What does "javelina" mean?

A peccary (Tayassuidae spp.), especially a collared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu).

Javelina

Q: What is a synonym for "javelina"?

Common synonyms include: collared peccary, collared peccary, peccari angulatus, peccary, peccary, tayassu angulatus.

//havəˈliːnə// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A peccary (Tayassuidae spp.), especially a collared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu). Canada, US
"The Javelina (Peccari) is an animal peculiar so far as I know to Spanish America."
2
dark grey peccary with an indistinct white collar; of semi desert areas of Mexico and southwestern United States wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

collared peccary collared peccary peccari angulatus peccary peccary tayassu angulatus

Example

More examples

"Have you ever eaten javelina? It's quite good, albeit somewhat gamey."

Etymology

From Spanish javalina, jabalina, feminine form of jabalí (“wild boar”), from Andalusian Arabic جَبَلِي (jabalī) (in خِنْزِير جَبَلِيّ (ḵinzīr jabaliyy, “mountain pig”)), from Arabic جَبَل (jabal, “mountain”). Cognate with Portuguese javalina, and similar in other Iberian languages.

Related phrases

collared peccary

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.