*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of guano

Etymology tree Quechua wanubor. Spanish guanobor. English guano Borrowed from Spanish guano, from Quechua wanu.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

Dung from a sea bird or from a bat. · Coccothrinax borhidiana, a variety of palm tree indigenous to Cuba. · A variety of seabird.

verb

To fertilize (land) with guano.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Quechua wanubor. Spanish guanobor. English guano Borrowed from Spanish guano, from Quechua wanu.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionguanoes
  • Derivation mentionwanuqu
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "es:guano",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nQuechua wanubor.\nSpanish guanobor.\nEnglish guano\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Quechua\", \"term\" : \"wanu\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"qu\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Spanish\", \"term\" : \"guano\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"es\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"guano\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"guano\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "guano"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Spanish guano"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "qu",
        "3": "wanu"
      },
      "expansion": "Quechua wanu"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "es:guano",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nQuechua wanubor.\nSpanish guanobor.\nEnglish guano"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "wanu",
      "wanu#Quechua"
    ],
    [
      "guano",
      "guano#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "guano",
      "guano#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "wanu",
      "wanu#Quechua"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Dung from a sea bird or from a bat.",
        "Coccothrinax borhidiana, a variety of palm tree indigenous to Cuba.",
        "A variety of seabird."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "bd567e3f3f49216b4d3ab3cb9dbef4b9ffd219b4b9b274a3f855c1abd379f03e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fadc9f51e573b2d16e8d18abbd8ffb6bd0a1e65238ff8c911765a129401d4ba2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 224146
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To fertilize (land) with guano."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "efd5e365acfda87764dab7012038255c705155233b8930b00e2be83751bf4dfa",
      "rawRecordSha256": "69db34bbc111b613515c9ff59318967d4179eee02244407050a030c4b93ab25d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 224147
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for guano →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Z3Vhbm8