guanay

American  

[gwuh-nahy, gwah-nahy] / gwəˈnaɪ, gwɑˈnaɪ /

noun

guanayes, plural guanays plural

1. a cormorant, Phalacrocorax bougainvillii, of islands off the coasts of Peru and Chile, a chief source of guano.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• guanayes
  plural
• guanays
  plural

Etymology

Origin of guanay

First recorded in 1855–60; from South American Spanish guanae, apparently as back formation from Colonial Spanish huanaes, as plural of huano guano, taken as the name of the bird that produced it

Example Sentences

Each guanay, it figures, eats 240 lbs. of anchovetas a year, processing its catch into 33 lbs. of guano.

From Time Magazine Archive