chips, or other similar loose absorbent materials used for the waste of pet animals.
Change the cat litter fer chrissakes. This place reeks.
Etymology Inherited from Middle English litere, borrowed from Anglo-Norman litere, from Old French litiere (“bedding; bed of loose straw; litter”), from Late Latin lectuāria, from Latin lectus + -āria.
To drop or throw trash without properly disposing of it (as discarding in public areas rather than trash receptacles).
By tossing the bottle out the window, he was littering.
2
To scatter carelessly about.
3
To strew (a place) with scattered articles.
Their Clamour, 'lighting from their Chairs, / Grew lowder, all the way up Stairs; / At Entrance louder, where they found, / The Room with Volumes litter'd round; […]1726, [Jonathan Swift], Cadenus and Vanessa. A Poem, London: […] J. Roberts […], →OCLC, page 18:
A single written sheet of paper was on the table near her—but there were more than a hundred others, torn across, littering the floor.1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries:
4
To give birth to, in the manner of animals.
We might conceive that dogs were created blind, because we observe they were littered so with us.1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC:
The son that she did litter here, / A freckled whelp hagborn.1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
5
To produce a litter of young.
A desert […] where the she-wolf still littered.1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XII, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
6
To supply (cattle etc.) with litter; to cover with litter, as the floor of a stall.
Tell them how they litter their jades.1693, John Hacket, Scrinia reserata: a Memorial offered to the great Deservings of John Williams:
For his ease, well litter'd was the floor.1700, [John] Dryden, Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
7
To be supplied with litter as bedding; to sleep or make one's bed in litter.
The inn where he and his horse litter'd.1634, William Habington, Castara: