peccary

[ pek-uh-ree ]

/ ˈpɛk ə ri /

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noun, plural pec·ca·ries, (especially collectively) pec·ca·ry.

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.

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Origin of peccary

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

Words nearby peccary

pecan, pecan patty, peccable, peccadillo, peccant, peccary, peccatophobia, peccavi, pech, pêche Melba, Pechenga

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use peccary in a sentence

Like the peccary, he is tailless, and in a manner web-footed, being thus adapted for a semi-aquatic life.
The Desert World|Arthur Mangin
We knew that the peccary, savage as it was, could not climb the tree; and hitherto we had deemed ourselves secure.
The Desert Home|Mayne Reid
Of the peccary (dicotyles), there are two distinct species known—the “collared,” and the “white-lipped.”
The Hunters' Feast|Mayne Reid
The other species is also found in South America, and is distinguished as the “vaquira de collar” (collared peccary).
The Hunters' Feast|Mayne Reid

This is just following the isothermal line, and proves that the peccary cannot endure the rigours of a severe winter climate.
The Hunters' Feast|Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for peccary

peccary

/ (ˈpɛkərɪ) /

noun plural -ries or -ry

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

Word Origin for peccary

C17: from Carib

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

peccary

Origin of peccary

Words nearby peccary

Words related to peccary

How to use peccary in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for peccary

Word Origin for peccary