saguaro

noun sa·gua·ro \ sə-ˈwär-ə , -ˈgwär- , -ō \

Definition of saguaro

plural saguaros

:a tall columnar usually sparsely-branched cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) of dry areas of the southwestern U.S. 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

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Recent Examples of saguaro from the Web

The saguaro cactuses and desert flowers welcome the rain, as does the animal life.

— kathryn prociv, Washington Post, "Pic of the week: The monsoon and the Milky Way," 14 July 2017
Keeping company with the ironwood trees are mesquite, paloverde, creosote and saguaro.

— latimes.com, "Here are the national monuments being reconsidered under Trump," 26 Apr. 2017
Sonoran Desert Established Jan. 17, 2001: The saguaro cactus is the iconic symbol of the Sonoran Desert and the monument is a place to see extensive forests of the classic cactus.

— latimes.com, "Here are the national monuments being reconsidered under Trump," 26 Apr. 2017
Bike or hike along 182 miles of trails studded with the Mutt (saguaro) and Jeff (barrel) of cactuses.

— andrea sachs, The Denver Post, "On a visit to Scottsdale, mixing modern living with the wild West," 25 Apr. 2017
Sand and saguaro, coyote and stone, have as much or more claim on her empathy as any man or woman.

— justin taylor, New York Times, "Joy Williams’s Micro-Fictions Are a Trove of God’s Bafflements," 5 Aug. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'saguaro.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Venture into the Arizonan desert on a May or June morning and you may see the saguaro in bloom. For many of our readers (such as those living in Arizona and southeastern California), this sight - and the word saguaro - won't be anything new. Or perhaps you know this emblem of all things Southwestern simply as the "giant cactus." The word saguaro originated in Ópata, a language spoken by peoples of the Sonoran Desert region of Mexico. It came into English by way of the Spanish spoken by the Mexican settlers of the American West. The very saguaros we see today may well have been around when the word was first noted, some 150 years ago - this amazing cactus can live for up to 200 years.