ocotillo

[ oh-kuh-teel-yoh; Spanish aw-kaw-tee-yaw ]
/ ˌoʊ kəˈtil yoʊ; Spanish ˌɔ kɔˈti yɔ /

noun, plural o·co·til·los [oh-kuh-teel-yohz; Spanish aw-kaw-tee-yaws] /ˌoʊ kəˈtil yoʊz; Spanish ˌɔ kɔˈti yɔs/.

a spiny, woody shrub, Fouqueria splendens, of arid regions of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, having a tight cluster of red flowers at the tip of each branch.

Origin of ocotillo

1855–60, Americanism; < Mexican Spanish, diminutive of ocote kind of pine < Nahuatl ocotl

British Dictionary definitions for ocotillo

ocotillo
/ (ˌəʊkəˈtiːljəʊ) /

noun plural -los

a cactus-like tree, Fouquieria splendens, of Mexico and the southwestern US, with scarlet tubular flowers: used for hedges and candlewood: family Fouquieriaceae

Word Origin for ocotillo

Mexican Spanish: diminutive of ocote pine, from Nahuatl ocotl torch