Main Entry: sa·gua·ro

Pronunciation: \sə-ˈwär-ə, -ˈgwär-, -ō\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural sa·gua·ros

Etymology: Mexican Spanish, probably from Ópata (Uto-Aztecan language of Sonora, Mexico)

Date: 1856

: a tall columnar usually sparsely-branched cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) of dry areas of the southwestern United States and Mexico that bears white flowers and a scaly reddish edible fruit and that may attain a height of up to 50 feet (16 meters) —called also giant cactus

[saguaro illustration]