peyote

noun

pey·​o·​te pā-ˈō-tē How to pronounce peyote (audio)
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
Peyote, a small, mescaline-laden cactus that grows in Mexico and Texas …The Wilson Quarterly

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
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

called also mescal

see also peyote button

Illustration of peyote

Illustration of peyote
  • peyote 1

Examples of peyote in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web However, there are many other types of entheogens including peyote, ayahuasca and iboga. Marina Johnson, Detroit Free Press, 11 Sep. 2023 Both young and middle-aged adult groups used hallucinogens such as LSD, MDMA, mescaline, peyote, shrooms or psilocybin, and PCP at a significantly higher rate compared to ten years ago. USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2023 Decriminalize peyote for personal cultivation for non-Indigenous people to reduce the demand for the cactuses that are extracted from Indigenous sources and habitats for the peyote trade. Arlyssa D. Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 17 Sep. 2022 De Rampart apparently liked it there and tried to start a revolution against the colonizers, but the Spanish Inquisition captured him and burned him at the stake, accused of sedition and — of eating peyote. Rodrigo Cervantes, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2023 Because of the possibility that peyote could go extinct in less than 50 years, the group Decriminalize Nature believes decriminalizing peyote will be the plant's saving grace. Arlyssa D. Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 17 Sep. 2022 Do Native Americans want to maintain their tradition of incorporating peyote into religious ceremonies? Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 28 June 2023 Mescaline is another naturally occurring psychedelic hallucinogen, found in the peyote cactus, the San Pedro cactus and the Peruvian torch cactus, among others. Robert Johnson, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2023 What Is Peyote? Huxley’s account of his experience, 1954’s The Doors of Perception, popularized psychedelic experimentation in general and the peyote cactus in particular. Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 23 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'peyote.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Mexican Spanish peyote, from Nahuatl peyotl peyote cactus

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of peyote was in 1849

Dictionary Entries Near peyote

Cite this Entry

“Peyote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peyote. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

peyote

noun
pey·​o·​te pā-ˈōt-ē How to pronounce peyote (audio)
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 How to pronounce peyote (audio)
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 button

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