coyote

noun koy-YOT Rare

Origin: From Nahuatl 'coyotl'.

Usage Note

Coyote entered French from Spanish (and ultimately Nahuatl), referring to the North American wild canid Canis latrans. In contemporary French slang, un coyote can also mean a people-smuggler who guides migrants across borders, borrowed from American English usage. The plural is regular: des coyotes.

Examples

"Un coyote a été aperçu près du village."

Natural Translation

A coyote was spotted near the village.

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