List of Spanish words of Nahuatl origin

Documented Nahuatl words in the Spanish language (mostly as spoken in Mexico and Mesoamerica), also called Nahuatlismos include an extensive list of words that represent (i) animals, (ii) plants, fruit and vegetables, (iii) foods and beverages, and (iv) domestic appliances.

Many of these words end with the absolutive suffix "-tl" in Nahuatl. This word ending—thought to be difficult for Spanish speakers to pronounce at the time—evolved in Spanish into a "-te" ending (e.g. axolotl = ajolote). As a rule of thumb, a Spanish word for an animal, plant, food or home appliance widely used in Mexico and ending in "-te" is highly likely to have a Nahuatl origin.

Animals

Acocil (crayfish)
Ajolote (axolotl)
Cacomixtle
Chapulín (grasshopper)
Cenzontle (mockingbird)
Coyote
Escamoles (ant eggs)
Guachinango (red snapper)
Guajolote (turkey)
Ocelote (ocelot)
Mapache (raccoon)
Mayate (beetle)
Moyote (mosquito)
Pinacate
Pizote (Coati)
Quetzal
Tecolote (owl)
Tepezcuintle
Techalote (squirrel)
Tlacuache (opossum)
Xoloitzcuintli (Mexican Hairless Dog)
Zanate (Grackle)
Zopilote (vulture)

Plants, fruits and vegetables

Jitomate at Tepoztlan market, Mexico

Achiote (Bixa orellana)
Aguacate (Avocado)
Ahuehuete (Taxodium mucronatum)^[1]
Amate (a variety of fig)
Anacahuite (Cordia boissieri)^[2]
Anacua (Ehretia anacua)^[2]^[3]
Cacao
Camote (sweet potato)
Cacahuete o cacahuate^[4] (peanut)
Chayote
Chilacayote
Chile (chili pepper)
Ejote (green bean)
Elote (maize)
Epazote (Dysphania ambrosioides)
Huizache (Vachellia farnesiana var. farnesiana)
Huitlacoche (corn smut)
Jícama
Jinamaiste

Jilote
Jitomate (tomato)
Mesquite
Milpa
Nejayote
Nopal (cactus)
Ochote
Ocote (Pinus montezumae)
Olote (cob without the corn)
Peyote
Quiote (the nectar-filled stem of the agave plant)
Tepescohuite (Mimosa tenuiflora)
Tomate (everywhere except Central Mexico – tomato; Central Mexico – tomatillo)
Tule
Xalapeño (jalapeño), from its place of origin, the town of Xalapa
Zihuapaste
Zacate (grass)
Zapote (sapodilla)

Foods and drinks

Atole (a cornmeal drink)
Chicle (chewing gum)
Chocolate
Chipotle (smoked jalapeños)
Elote (Maize)
Guacamole
Huauzontle
Huitlacoche (corn smut)
Mezcal
Mezquitamal
Mole

Names of places

Countries

Cuauhtemallan (Guatemala)
Mehxico (Mexico)
Nicanahuac (Nicaragua)
Cozcatlan (El Salvador)

States/Provinces/Departments

Zacatecas, possibly
Tlaxcala (Mex)
Tabasco (Mex)
Jalisco (Mex)
México (Mex)
Oaxaca (Mex)
Chimaltenango (Guatemala)
Escuintla (Guatemala)
Huehuetenango (Guatemala)
Quetzaltenango (Guatemala)
Sacatepéquez (Guatemala)
Cuscatlán Department (El Salvador)
Chinandega Department (Nicaragua)
Jinotega Department (Nicaragua)

Cities

Nezahualcoyotl
Texcoco
Xochimilco
Iztacalco
Iztapalapa
Tacuba
Chapultepec
Tepeyac
Oaxtepec
Culiacán
Mazatlán
Mexico-Tenochtitlán (former center of the Aztec Empire, now Mexico City)
Xalapa
Countless other cities throughout Mexico and northern Central America

Geographical elements

Iztaccíhuatl (a volcano)
Popocatépetl (a volcano)
Citlaltépetl (a volcano)
Xinantecatl (a volcano)
Momotombo (a volcano)
Sahuayo

Other terms, includes home appliances

Ayate
Azteca (Aztec)
Cacle (shoe or sandal, from "cactli")
Capulín
Chamarra
Chamaco ("boy", used in Mexican slang, from "chamahuac", meaning "plump")
Chamagoso
Chapopote
Chinampa
Chiquihuite (hollow basket that holds tortillas)
Comal (clay cookware)
Copal
Cuate (fraternal twin)
Escuincle (a child)
Huipil

Hule (rubber or plastic)
Itacate
Jacal (shack)
Jícara = clay cup / calabash
Macho = exemplar, one that is worthy of imitation^[5]
Malacate
Malinche ("traitor", a reference to Doña Marina, or Malintzin)
Mecapal (tumpline)
Mecate (rope)
Metate (grinding stones)
Mitote
Molcajete (mortar and pestle)
Nixtamal
Ocote
Otate
Paliacate
Cacle (from nahuatl, Cactli)

Papalote (kite)
Pepenar
Petaca
Petate (sleeping mat of woven palm fiber)
Peyote
Piciete ("cigarette", used in rural Mexico, from "picietl", literally "tobacco")
Popote (straw)
Tenamaste
Tepetate
Tianguis = open air market
Tiza
Tzompantli (skull banner)

References

^ "Taxodium mucronatum". The Gymnosperm Database. Archived from the original on 2010-01-09. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
^ ^a ^b "Ehretia anacua (Teran & Berl.) I.M. Johnston". Native Plant Information Network. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
^ Tallichet, H. (1890). "Part IV". Dialect Notes. American Dialect Society. p. 244.
^ "cacahuate". Diccionario de la lengua española, edición del tricentenario. Real Academia Española. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
^ Rémi Siméon (1977). Diccionario de la lengua náhuatl o mexicana.. Siglo XXI Editores, S.A. de C.V., 2004. pp. 246 and 258 . Macho: distinguished, ilustrious, etc. as a passive voice of Mati: uel macho ó nouian macho, evident, well known, notorious, qualli ipam macho, he is good, well behaved, etc. ISBN 968-23-0573-X.

External links

Nahuatl Wikipedia

[1] "Taxodium mucronatum". The Gymnosperm Database. Archived from the original on 2010-01-09. Retrieved 2009-10-12.

[Anaqua-2] "Ehretia anacua (Teran & Berl.) I.M. Johnston". Native Plant Information Network. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Retrieved 2009-10-12.

[3] Tallichet, H. (1890). "Part IV". Dialect Notes. American Dialect Society. p. 244.

[4] "cacahuate". Diccionario de la lengua española, edición del tricentenario. Real Academia Española. Retrieved 2018-01-22.

[5] Rémi Siméon (1977). Diccionario de la lengua náhuatl o mexicana.. Siglo XXI Editores, S.A. de C.V., 2004. pp. 246 and 258 . Macho: distinguished, ilustrious, etc. as a passive voice of Mati: uel macho ó nouian macho, evident, well known, notorious, qualli ipam macho, he is good, well behaved, etc. ISBN 968-23-0573-X.

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