coqui

noun

co·​qui kō-ˈkē How to pronounce coqui (audio)
: a small chiefly nocturnal arboreal frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui) native to Puerto Rico that has a high-pitched call and has been introduced into Hawaii and southern Florida

Examples of coqui in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The lead singer is the common coqui, a tannish treefrog with big, sticky toes. Benji Jones, Vox, 25 June 2024 Their quarry is a tiny frog called the coqui. Rene Ebersole, National Geographic, 24 June 2020 To learn more about the frog, the rain forest, and everything Puerto Rico has to offer visitors in the future, and to adopt your own little coqui, visit the Discover Puerto Rico website now. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 21 Dec. 2020 If the trend holds, the calls of male coqui frogs could be 17 percent shorter — and as much as 12 percent higher in frequency — by the end of the century. Emily Anthes, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2020 Some of the questions pertained to the island's food and geography and naming the indigenous frog that inhabits Puerto Rico -- the coqui. Fox News, 4 July 2019 Along the crowded avenue, the sound systems boomed, floats of musicians strummed the small 10-string guitar called the cuatro, a marcher in a giant frog costume embodying the coqui, Puerto Rico’s unofficial mascot, drew cheers. Andy Newman, New York Times, 10 June 2018 The coqui frogs, the soundtrack of Puerto Rico, are screeching. Jasmine Garsd, USA TODAY, 11 Oct. 2017 At the visitors center, read up on local flora and fauna like the indigenous saffron Taino Indians used to paint their bodies with and the coqui frog— Maria Carter, Country Living, 15 Feb. 2017

Word History

Etymology

American Spanish coquí

First Known Use

circa 1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coqui was circa 1903

Dictionary Entries Near coqui

Cite this Entry

“Coqui.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coqui. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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