guano
a natural manure composed chiefly of the excrement of sea birds, found especially on islands near the Peruvian coast.
any similar substance, as an artificial fertilizer made from fish.
Origin of guano
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use guano in a sentence
The quantity of guanos of all kinds imported into this country and retained for home consumption now exceeds 240,000 tons a year.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry | Thomas AndersonThe normal phosphate, Mg3P2O8, is found in some guanos, and as the mineral wagnerite.
According to Boussingault, some guanos contain small quantities of nitrates.
Manures and the principles of manuring | Charles Morton AikmanSuch guanos are largely used in the manufacture of high-class superphosphates, by treating them with sulphuric acid.
Manures and the principles of manuring | Charles Morton AikmanPhosphatic guanos, as already pointed out, are similar in origin to nitrogenous guanos.
Manures and the principles of manuring | Charles Morton Aikman
British Dictionary definitions for guano
/ (ˈɡwɑːnəʊ) /
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
the accumulated droppings of bats and seals
any similar but artificial substance used as a fertilizer
Origin of guano
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for guano
[ gwä′nō ]
A substance composed chiefly of the dung of sea birds or bats, accumulated along certain coastal areas or in caves and used as fertilizer.
Any of various similar substances, such as a fertilizer prepared from ground fish parts.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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