: any of various large gregarious neotropical birds (family Cracidae) that are chiefly arboreal forest-dwellers and that somewhat resemble turkeys

Illustration of guan

Illustration of guan

Examples of guan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ground-foraging birds like guans can still hear the frogs’ calls. Lakshmi Supriya, Science | AAAS, 26 Sep. 2017 Ziegler observes butterflies and damselflies and bees that never descend to the ground, and dozens of species of birds: barbets, paradise tanagers, scarlet macaws that arrive in pairs, and fat, piping guans, which look like elegant turkeys. National Geographic, 29 Sep. 2016

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier quam, probably from Kuna (Chibchan language of Panama) kwama

First Known Use

1743, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of guan was in 1743

Dictionary Entries Near guan

Cite this Entry

“Guan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guan. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!