caltrop
/ˈkæltɹəp/noun
caltrop is spelled C-A-L-T-R-O-P: 7 letters. It appears about once in every 55 million words in written English, the 231,291st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, caltrop means “A metal object, usually small, with spikes arranged so that, when thrown onto the ground, one always faces up as a threat to pedestrians, horses, and…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of caltrop is caltrops.
How many letters and syllables are in caltrop?
| Letters | 7: C-A-L-T-R-O-P |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 55 million words; the 231,291st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is caltrop?
Caltrop appears about once in every 55 million words in written English, the 231,291st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce caltrop?
- US /ˈkæltɹəp/
- UK /ˈkaltɹəp/
- UK /ˈkɔːltɹəp/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-caltrop.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-caltrop.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of caltrop
- caltrops plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does caltrop mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A metal object, usually small, 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).
- 2
colloquialThe 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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Caltrop in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | chausse-trape, pied de corbeau , centaurée chausse-trape, chardon étoilé , tribule terrestre |
| German | Krähenfuß, Fußangel |
| Portuguese | abrolho, estrepe, miguelito |
| Spanish | abrojo , encojaperros, garbanzo del cura , abrojo terrestre, cadillo, cuerno de chivo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does caltrop come from?
From Middle English calketrappe, from Old English calcatrippe, from Medieval Latin calcatrippa (“thistle”), from Latin calx or calcare (“to tread”) + trappa (“trap”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).