caterpillar / track
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caterpillar
The larval stage of a butterfly or moth, which feeds on plants before it pupates.
Aus der kleinen Raupe wird später ein wunderschöner Schmetterling.
The little caterpillar will later become a beautiful butterfly.
You can tell from the context whether the animal larva or the vehicle part is meant. Words like 'Schmetterling' (butterfly), 'Blatt' (leaf), or 'fressen' (to eat, for animals) point to the animal. Words like 'Bagger' (excavator), 'Panzer' (tank), or 'Baustelle' (construction site) point to the technical meaning.
Die Raupe frisst ein Loch in das Blatt.
The caterpillar eats a hole in the leaf.
In Germany, every child knows 'Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt' (The Very Hungry Caterpillar), a famous picture book. The word is therefore very familiar even to small children.
Mein Sohn liebt die Geschichte von der kleinen Raupe, die sich in einen Schmetterling verwandelt.
My son loves the story about the little caterpillar that turns into a butterfly.
In colloquial speech, the entire vehicle that has caterpillar tracks is often referred to as a 'Raupe' (tracked vehicle), especially a bulldozer on a construction site.
Der Bauarbeiter steuerte die Raupe geschickt über das unebene Gelände.
The construction worker skillfully steered the bulldozer over the uneven terrain.
doll / mannequin / pupa
'Puppe' and 'Raupe' can both belong to the same development process in insects. A 'Raupe' is the larval stage, for example of a butterfly. It eats and moves around. The 'Puppe' is the later stage, in which the insect transforms. Learners may confuse the words because both come before the adult insect. Remember: first comes the caterpillar, then the pupa, and after that, for example, the butterfly.
Auf dem Blatt kriecht eine grüne Raupe und frisst kleine Löcher hinein.
A green caterpillar is crawling on the leaf and eating small holes in it.
In der Puppe verwandelt sich die Raupe langsam in einen Schmetterling.
Inside the pupa, the caterpillar slowly transforms into a butterfly.