n.
Pronunciation: p ā - ' ō -t ē
Variant: also pey · otl \ - ' ō -t ə l \
Function: noun
Etymology: Mexican Spanish peyote, from Nahuatl peyotl peyote cactus
Date: 1849
1 : a hallucinogenic drug containing mescaline that is derived from peyote buttons and used especially in the religious ceremonies of some American Indian peoples
2 : a small low spineless cactus ( Lophophora williamsii ) of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico having rounded stems covered with jointed tubercles ― called also mescal