Cacomixle

/ˌkækoʊˈmɪksli/ noun

Definition

Another variant spelling of cacomistle; the small carnivorous ringtail mammal of the southwestern United States and Mexico.

Etymology

An alternative English spelling of the Nahuatl 'tlacomiztli,' with the '-le' ending reflecting a different transliteration choice from colonial Spanish sources.

Kelly Says

Naturalists' field notebooks from the 1800s show they invented new spellings every time they encountered cacomistles because Nahuatl sounds didn't map neatly to English letters—making species identification tricky!

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