Quetzalcoatl

[ ket-sahl-koh-aht-l ]

/ kɛtˌsɑl koʊˈɑt l /

noun

the feathered serpent god of the Aztec and Toltec cultures.

Origin of Quetzalcoatl

< Spanish Quetzalcóatl < Nahuatl Quetzalcōātl, equivalent to quetzal(li) (see quetzal) + cōātl snake

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quetzalcoatl

But Votan has so much in common with Quetzalcoatl that some writers are inclined to consider them identical, or at least related.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 3|Hubert Howe Bancroft
It is in Zapotecapan, however, that the disciples of Quetzalcoatl appear most prominently.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 5|Hubert Howe Bancroft
Next to him came the chief priest of Quetzalcoatl, who had no authority, however, except over his own order of clergy.
Lectures on the Origin and Growth of Religion as Illustrated by the Native Religions of Mexico and Peru|Albert Rville
Quetzalcoatl then forsook Tollan, and journeyed from city to city till he reached Cholula, where he lived twenty years.
American Hero-Myths|Daniel G. Brinton

A number of authorities have seen in Quetzalcoatl a god of the air, and even a moon-deity.
An Introduction to Mythology|Lewis Spence

British Dictionary definitions for quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl

/ (ˌkɛtsəlkəʊˈætəl) /

noun

a god of the Aztecs and Toltecs, represented as a feathered serpent

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl

plumed serpent god of the Toltecs and Aztecs, 1570s, from Nahuatl quetzalli (see quetzal) + coatl "snake."

Culture definitions for quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl

[ (ket-sahl-koh-aht-l) ]

An ancient nature god and legendary ruler of the Toltec people of Mexico, usually represented as a plumed serpent.