What does the E stand for in Wile E. Coyote's name?

Wile E. Coyote (also known simply as "The Coyote") and the Road Runner are a duo of characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. In the cartoons, the Coyote repeatedly attempts to catch and subsequently eat the Road Runner, a fast-running ground bird, but is never successful. Instead of his species' animal instincts, the Coyote uses absurdly complex contraptions and elaborate plans to pursue his prey, resulting in his devices comically backfiring with the Coyote often getting injured in slapstick fashion.

The Coyote's name of Wile E. is a pun of the word "wily." The "E" stands for "Ethelbert" in one issue of a Looney Tunes comic book. The Coyote's surname is routinely pronounced with a long "e" (ky-OH-tee), but in one cartoon short, To Hare Is Human, Wile E. is heard pronouncing it ky-OH-tay. Early model sheets for the character prior to his initial appearance (in Fast and Furry-ous) identified him as "Don Coyote", a pun of the name Don Quixote.

TV Guide included Wile E. Coyote in its 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time. The Road Runner and Wile E. also make appearances in the DC Comics Looney Tunes title. Wile E. was able to speak in some of his appearances in the DC comics.