cria

noun

ˈkrē-ə

plural crias

: a baby llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco

… the scarcity of alpacas is based on their slow rate of reproduction, since females usually deliver one baby, called a cria, per year.—

Glenn Collins

Examples of cria in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Pregnant female alpacas stay in a pen together, and newborn alpacas, known as crias, stay with their mothers until about 6 months of age. —

Lizzy Alspach, Baltimore Sun, 3 July 2024 Llamas give birth standing up and usually have a single cria every one to two years, Leslie said. —

René A. Guzman, San Antonio Express-News, 11 Feb. 2021

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Spanish cría "rearing (of an animal), baby animal, litter," noun derivative of criar "to bring up, rear, nurse," going back to Latin creāre "to bring into being, give birth to, cause to grow" — more at create entry 1

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of cria was in 1984

See more words from the same year