Documented Nahuatl words in the Spanish language (mostly as spoken in Mexico and Mesoamerica), also called 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
Achiote (Bixa orellana) Aguacate (Avocado) Ahuehuete (Taxodium mucronatum) Amate (a variety of fig) Anacahuite (Cordia boissieri) Anacua (Ehretia anacua) Ayote (squash) Cacao Camote (sweet potato) Cacahuete o cacahuate (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) Otate (Otatea) 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 Nanche Nixtamal (hominy paste) Pinole Pozole (hominy) Pulque Tamal (tamale) Tequila Tejocote Tlacoyo Tlayuda Xoconostle Jocoque
Placenames Countries Cuauhtemallan (Guatemala) Mehxico (Mexico) Nicanahuac (Nicaragua) Cozcatlan (El Salvador)
States of Mexico Chiapas Chihuahua (state) Coahuila Colima Jalisco State of Mexico Michoacán Oaxaca Tabasco (possibly) Tlaxcala Zacatecas
Departments of Guatemala Chimaltenango Department Escuintla Department Huehuetenango Department Jalapa Department Jutiapa Department Quetzaltenango Department Sacatepéquez Department Suchitepéquez Department Totonicapán Department Zacapa Department
Departments of El Salvador Ahuachapán Department Chalatenango Department Cuscatlán Department Sonsonate Department Usulután Department
Departments of Honduras Choluteca Department Ocotepeque Department Olancho Department Yoro Department
Departments of Nicaragua Chinandega Department Chontales Department Jinotega Department Masaya Department Matagalpa Department
Cities Nezahualcoyotl Texcoco Xochimilco Iztacalco Iztapalapa Tacuba Chapultepec Tepeyac Oaxtepec Culiacán Mazatlán Mexico-Tenochtitlán (former center of the Aztec Empire, now Mexico City) Xalapa Tegucigalpa Managua (possibly) Countless other cities throughout Mexico and northern Central America
Mountains and volcanoes Acatenango Almolonga Ajusco Cerro Tláloc Chinameca (volcano) Citlaltépetl Izalco (volcano) Iztaccíhuatl Jocotitlán (volcano) Los Atlixcos Malinche (volcano) Naolinco volcanic field Nauhcampatépetl Popocatépetl San Martin Tuxtla Sierra Chichinautzin Tliltépetl Tolimán (volcano) Tzapotépetl Usulután (volcano) Volcán Atitlán Volcán Tajumulco Xinantecatl
Other terms, including 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 Malacate Malinche ("traitor", a reference to Doña Marina, or Malintzin) Mecapal (tumpline) Mecate (rope) Metate (grinding stones) Mitote (a type of indigenous dance) Molcajete (mortar and pestle) Nixtamal Paliacate Papalote (kite) Pepenar Petaca Petate (sleeping mat of woven palm fiber) Piciete ("cigarette", used in rural Mexico, from "picietl", literally "tobacco") Popote (drinking straw) Tapanco (attic, loft) Tenamaste Tepetate Tianguis = open air market Tiza Tzompantli (skull banner)
See also Nahuatl–Spanish contact List of English words of Spanish origin List of English words of Nahuatl origin Influences on the Spanish language Indigenous languages of the Americas
References
External links Nahuatl Wikipedia