guano
Americannoun
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guanos
plural
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a natural manure composed chiefly of the excrement of sea birds, found especially on islands near the Peruvian coast.
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any similar substance, as an artificial fertilizer made from fish.
noun
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the dried excrement of fish-eating sea birds, deposited in rocky coastal regions of South America: contains the urates, oxalates, and phosphates of ammonium and calcium; used as a fertilizer
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the accumulated droppings of bats and seals
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any similar but artificial substance used as a fertilizer
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A substance composed chiefly of the dung of sea birds or bats, accumulated along certain coastal areas or in caves and used as fertilizer.
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Any of various similar substances, such as a fertilizer prepared from ground fish parts.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of guano
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Spanish: “fertilizer, dung”; Latin American Spanish huano “dung,” from Quechua wanu “dung for fuel, fertilizer”
Explanation
Guano is bird or bat poop. If you park your car near the harbor, your windshield may end up covered in seagull guano. Ew. You'll most often find the word guano used for the specific bird (or bat) manure that's used as a fertilizer in gardens. In fact, the term is so common that some fertilizers are called guano even when they don't contain actual bird poop. Guano, a Spanish word with Quechua roots, is rich in nitrogen, potassium, and other nutrients that help plants grow.
Vocabulary lists containing guano
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Their collective body heat raises the cave’s temperature to a sweltering 106°F, and the piles of guano beneath them are deep enough to bury the Statue of Liberty to her waist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
"The historical records documenting how bird guano was applied to maize fields helped us interpret the chemical data and understand the regional importance of this practice," she said.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 7, 2026
Their guano, or dung, can also be used as fertilizer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2024
The guano contained dozens of previously unknown viruses, including a new coronavirus, a relative of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, the research team reports this week in Communications Biology.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 24, 2024
“Fascinating,” he muttered, scraping at some petrified guano with the stubby end of his pen.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
It has been estimated that Texas guanos alone consume 6,600 tons of insects each year.
From Time Magazine Archive
The animals we met with on shore were principally guanos, with which the country abounds, and which are by some reckoned delicious food.
According to Boussingault, some guanos contain small quantities of nitrates.
From Manures and the principles of manuring by Charles Morton Aikman
Damp guanos contain more of their nitrogen as ammonia than dry ones, this being due to the fermentation which goes on in the former.
From Manures and the principles of manuring by Charles Morton Aikman
Some meat-meal guanos contain as much nitrogen as 11 per cent.
From Manures and the principles of manuring by Charles Morton Aikman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
