coyote

[kahy-oh-tee, kahy-oht]

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.

coyote

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of coyote¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of coyote¹

C19: from Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl coyotl

Example Sentences

“Nebraska” is a minimalist tableau of sin, a chilling void punctuated with coyote yelps and lonely harmonica solos.

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His animals—a deer, coyote, squirrel and hawk—live in nearby Central Park and the Hudson Valley, and are significant to indigenous cultures.

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Construction is under way on some new homes, but streets remain unusually quiet at night, when coyotes come out to roam.

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Judging by the amount of blood, he assumed a coyote had killed something.

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She said there was an incident in Stinson Beach where someone hand fed a coyote from a car, soon after, that same coyote was going up to people in cars expecting to be fed.

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Related Words

• mutt 
• pooch 
• pup