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

Inflected Forms

noun

• 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

Apart from the "talciguines" - Nahuatl for devilish men - one character represents Jesus.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2024

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

While it's not clear if the opera's organizers will offer more showings, some in attendance who likely saw their first-ever Nahuatl opera were clearly moved by Cuitlahuac's story.

From Reuters • Jul. 19, 2023

Chicano civil rights activists commonly replaced “ch” with “x” — making Xicano instead of Chicano — as a nod to the Indigenous language Nahuatl in Mexico.

From Washington Post • Apr. 2, 2023

Only part of the original manuscript survives, written in Nahuatl, the Mexica language, which Sahagun learned to speak fluently.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann