Illustration of peyote
- peyote 1
variants
or less commonly peyotl
1
plural peyote or peyotes
: a small, low, spineless cactus (Lophophora williamsii) of Mexico and southern Texas that has bluish- to grayish-green dome-shaped stems having jointed disk-shaped tubercles with tufts of woolly white hairs and that contains psychoactive alkaloids
Huichols speak of the peyote they gather as the flesh of deer, and of the tap root they customarily leave in the ground as its "bones," from which new plants will grow …—
Stacy B. Schaefer and Peter T. Furst
Stacy B. Schaefer and Peter T. FurstPeyote, a small, mescaline-laden cactus that grows in Mexico and Texas …—The Wilson Quarterly
The Wilson Quarterlycalled also mescal
2
: a hallucinogenic drug containing mescaline that is derived from the dried disk-shaped tops of the peyote cactus and is used especially in the religious ceremonies of some Indigenous American peoples
In my childhood home, the word "medicine" is how we referred to peyote. … At a very young age, I understood the sacredness of this medicine …—Dawn D. Davis
Dawn D. Daviscalled also mescal
see also peyote button
Examples of peyote in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
White people are even consuming psychedelics deeply associated with Indigenous culture, like peyote and ayahuasca.
—Jerel Ezell, STAT, 1 May 2026
But only a handful of groups have formally obtained that legal status, including the Native American Church, which uses peyote in its ceremonies.
—Matthew Perrone, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2026
As part of the case, the court will consider narrowing a landmark 1990 decision over the spiritual use of peyote, a cactus that contains a hallucinogen called mescaline.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
As part of the case, which will be heard in the fall, the court will consider narrowing a landmark 1990 decision over the spiritual use of peyote, a cactus that contains a hallucinogen called mescaline.
—Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
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Jerel Ezell, STAT, 1 May 2026
But only a handful of groups have formally obtained that legal status, including the Native American Church, which uses peyote in its ceremonies.
—Matthew Perrone, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2026
As part of the case, the court will consider narrowing a landmark 1990 decision over the spiritual use of peyote, a cactus that contains a hallucinogen called mescaline.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
As part of the case, which will be heard in the fall, the court will consider narrowing a landmark 1990 decision over the spiritual use of peyote, a cactus that contains a hallucinogen called mescaline.
—Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for peyote
Cite this Entry
“Peyote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peyote. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
peyote
noun
pey·o·te
pā-ˈōt-ē 
1
: a drug containing mescaline that causes hallucinations and is obtained from the dried round and flattened tops of a small spineless cactus of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico
2
: the cactus from which peyote is obtained
called also mescal
Medical Definition
peyote
noun
pey·o·te
pā-ˈōt-ē
variants
also peyotl
1
: a small, low, spineless cactus (Lophophora williamsii) of Mexico and southern Texas that has bluish- to grayish-green dome-shaped stems having jointed disk-shaped tubercles with tufts of woolly white hairs and that contains psychoactive alkaloids
called also mescal
2
: a hallucinogenic drug containing mescaline that is derived from the dried disk-shaped tops of the peyote cactus and is used especially in the religious ceremonies of some Indigenous American peoples
called also mescal
see also peyote buttonLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
