guano

noun

gua·​no ˈgwä-(ˌ)nō How to pronounce guano (audio)
: a fertilizer containing the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats
broadly : excrement especially of seabirds or bats

Examples of guano in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The smell of bat droppings, or guano, wafts up from the cave when the breeze is low. Jack Armstrong, The Arizona Republic, 17 Aug. 2024 Once used for shelter by the Indigenous Temuan, then for mining bat guano, the Batu Caves got their first Hindu temple, the Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple, in 1891. Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 July 2024 In the United States alone, the report flags the exotic pet trade, live animal markets, bat guano harvesting, guinea pig and ferret farming, coyote and fox urine production, roadside zoos, animal fighting, fur farming, commercial farming and many other potentially dangerous settings. Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 21 July 2024 The Comfort tower is elevated 7 feet off the ground so a truck could drive under it to collect one beneficial byproduct of the tower: guano. Pam Leblanc, Southern Living, 13 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for guano 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'guano.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Quechua wanu fertilizer, dung

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of guano was in 1604

Dictionary Entries Near guano

Cite this Entry

“Guano.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guano. Accessed 6 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

guano

noun
gua·​no ˈgwän-ō How to pronounce guano (audio)
: a substance composed chiefly of the excrement of seabirds or bats and used as a fertilizer

More from Merriam-Webster on guano

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