Meaning & use
peyote
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountabletechnical
A small spineless cactus of northern Mexico and Texas, or the drug made from it.
Grammar: As a substance it is uncountable: take peyote; as a plant, it can be countable: a peyote growing in the desert.
Patterns
- use peyote
- the peyote cactus
Peyote grows very slowly in the dry desert of northern Mexico.
The cactus is called peyote in English and hikuri in the local language.
Researchers studied how peyote is used in traditional ceremonies.
noununcountabletechnical
A drug from this cactus that causes powerful changes in perception, used in some Native American religious ceremonies.
Grammar: Uncountable when it means the drug: he took peyote.
Patterns
- take peyote
- the effects of peyote
Members of the Native American Church may legally use peyote in religious rituals.
The effects of peyote can last for many hours.
Peyote is illegal in most countries outside protected religious use.
Word forms
| plural | peyotes |
|---|
Common combinations
- the peyote cactus
- The peyote cactus has no spines and a soft, round top.
- use peyote
- Some tribes use peyote as part of healing ceremonies.
- the effects of peyote
- The effects of peyote include vivid colors and changed sense of time.
- peyote buttons
- The dried tops of the plant are known as peyote buttons.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mescal
- An older name for the same cactus and drug, but today 'mescal' more often means a Mexican alcoholic drink, so it can confuse.
- hallucinogen
- A general word for any drug that changes perception; peyote is one kind, so the general word fits when you are not naming the plant.
Word family
- peyotism noun
- The religious practice of using peyote in ceremonies.
Commonly confused: peyote or peyote / payote? peyote or mescaline?
peyote vs peyote / payote
The spelling 'payote' is a common mistake; the correct form is 'peyote'.
peyote vs mescaline
This is the main active chemical inside peyote, not the plant itself; use 'mescaline' for the substance and 'peyote' for the cactus or the drug as a whole.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'peyote' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Peyote' is a plant, so watering one on a windowsill fits. Option 1 treats it as a countable object you can pick up one of, and option 3 wrongly makes it a bird.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “peyote”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.