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coyote - 4 dictionary results

coy⋅o⋅te

  [kahy-oh-tee, kahy-oht]
Use coyote in a Sentence
–noun, plural -tes, (especially collectively) -te.
1. Also called prairie wolf. a buffy-gray, wolflike canid, Canis latrans, of North America, distinguished from the wolf by its relatively small size and its slender build, large ears, and narrow muzzle.
2. Slang. a contemptible person, esp. an avaricious or dishonest one.
3. American Indian Legend. the coyote regarded as a culture hero and trickster by American Indian tribes of the West.
4. Slang. a person who smuggles Mexican nationals across the border into the U.S. for a fee.
Origin:
1825–35; earlier cuiota, cayota < MexSp coyote < Nahuatl coyōtl
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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coy·o·te   (kī-ō'tē, kī'ōt')   
n.  
  1. A small wolflike carnivorous animal (Canis latrans) native to western North America and found in many other regions of the continent. Also called prairie wolf.
  2. A firefighter who is sent to battle remote, usually very severe forest fires, often for days at a time.
  3. Slang A person who smuggles illegal immigrants into the United States, especially across the Mexican border.

[American Spanish, from Nahuatl cóyotl.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Coyote

Coy"o*te\ (k?"?-t? or k?"?t), n. [Spanish Amer., fr. Mexican coyotl.] (Zo["o]l.) A carnivorous animal (Canis latrans), allied to the dog, found in the western part of North America; -- called also prairie wolf. Its voice is a snapping bark, followed by a prolonged, shrill howl.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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coyote 
1759, Amer.Eng., from Mexican Sp., from Nahuatl coyotl.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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