ocotillo

noun

oco·​ti·​llo ˌō-kə-ˈtē-(ˌ)yō How to pronounce ocotillo (audio)
plural ocotillos
: a thorny scarlet-flowered candlewood (Fouquieria splendens of the family Fouquieriaceae) of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico

Illustration of ocotillo

Illustration of ocotillo

Examples of ocotillo 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.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff Red flowers are starting to blossom on the tips of an ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Francine Kiefer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 May 2024 Those big fat raindrops kiss the ocotillo, dance among saguaro spines and water our vast herd of lizards. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2023 The mountainous desert region is one highlighted by cactus flowers like the Strawberry Pitaya, the spiny ocotillo shrub, catclaw, desert marigolds, and the area’s namesake bluebonnets. J.d. Simkins, Sunset Magazine, 26 Apr. 2022 An easy half-mile walk on the wide, sandy Latigo Trail enters the preserve’s far west edge, passing under powerlines that curiously mimic look the long, slender stalks of native ocotillo cactus. Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2022 Those findings align with the work of Jim Cornett, a consulting ecologist who has been studying ocotillo in the park since 2007. San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2022 According to Texas Highways, visitors may also want to head approximately five hours north to pay a visit to Franklin Mountains State Park, home to the ocotillo, yucca, Southwestern barrel cactus, and Chihuahuan fishhook cactus. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2022 It’s not uncommon for students at the Bisbee Unified School District to live in Mexico and travel here daily through ports in sprawling valleys dotted by ocotillo. Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2020 There's also the hip year-old hotel Willow House, a cluster of minimalist cubes scattered in a field of ocotillo plants. Christopher Bagley, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2020

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ocotillo was in 1856

Dictionary Entries Near ocotillo

Cite this Entry

“Ocotillo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ocotillo. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on ocotillo

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!