nutria

noun

nu·​tria ˈnü-trē-ə 

ˈnyü-

1

: the durable usually light brown fur of a nutria

2

: a large South American semiaquatic rodent (Myocastor coypus) with webbed hind feet and a round nearly hairless tail that has been introduced into parts of Europe, Asia, and North America

Examples of nutria in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Both of these species are large aquatic rodents that influence ecosystems – beaver dam building changes how water moves, sometimes undesirably for land owners, while nutria are non-native and damaging to wetlands. —Alex Jensen, The Conversation, 18 Dec. 2025

In all, 650 nutrias were slaughtered at the 2025 Louisiana Nutria Rodeo. —Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025

Mute swans, unlike nutria, have a dedicated group of supporters, mostly on the East Coast. —Calmatters, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2025

Though Sharma's encounter was an entirely positive one, close encounters with nutrias are not necessarily advised. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from American Spanish, from Spanish, "otter," altered (with n of uncertain origin) from Latin lutra — more at otter

Note: Joan Coromines (Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 1981) suggests that Greek énydris "otter" may have been the source of the n in nutria; he notes dialectal forms such as lóndriga that maintain l.

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

nutria

noun

nu·​tria ˈn(y)ü-trē-ə 

: a South American rodent that lives in or near water, has webbed feet and a nearly hairless tail, and has been introduced into the U.S. along the Gulf Coast and in the Pacific Northwest

called also coypu