quetzal
[ ket-sahl ]
/ kɛtˈsɑl /
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.
Also
que·zal
[ke-sahl] /kɛˈsɑl/.
Origin of quetzal
1820–30; < American Spanish < Nahuatl
quetzalli plumage of the quetzal bird
Words nearby quetzal
questionmaster,
questionnaire,
questor,
quetsch,
quetta,
quetzal,
quetzalcoatl,
quetzaltenango,
queue,
queue fourché,
queue-jump
Example sentences from the Web for quetzal
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