quetzal means any trogon of the genus Pharomacrus, especially a resplendent quetzal (Pharomacrus mocinno), which has very long tail feathers and is found in Guatemala and Costa Rica. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
quetzal is pronounced /ˈkɛt.səl/.
Why “quetzal” is a great word
QUETZAL — [Noun] A brilliantly colored Central American bird of the genus Pharomacrus, especially the resplendent quetzal, or the monetary unit of Guatemala. From Spanish quetzal, from Classical Nahuatl quetzalli ('brightly colored tail feather, quetzal feather'), from quetza ('to raise, lift'). First recorded in English 1820–30. Unlike "trogon" (which names the broader, often drabber family of tropical birds) or "peso" (which denotes a common currency across many nations), "quetzal" specifies a singular, mythic brilliance. It is the tactile shock of emerald and crimson iridescence against jungle shadow, the whispered rustle of twin green streamers tracing arcs in the humid air, and the cool, inked weight of a banknote bearing its idealized image—a name that bridges the untouchable splendor of the wild and the quantified worth we assign in its stead.
Etymology
From Spanish quetzal, from Classical Nahuatl quetzalli (“brightly colored tail feather, quetzal feather”), from quetza (“to raise, lift”); see also Classical Nahuatl quetzaltōtōtl (“quetzal bird”).
noun
- Any trogon of the genus Pharomacrus, especially a resplendent quetzal (Pharomacrus mocinno), which has very long tail feathers and is found in Guatemala and Costa Rica.“Included among the images that Rigoberta Menchú uses in order to subtly convey her people's ethnicity is an image of Guatemala as the "land of the quetzal."”
- A monetary unit used in Guatemala, equal to 100 centavos.“In 2002 Guatemala officially declared the U.S. dollar as legal tender to circulate in parallel to the national currency, the quetzal. This is not likely to last for long as the quetzal is not widely accepted and is considered a weak store of value.”