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Synonyms

peccary

American  
[pek-uh-ree] / ˈpɛk ə ri /

noun

plural

peccaries,

plural

peccary

  1. any of several medium-sized, bristly, piglike mammals of North and South America, comprising three genera of the family Tayassuidae New World pigs, all of which possess a scent gland on the rear of the back.

peccary British  
/ ˈpɛkərɪ /

noun

  1. either of two piglike artiodactyl mammals, Tayassu tajacu ( collared peccary ) or T. albirostris ( white-lipped peccary ) of forests of southern North America, Central and South America: family Tayassuidae

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of peccary

Borrowed into English around 1605–15 from a Carib language, e.g., Apalai pakira, paquira, or Chayma paquera

Vocabulary lists containing peccary

Aztec, Maya, and Inca Empires - Middle School and High School

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The costumes of the cachaceros, representing Africans, are phantasmagoric confections of old jaguar pelts, caiman skulls and peccary teeth.

From New York Times • Jan. 16, 2024

In their native language, Yawanawá means “white-lipped peccary people.”

From Scientific American • Apr. 19, 2022

So does the white-lipped peccary, a shy pig that tends to disappear quickly when there’s hunting pressure.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2021

As he wolfed down a late lunch of peccary and pasta, the second man, Clebeson Tenharim, said he was certain the invasions were accelerating.

From The Guardian • Oct. 2, 2019

Bottom: A peccary can be ferocious when threatened and makes a rattling sound by chattering its teeth to scare off predators.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.