The English Language

Words Borrowed from Nahuatl

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Nahuatl is an Uto-Aztecan language spoken in Mexico and Central America.

The words from this language include food items ("chocolate", "guacamole"), fruits and vegetables ("tomato"), animals ("coyote") and place names ("Guatemala", "Mexico").

The TL ending is very common in Nahuatl.


Word Meaning Notes
avocado from "ahuacatl", testicle One of many food words from Nahuatl.
chocolate   "Choco" is the name of the bean, "atl" is water.
chilli   Spicy food relish.
coyote from "coyotl" A type of prairie dog.
guacamole   A spicy avocado paste from Central America.
Guatemala   Central American country.
Mexico   The Aztec war god. North American country.
ocelot   Central American cat.
shack from "xacatli", wooden hut  
tomato from "tomatl"  

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