nutrian.adj.

Etymology: < American Spanish nutria coypu (see note; mid 13th cent. in Castilian Spanish in sense ‘otter’, also 1588 as nutra in this sense), ultimately < classical Latin lutra otter (see below), perhaps via an unattested post-classical Latin variant with initial n- after ancient Greek ἐνυδρίδ- , ἐνυδρίς otter. Classical Latin lutra is probably < the Indo-European base of otter n.¹, with initial l- due to remodelling after classical Latin lutum mud (see lute n.²), with allusion to the animal's habitat. Compare also Spanish lutria (1783); forms with l- are also found in Spanish dialects and in most other Romance languages.The coypu is native to the so-called Cono Sur region in South America, i.e. Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, and nutria has probably been used there in this sense from the outset.