Guano

/ˈɡwɑːnoʊ/ noun

Definition

The droppings of seabirds or bats, used as a natural fertilizer for crops.

Etymology

From Quechua 'wanu,' the language of the Inca. Spanish conquistadors learned the word when they saw South American birds' droppings used as fertilizer and brought it back to Europe.

Kelly Says

Guano was so valuable in the 1800s that countries went to war over it, and Peru's economy rode on bird poop—it's a wild reminder that 'waste' is just a resource in the wrong place.

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