ketˈsäl, -sal noun
also que·zal or que·sal kāˈs-
( plural quetzals -lz ; or quetza·les -(ˌ)lās)
Etymology: American Spanish, from Nahuatl quetzalli large brilliant tail feather
1. also quetzal bird : a large Central American trogon ( Pharomachrus mocinno ) having a compressed crest, brilliant plumage with the upperparts and throat iridescent greenish and the underparts crimson, and in the male upper tail coverts often exceeding two feet in length
2. plural usually quetzales
a. : the basic monetary unit of Guatemala — see money table
b. : a silver coin representing one quetzal
c. : a note representing one quetzal
3. or quetzal dance quetzales plural but often singular in construction : a men's longways dance of the Mexican Totonacs dedicated in pre-Columbian times to the quetzal bird as sun symbol and still suggesting the sun with huge disk headdresses
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quetzal 1
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