CALTROP

Caltrop

A caltrop is an antipersonnel weapon made up of two or more sharp nails or spines arranged in such a manner that one of them always points upward from a stable base . Caltrops were part of defenses that served to slow the advance of horses, war elephants, and human troops. They were said to be particularly effective against the soft feet of camels. In more modern times, caltrops are used against wheeled vehicles with pneumatic tires.

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caltrop

Noun

  1. A small, metal object with spikes arranged so that, when thrown onto the ground, one always faces up as a threat to passers-by.
  2. The starthistle, , a plant with sharp thorns.
  3. A flowering plant, , in the family Zygophyllaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Old World.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: caltrop
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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