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.
Chambers is nurturing a small ocotillo. — Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026 This includes all of the cacti, exotic plants like ocotillo, most of the trees such as ironwood, palo verde, mesquite and many smaller plants. — Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 19 Sep. 2025 Wooly devil grows near drought-tolerant plants, including ocotillo, hedgehog cactus and creosote. — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Feb. 2025 Tucson’s skyline and freeways lay 20 miles downhill from the ocotillos, mesquites and saguaros that ring the Santa Ritas. — Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 19 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for ocotillo

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

Rhymes for ocotillo

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Browse Nearby Words

Ocotea cymbarum oil
ocotillo
OCR
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Cite this Entry

“Ocotillo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ocotillo. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on ocotillo

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ocotillo

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