zopilote

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish zopilote, from Classical Nahuatl tzopīlōtl.

Noun

zopilote (plural zopilotes)

1. A New World vulture of the family Cathartidae, especially the black vulture (Coragyps atratus).
   • 2016, Lawrence Swaim, Dangerous Pilgrims:

     I was laying absolutely still in the cab of the wrecked truck —I had the crazy idea that if I did not move, I would bleed less—and I looked out of the hole where the windshield had been and saw a zopilote perched on the hood of the truck.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Nahuatl tzopīlōtl.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /θopiˈlote/ [θo.piˈlo.t̪e]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /sopiˈlote/ [so.piˈlo.t̪e]
• Rhymes: -ote
• Syllabification: zo‧pi‧lo‧te

Noun

zopilote m (plural zopilotes)

1. a zopilote, a buzzard, a vulture

   Synonyms: buitre, gallinazo, jote

Usage notes

• Zopilote is used predominantly in Mexico and some parts of Central America; buitre is used as the official term in Spain, Central America & elsewhere. Chupilote is an interesting variation among people in central Mexico, probably a conflation with the verb chupar, meaning "to suck". In Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador it's known as gallinazo.

Derived terms

• zopilote rey

 

Further reading

• “zopilote”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28