quetzal

noun

quet·​zal ket-ˈsäl  -ˈsal 

plural quetzals also quetzales ket-ˈsä-(ˌ)lās 

-ˈsa-

1

or less commonly quetzal bird : any of several Central American trogons (genus Pharomachrus) that have brilliant green plumage above, a red breast, and in the males long upper tail coverts

2

plural usually quetzales the basic monetary unit of Guatemala see Money Table

Illustration of quetzal

• quetzal 1

Examples of quetzal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Made with 400 quetzal feathers and gold detailing, the headdress is known for its intricate feather artistry, says Restall. —Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 11 July 2024

The quetzal’s streamers, for their part, lost their tight interlocking structure, making the vanes a pennaceous-downy hybrid that lets much of the airflow pass through without producing much lift. —Michael B. Habib, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024

In Peru, distances on a map may look short as the quetzal flies, but actually traversing them — often on narrow, vertiginous roads prone to washouts, rockslides, and a startling array of livestock — can be grindingly slow. —Tom Vanderbilt, Travel + Leisure, 2 Dec. 2023

The family went into debt to pay a smuggler 48,000 quetzals, around $6,000, to bring Juana to the border. —Lautaro Grinspan, ajc, 6 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

American Spanish, from Nahuatl quetzalli tail coverts of the quetzal

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

quetzal

noun

quet·​zal ket-ˈsäl  -ˈsal 

plural quetzals or quetzales -ˈsäl-ās 

: a brightly colored Central American bird with green feathers, a red breast, and in the male tail feathers often over two feet (60 centimeters) in length