coati

[ koh-ah-tee ]

noun,plural co·a·tis.
  1. a diurnal omnivore related to the raccoon, having an elongated body, a long, ringed, nonprehensile tail, and a slender, flexible snout: the two genera are Nasua, found in the southwestern U.S. and southward to Uruguay, and Nasuella, the mountain coatis of Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador.

Origin of coati

1
First recorded in 1670–80; from Portuguese, from Tupi, equivalent to cua “belt” + ti, tim “nose”
  • Also called co·a·ti·mun·di [koh-ah-tee-muhn-dee] /koʊˈɑ tiˈmʌn di/ .

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use coati in a sentence

  • Sir, they would not pause or turn aside if a coatimundi crossed their path—an animal with a strong odour.

    Green Mansions | W. H. Hudson

British Dictionary definitions for coati

coati

coati-mondi or coati-mundi (kəʊˌɑːtɪˈmʌndɪ)

/ (kəʊˈɑːtɪ) /


nounplural -tis or -dis
  1. any omnivorous mammal of the genera Nasua and Nasuella, of Central and South America: family Procyonidae, order Carnivora (carnivores). They are related to but larger than the raccoons, having a long flexible snout and a brindled coat

Origin of coati

1
C17: from Portuguese coatì, from Tupi, literally: belt-nosed, from cua belt + tim nose

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