peyote

[ pey-oh-tee; Spanish pe-yaw-te ]

noun

, plural pe·yo·tes [pey-, oh, -teez, pe-, yaw, -tes].

1. mescal ( def 3 ).
2. mescal button.
3. mescaline.
4. (in Mexico) any of several cacti related to or resembling mescal.

peyote

/ pɪ-; peɪˈəʊtɪ /

noun

1. another name for mescal

Word History and Origins

Origin of peyote¹

1840–50, Americanism; < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl peyotl

Word History and Origins

Origin of peyote¹

Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl peyotl

Example Sentences

This month, an exhibition of peyote paintings will donate proceeds to the Wixárika tribe of northwestern Mexico, California, Arizona and Texas — Indigenous people whose shamans famously guide people through spiritual peyote ceremonies.

From Los Angeles Times

He introduced the idea in 1967 with his book “Technicians of the Sacred: A Range of Poetries From Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania,” a wide-ranging anthology that introduced readers to ancient Egyptian coronation events, Comanche peyote songs and Gabonese death rites.

From New York Times

Smith, the Supreme Court upheld the firing of two Native American employees who had been denied unemployment benefits after using peyote, a sacrament in their religious ceremonies.

From Slate

Combine the brain-melting effects of peyote, the geopolitical strife over oil and the violence of Prohibition-era bootlegging.

From New York Times

The bill would legalize supervised therapeutic access for adults older than 21 for certain substances, including psilocybin and psilocin, also known as “magic mushrooms”; dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, the active ingredient in ayahuasca; MDMA; and mescaline, not including peyote.

From Los Angeles Times