Nahuatl

American  

[nah-waht-l] / ˈnɑ wɑt l /

noun

• Nahuatls,
  plural
• Nahuatl
  plural

1. a member of any of various peoples of ancient origin ranging from southeastern Mexico to parts of Central America and including the Aztecs.

2. a Uto-Aztecan language spoken by over half a million people mostly in central Mexico.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Nahuatl language or peoples.

Nahuatl British  

/ ˈnɑːwɑːtəl, nɑːˈwɑːtəl /

noun

1. a member of one of a group of Central American and Mexican Indian peoples including the Aztecs

2. the language of these peoples, belonging to the Uto-Aztecan family

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Nahuatl
  plural
• Nahuatls
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Nahuatl

1815–25; < Spanish náhuatl < Nahuatl nāhuatl something that makes an agreeable sound, a second-language speaker of one's own language

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Nahuatl Nahuatls

The Aztecs’ language, a strand of Nahuatl, is still spoken by over one million indigenous people in rural villages, while many Aztec traditions quietly persisted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

They have named the month-old female Xoco, a Nahuatl name meaning "little sister" or "the youngest child".

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Tzahualli is a Nahuatl word for spiderweb, a common metaphor for fragility, interconnectedness, beauty and, not least, potential entrapment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2025

The gallery’s namesake is Nepantla, a Nahuatl word that means “in the middle,” which Prendez describes as the place where one heals, rejuvenates or creates.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 30, 2023

Ayocuan’s remarks cannot be fully understood out of the Nahuatl context, Leon-Portilla argued.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

The designation "Nahuatls" proposed to include all the Mexican,    Western Central American, and Peruvian races that had descended    from the same ancient stock.

From The Naturalist in Nicaragua by Thomas Belt

The practice of the couvade was universal, in some form or other, amongst the Carib races, but was unknown amongst the peoples whom I have called the Nahuatls.

From The Naturalist in Nicaragua by Thomas Belt

The Nahuatls, in their peaceful dispositions and agricultural pursuits, are much more nearly allied to the Polynesians, and their present preponderance on the western coast favours the idea that they had a western origin.*

From The Naturalist in Nicaragua by Thomas Belt

Let us now return to the Nahuatls, and see if they present any affinities to the nations of the old world.

From The Naturalist in Nicaragua by Thomas Belt

Even in Columbus's time they were found making long voyages to ravage the villages of the peace-loving Nahuatls.

From The Naturalist in Nicaragua by Thomas Belt