Aztec

American  

[az-tek] / ˈæz tɛk /

noun

1. a member of a Nahuatl-speaking state in central Mexico that was conquered by Cortés in 1521.

2. Also called classical Nahuatl.  the variety of Nahuatl that served as the medium of Aztec civilization, aboriginally written in a chiefly pictographic script.

3. the Nahuatl language.

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Aztec British  

/ ˈæztɛk /

noun

1. a member of a Mexican Indian people who established a great empire, centred on the valley of Mexico, that was overthrown by Cortés and his followers in the early 16th century

2. the language of the Aztecs See also Nahuatl

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Aztecs, their civilization, or their language

Other Word Forms

• Aztecan adjective
• post-Aztec adjective

Etymology

Origin of Aztec

1780–90; < Spanish azteca < Nahuatl aztēcah, plural of aztēcatl person from Aztlān, the legendary place of origin of the Aztecs

Example Sentences

The year 2021 marked the 500th anniversary of the fall of Tenochtitlán, the site of modern-day Mexico City and the capital of the Aztec empire, at the hands of Hernán Cortés and his small army.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Rather than recapitulate historical chronicles, Mr. Enrigue imagines the event from the Aztec point of view, creating an account that is gory, hallucinatory and thrilling in its strangeness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

Named Coatlicue, after a goddess in Aztec mythology representing the source of power and life, the computer will have a processing capacity of 314 petaflops.

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

The Spaniard’s forces would overthrow Tenochitán, capital of the Moctezuma’s Aztec empire.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2025

Why not Mayan and Aztec societies, which were accomplished in astronomy and captivated, as the Indians were, by large numbers?

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan