List of Spanish words of Nahuatl origin

Documented Nahuatl words in the Spanish language (mostly as spoken in Mexico and Mesoamerica) 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

Plants, fruits and vegetables

Jitomate at Tepoztlan market, Mexico

Foods and drinks

Names of places

• Nezahualcoyotl
• Texcoco
• Xochimilco
• Iztacalco
• Iztapalapa
• Tacuba
• Chapultepec
• Tepeyac
• Oaxtepec
• Guatemala
• Culiacán
• Cuscatlán Department
• Iztaccíhuatl (a volcano)
• Jalisco
• Mazatlán
• México
• Oaxaca
• Popocatépetl (a volcano)
• Tabasco
• Mexico-Tenochtitlán (former center of the Aztec Empire, now Mexico City)
• Tlaxcala
• Xalapa
• Yucatán
• Zacatecas, possibly
• Sahuayo
• Countless other cities throughout Mexico and northern Central America

Other terms, includes home appliances

See also

• 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