Litterbug
/ˈlɪt.ər.bʌɡ/noun
A person who throws trash on the ground or leaves waste in public places.
Did you know?“Litterbug” is a 20th-century American coinage built from the older word *litter* plus *bug*, using the insect label as a sharp insult for a nuisance, not a literal pest.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
lætre
“a bed or couch; later, straw bedding and scattered straw/covering”
Middle English
ME
littere
“straw bedding, bedding for animals; later, scattered rubbish or disorderly material”
Early Modern English
English
litter
“disorderly scattered refuse; also to scatter about”
20th Century
English
litterbug
“a person who carelessly drops or leaves trash in public places”