collared peccary

noun

See under peccary.

Also called javelina.

peccary

[pek-uh-ree]

noun, plural pec·ca·ries, (especially collectively) pec·ca·ry.

any of several piglike hoofed mammals of the genus Tayassu, of North and South America, as T. tajacu (collared peccary, or javelina), having a dark gray coat with a white collar.

Origin of peccary

Borrowed into English from Carib around 1605–15

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for collared peccary

peccary

noun plural -ries or -ry

either of two piglike artiodactyl mammals, Tayassu tajacu (collared peccary) or T. albirostris (white-lipped peccary) of forests of southern North America, Central and South America: family Tayassuidae

Word Origin for peccary

C17: from Carib

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

Word Origin and History for collared peccary

peccary

pig-like animal of South America, 1610s, from Carib (Guiana or Venezuela) pakira, paquira.