noun
- See under quetzal(def 1).
noun, plural quet·zals, quet·za·les [ket-sah-leys] /kɛtˈsɑ leɪs/.
- any of several large Central and South American trogons of the genus Pharomachrus, having golden-green and scarlet plumage, especially P. mocino (resplendent quetzal), the national bird of Guatemala: rare and possibly endangered.
- a paper money and monetary unit of Guatemala, equal to 100 centavos. Abbreviation: Q.
noun plural -zals or -zales (-ˈsɑːlɛs)
- 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)
- the standard monetary unit of Guatemala, divided into 100 centavos
central American bird with brilliant plumage, 1827, from Spanish quetzal, from Aztec quetzalli the bird name, literally “tail-feather.”