I. ˈkīˌōt also -ˌyōt sometimes ˈkȯiˌ-, usu -ōd.+V; kīˈōd.(ˌ)ē, -ˈō(ˌ)tē also -ˈyō- sometimes kȯiˈ- or kə̇ˈ- or kēˈ- noun
( plural coyotes or coyote )
Etymology: Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl coyotl
1. : a small wolf ( Canis latrans ) native to the western part of No. America and well established northward in Alaska and eastward at least as far as New York state — called also prairie wolf
2. : an objectionable person : chiseler
[s]coyote.jpg[/s] [
coyote 1
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II. intransitive verb
( coyoteed -d.(ˌ)ēd ; or coyoted -d.ə̇d, -d.(ˌ)ēd ; coyoteed or coyoted ; coyoteing or coyoting -d.iŋ ; coyotes -ts, -d.(ˌ)ēz)
West : to mine by sinking small shallow shafts with drifts running in several directions — compare gopher
III. adjective
: marked by shallow excavation or digging suggestive of a coyote's hole
a coyote shaft
a coyote cellar
IV. noun
slang : a person who is paid to smuggle immigrants into the United States illegally