quetzal
/ˈkɛts(ə)l
/ /ˈkwɛts(ə)l/noun
1A bird of the trogon family, with iridescent green plumage and typically red underparts, found in the forests of tropical America.
- Genus Pharomachrus, family Trogonidae: five species, especially the resplendent quetzal (P. mocinno), the male of which has very long tail coverts and was venerated by the Aztecs.
- At Volcan Baru, the country's most visited national park and its highest elevation, catch a glimpse of the quetzal or toucan.
- Or I can try something cooler by immersing myself in the cloud-enshrouded virgin forest of Braulio Carillo National Park - a great place to observe bird-watchers delighting in the trogons and quetzals.
2The basic monetary unit of Guatemala, equal to 100 centavos.I am standing in line to exchange my dollars for quetzals; so is Angela....
- The Guatemalan unit of currency, the quetzal, is named for the Guatemalan national bird.
- He offered the teachers a 100 quetzal monthly bonus - a fraction of the teachers' demand for a doubling of their current wages.
Origin
Early 19th century (in sense 1): from Spanish, from Aztec quetzalli 'brightly coloured tail feather'.