'litter' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'litiere', where the root referred to a 'bed' or 'straw bedding'.

'litter' passed into Middle English from Old French 'litiere' (meaning 'bedding' or 'stuff for a bed') and later broadened in English to refer to a disordered heap or scattered material; from this sense came the modern sense of refuse scattered about, and the gerund 'littering'.

Initially, it meant 'bedding' or 'straw used for a bed'; over time it evolved to mean 'a scattered heap' and eventually 'rubbish scattered in public places', which is the modern sense of 'litter' and 'littering'.