atole

American  

[uh-toh-ley, ah-toh-le] / əˈtoʊ leɪ, ɑˈtoʊˌlɛ /

noun

Mexican Cooking.

1. a hot drink usually made from ground cornmeal or masa, sweetened with unrefined cane sugar, and often flavored with spices.

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Etymology

Origin of atole

First recorded in 1710–20; from Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl ātolli, perhaps from ātl “water” ( cf. chocolate ( def. ))

Example Sentences

Its kernels are soaked in fragrant pozole and brewed into a hearty breakfast drink known as atole.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2025

And they all pass by the street vendors standing behind tables stacked high with sliced mangos, taquitos and atole de elote — a Central American corn-based drink popular in the winter.

From Washington Post • Feb. 7, 2023

In a small oblong park beside the elevated tracks, dozens of vendors sell freshly folded quesadillas, Oaxacan tlayudas, hunks of roasted pork, cups of warm atole, and tacos with a great multitude of fillings.

From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2022

Mexico's tamale vendors often sell other masa-based goods, too, namely masa-based drinks like atole and champurrado.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2021

“The Indians hold it sacred, and why not, on the day that we can get Lucas to eat a bowl of atole then he shall be cured. Is that not sacred?”

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya