ocotillo

noun oco·ti·llo \ˌō-kə-ˈtē-(ˌ)yō\

plural oco·ti·llos

Definition of OCOTILLO

: a thorny scarlet-flowered candlewood (Fouquieria splendens of the family Fouquieriaceae) of the southwestern United States and Mexico

Mexican Spanish, diminutive of ocote, a resinous pine tree (Pinus montezuma), from Nahuatl ocotl pine, torch made of pine

First Known Use: 1856

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