coto

See also: Coto, cotó, and Cô Tô

English

Etymology

From Spanish coto (“half-span, quarter-cubit”), supposedly a variant of codo (“Spanish cubit”), from Vulgar Latin forms of Latin cubitum (“elbow, Roman cubit”), but more probably a development of or influenced by Latin quārtus (“a fourth”) from its use as a fourth of the cubit or Latin quattuor (“four”) from its approximation of the span across four fingers.

Noun

coto (plural cotos)

1. (historical) A traditional Spanish unit of length, equivalent to about 10.4 cm.

Coordinate terms

• linea (¹⁄₅₄ coto), dedo (¹⁄₆ coto), pulgada (²⁄₉ coto), sesma (1+¹⁄₃ cotos), palmo (2 cotos), pie (2+²⁄₃ cotos), codo (4 cotos), vara (8 cotos)

Anagrams

• toco-, octo-, toco, coot

Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish cotón.

Noun

coto

1. shirt.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ko.to/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Noun

coto m or f (plural cotos)

1. (derogatory, slang) clipping of cotorep

Galician

"Coto do Mosteiro" (Monastery's Peak) hill-fort, Galicia

Etymology 1

From a substrate term *cŏtto-, probably from Proto-Celtic *kotto-, meaning "old" and hence either "grown" or "bent". Cognate with Asturian cueto.

Alternative forms

• cotro

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɔto̝/, /ˈkoto̝/

Noun

coto m (plural cotos)

1. peak (the top, or one of the tops, of a hill, mountain, or range)

   Synonyms: bico, outeiro, penedo, pico

Derived terms

• cotarelo
• Cotarelo
• Cotáro
• cotarro
• Cotarrón
• coteiro
• Cotelo
• Cotiño
• Coto
• cotón
• Cotón
• Cotorredondo
• cotorro
• Cotos
• Cotote

Etymology 2

Unknown. Compare toco.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkoto̝/, /ˈkɔto̝/

Noun

coto m (plural cotos, feminine cota, feminine plural cotas)

1. stump (of a tree or plant)

   Synonyms: cepo, cotón, couce, cozo, toco, trocho

2. stump (of an extremity)

   Synonym: toco

Derived terms

• cotelo
• coteno

Adjective

coto (feminine cota, masculine plural cotos, feminine plural cotas)

1. maimed; mutilated

   Synonyms: fanado, mutilado

References

• Antón Santamarina, editor (2006–2013), “coto”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Santamarina, Ernesto X. González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “coto (cast. cueto)”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Santamarina, Ernesto X. González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “coto (toco)”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “coto”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɔ.to/
• Rhymes: -ɔto
• Hyphenation: cò‧to

Etymology 1

Deverbal from cotare, a Florentine variant of coitare (“to think”), from Classical Latin cōgitāre (“to think; to ponder”).

Noun

coto m (plural coti)

1. (obsolete) thought, opinion

   Synonyms: pensiero, giudizio

   • 1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XXXI”, in Inferno [Hell], lines 76–78; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2^nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:

     […] "Elli stessi s’accusa;
     questi è Nembrotto per lo cui mal coto
     pur un linguaggio nel mondo non s’usa.["]

     "He accuses himself; this is Nimrod, because of whose evil thought only one language is not used in the world."

Related terms

• cogitare
• coitare

Further reading

• “coto¹”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish coto, of Tupian origin.

Noun

coto m (plural coti)

1. the plant Aniba coto

Further reading

• “coto²”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Mecayapan Nahuatl

Etymology

Borrowed from Highland Popoluca cut́u.

Adjective

coto

1. having a cleft lip

Noun

coto

1. a person with a cleft lip

References

• Wolgemuth, Carl et al. (2002), Diccionario náhuatl de los municipios de Mecayapan y Tatahuicapan de Juárez, Veracruz‎^[4] (in Spanish), second electronic edition, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 29

Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *kʷ-

Proto-Indo-European *kʷís

Proto-Indo-European *kʷídder.

Proto-Slavic *česo

Old Polish czso

Polish co

Proto-Indo-European *só

Proto-Balto-Slavic *tas

Proto-Slavic *tъ

Proto-Slavic *to

Old Polish to

Polish to

univ.

Polish coto

Univerbation of co + to.

Pronunciation

• (Lesser Poland):
  • (Goral):
    • (Zagórze) IPA^(key): [ˈt͡sɔ.tɔ]

Pronoun

coto n

1. (Zagórze) synonym of coś / cokolwiek

Further reading

• Józefa Kobylińska (2001), “coto”, in Marian Kucała, editor, Słownik gwary gorczańskiej (zagórzańskiej)‎^[5] (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Akademii Pedagogicznej, →ISBN, page 21

Portuguese

Etymology 1

From Latin cubitum (“elbow”). Doublet of côvado and cúbito. Cognate with Galician cóbado, Spanish codo and possibly Spanish coto, Catalan colze and colzo.

Alternative forms

• côto (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈko.tu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈko.tu/

Noun

coto m (plural cotos)

1. stump (remaining part of an amputated limb or organ)

   Synonym: cotoco

2. (by extension) stump (remaining part of an elongated object that has been chopped or mostly consumed)
3. knot (joint of the fingers)

   Synonym: nó

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈkɔ.tu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈkɔ.tu/

Verb

coto

1. first-person singular present indicative of cotar

Further reading

• “coto”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “coto”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkoto/ [ˈko.t̪o]

• Audio (Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oto
• Syllabification: co‧to

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Italic *kawVtos

Latin cautus

Spanish coto

Inherited from Latin cautus (“safe, secure”). Doublet of cauto. Compare Galician and Portuguese couto.

Noun

coto m (plural cotos)

1. preserve, wildlife preserve, land preserve

   Synonym: reserva

2. enclosed area of land

   coto de caza ― hunting ground

3. landmark

   Synonym: hito

4. limit, boundary

   Synonyms: límite, frontera

5. howler monkey

   Synonyms: cotomono, araguato, carayá, mono aullador

6. (obsolete) mandate

   Synonym: mandato

Derived terms

• acotar
• poner coto

Related terms

• cautela
• cauteloso
• cauto
• incautar

Etymology 2

Supposedly a variant of codo (“Spanish cubit”), via Old Spanish cobdo and other Vulgar Latin forms of Latin cubitum (“elbow, Roman cubit”), but more probably a development of or influenced by Latin quārtus (“a fourth”) from its use as a fourth of the cubit or Latin quattuor (“four”) from its approximation of the span across four fingers.

Noun

coto m (plural cotos)

1. (historical) coto, half-palm (a traditional unit of length equivalent to about 10.4 cm)

Hyponyms

• coto toledano

Coordinate terms

• línea (¹⁄₅₄ coto), dedo (¹⁄₆ coto), pulgada (²⁄₉ coto), sesma (1+¹⁄₃ cotos), palmo (2 cotos), pie (2+²⁄₃ cotos), codo (4 cotos), vara (8 cotos)

Etymology 3

Etymology tree

Ancient Greek κόττος (kóttos)

New Latin cottuslbor.

Spanish coto

Learned borrowing from New Latin cottus, from Ancient Greek κόττος (kóttos).

Noun

coto m (plural cotos)

1. sculpin (fish)

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Quechua koto (“mumps, goiter”).

Noun

coto m (plural cotos)

1. (Latin America) goitre

   Synonym: bocio

Further reading

• “coto”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025