Main Entry:

oco·ti·llo

Pronunciation:

\ˌō-kə-ˈtē-(ˌ)yō\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural oco·ti·llos

Etymology:

Mexican Spanish, diminutive of ocote, a resinous pine tree (Pinus montezuma), from Nahuatl ocotl pine, torch made of pine

Date:

1856

: a thorny scarlet-flowered candlewood (Fouquieria splendens of the family Fouquieriaceae) of the southwestern United States and Mexico

[ocotillo illustration]