coyote

American  

[kahy-oh-tee, kahy-oht] / kaɪˈoʊ ti, ˈkaɪ oʊt /

noun

plural

coyotes,

plural

coyote

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.

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

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

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coyote British  

/ kɔɪˈəʊt, ˈkɔɪəʊt, kɔɪˈəʊtɪ /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of coyote

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

Example Sentences

What was once one of the coolest secrets in Los Angeles has become a veritable ghost town, the vast empty spaces populated by howling coyotes and scrounging bears.

From Los Angeles Times

I’m particularly fond of how the Na’vi express themselves in hisses and coyote yips and exhale the foreign name Jake Sully like a sneeze.

From Los Angeles Times

They found a “coyote” who charged thousands of dollars and asked her mother to put up her land as collateral until the debt was paid off.

From Los Angeles Times

The crickets and cicadas make a ceaseless, deafening buzz, coyotes cry mournfully in the distance, songbirds cheep and squawk at the first hint of dawn.

From Literature

“I don’t think the coyotes had ever seen a bear—it was their territory,” Clark said in her Scottish accent, leading a driving tour in an Australian bush hat.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• mutt
• pooch
• pup