Spanish Conversation · Level 11
90 words
Spanish word
guanaco
Pronunciation
IPA/gwaˈnako/
Meaning
- masculine nounguanaco
Example
¿Has visto alguna vez un guanaco en libertad?
Have you ever seen a guanaco in the wild?
More examples
Vi una manada de guanacos a lo lejos en la estepa.
I saw a herd of guanacos in the distance on the steppe.
Core concept
A wild camelid of the Andes and Patagonian plains, light-built and resembling a small llama.
Common phrases
ver un guanaco
see a guanaco
manada de guanacos
herd of guanacos
cría de guanaco
young guanaco
Similar words
llama: Large domesticated South American camelid kept to carry loads or people.
alpaca: Small domesticated South American camelid raised chiefly for its soft fleece.
vicuña: Slender wild high-Andean camelid with very fine, highly valued fleece.
Definition in Spanish
Animal sudamericano salvaje de la familia de los camélidos, nativo de las estepas y altiplanos, con cuerpo delgado y pelaje corto, conocido como guanaco en español.
Word origin
Borrowed from Quechua wanaku into Spanish, where the form changed to match Spanish phonology as guanaco.
Usage tips
- English speakers often expect a domesticated animal when they hear words like llama, and guanaco specifically denotes a wild relative, which changes how it appears in travel or nature descriptions.