Guano
/ɡwɑːˈnoʊ/noun
A fertilizer made from the accumulated droppings of seabirds or bats.
Did you know?In the nineteenth century, guano was so valuable as fertilizer that nations fought over guano-rich islands in the Pacific during the Guano Era.
Etymological Timeline
Before the 16th Century
Quechua
wanu
“Dung or manure, especially material used as fertilizer”
16th Century
Spanish
guano
“Bird droppings used as agricultural manure, borrowed from Quechua”
17th Century
English
guano
“Imported seabird manure used as fertilizer”
19th Century
English
guano
“A highly prized commercial fertilizer that drove colonial extraction and territorial conflict”
Modern English
English
guano
“Fertilizer made from accumulated bird or bat droppings”