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ocotillo

[ oh-kuh-teel-yoh; Spanish aw-kaw-tee-yaw ]
/ ˌoʊ kəˈtil yoʊ; Spanish ˌɔ kɔˈti yɔ /

noun, plural o·co·til·los [oh-kuh-teel-yohz; Spanish aw-kaw-tee-yaws]. /ˌoʊ kəˈtil yoʊz; Spanish ˌɔ kɔˈti yɔs/.

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.

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Origin of ocotillo

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

Words nearby ocotillo

“O Come, All Ye Faithful”, oconee-bells, O'Connell, O'Connor, O'Connor, Sandra Day, ocotillo, OCR, Ocracoke Island, ocrea, ocreate, OCS
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for ocotillo

ocotillo
/ (ˌəʊkəˈtiːljəʊ) /

noun plural -los

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

Word Origin for ocotillo

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