ocotillo

[ oh-kuh-teel-yoh; Spanish aw-kaw-tee-yaw ]

noun

, plural o·co·til·los [oh-k, uh, -, teel, -yohz, aw-kaw-, tee, -yaws].

1. a spiny, woody shrub, Fouqueria splendens, of arid regions of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, having a tight cluster of red flowers at the tip of each branch.

ocotillo

/ ˌəʊkəˈtiːljəʊ /

noun

1. a cactus-like tree, Fouquieria splendens, of Mexico and the southwestern US, with scarlet tubular flowers: used for hedges and candlewood: family Fouquieriaceae

Word History and Origins

Origin of ocotillo¹

1855–60, Americanism; < Mexican Spanish, diminutive of ocote kind of pine < Nahuatl ocotl

Word History and Origins

Origin of ocotillo¹

Mexican Spanish: diminutive of ocote pine, from Nahuatl ocotl torch