quetzal

American  

[ket-sahl] / kɛtˈsɑl /

Also quezal

noun

• quetzals,
  plural
• quetzales
  plural

1. 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.

2. a paper money and monetary unit of Guatemala, equal to 100 centavos. Q.

---

quetzal British  

/ ˈkɛtsəl, kɛˈsɑːl /

noun

1. 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)

2. the standard monetary unit of Guatemala, divided into 100 centavos

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• quetzales
  plural
• quetzals
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of quetzal

First recorded in 1820–30; from Latin American Spanish, from Nahuatl quetzalli “plumage of the quetzal bird”

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quetzal quetzales quetzals

Of special demand was the glittering plumage of the quetzal, a lustrous creature native to southern Mexico and Central America.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025

The many preserved frescos and murals show the city’s rulers dressed in elaborate clothing, including iridescent quetzal bird feathers from as far away as Guatemala, testifying to Teotihuacán’s long reach.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

Guatemalan authorities said they also seized documents, books, a laptop, compact discs, two cell phones, and a stuffed bird, possibly a quetzal, the symbol of Guatemala.

From Reuters ● Nov. 18, 2022

Located in a narrow mountain pass through which trade passed, Los Horcones would have given Teotihuacan control of the flow of cacao and quetzal feathers from the lush Chiapas coast.

From Science Magazine ● Feb. 27, 2020

A picture book about a bird called the quetzal caught my eye.

From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez

After she factors in the cost and labor of producing the beans, she makes only about 2 quetzales — about 25 cents — in profit per pound.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2024

In Guatemala City, you’ll find the same bean for 45 quetzales — nearly $6 — a pound at a grocery store.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2024

“I doubt that 50,000 quetzales can be brought into the embassy because you go through so many security measures.”

From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2023

At the Honduran border crossing of Corinto, where money-changers wave large wads of Guatemalan quetzales at deportees getting off yellow U.S. school buses, bored-looking police officers inspect the papers of those heading into Guatemala.

From Reuters ● Aug. 5, 2014

Two days later Arbenz got Sierra Franco to produce another 100,000 quetzales "for emergency purposes," but the President fled to Mexican embassy asylum before he could take possession.

From Time Magazine Archive

That’s 50,000 Guatemalan quetzals — about $6,400 — to go from Guatemala to the U.S. border, $6,000 for crossing and smuggling fees, and $700 to get him from Phoenix to New York.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 27, 2022

Paintings and decals of quetzals, the long-plumed, vibrantly colored national bird of Guatemala, are as common as murals of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2022

But Roberto was doing better financially than anyone in his family ever had, making as much as 300 quetzals, or about $40, a day in his shop.

From New York Times ● Aug. 18, 2020

Money-changers jostled with family members awaiting long-lost relatives, offering to change U.S. dollars into Guatemalan quetzals, calling, “Pesos, pesos, pesos.”

From Washington Post ● Aug. 10, 2019

We may not find the quetzals, and we must not go back empty-handed.

From Through Forest and Stream The Quest of the Quetzal by George Manville Fenn

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---