guano

Where does the word "guano" come from? It comes from Quechua wanu, passing through Spanish before entering English (1800s).

Guano’s story begins in Quechua: wanu meant “dung, fertilizer.” Meaning "dung", especially the droppings of seabirds used as fertilizer. By 1500s-1600s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as guano. The Inca protected the seabirds of the guano islands off Peru. It reached English by 1800s as guano. The US Guano Islands Act of 1856 let Americans claim guano-covered islands. Today, guano means the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats, used as fertilizer.

1. Stage 1 · Quechua · pre-1500s wanu "dung, fertilizer", meaning "dung", especially the droppings of seabirds used as fertilizer.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1500s-1600s guano "seabird or bat droppings used as fertilizer", the Inca protected the seabirds of the guano islands off Peru.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s guano "accumulated seabird or bat excrement used as fertilizer", the US Guano Islands Act of 1856 let Americans claim guano-covered islands.