Illustration of peyote
- peyote 2
peyote
noun
pey·o·te pā-ˈō-tē 
variants or less commonly peyotl
pā-ˈō-tᵊl
1
: a hallucinogenic drug containing mescaline that is derived from the dried discoid tops of a cactus (Lophophora williamsii) and is used especially in the religious ceremonies of some American Indian peoples see peyote button
2
: a small, low, spineless cactus (Lophophora williamsii) of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico with rounded stems having jointed tubercles with tufts of usually woolly hairs
called also mescal
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The Navajo Nation Council is considering a measure that states the tribe is against the decriminalization of peyote. 
Arlyssa D. Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 17 Sep. 2022 The court ruled that the law against use of peyote applied to all, religions groups and nonreligious groups alike. Mark Johnson, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Sep. 2022 For example: providing a religious exemption to Indigenous people who take peyote as part of a ritual. Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2022 Among the sources of these psychoactive substances is peyote, which has been used by Native Americans for thousands of years. Louis Metzger Iv, Forbes, 26 Apr. 2022 Apache, Huichol, Utes, Comanche, and Navajo peoples are among the current heirs of peyote’s ancient discoverers and stewards of its spiritual and medicinal uses. Louis Metzger Iv, Forbes, 26 Apr. 2022 Unlike other psychedelics such as peyote or ayahuasca, which are grounded in centuries of traditions involving Indigenous peoples, Bufo’s usage is thought to be more recent. New York Times, 20 Mar. 2022 The usual suspects: caffeine, pot, heroin, cocaine, peyote, LSD, psilocybin. Bob Odenkirk, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 Mexico is home to numerous shamanic rituals involving psychoactive substances, such as psilocybin and peyote; farther south, communities in the Amazon have been brewing ayahuasca for centuries. The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022 See More
Arlyssa D. Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 17 Sep. 2022 The court ruled that the law against use of peyote applied to all, religions groups and nonreligious groups alike. Mark Johnson, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Sep. 2022 For example: providing a religious exemption to Indigenous people who take peyote as part of a ritual. Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2022 Among the sources of these psychoactive substances is peyote, which has been used by Native Americans for thousands of years. Louis Metzger Iv, Forbes, 26 Apr. 2022 Apache, Huichol, Utes, Comanche, and Navajo peoples are among the current heirs of peyote’s ancient discoverers and stewards of its spiritual and medicinal uses. Louis Metzger Iv, Forbes, 26 Apr. 2022 Unlike other psychedelics such as peyote or ayahuasca, which are grounded in centuries of traditions involving Indigenous peoples, Bufo’s usage is thought to be more recent. New York Times, 20 Mar. 2022 The usual suspects: caffeine, pot, heroin, cocaine, peyote, LSD, psilocybin. Bob Odenkirk, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 Mexico is home to numerous shamanic rituals involving psychoactive substances, such as psilocybin and peyote; farther south, communities in the Amazon have been brewing ayahuasca for centuries. The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Mexican Spanish peyote, from Nahuatl peyotl peyote cactus
First Known Use
1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing peyote
Medical Definition
peyote
noun
pey·o·te pā-ˈōt-ē
variants also peyotl
-ˈōt-ᵊl
1
: a hallucinogenic drug containing mescaline that is derived from peyote buttons and used especially in the religious ceremonies of some American Indian peoples
2
: a small spineless cactus of the genus Lophophora (L. williamsii) of the southwestern United States and Mexico having rounded stems covered with jointed tubercules
called also mescal