Cacomixl

/ˌkækoʊˈmɪksl̩/ noun

Definition

An alternate spelling or variant form of cacomistle, referring to the same small ringtail mammal of North America.

Etymology

A variant spelling of 'cacomistle' from the Nahuatl 'tlacomiztli,' reflecting different English transliteration approaches to indigenous Mesoamerican words in the 1800s.

Kelly Says

Cacomixl shows how English borrowed Nahuatl words without standardized spelling—you'll find cacomistle, cacomixl, cacomixle, and other variants in older texts, which confused naturalists trying to catalog New World animals!

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