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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

His younger brother says that Jhonattan used his last cartridge to scare off a squadron of peccaries, pig-like herd animals found in the rainforests of South America.

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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