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

It was a Chiriqui quetzal, perched upon a small slab brought from Palenque and fastened as a bracket above the fireplace.
A Speckled Bird|Augusta J. Evans Wilson
This is the home of the resplendent trogon, called the quetzal—the imperial bird of the Quiches.
The Western World|W.H.G. Kingston
While the king, his warriors and people, are gathered to the combat, Quetzal steps from the canoe to the sea-shore.
The Fair God|Lew Wallace
A certain lord in the palace, who goes thrice a week to the shrine of Quetzal, has faith in the gossip and the paba.
The Fair God|Lew Wallace

Prince of Tezcuco, he said, son of the wise Hualpilli, from the sun Quetzal looks down on the earth.
The Fair God|Lew Wallace

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012