guano

UK: /ˈgwɑːnəʊ/ US: (gwä′nō)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

gua•no  (gwä′nō), n. 

1. a natural manure composed chiefly of the excrement of sea birds, found esp. on islands near the Peruvian coast.
2. any similar substance, as an artificial fertilizer made from fish.

• Quechua wanu dung for fuel, fertilizer
• Spanish: fertilizer, dung; American Spanish huano dung
• 1595–1605

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

guano / ˈɡwɑːnəʊ/ noun ( -nos)

1. the dried excrement of fish-eating sea birds, deposited in rocky coastal regions of South America: contains the urates, oxalates, and phosphates of ammonium and calcium; used as a fertilizer
2. the accumulated droppings of bats and seals
3. any similar but artificial substance used as a fertilizer

Etymology: 17th Century: from Spanish, from Quechua huano dung