paca

noun

pa·​ca ˈpä-kə How to pronounce paca (audio) ˈpa- How to pronounce paca (audio)
: any of three large nocturnal chiefly Central and South American rodents (Cuniculus paca, C. hernandezi, and C. taczanowskii) that typically have a white-spotted brownish coat

Illustration of paca

Illustration of paca

Examples of paca in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jaguars also eat peccaries, capybaras, pacas, agoutis, deer, opossum, rabbits, armadillos, caimans, turtles and livestock, depending on their habitat. Zach Bradshaw, The Arizona Republic, 17 Dec. 2024 Researchers identified one of the fragments as a leg of a ceramic animal—maybe an armadillo or lowland paca, a large rodent. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 July 2024 The wildlife surrounding the tribe — the tapirs, hogs, paca. Georgina Gustin, NBC News, 19 Dec. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese, from Tupi páka

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of paca was in 1657

Dictionary Entries Near paca

Cite this Entry

“Paca.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paca. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.

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