Nahuatl

noun

Na·​huatl ˈnä-ˌwä-tᵊl How to pronounce Nahuatl (audio)
: a group of closely related Uto-Aztecan languages that includes the speech of several peoples (such as the Aztecs) of central and southern Mexico and Central America
Nahuatlan adjective or noun

Examples of Nahuatl in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Brazilians primarily speak Portuguese, and millions of people in Latin America speak Indigenous languages, such as Nahuatl, K'iche' and Quechua. Gina Lee Castro, Journal Sentinel, 11 Oct. 2024 For instance, the name Xochitl is from the Nahuatl tradition, but the Global Americana baby naming trend also incorporates names that are more commonly heard in the U.S. Melissa Willets, Parents, 2 Oct. 2024 The Música Mexicana revolution shaping Southern California Sept. 19, 2024 When looking through the vast selection, visitors can find stories from almost every Latin American country and even a few in Indigenous languages like Nahuatl and Zapotec. Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024 Many dairy workers, who are mostly immigrants, speak Indigenous languages like Nahuatl or K’iche, according to the National Center for Farmworker Health, a nonprofit that offers support and training for centers that focus on the health of farmworkers. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 9 July 2024 Picture books teaching Spanish speakers words in Nahuatl and Maya. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2024 Like Voynich, many modern scholars suspect that the manuscript’s text is a ciphered form of a familiar language, with their theories of the tome’s latent linguistics flitting from Latin to Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs and Toltecs of Mexico. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2024 The latter, known as pinole, typically uses blue or purple corn and is as its Nahuatl name, pinolli, suggests: roasted and ground maíz. Andrea Aliseda, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2024 As an online source, the codex, initially written in Nahuatl and Spanish, was translated into English. Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 4 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Nahuatl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Spanish náhuatl, from Nahuatl Nāhuatl

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Nahuatl was in 1876

Dictionary Entries Near Nahuatl

Cite this Entry

“Nahuatl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Nahuatl. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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