LIT'TER, noun [Latin lectus, from the root of lego, Eng. lay.]

1. A vehicle formed with shafts supporting a bed between them, in which a person may be borne by men or by a horse. If by the latter, it is called a horse-litter. A similar vehicle in India is called a palanquin.

2. Straw, hay or other soft substance, used as a bed for horses and for other purposes.

3. A brood of young pigs, kittens, puppies or other quadrupeds. The word is applied only to certain quadrupeds of the smaller kinds.

4. A birth of pigs or other small animals.

5. Waste matters, shreds, fragments and the like, scattered on a floor or other clean place.

LIT'TER, verb transitive

1. To bring forth young, as swine and other small quadrupeds. It is sometimes applied to human beings in contempt.

2. To scatter over carelessly with shreds, fragments and the like; as, to litter a room or a carpet.

3. To cover with straw or hay; as, to litter a stable.

4. To supply with litter; as to litter cattle.