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Stage 1 of 3
quetzalli
Nahuatl · pre-1500s
"a brilliant tail feather"
meaning "large brilliant tail feather"
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Stage 2 of 3
quetzal
Spanish · 1500s-1600s
"the quetzal bird"
adopted from Nahuatl for the brightly colored tropical bird
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Stage 3 of 3
quetzal
English · 1800s
"a brightly colored Central American bird"
adopted as naturalists described Central American wildlife
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