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 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 Playing what was essentially a game of telephone, the duo interpreted from Spanish to Mayan and from Mayan to Nahuatl, in the process swaying a large group of Indigenous vassals who were tired of paying tribute to Moctezuma and his allies. Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2024 Except, in the codex, many of these homophones were based on Nahuatl words, requiring knowledge of the language to decipher them. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2023 In the earliest days of Spanish colonization of what is now the U.S.-Mexico border region, settlers speaking Nahuatl, the Aztec language, probably outnumbered Spaniards. Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023 At his school, Speak Nahuatl, Cayetano not only teaches the language but also the deeper meaning behind the words. Constanza Eliana Chinea, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2023

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 3 Jun. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Nahuatl

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!