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peccary

American  
[pek-uh-ree] / ˈpɛk ə ri /

noun

peccaries, plural peccary plural
  1. any of several medium-sized, bristly, piglike mammals of North and South America, comprising three genera of the family Tayassuidae New World pigs, all of which possess a scent gland on the rear of the back.


peccary British  
/ ˈpɛkərɪ /

noun

  1. either of two piglike artiodactyl mammals, Tayassu tajacu ( collared peccary ) or T. albirostris ( white-lipped peccary ) of forests of southern North America, Central and South America: family Tayassuidae

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of peccary

Borrowed into English around 1605–15 from a Carib language, e.g., Apalai pakira, paquira, or Chayma paquera

Vocabulary lists containing peccary

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The costumes of the cachaceros, representing Africans, are phantasmagoric confections of old jaguar pelts, caiman skulls and peccary teeth.

From New York Times Jan. 16, 2024

In their native language, Yawanawá means “white-lipped peccary people.”

From Scientific American Apr. 19, 2022

So does the white-lipped peccary, a shy pig that tends to disappear quickly when there’s hunting pressure.

From Seattle Times Mar. 11, 2021

Pablo Maniguaje, an indigenous Siona man, is wearing a white-sleeved tunic and peccary tooth necklace.

From The Guardian Apr. 2, 2019

Bottom: A peccary can be ferocious when threatened and makes a rattling sound by chattering its teeth to scare off predators.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

You won’t see deer, tapir, peccaries, monkeys or chicken-like curassows anywhere within trekking distance of habitation; they’ve all been eaten.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 29, 2026

Prehistoric elephants, saber-toothed cats, jaguars, llamas, peccaries, deer, skunks and bears streamed from North America to South.

From Science Daily May 28, 2024

Also known as collared peccaries, 30 to 50 hellcatting javelina squadrons have been razing the course turf annually during their fall rush.

From Salon Oct. 27, 2023

He says he drank rainwater collected in his shoes and ate worms and other insects while hiding from jaguars and peccaries, a type of pig-like mammal.

From BBC Mar. 1, 2023

Why Eurasia’s pigs, but not American peccaries or Africa’s three species of true wild pigs?

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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