Meaning
What does Colitas mean?
The term originally means “little tails” in Spanish.
As a slang, Colitas has several meanings, although some are more common than others. Defined from most common to least common it means:
1) The end of a jazz cigarette
2) A part of a woman’s genitals
3) A person’s bum.
As these are all protruding parts or “end parts”, such as a tail, the term Colitas – “little tail” – is used as a metaphor.
Origin
What's the origin of Colitas?
Colitas originates from the Spanish language, but it was made famous in English speaking countries by the popular summer hit “Hotel California” by the Eagles.
Part of the lyrics say: “On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair, warm smell of Colitas rising up through the air.”
In this situation, they refer to the smell of marijuana.
Spread & Usage
How did Colitas spread?
Most English speaking people who know the meaning of the word learned it when trying to figure out what the Eagles were singing about.
If you do a browser search on the term, it mostly shows you people asking what Colitas means, or on the other hand, people explaining them what it means, and it is more often than not related to Hotel California.

External resources
- Urban Dictionary – Colitas