Nutria
/ˈnuːtriə/noun
A large semiaquatic rodent native to South America, also called a coypu.
Did you know?Nutria is a loanword from Spanish, where it originally meant the animal itself, and its history is tied to natural-history naming rather than any occult or symbolic root.
Etymological Timeline
Modern English
English
nutria
“A large semiaquatic rodent (coypu), especially one valued for its fur.”
Spanish
ES
nutria
“An otter; later also used in some contexts for the coypu.”
Latin
Latin
lutria
“Otter (a form reflected in Romance animal names).”
Classical Latin
Latin
lutra
“Otter.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*lewd-
“To wash, bathe; the root behind words for washing and bathing in several Indo-European languages.”