coyote

Where does the word "coyote" come from? It comes from Nahuatl coyotl, passing through Spanish before entering English (1800s).

Coyote’s story begins in Nahuatl: coyotl meant “coyote.” The Nahuatl name for the wild canine. By 1500s-1600s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as coyote. Nahuatl 'coyotl'; the trickster Coyote is a figure in many Native American stories. It reached English by 1800s as coyote. Lewis and Clark called it a 'prairie wolf' in 1804. Today, coyote means a wild, wolf-like canine native to North America.

1. Stage 1 · Nahuatl · pre-1500s coyotl "coyote", the Nahuatl name for the wild canine.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1500s-1600s coyote "coyote", Nahuatl 'coyotl'; the trickster Coyote is a figure in many Native American stories.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s coyote "the North American wild canine", Lewis and Clark called it a 'prairie wolf' in 1804.