quetzal

[ ket-sahl ]

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.

Origin of quetzal

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

Also que·zal [ke-sahl]. /kɛˈsɑl/.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quetzal in a sentence

You never thought the gray pile you smiled at was the humblest of all Quetzals works.
The Fair God | Lew Wallace
Up in the ancient cupola, however, sat the image said to have been carved by Quetzals own hand.
The Fair God | Lew Wallace
We may not find the quetzals, and we must not go back empty-handed.
Through Forest and Stream | George Manville Fenn
If the quetzals are to be found, Nat,” said my uncle, “we ought to see them here.
Through Forest and Stream | George Manville Fenn
So we will, Pete,” I said, “when we have found the quetzals.
Through Forest and Stream | George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for quetzal

quetzal

quezal (kɛˈsɑːl)

/ (ˈkɛtsəl) /

nounplural -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

Origin of 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

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