coati

Where does the word "coati" come from? It comes from Tupi-Guarani kwatĩ, passing through Portuguese/Spanish before entering English (1670s).

Coati’s story begins in Tupi-Guarani: kwatĩ meant “a long-nosed forest mammal.” Named the long-nosed, raccoon-like mammal. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Portuguese/Spanish as coati. Tupi 'belt-nose', from the way it sleeps with its long snout tucked into its belly. It reached English by 1670s as coati. First recorded in 1676 in the Royal Society's 'Philosophical Transactions'. Today, coati means a raccoon-family mammal with a long, flexible snout, found from the southwestern U.S. to South America.

1. Stage 1 · Tupi-Guarani · pre-1500s kwatĩ "a long-nosed forest mammal", named the long-nosed, raccoon-like mammal.
2. Stage 2 · Portuguese/Spanish · 1600s coati "a raccoon relative with a long, flexible snout", Tupi 'belt-nose', from the way it sleeps with its long snout tucked into its belly.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1670s coati "a raccoon-family mammal with a long snout and tail", first recorded in 1676 in the Royal Society's 'Philosophical Transactions'.