saguaro

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

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

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

Last September, Amazon politely returned a giant saguaro cactus that Tucson economic development officials had sent in hopes of landing the company's coveted headquarters expansion.

— russ wiles, azcentral, "Amazon announces 1,500-job distribution center in Tucson," 16 May 2018
Just north of Greenway Road was wild desert, dirt roads through foothills, crazy saguaros with owl nests hanging out.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Publishing the Best of the Desert: An Interview With Ken Layne," 25 Apr. 2018
At the base lies the saguaro-and-brittlebush landscape of the Sonoran Desert.

— Sunset, "Where to Embark on a Sky Island Adventure," 22 Jan. 2018
Troon North’s fraternal-twin 18s glow plushly green throughout the winter months, enhanced by big-sky vistas and muchos saguaros.

— david weiss, Newsweek, "Nomad’s Land: The Smart Traveler’s Guide to Scottsdale, Arizona," 20 Sep. 2015
Tucson sent a 21-foot-tall saguaro cactus on a flatbed truck to Amazon in Seattle.

— nick wingfield, New York Times, "Amazon Counts Its Suitors: 238 Want to Be Home for 2nd Headquarters," 23 Oct. 2017
So in this contest for Amazon's hand, how can Chicago compete with that giant saguaro?

— mary schmich, chicagotribune.com, "What Chicago should send to Jeff Bezos to lure Amazon headquarters, and it's not a cactus," 14 Sep. 2017
The magazine handed out ignominious honors to New York City for lighting landmarks up in Amazon orange and Tuscon area leaders for sending Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos a 21-foot saguaro cactus.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Amazon HQ2: Kansas City collects 'most outrageous stunts' honors | The Kansas City Star," 25 Oct. 2017
In the best conditions, a saguaro cactus can live for hundreds of years.

— cam wolf, GQ, "The Best Houseplants That Even You Can’t Kill," 24 Oct. 2017

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.