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
Words nearby ocotillo
ockham's razor,
ockham, william of,
ockodols,
ocmulgee,
oconee-bells,
ocotillo,
ocr,
ocracoke island,
ocrea,
ocreate,
ocs
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