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

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

In California, the nutria population was eliminated in the 1970s, but a population was found in the San Joaquin Valley in 2017, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. —Sam Gillette, People.com, 6 Mar. 2025

Nutria Native to South America, nutria are invasive inhabitants of the Gulf Coast, Atlantic Coast and Pacific Northwest, according to the FWS. —Peter Burke, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2025

Dogs have also been tested at finding longhorn beetles, brook trout and nutria. —Gennaro Tomma, Scientific American, 14 Mar. 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