guano
Americannoun
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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.
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.
"Together, the chemical and material evidence we studied confirms earlier scholarship showing that guano was deliberately collected and used as a fertilizer," Dr. Bongers said.
From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026
"Our evidence suggests guano was central to the Chincha Kingdom's success, with the Chincha's maritime knowledge and access to the Chincha Islands likely reframing their strategic importance in the region."
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
Nothing but what you might expect: pink, tumbled boulders with guano layered on them like icing; and a steep slope up to the shattered rocks that crowned the bastion.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
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.
