coyote

[ kahy-oh-tee, kahy-oht ]
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noun,plural coy·o·tes, (especially collectively) coy·o·te.
  1. Also called prairie wolf. a buffy-gray, wolflike canid, Canis latrans, of North America, distinguished from the wolf by its relatively small size and its slender build, large ears, and narrow muzzle.

  2. Slang. a contemptible person, especially an avaricious or dishonest one.

  1. American Indian Legend. the coyote regarded as a culture hero and trickster by American Indian tribes of the West.

  2. Slang. a person who smuggles immigrants, especially Latin Americans, into the U.S. for a fee.

Origin of coyote

1
1825–35; earlier cuiota, cayota<Mexican Spanish coyote<Nahuatl coyōtl

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British Dictionary definitions for coyote

coyote

/ (ˈkɔɪəʊt, kɔɪˈəʊt, kɔɪˈəʊtɪ) /


nounplural -otes or -ote
  1. Also called: prairie wolf a predatory canine mammal, Canis latrans, related to but smaller than the wolf, roaming the deserts and prairies of North America

  2. (in Native American legends of the West) a trickster and culture hero represented as a man or as an animal

Origin of coyote

1
C19: from Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl coyotl

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012