quetzal

quet·zal  (kt-säl)

n. pl. quet·zals or quet·za·les (-säls)

1. A Central American bird (Pharomachrus mocino) that has brilliant bronze-green and red plumage and, in the male, long flowing tail feathers.

2. See Table at currency.

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[American Spanish, from Nahuatl quetzalli, large brilliant tail feather.]

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quetzal [ˈkɛtsəl], quezal [kɛˈsɑːl]

n pl -zals, -zales [-ˈsɑːlɛs]

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) 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)

2. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Currencies) the standard monetary unit of Guatemala, divided into 100 centavos

[via American Spanish from Nahuatl quetzalli brightly coloured tail feather]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	quetzal - the basic unit of money in Guatemala; equal to 100 centavos centavo - a fractional monetary unit of several countries: El Salvador and Sao Tome and Principe and Brazil and Argentina and Bolivia and Colombia and Cuba and the Dominican Republic and Ecuador and El Salvador and Guatemala and Honduras and Mexico and Nicaragua and Peru and the Philippines and Portugal Guatemalan monetary unit - monetary unit in Guatemala
	2.	quetzal - large trogon of Central America and South America having golden-green and scarlet plumage quetzal bird trogon - forest bird of warm regions of the New World having brilliant lustrous plumage and long tails genus Pharomacrus, Pharomacrus - a genus of Trogonidae Pharomacrus mocino, resplendent quetzel, resplendent trogon - very rare Central American bird; the national bird of Guatemala