coyotillo

[ koi-uh-til-oh; Spanish kaw-yaw-tee-yaw ]

noun

, plural coy·o·til·los [koi-, uh, -, til, -ohz, kaw-yaw-, tee, -yaws].

1. a poisonous shrub with black berries, Karwinskia humboldtiana, of the buckthorn family, found in Mexico and the southwestern U.S.

coyotillo

/ ˌkəʊjəʊˈtiːljəʊ /

noun

1. a thorny poisonous rhamnaceous shrub, Karwinskia humboldtiana of Mexico and the southwestern US, the berries of which cause paralysis

Word History and Origins

Origin of coyotillo¹

First recorded in 1890–95; from Mexican Spanish: literally “little coyote,” equivalent to coyote + -illo diminutive suffix; coyote ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of coyotillo¹

Mexican Spanish, literally: a little coyote