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quetzal
[ ket-sahl ]
/ kɛtˈsɑl /
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noun, plural quet·zals, quet·za·les [ket-sah-leys]. /kɛtˈsɑ leɪs/.
any of several large Central and South American trogons of the genus Pharomachrus, having golden-green and scarlet plumage, especially P. mocino(resplendent quetzal ), the national bird of Guatemala: rare and possibly endangered.
a paper money and monetary unit of Guatemala, equal to 100 centavos. Abbreviation: Q.
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Also que·zal [ke-sahl]. /kɛˈsɑl/.
Origin of quetzal
First recorded in 1820–30; from Latin American Spanish, from Nahuatl quetzalli “plumage of the quetzal bird”
Words nearby quetzal
Question Period, question time, questor, quetsch, Quetta, quetzal, Quetzalcoatl, Quetzaltenango, queue, queued, queue fourché
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use quetzal in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for quetzal
quetzal
quezal (kɛˈsɑːl)
/ (ˈkɛtsəl) /
noun plural -zals or -zales (-ˈsɑːlɛs)
Also called: resplendent trogon a crested bird, Pharomachrus mocinno, of Central and N South America, which has a brilliant green, red, and white plumage and, in the male, long tail feathers: family Trogonidae, order Trogoniformes (trogons)
the standard monetary unit of Guatemala, divided into 100 centavos
Word Origin for quetzal
via American Spanish from Nahuatl quetzalli brightly coloured tail feather
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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