Guano
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Dung from a sea bird or from a bat. countable, uncountable
"The guano, so extensively used for manure, is full of the most beautiful infusoria, some of them splendidly iridiscent; and there is no better method of testing the genuineness of this useful substance than by the microscope."
- 2 the excrement of sea birds; used as fertilizer wordnet
- 3 Coccothrinax borhidiana, a variety of palm tree indigenous to Cuba. countable, uncountable
"A roof made of guano palm fronds will last up to 15 years, although Maya harvesters point out that the leaves must be cut when the moon is full; otherwise, the stems become susceptible to insect damage."
- 4 A variety of seabird. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"The Animals of these Islands, are some Hogs, Lizards, and Guanoes; and some of those Creatures mentioned in Chap. XI. which are like, but much bigger than the Guano."
- 1 To fertilize (land) with guano. transitive
Example
More examples"Seagulls cause all types of disturbances by cackling loudly, spreading guano, tearing up garbage bags and attacking to get food."
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish guano, from Quechua wanu.
Related phrases
More for "guano"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.