saguaro
UK[səˈɡwɑːrəʊ]US[səˈɡwɑːroʊ]
n
a very large cactus of the southwestern us and mexico, with branches that curve upwards and white flowers
Etymology
the word 'saguaro' entered english via american spanish, where it was 'sahuaro'. its ultimate origin is the ópata language (a uto-aztecan language of sonora, mexico), from the word 'sawaro'. the term was adopted into english in the mid-19th century as settlers and naturalists described the distinctive flora of the sonoran desert. it is a prime example of a loanword that carries the name of a specific new world entity directly from the language of the people who first inhabited its region, with no meaningful morphological breakdown in english.
Analysis
this word is a loanword from spanish, which in turn borrowed it from an indigenous language of the americas. it is not productively formed from classical roots within english and therefore is not segmented into smaller morphemes for analysis.
Examples
the silhouette of a giant saguaro against the desert sunset is an iconic image of the american southwest.
the saguaro can live for over 150 years and provide nesting sites for birds.
it is illegal to harm or remove a saguaro cactus from public land without a permit.