saguaro

American  

[suh-gwahr-oh, -wahr-oh] / səˈgwɑr oʊ, -ˈwɑr oʊ /

noun

plural

saguaros

1. a tall, horizontally branched cactus, Carnegiea (orCereus ) gigantea, of Arizona and neighboring regions, yielding a useful wood and bearing an edible fruit: still locally common, though some populations have been reduced.

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saguaro British  

/ səˈwɑː-, səˈɡwɑːrəʊ, səˈwɑːrəʊ /

noun

1. a giant cactus, Carnegiea gigantea, of desert regions of Arizona, S California, and Mexico, having white nocturnal flowers and edible red pulpy fruits

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Etymology

Origin of saguaro

1855–60, < Mexican Spanish saguaro, sahuaro, said to be < Opata (now extinct Uto-Aztecan language of Sonora)

Example Sentences

The road along the U.S. side of the 30-foot border wall here rises and falls like waves in a sea, unspooling past thicket, saguaro and washes left dry with no rain.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2024

Many saguaro cactuses in Arizona’s Sonora Desert were toppled during construction, and in some areas at least half of those transplanted elsewhere later died.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 7, 2023

But it’s been worth it for the desert’s charms: the temperate winters and the cholla and saguaro growing on the hillsides — even as the city gets hotter.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2023

Arizona's saguaro cacti, a symbol of the U.S.

From Reuters • Jul. 27, 2023

He started drinking the muddy water, then ripped a saguaro cactus out of the ground and chewed it, needles and all.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan