Appendix A. Alphabetical Catalogue of Nahuatl/Mexicano Loan Words in English
Below is the complete list of ninety-three words having a clear Nahuatl origin according to the current online version of the Oxford English Dictionary, along with their dates of first attestation in English and the OED’s definition:
ahuehuete, n. 1828
A Mexican swamp cypress, Taxodium mucronatum (family Taxodiaceae), which can attain great girth and is important for the production of medicinal resins and timber.
atlatl 1871
A throwing-stick used by American Indians and Eskimos.
atole 1716
A kind of corn or other meal; gruel or porridge made of this.
axolotl 1786
A batrachian reptile (Siredon pisciforme, family Proteidæ) found in Mexican lakes, resembling the salamander in appearance, but, like all the Proteidæ, retaining throughout life the gills of its young state.
avocado 1697
a. The fruit of a West Indian tree (Persea gratissima); a large pear-shaped fruit, called also ALLIGATOR PEAR.
b. The green colour of the flesh of an avocado. In full, avocado green. Also as adj.
cacao 1555
1. The seed of a tropical American tree (Theobroma Cacao, family Byttneriaceæ), from which cocoa and chocolate are prepared.
†2. The powder produced by grinding the seeds, often with other substances mixed; also the drink prepared from the seeds or powder; = COCOA n.
cacomistle 1869
A raccoon-like animal of the south-western United States and Mexico, Bassariscus astutus.
camote 1842
A name in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries for any one of several tuber-bearing plants, e.g. the sweet potato and yam.
chalchuite 1843
A green variety of turquoise from Mexico.
chayote 1884
Also chayota, cheyote. A vine, Sechium edule, native to tropical America and cultivated elsewhere for its fruit; the succulent squash-like fruit of this vine. Also called chocho.
chia, n.2 1832
An annual, typically purple-flowering plant native to Mexico, Salvia hispanica (family Lamiaceae (Labiatae)), which is cultivated from the south-western United States to Argentina for its greyish, oily, mucilaginous seed, used in various foods and beverages and historically was a staple food of the Nahuatl people; (also) any of several similar plants of the genus Salvia, esp. S. columbariae. Freq. attrib., as chia oil, chia seed, etc.
Chicano 1947
A. n. A person of Mexican birth or descent resident in the U.S. (particularly in those areas annexed in 1848), esp. one who is proud of his Mexican origins and concerned to improve the position of Mexicans in the U.S.; a Mexican-American.
B. adj. Of or pertaining to Mexican-Americans or to the varieties of English and Spanish spoken by them.See also: Chicana, Chicanismo
chicle, n. 1889
In full chicle-gum: a gum-like substance obtained from the bully tree (Mimusops globosa), and from the sapodilla (Sapota zapotilla), largely used in the United States in the manufacture of chewing-gum; hence, chewing-gum. Hence 'chicle v. intr., to chew gum.
chilli, chilly 1662
1. a. The dried pod of species of Capsicum or Red Pepper, esp. C. annuum fastigiatum and frutescens. The pods, which are acrid, pungent, and of a deep red colour when ripe, are largely used as a condiment, and when reduced to powder form the basis of Cayenne pepper.
b. The shrub which bears chillies.
chinampa 1832
The native name of the floating-gardens formerly used on the lakes of Mexico, consisting of a wooden raft covered with earth.
chipotle, n. 1950
A dried and smoked ripe jalapeño pepper, which is dark reddish-brown with a strong, piquant flavour, and is used esp. in Mexican cooking.
chocolate 1604
1. A beverage made from the seeds of the cacao-tree; now, as distinguished from cocoa, that made by dissolving chocolate cake (see next) in boiling water or milk.
2. A paste or cake composed of the seeds of the cacao-fruit roasted and ground, sweetened and flavoured with vanilla and other substances. This is used to make the beverage (sense 1), and also eaten in various comfits. Esp. a sweetmeat in the form of bars, cakes, or drops, often with a qualifying word (see quot. 1925). Also with a and pl., a sweetmeat made entirely of or coated with chocolate. See also milk-chocolate.
3. †Erroneously applied to the cacao-tree, its fruit or seed. Obs.
4. a. Chocolate colour.
b. as adj. Chocolate-coloured; dark brown; in U.S. spec. of certain soils.
cocoa 1672
†1. The seed of Theobroma Cacao, a tropical American tree: more correctly called CACAO. Obs. Formerly commonly called cocoa-nut, and now often cocoa-bean.
2. The Cacao-tree. (rare and improper.)
3. a. The powder produced by crushing and grinding the seeds, often with other substances added; also, a common beverage made from this powder, or from the prepared seeds. (The ordinary sense.)
b. A shade of brown resembling the colour of the powder. Also attrib.
colin31678
The American quail or partridge; also called bob-white; in pl. the various species of the sub-family Odontophorinæ or Ortyginæ, to which this belongs.
conepatl 1774
An American skunk (genus Conepātus, J. E. Gray, 1837).
copal 1577
1. a. A hard translucent odoriferous resin obtained from various tropical trees, and from which a fine transparent varnish is prepared.
coyote 1824
a. Zool. The name, in Mexico and now in the United States, of the prairie- or barking-wolf (Canis latrans) of the Pacific slope of North America.
guacamole 1920
A Mexican dish made from avocado pears mixed with onions, tomatoes, chili peppers, and seasoning.
guayule 1906
A silver-leaved shrub, Parthenium argentatum, of the family Compositæ, native to northern Mexico and adjacent parts of Texas, formerly cultivated as the source of a type of rubber; also, the rubber produced from the plant.
hule 1846
A Central American tree of the genus Castilloa (formerly Castilla), or the crude rubber obtained from it. So hu'lero, ulero, a collector of rubber.
istle 1883
A valuable fibre obtained (in Mexico and Central America) from Bromelia sylvestris and species of Agave, as A. Ixtli, and used for cordage, nets, carpets, etc.
jacal 1838
A hut constructed of erect poles or stakes filled in with wattle and mud, a type common in Mexico and the south-western United States; an adobe house; also, the material or method used in building such a hut.
jalap 1675
1. A purgative drug obtained from the tuberous roots of Exogonium (Ipoma) Purga and some other convolvulaceous plants; the active principle is the resin contained in the tubers (resin of jalap).
2. The Mexican climbing plant Exogonium Purga, with salver-shaped purplish flowers; also applied to some allied plants yielding a similar drug.
jalapeño 1949
Also jalapeño pepper. A very hot green chilli pepper, used esp. in Mexican-style cooking.
jicama, n. 1604
The white, fleshy tuberous root of the yam bean as a vegetable that is eaten raw or cooked, esp. in salads. Also, the plant itself, a tropical leguminous vine, Pachyrhizus erosus, cultivated esp. in Central America.
jicara 1859
A Central American name for the calabash-tree (s.v. CALABASH 7) or its fruit (CALABASH 2).
mazame, n. 1791
Any of various American deer and other ruminants, including the pronghorn, Antilocapra americana. Cf. MAZAMA n. 1.
Mazatec, adj. and n. 1892
A. adj. (attrib.). Of or relating to an American Indian people of northern Oaxaca in southern Mexico, or the language they speak.
B. n. 1. A member of the Mazatec people.
2. The Oto-Manguean language spoken by the Mazatecs.
mecate, n. 1849
1. A rope made of horsehair or of maguey fibre, used esp. to tether or lead a horse.
2. A measure of land formerly in use in the Yucatan region of Mexico, equal to about 0.04 hectare (0.1 acre). Obs.
†melt, n.2 1605
Obs. The maguey or American aloe, Agave americana.
mescal, n. 1709
1. a. Any of various plants of the genus Agave, of Mexico and the south-western United States; esp. any of several large agaves with paniculate inflorescences, including those grown for ornament and hedging (e.g. the American aloe, A. americana), those whose bud, root, etc., is cooked as a vegetable (e.g. A. palmeri and A. parryi), and those whose fermented sap is distilled to produce an alcoholic spirit (the plant in this context being more commonly called maguey).
b. A strong intoxicating spirit distilled from the fermented sap of an agave. Cf. TEQUILA n., PULQUE n.
c. The cooked root, head, or bud of an agave used as food.
2. The button-like top of any of several small desert cacti of the genus Lophophora, esp. L. williamsii, of northern Mexico and southern Texas; a dried preparation of this, ingested for its intoxicating and hallucinogenic properties (chiefly attributable to the alkaloid mescaline); (also) a cactus having such top. Cf. PEYOTE n., mescal button n. at Compounds 2.
mesquite, n. 1759
1. a. Any of various thorny, pinnate-leaved, thicket-forming trees and shrubs of the genus Prosopis (family Mimosaceae (Leguminosae)), characteristic of arid regions of Mexico and the south-western United States (also mesquite tree); esp. P. glandulosa (more fully honey mesquite) and P. pubescens (more fully screw-pod mesquite). Also: the wood of any of these trees. Cf. MIZQUITL n.
b. Country dominated by mesquite trees; a thicket of mesquite trees.
metate, n. 1625
In Central America and the southern United States: a flat or partly hollowed, usually oblong stone on which grain, cocoa, coffee, etc., is ground by means of a smaller stone. Also metate-stone. Cf. MANO n.2
Mexican, n. and adj. 1578
A. n.
1. A native or inhabitant of Mexico. In early use perh. also: †a native or inhabitant of Mexico City (obs.).
2. Any of the indigenous languages of Mexico; spec. = NAHUATL n. Also: the form of Spanish used in Mexico.
3. U.S. colloq. Any piece of non-American (esp. Mexican) currency; spec. = Mexican dollar n. at Special uses 3b. Obs.
†4. U.S. regional. = Mexican sheep n. at Special uses 1b. Obs.
5. A type of cotton cloth (see quot. 1910). Cf. Mexican cloth n. at Special uses 1b.
B. adj. Of or relating to Mexico, its inhabitants, or its language.
milpa, n. 1648
In Central America and Mexico: a small cultivated field, usually of corn or maize.
Mixe, n. and adj. a1616
A. n. 1. A member of an American Indian people of Oaxaca in southern Mexico.
2. Any of a group of related languages spoken by this people, which together form the Mixean branch of the Mixe-Zoque family; this group of languages.
B. adj. Designating, of, or relating to the Mixe or their languages.
Mixteca, n. and adj. 1787
A. n. 1. = MIXTEC n. 1.
MIXTEC n. 1. = A. n.
1. A member of an American Indian people of southern Mexico.
2. Any of the Otomanguean languages spoken by the Mixtecs.
B. adj. = MIXTEC adj.
MIXTEC adj. = B. adj. Of, relating to, or characteristic of the Mixtecs or their languages.
Mixteco, n. and adj. 1911
A. n.
1. = MIXTEC n. 2. [[See MIXTECA above--JDH]]
2. = MIXTEC n. 1. [[See MIXTECA above--JDH]]
B. adj. = MIXTEC adj.[[See MIXTECA above--JDH]]
†mizquitl, n. 1753 = MESQUITE n. 1a.
molcajete, n. 1906
A mortar, usually made of stone or clay, used in Mexican cooking for pounding spices.
mole, n.7 1891
A highly spiced Mexican sauce made chiefly from chilli peppers and chocolate and served with various meats, esp. poultry. Also as postmodifier designating a dish made with this sauce.
Montezuma 1917
1. Montezuma quail n. a plump, short-tailed quail, Cyrtonyx montezumae (family Odontophoridae), native to the southern United States and Mexico, the male of which has a bold black and white facial pattern. Also called harlequin quail, Massena quail. Cf. Mearns quail n. at MEARNS n. 1.
2. Montezuma’s revenge n. (occas. also Montezuma revenge) slang diarrhoea suffered by travellers, esp. in Mexico.
nagual, n. 1822
Among certain indigenous peoples of Mexico and surrounding countries: a guardian spirit in animal form, believed to accompany and guide an individual through life; an animal form believed to be assumed by a human through magical or supernatural means.
Nahua, n. and adj. 1875
A. n.
1. = NAHUATL n. 1.
2. = NAHUATL n. 2. Cf. MEXICANO n. 2.
B. adj. = NAHUATL adj.
Nahuatl, adj. and n. 1858
A. adj. Of or relating to any of a group of American Indian peoples of southern Mexico and Central America, or their language.
B. n.
1. A member of any of the Nahuatl peoples.
2. The Uto-Aztecan language of the Nahuatl, usually regarded as a group of related regional varieties; the branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family constituted by these. Cf. MEXICANO n. 2.
Nahuatlaca, n. and adj. 1775
A. n.
1. = NAHUATL n. 1.
2. = NAHUATL n. 2. Obs.
B. adj. = NAHUATL adj.
Nahuatlan, n. and adj. 1897
A. n.
1. = NAHUATL n. 1. rare.
2. The branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family that includes Nahuatl.
B. adj. Of or relating to the Nahuatl peoples or their language.
nopal, n. 1578
Any prickly pear cactus of the genus Opuntia (including the former genus Nopalea); esp. O. cochinellifera, formerly cultivated as a food plant of the cochineal insect. More fully nopal cactus.
Oaxacan, n. and adj. 1897
A. n. A native or inhabitant of the state or city of Oaxaca in southern Mexico.
B. adj. Of, belonging to, or characteristic of Oaxaca or its people.
ocelot, n. 1774
1. A wild cat, Felis pardalis, having a tawny coat marked with numerous black rings, spots, and streaks, and found in forests and scrub from southern Texas to Argentina.
2. The skin or fur of the ocelot; a garment made of this. Freq. attrib.
ocote, n. 1787
A pine tree of upland areas of Mexico and Central America, yielding very resinous wood; spec. Pinus oocarpa. Also: the wood of this tree. Freq. attrib.
octli, n. 1787
Among the Aztecs: = PULQUE n.
Olmec, n. and adj. 1852
A. n.
1. A member of an American Indian people inhabiting the coast of southern Veracruz and western Tabasco during the 15th and 16th centuries; = OLMECA n. 1. Now hist. and rare.
2. Archaeol. A member of a prehistoric civilization, unrelated to the American Indian people, which flourished in the same area during the period c1500-400B.C. and is characterized by the style of its artefacts (see sense B. 2 and cf. OLMECA n. 2, OLMECAN adj.)
B. adj.
1. Of or relating to the American Indian Olmecs. rare.
2. Archaeol. Of or relating to the prehistoric Olmecs, their culture, or their characteristic artistic style, also found elsewhere in Southern Mexico. Cf. OLMECAN adj.
Olmeca, n. 1787
1. A member of an American Indian people inhabiting the coast of southern Veracruz and western Tabasco in Mexico during the 15th and 16th centuries, to where they probably migrated during the 12th cent. from the Mexican altiplano. Cf. OLMEC n. 1.
2. Archaeol. A member of a prehistoric civilization of the same area; = OLMEC n. 2. rare.
ololiuqui, n. 1894
A tropical American morning glory, Turbina corymbosa (family Convolvulaceae). Also: a psychoactive drug prepared from the seeds of this plant, used traditionally for ritual purposes by the Aztecs.
Otomi, n. and adj. 1782
A. n.
1. A member of an American Indian people inhabiting parts of central Mexico.
2. Any of the related Oto-Manguean languages of this people.
B. adj. Of, relating to, or designating the Otomi or their language.
oyamel, n. 1871
A large fir tree, Abies religiosa, found at high altitudes in Mexico, and used in carpentry and as a source of turpentine and balsamic medicinal oil. More fully oyamel fir.
petaca, n. 1648
In Mexico and South America: (originally) a basket or coffer lined or covered with leather; (later) a leather trunk, bag, or pack; a leather tobacco pouch.
petate, n. 1843
In Central America and Cuba: a mat, esp. a sleeping mat, typically made of straw or dried palm leaves.
peyote, n. 1849
1. A hallucinogenic drug made from the cactus Lophophora williamsii (see sense 2), containing mescaline and used esp. in some Native American rituals. Cf. MESCAL n.
2. The cactus Lophophora williamsii itself, a small, soft, spineless, blue-green cactus native to northern Mexico and southern Texas.
pinacate, n. 1895
More fully pinacate beetle, pinacate bug. Any of several flightless black darkling beetles of the genus Eleodes found in the deserts of Arizona and northwestern Mexico, known for the foul-smelling liquid they emit when attacked. Cf. stink-bug n. at STINK n.
pinole, n. 1648
1. Flour made from parched corn, usually sweetened with ground mesquite beans, cacao, or with sugar, originally used in Mexico and south-western United States.
2. A mixture of vanilla and other aromatic powders used to flavour chocolate. rare.
3. Chiefly in Central America: a drink made from ground maize and other ingredients, esp. chocolate.
posole, n. 1699
1. In Mexican and Central American cooking: maize prepared by hulling, grinding, and boiling, for use in food or drink, hominy; (also) maize stew or soup made with this as the principal ingredient, typically also containing pork, beans, and red chilli.
2. A drink consisting of maize sourdough and water.
pulque, n. 1572
A drink made in Mexico and some parts of Central America from the fermented sap of the agave or maguey (Agave americana); = OCTLI n. Cf. MESCAL n. Although still made locally, pulque is rarely found outside the regions mentioned as the difficulty of storing and preserving it (see the etymology) renders export largely impracticable.
pupusa, n. 1948
In the cuisine of El Salvador: a thick maize flour tortilla filled with various ingredients before being fried.
quamoclit, n. 1633
Originally: the tropical American climbing plant Ipomoea quamoclit (family Convolvulaceae), with brilliant red flowers and deeply lobed leaves. Later also: (freq. with distinguishing word) any of various plants constituting the former genus Quamoclit; (also in form Quamoclit) the former genus itself. Quamoclit is now usually incorporated into the genus Ipomoea; it is still sometimes used as the name of a subgenus or section.
quetzal, n. 1800
1. Any of several Central and South American trogons of the genus Pharomachrus, the males of which are noted for their iridescent green plumage with red or yellow underparts; esp. (more fully resplendent quetzal) P. mocinno of Central America, the male of which has extremely long tail coverts, and which was venerated by the Aztecs.
2. The principal monetary unit of Guatemala, introduced in 1925 and consisting of 100 centavos.
Quetzalcoatl, n. 1578
The plumed serpent god of the Toltec and Aztec civilizations, traditionally known as the god of the morning star, as well as (at various times and among various peoples) the patron of priests, inventor of books and of the calendar, the god of wind, and the symbol of death and resurrection.
sacate, zacate 1848
Any of several grasses grown in Mexico, the southern U.S.A., and the Philippines, and used for hay or fresh forage; fodder made from such a grass. Cf. next.
sotol 1881
A plant of dry regions belonging to the genus Dasylirion of the family Agavaceæ, native to south-western North America and bearing linear leaves and small white flowers; also, the fibre from the leaves of this plant or the beverage made from the sap.
tacamahac, tacamahaca 1577
1. An aromatic resin, used for incense, and formerly extensively in medicine. a. orig. That yielded by a Mexican tree, Bursera (Elaphrium) tomentosa. b. Extended in the West Indies and S. America to similar resins obtained from other species of Bursera and the allied genus Protium, and subsequently to resins imported from Madagascar, Bourbon, and the East Indies, chiefly the product of species of Calophyllum.
2. The resin of the buds of the N. American Balsam Poplar, Populus balsamifera; hence a name of this tree.
Tecoma 1846
A large genus of Bignoniaceæ, mostly natives of warm climates, consisting chiefly of shrubs (erect, climbing, or twining), with leaves usually pinnate, and showy trumpet-shaped flowers of various colours (chiefly different shades of yellow and red), whence the name trumpet-flower; many are cultivated in greenhouses, etc. for their beauty.
teguexin 1879
A large South American lizard of the genus Tupinambis or a similar member of the family Teiidæ.
teocalli 1613
A structure for purposes of worship among the ancient Mexicans and Central Americans, usually consisting of a four-sided truncated pyramid built terrace-wise, and surmounted by a temple.
teonanacatl 1875
Any of several hallucinogenic fungi, esp. Psilocybe mexicana, found in Central America. Also attrib.
teopan 1891
A Mexican temple, a teocalli.
teosinte 1877
An annual grass of Central America, Euchlæna luxurians, of large size, allied to maize; now widely cultivated as a valuable fodder plant, sometimes also as a cereal.
tepache 1926
Any of several Mexican drinks of varying degrees of fermentation, typically made with pineapple, water, and brown sugar.
tilma 1851
A kind of simple cloak or blanket secured with a knot, worn by the Indians of Mexico.
tlachtli 1875
The ceremonial ball-game of the Aztecs; = POK-TA-POK. Also attrib., as tlachtli-court, -field.
Tlapanec, n. (and adj.) 1875
a. An Indian people of south-west Guerrero, Mexico.
b. The language of this people, formerly classified as Hokan but now regarded as Otomanguean. Also attrib. or as adj. Also in Comb., as Subtiaba-Tlapanec (see SUBTIABA).
toloache 1894
A preparation of a plant of the genus Datura used as an intoxicating and hallucinogenic drug.
Toltec (n. and a.) 1787
A. n. (A member of) a Nahuatl people who dominated the valley of Mexico c 900-1150 A.D., before the arrival of the Aztecs.
B. adj. Of or pertaining to this people. Hence 'Toltecan n. and a.
tomato 1604
1. a. The glossy fleshy fruit of a solanaceous plant (Solanum Lycopersicum or Lycopersicum esculentum), a native of tropical America, now cultivated as a garden vegetable in temperate as well as tropical lands. It varies when ripe from red to yellow in colour, and greatly in size and shape, the common form being irregularly spheroidal, while two smaller forms, considered by some as species, are named from their shape, L. cerasiforme, the cherry tomato, and L. pyriforme, the pear-shaped tomato. Formerly called love-apple, from supposed aphrodisiac qualities. Also the plant, an annual with a weak trailing or climbing stem, irregularly pinnate leaves, and yellow flowers resembling those of the potato.
Totonac 1787
An Indian people of east central Mexico; a member of this people. Also, their language. Also attrib.
Hence Toto'nacan a., of or pertaining to the family of languages that comprises Totonac and Tepehua.
tule 1837
a. Either of two species of bulrush (Scirpus lacustris var. occidentalis, and S. Tatora) abundant in low lands along riversides in California; hence, a thicket of this, or a flat tract of land in which it grows.
Zapotec, n. and a. 1797
A. n. A member of an American Indian people of southern Mexico.
B. adj. Of or pertaining to the Zapotecs.
Hence Zapotecan a. and n.
zopilote 1787
A vulture of the family Cathartidæ, esp. the American carrion vulture or turkey-buzzard, Cathartes aura.
Appendix B. Etymological Notes for Nahuatl/Mexicano Loan Words in English
The Oxford English Dictionary gives the following supplemental etymological notes for the Nahuatl-derived loan words presented in Appendix A.
ahuehuete, n. 1828 [Mex. Sp., ad. Nahuatl ahuehuetl, f. huehue old + atl water.]
atlatl 1871 [Indian (Nahuatl) atlatl spear-thrower.]
atole 1716 [Amer.-Sp., f. Nahuatl atolli.]
axolotl 1786 [the Aztec name.]
avocado 1697 [Sp. avocado advocate, substituted by ‘popular etymology’ for the Aztec ahuacatl (Tylor), of which a nearer form in Sp. is aguacate; F. aguacat and avocat, in Eng. also avigato and, corruptly, alligator (pear).]
cacao 1555 [Sp. cacao, ad. Mexican caca-uatl ‘caca-tree’.]
cacomistle 1869 [Amer. Sp. cacomixtle (also used), f. Nahuatl tlacomiztli.]
camote 1842 [Mexican Sp., ad. Nahuatl camotli.]
chalchuite 1843 [f. the Mexican name of the stone, chalchihuitl + -ITE.]
chayote 1884 [a. Sp. chayote, ad. Nahuatl chayotli.]
chia, n.2 1832 [< Mexican Spanish chía, name of several different plants of the family Lamiaceae (1560) and its etymon Nahuatl chia, chian.]
Chicano, n. and adj. 1947 [a. Mexican Sp. alteration of Sp. mejicano Mexican.]
chicle, n. 1889 [Amer. Sp., ad. Nahuatl tzictli.]
chilli, chilly 1662 [In Sp. chile, chili, a. Mexican chilli, the native name in 16thc. Simeon Dict. Langue Nahuatl, has ‘Chilli, piment dont on compte douze espèces principales; il sert à composer avec le maïs une boisson très-recherchée chilli atolli, chillatolli’. So ‘chilatl eau de chilli’, etc. As early as 1631, Bontius erroneously stated that the name was from Chile in S. America ‘quasi dicas piper a Chile’.]
chinampa 1832 [Mexican: orig. ‘raft’.]
chipotle, n. 1950 [< Mexican Spanish chipotle (1976 or earlier; 1953 or earlier as chilpocle; also as chilpotle) < Nahuatl chil- (in chilli CHILLI n.) + poctli smoke.]
chocolate 1604 [a. F. chocolat, Sp. chocolate, ad. Mexican chocolatl ‘an article of food made of equal parts of the seeds of cacao and those of the tree called pochotl’ [Bombax ceiba] Siméon Dict. de langue Nahuatl. Chocolatl has no connexion whatever with the Mexican word cacauatl ‘cacao’, or its modern corruption cocoa; but is, so far as is known, a radical word of the language. It is possible, however, that Europeans confounded chocolatl with cacaua-atl, which was really a drink made from cacao.]
cocoa 1672 [A corruption of CACAO, in 16-18th c. also written cacoa, and sometimes in 18th c. cocao. Cacao was the Spanish adaptation of cacauatl (or rather of its combining form cacaua-), the Mexican name of the cacao-seed. The word was orig. of 3 syllables, ca-'ca-o, co-'co-a, but the error of spelling coco as cocoa has led to the further corruption of pronouncing cocoa as coco.]
colin 1678
[Given by Hernandez as the ancient Mexican name of the genus Ortyx and its congeners. But the actual Mexican word was çolin or zolin; Molina, Vocab. Mexicano y Castellano (Mexico, 571) has ‘Çolin, codorniz’. Colin was thus app. an erroneous form, due to omission of the cedilla in printing. From the work of Hernandez (a1628) it passed into those of Nieremberg (1635), Willughby (1676), Ray (1678), Buffon, etc. It has no connexion with the Fr. Colin a popular name of a sea-gull (Belon, Hist. Nat. Oyseaux, 1555), with which it has by some been confused.]
conepatl 1774 [Native Mexican name: lit. ‘little fox’; f. conetl, in comp. cone- ‘child’, prefixed to names of animals = ‘young, little’ + epatl fox. (Siméon.)]
copal 1577 [a. Sp. copal (F. copal, copale), ad. Mexican copalli incense (Molina, 1571), a fragrant translucent white resin which distils from a tree, thence called copalquahuitl, also by extension applied to any similar resin (Hernandez, 1651, III. i.).]
coyote 1824 [a. Mexican Sp. coyote, ad. native Mexican coyotl.]
guacamole 1920 [Amer. Sp. guacamole, ad. Nahuatl ahuacamolli, f. ahuacatl avocado + molli sauce.]
guayule 1906 [a. Amer. Sp. guayule, f. Nahuatl cuauhuli.]
hule 1846 [Mexican Sp. (h)ule, Nahuatl ulli or olli caoutchouc.]
istle 1883 [Commercial corruption of the Mexican name ixtli.]
jacal 1838 [Mexican Sp., ad. Nahuatl xacalli.]
jalap 1675 [= F. jalap, ad. Sp. jalapa, in full purga de Jalapa, from Jalapa formerly Xalapa, a city of Mexico, in Aztec Xalapan (pronounced ʃa'laːpan), lit. ‘sand by the water’ f. xalli sand + atl water + pan upon. (Skeat in Trans. Philol. Soc. 1889.) Aztec names in -an, with accent on penult, uniformly lost the n in Spanish.]
jalapeño 1949 [Mexican Sp. (chile) jalapeño Jalapa chilli: see JALAP n.]
jicama, n. 1604 [Mexican Sp. jícama, ad. Nahuatl xicama.]
jicara 1859 [Amer. Sp. jícara, jícaro, ad. Nahuatl xicalli.]
mazame, n. 1791 [< French mazame (a1789 in Buffon) < Nahuatl maçame (recorded a1587 by Francisco Hernandez, as is temamaçame (compare quot. 1791 at main sense)), plural of maçatl deer. Compare Mexican Spanish mazate, from the singular form of the Nahuatl word. N.E.D. (1906) follows e.g. Cent. Dict. in giving the anglicized pronunciation (măzēi·m) /mə'zeɪm/ (which is now rare or obs.), but notes that ‘the original word is’ (masā·me) /ma'sɑːme/. Compare MAZAMA n.]
Mazatec, adj. and n. 1892 [< Spanish Mazateca < Nahuatl masa:te:ka < masa: deer +-te:ka ending denoting ‘inhabitant of the place of – ‘.]
mecate, n. 1849 [< Mexican Spanish mecate < Nahuatl mecatl cord, rope.]
†melt, n.2 1605 [< Middle French melt (1584) < Nahuatl metl (1541 in Spanish texts from Mexico).]
mescal, n.1709 [< American Spanish mescal, mexcal, mezcal (app. earliest c1745 in a compound ethnonym: see MESCALERO n.) and its etymon Nahuatl mexcalli (1577 in sense ‘cooked (pieces of) agave leaf’; now only in sense 1b). N.E.D. (1906) records only a pronunciation with stress on the second syllable. The pronunciation with stress on the first syllable which is now the commonest in British usage probably arises from analogy with MESCALINE n.]
mesquite, n. 1759 [< Mexican Spanish mezquite (1591; 1577 in form mizquite) < Nahuatl mizquitl MIZQUITL. It is uncertain whether the form in quot. 1572 at sense 1a, which is earlier than the first attestation in Spanish and considerably earlier than those in English, represents the same word. The unusual form mesketis (only attested in the compound form mesketis-bush: see quot. 1887 for mesquite bush n. at Compounds 1a) is perhaps intended as a plural. N.E.D. (1906) also gives an alternative pronunciation, with the stress on the first syllable (me·skīt) /'mɛskiːt/.]
metate, n. 1625 [< Mexican Spanish metate, métlatl (both 1577 in a Spanish text from Mexico) < Nahuatl metlatl.]
Mexican, n. and adj. 1578 [< Spanish mexicano, noun and adjective (1541, now obs. in this form except in American Spanish; 1608 in form mejicano; 16th cent. in lengua mexicana denoting Nahuatl) < México, the name of a country in Central America and (orig.) of the city which is its capital (1519-26; of uncertain origin: perhaps < Nahuatl Mexitli one of the names of the Aztec god of war) + -ano -AN suffix. In form Mexicaines in quot. 1604 at sense A. 1, probably after French Mexicain (1588 in Middle French as noun; also as noun and adjective in Middle French in forms Mexican (1588) and Mexicquain (1584)).]
milpa, n. 1648 [< Mexican Spanish milpa (1568 in this sense; 1552-3 in plural form milpas in sense ‘property, estates’) < Nahuatl milpan < mil- (in milli cultivated field) + -pan (postposition) on the surface of, in, on.]
Mixe, n. and adj. a1616 [< Mexican Spanish mixe, noun (1526; 1674 in form mije) and adjective (1729 or earlier), perhaps < Nahuatl mīxī- (in mīxītl an intoxicating herb).]
Mixteca, n. and adj. 1787 [< Spanish mixteca (1541; also 1545 asmisteca) < Nahuatl mixtecah, lit. ‘people from a cloudy location’. Compare Italian Mixtechi, plural (1780 in the passage translated in quot. 1787 at sense A. 1).
The Mixteca is frequently used as the name of the region in western Oaxaca where this people lives.]
Mixteco, n. and adj. 1911 [< Spanish mixteco (1541; also 1629 as misteco) < Nahuatl mixtecah (see MIXTECA n. and adj.).]
†mizquitl, n. 1753 [< Nahuatl mizquitl, perhaps after Mexican Spanish mizquitl (in A. de Molina Vocabulario en Lengua Castellana y Mexicana (1571)).]
molcajete, n. 1906 [< Mexican Spanish molcajete (1827) < Nahuatl mo:lcaxitl.]
mole, n.7 1891 [< Mexican Spanish mole (1577) < Nahuatl mo:lli sauce, broth, gravy, mole.]
Montezuma [< the name of Montezuma II (1466-1520), Aztec ruler at the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. In sense 1, after scientific Latin montezumae, specific name of Ortyx (now Cyrtonyx) montezumae (N. A. Vigors 1830, in Zool. Jrnl. 5 275).]
nagual, n. 1822 [< Mexican Spanish nagual, nahual sorceror, companion < Nahuatl nahualli guardian spirit residing in an animal.]
Nahua, n. and adj. 1875 [< Nahuatl Nahua, stem form and plural of Nahuatl NAHUATL adj. and n. < nahua sonorous, pleasing to the ear.]
Nahuatl, adj. and n. 1858 [< Spanish Náhuatl and its etymon Nahuatl Nahuatl, lit. ‘person or thing that pleases the ear’ < Nahua (see NAHUA n. and adj.) + -tl, singular noun suffix. Compare earlier NAHUATLACA n. and adj.
Modern Nahuatl is divided into three regional groups: the central and northern Aztec dialects retain the consonant group tl (hence the form Nahuatl); the eastern Aztec dialects have replaced the consonant group tl with t (hence the form Nahuat); while the western dialects have replaced the consonant group tl with l (hence the form Nahual).]
Nahuatlaca, n. and adj. 1775 [< Nahuatl Nahuatlaca, stem form and plural of Nahuatlacatl a Nahua-speaking person < Nahua (see NAHUA n. and adj.) + tlaca person + -tl, singular noun suffix. With form Nahuatlaque (see quot. 1858 at sense A. 2) compare French Nahuatlaque (1811 in passage translated in quot. 1811 at sense A. 1).]
Nahuatlan, n. and adj. 1897 [< NAHUATL n. + -AN suffix.]
nopal, n. 1578 [< Spanish nopal (1552 in the passage translated in quot. 1578 at main sense) < Nahuatl nopalli cactus, collective name for all Opuntia species. Compare NOPALES n. Compare (< Spanish) French nopal (1584), Portuguese nopal (18th cent.), Italian nopale.
The Nahuatl compound nopalnocheztli, given in some dictionaries as the source of nopal or Nopalea, is in fact the name for cochineal (Nahuatl nochetztli < nochtli Opuntia + eztli blood).
Oaxacan, n. and adj. 1897 [< the name of Oaxaca (Spanish Oaxaca, Nahuatl Hua:xacac), a city and state in Southern Mexico + -AN suffix.]
ocelot, n. 1774 [< French ocelot (1765 in Buffon) < Spanish ocelote and its etymon Nahuatl ocelotl jaguar (1571 in A. de Molina Vocabulario en Lengua Castellana y Mexicana). Nahuatl tlalocelotl, lit. ‘field jaguar’ (< tlalli earth, field + ocelotl jaguar) is first recorded in Francisco Hernández Noua Plantarum, Animalium et Mineralium Mexicanorum Historia (1651), but ocelotl had already been cited in a French text as an Aztec word by J. de Laet L’Hist. du Nouveau Monde (1640). Ocelotl is recorded earlier in English as the name of a day (represented by the tiger or jaguar) in the ancient Aztec calendar. Compare:
ocote, n. 1787 [< Mexican Spanish and Central American Spanish ocote (1541 or earlier) < Nahuatl ocotl pine (Pinus), torch or kindling made from this. In quot. 1787 translating Italian Ocote (1780).
The Nahuatl form ocotl is also occas. found in historical English contexts, with reference to the use made of it by the Aztecs. ]
octli, n. 1787 [< Nahuatl octli alcoholic drink, the fermented juice of the maguey, pulque.]
Olmec, n. and adj. 1852 [In senses A. 1 and B. 1 shortened either < Nahuatl Olmeca OLMECA n., or directly < OLMECA n. In senses A. 2 and B. 2 partly after Spanish Olmego (see OLMECAN adj.).]
Olmeca, n. 1787 [< Nahuatl Olmeca (plural of Olmecatl), lit. ‘inhabitants of the rubber country’, with reference to the rubber trees which grew abundantly in this region of the Mexican Gulf Coast. Compare Italian Olmechi, plural (1780 in the passage translated in quot. 1787 at sense 1).]
ololiuqui, n. 1894 [< Nahuatl ololiuhqui, lit. ‘round thing’, referring to the spherical seeds of the plant (1651 in Francisco Hernández Noua Plantarum, Animalium et Mineralium Mexicanorum Historia) < olol- round, spherical + -iuhqui, suffix meaning ‘like’. In form ololiuque after Spanish ololiuque (1942).]
Otomi, n. and adj. 1782 [<Mexican Spanish Otomí (1560; 1519-26 in plural otomíes, 1553
as otomix denoting the people, otomitlh, otomilh denoting the language) < Nahuatl otomih, plural of otomitl. With the form Othomi compare Spanish othomí (1770 in an isolated attestation).]
oyamel, n. 1871 [< Mexican Spanish oyamel < Nahuatl oyametl fir tree (1571).]
petaca, n. 1648 [< Spanish petaca (mid 16th cent.) < Nahuatl petlācalli woven wicker hamper or coffer, perhaps < petlatl woven mat (see PETATE n.) + ācalli boat.]
petate, n. 1843 [< Spanish petate (1541 or earlier) < Nahuatl petlatl.]
peyote, n. 1849 [< Spanish peyote (17th cent.; in 20th cent. also peyotl) and its etymon Nahuatl peyotl peyote cactus.]
pinacate, n. 1895 [< Mexican Spanish pinacate < Nahuatl pinacatl (both 1571 in A. de Molina Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana).
Compare the following earlier isolated borrowing of Nahuatl pinacatl via Italian pinacatl (1780 in the passage translated in the following quot.): 1787 C. CULLEN tr. F. S. Clavigero Hist. Mexico I. I. 67 The beetles are of several kinds, and mostly harmless. Some of them are of a green colour, and are called by the Mexicans, Majatl. There are others black, of a disagreeable smell and irregular form, which are called Pinacatl.]
pinole, n. 1648 [< Spanish pinole maize flour, a drink made from this (1591; 1576-1577 as pinolli, also as pinol (16th cent. in the passage translated in quot. 1917 at sense 2, subsequently from the 20th cent.)), aromatic powder (1737) < Nahuatl pinolli maize flour for making drinks, the drink made from this.]
posole, n. 1699 [< Mexican Spanish pozole (1775-6 or earlier; also in forms posol, posole, pozol) and its etymon Nahuatl pozolli stew or drink based on maize (see below). In quot. 1699 at sense 1 perhaps directly < Nahuatl, although the Anglicized form poorsoul mentioned in it suggests an intermediate disyllabic form such as is found in Spanish. This form is probably unconnected with later (rare) U.S. regional poor soul in sense ‘corn dumpling’.]
pulque, n. 1572 [< Central American Spanish pulque (1524), probably < Nahuatl puliuhki decomposed, spoiled (in octli puliuhki spoiled octli, octli being the name of the drink in Nahuatl: see OCTLI n.), spec. sense development of poliuhki, puliuhki lost, condemned (1571 as poliuhqui in A. de Molina Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana). It is likely that octli puliuhki, referring to spoiled pulque, was frequently used in Nahuatl (given that pulque easily spoils if not drunk within 24 to 36 hours), and that the adjective was then misapprehended by Spanish speakers as the name of the drink. See further J. Corominas Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (1981) s.v. and C. A. Robelo Diccionario de Aztequismos (ed. 3, c1950) 450-4. Compare French pulque (1765).
N.E.D. (1909) gives the non-naturalized pronunciation (pu·lke) /'pulke/.]
pupusa, n. 1948 [< American Spanish (El Salvador) pupusa tortilla made with maize or rice flour and filled with pork cracklings, cheese, or other ingredients (1916; also popusa) < Pipil pupu:sah (ult. < Nahuatl popōtzoā to puff out, thicken, swell), the tortilla being so called on account of its shape.
Pipil is an Aztecan language spoken by a now very small number of people in El Salvador; it is descended from Nahuatl.]
quamoclit, n. 1633 [< post-classical Latin quamoclit (1588 (in the source referred to in quot. 1633) or earlier; also 1611 or earlier as quamochlit) < Nahuatl qua'mochitl (ch = /tʃ/) (R. Siméon Dictionnaire de la langue Nahuatl (1885); not recorded in modern dictionaries of Nahuatl), app. < qua- (in quauitl (now cuahuitl) tree) + -mochitl, of unknown meaning (not otherwise recorded in dictionaries of Nahuatl). Adopted into scientific Latin as a specific epithet (Linnaeus Species plantarum (1753) I. 159) and later used as a genus name (C. Moench Methodus Plantas Horti Botanici et Agri Marburgensis (1794) 453).]
quetzal, n. 1800 [< Mexican Spanish quetzal (a1575 in the source translated in quot. 1800 at sense 1) < Nahuatl quetzalli a tail-feather of the bird called quetzaltototl (< the combining form of quetzalli + tototl bird). Compare the following earlier use of the Nahuatl word in an English context:
1625 tr. in S. Purchas Pilgrimes II. V. vii. 1096 Item, 80. handfuls of greene rich feathers, which they call Queçaly.]
Quetzalcoatl, n. 1578 [< Nahuatl quetzalli (see QUETZAL n.) + coatl snake; orig. via Spanish Quetzalcóatl (1554 in the passage translated in quot. 1578 as Queçalcouatlh). Compare Middle French Quezalcoatl (1584; also Quezalconatl, Quezalcoconatl).]
sacate, zacate 1848 [ad. Mexican Sp. zacate grass, hay, ad. Nahuatl çacatl, zacatl grass, reed.]
sotol 1881 [Amer. Sp., f. Nahuatl tzotolli.]
tacamahac 1577[ad. obs. Sp. tacamahaca, in Hernandez 1614 thecomahaca, ad. Aztec tecomahiyac; mod.Sp. tacamaca. Cf. Monardes 1579 ‘ex Nova Hispania..ab Indis tacamahaca vocatum’. In F. tacamaque. Tacamahac is the more usual form, and that recognized in North America in sense 2.]
Tecoma 1846 [mod.L. (Jussieu 1789), from Aztec tecomaxochitl, mistakenly supposed by Jussieu to be the name of a species of the genus to which he gave this name (but really the native name of Solandra guttata, N.O. Solanaceæ). The Aztec name is a compound of tecomatl + xochitl ‘rose, flower’; the plant being named from the resemblance of its flower to that of the tecomatl or Calabash-tree (Crescentia Cujete, N.O. Bignoniaceæ), lit. ‘pot-tree’, f. tecomatl earthen vessel, pot.]
teguexin 1879[ad. Aztec tecoixin, tecouixin, a lizard.]
teocalli 1613[Mexican teocallí, f. teotl god + callí house.]
teonanacatl 1875 [a. Nahuatl, f. teotl god + nancatl mushroom.]
teopan 1891 [Shortened from Mex. teo-, teupantlí temple, f. teotl god + pantlí wall.]
teosinte 1877 [In F. téosinté (Bull. Soc. d’Acclim. 1871, 38), ad. Mex. teocintli ‘seu spica Maizii montana’ (Hernandez Op. 1790, II. 120), app. f. teotl god + cintli, centli dry ear or cob of maize. In Ramirez Sinon. Plant. Mex. 67 teoxintli.]
tepache 1926 [Mexican Sp., ad. Nahuatl tepiatl.]
tilma 1851 [Mexican Sp., ad. Nahuatl tilmatli, in comb. tilma-.]
tlachtli 1875 [Nahuatl.]
Tlapanec, n. (and adj.) 1875 [ad. Sp. tlapaneca, tlapaneco, ad. Nahuatl (Aztec) tlapanecatl.]
toloache 1894 [a. Mexican Sp. toloache, a. Nahuatl toloatzin, f. toloa to bow the head + tzin reverential.]
Toltec (n. and a.) 1787 [ad. Sp. tolteca, ad. Nahuatl toltecatl, pl. tolteca.]
tomato 1604 [In 17th c. tomate, a. F. tomate (2 syll.) fem., or Sp. and Pg. tomate (3 syll.) masc., ad. Mex. tomatl. Tomato is an English alteration, app. assumed to be Spanish, or perh. after potato; tomata a later change, app. assuming a Sp. *tomata like patata; tomatum, -us are erroneous latinizations.
Totonac 1787 [ad. Sp. Totonaca, f. Nahuatl Totonacatl, pl. Totonaca.]
tule 1837 [ad. Aztec tullin, the final n being dropped by the Spaniards as in Guatemala, Jalapa, etc.]
Zapotec, n. and a. 1797 [ad. Sp. zapoteco, zapoteca, ad. Nahuatl tzapoteca, pl. of tzapotecatl, lit. ‘person of the place of the sapodilla’.]
zopilote 1787 [Sp., a. Mexican azopilotl.]
Appendix C. English Borrowings Improbably Attributed to Nahuatl
The OED lists two English words as possible Nahuatl loans but for which I find a lack of compelling evidence to support such a conclusion. These are marijuana and Subtiaba. I will give the OED entries for and discuss each in turn. The OED definition for marijuana is as follows:
marijuana, n. 1894
1. a. A preparation of the cannabis plant Cannabis sativa subsp. indica, for use as an intoxicating and hallucinogenic drug; esp. a crude preparation of the dried leaves, flowering tops, and stem of the plant in a form for smoking. The currency of the word increased greatly in the United States in the 1930s in the context of the debate over the use of the drug, the term being preferred as a more exotic alternative to the familiar words hemp and cannabis.
2. The cannabis plant Cannabis sativa subsp. indica; = CANNABIS n. 1.
The OED’s etymological notes state the following:
marijuana, n.* 1894 [< Mexican Spanish mariguana, marihuana, of uncertain origin. It has been suggested that the Spanish word is < Nahuatl mallihuan prisoner. Forms in -j- appear to be an English innovation (attested later also in French): occasional recent examples in Spanish probably show English influence. Influence of a folk etymology from the Spanish personal name María-Juana or its familiar form Mari-Juana has frequently been suggested; if so this would appear to have occurred within English.]
That the English word is derived from the Spanish, and that its use was promoted to “exoticize” it (and its users), is not in doubt. What I would like to question here, however, is any connection to the Nahuatl term mallihuan ‘prisoner’. While the phonetic forms of these two words are indeed similar, I see no semantic basis for connecting the two terms. The connection of this plant with illegality and hence ‘prisoners’ is something that only occurred later. Therefore, I regard this as a case of accidental homophony and, until additional positive evidence is brought forth, I reject marijuana as being a possible Nahuatl loan word. The second term is Subtiaba, defined as follows:
Subtiaba 1891
a. (A member of) an Indian people of western Nicaragua.
b. The Tlapanec language of this people (no longer spoken), formerly considered to have Hokan affinities but now regarded as Otomanguean. Formerly also Subti'aban. Also Comb., as Subtiaba-Tlapanec, a group of related central American Indian languages, including Subtiaba.
Subtiaba 1891 [The name of a village, (San Juan Bautista de) Subtiaba, earlier Sutiaba, (see quot. 1891): perh. of Nahuatl origin.]
I doubt the etymology given for this word on the basis of its not having characteristic Nahuatl-derived phonology. For example, where does the phoneme /b/ come from? Also, the word-medial /bt/ consonant cluster is quite unusual. While it might be possible that such a form is ultimately derived from Nahuatl, I would like to see positive evidence presented in favor of such a conclusion.
Appendix D. English Borrowings Previously But Spuriously Connected to Nahuatl
The OED gives the following etymological discussions which involve previous attributions of entries to a Nahuatl origin, but which are now known to either be spurious or are otherwise placed in serious doubt.
†mesteque 1667
Obs. A kind of fine, dark-grained cochineal.
[Origin uncertain. Perhaps < a Mexican toponym (compare quot. a1589 at main sense), perhaps < Misteca (from 1558 in Spanish sources), variant of Mixteca, the name of the ancient Mexican province corresponding to the present Oaxaca (compare MIXTEC n.), although this would not accord well with the geography implied in quot. a1589 at main sense. Compare Spanish cochinilla mestiza denoting a variety of the cochineal insect (1787 in E. Terreros y Pando Dicc. Castellano; in a cross-reference given also in spelling mestica).]
mitla, n. a1925.
An unidentified mammal said to inhabit forests on the borders of Bolivia and Brazil.
[Origin unknown. Nahuatl mitla ‘fortified hilltop’ is unconnected.]
pauxi, n. 1678
Any of several curassows. Now chiefly (in form Pauxi): a genus comprising the
(northern) helmeted curassow, Pauxi pauxi, of Venezuela and Colombia, and the related
P. unicornis.
[Origin uncertain; perhaps < post-classical Latin pauxi (see below) or American Spanish pauxí (1605 in an Ecuadorian source), paují (1629 in a Central American source from Guatemala or Honduras), perhaps ult. < either Quechua or a Mayan language. Compare also (in a Cariban language) Chaima paoxi bird, which may however be < American Spanish. It has also been suggested that the name is a local derivative of Spanish pavo turkey. Compare scientific Latin Pauxi (or Pauxis: see note below). Compare also POWIS n. The word was recorded a1587 by Francisco Hernandez, app. as a local Mexican (Nahuatl) name; no evidence of Nahuatl origin has however been found. Compare the following earlier examples of post-classical Latin pauxi, perhaps representing the ablative corresponding to a nominative pauxis (the works of F. Hernandez (1517-87) were chiefly published posthumously):
1635 J. EUSEBIUS NIEREMBERGIUS Hist. Nat. X. lxxv. 233 De pauxi. Pauxi gallinaceum aequat aut superat... Ad aulam Philippicam allatam pauxin sic describit Franciscus Hernandus. 1649 F. HERNANDEZ Rerum Medicarum Thes. II. ccxxii. 56 (heading) De Pauxi vocata ave.
Valid publication as a genus name: C. J. Temminck in Hist. Nat. Gén. des Pigeons et Gallinacés (1813) II. 456, after earlier valid publication as specific name (in the genus Crax) by Linnaeus in Systema Naturae (ed. 12, 1766) 270. The genus name was spelt Pauxis by some 19th-cent. writers. American Spanish paují is now used, usu. with distinguishing word, for various species of curassow.]
Appendix E. Indigenous Mexican Loanwords, Possibly of Nahuatl Origin
The following terms are listed as deriving from Mexican Spanish by the Oxford English Dictionary, and in some cases further note is made that they are ultimately of indigenous Mexican origin. I include them here because they could possibly involve a Nahuatl origin, although I have no positive evidence that they do. I leave the issue of confirmation one way or the other for future research.
amole 1831
The root or bulb of any one of several plants found in Mexico and California, used as a detergent; also any of such plants, esp. Chlorogalum pomeridianum, called also soap-plant (see SOAP n. 6b). Also attrib.
[Mexican Sp.]
⇨ Watson (1938: 120) suggests the following Nahuatl etymology for amole:
amole < Nah. amolli – a- ‘water’ + -molli ‘a saponaceous vegetable substance’
copalche 1866
A shrub of Mexico and Central America, Croton pseudo-China or niveus, family Euphorbiaceæ, yielding the copalchi-bark, used as a febrifuge, as a substitute for quinine; also a Brazilian tree Strychnos pseudo-China, to the bark of which the same properties have been ascribed.
[The native Mexican name.]
mariachi 1929
A. n. A small group of Mexican strolling musicians who perform traditional folk music; any band
performing the type of music associated with such groups; the music played by such musicians. Also: a member of such a group; a Mexican folk musician.
B. adj. Of, relating to, or designating mariachis or the type of Mexican folk music associated with mariachis.
[< Mexican Spanish mariachi (also in form mariache) street musician, mariachi musician (1852 in sense ‘open-air entertainment involving music and dancing’), further etymology uncertain. The word is plausibly attributed to the former Uto-Aztecan language of the district of Cocula in the Mexican province of Jalisco, where modern mariachi music originated. See H. Rafael Origen e Historia del Mariachi (ed. 2, 1983), 63 ff.]
palapa 1957
A traditional Mexican rustic shelter, roofed with palm leaves or branches; (also) the palm leaves or
branches used in such a construction. Hence: any structure built in imitation of this, esp. on a beach.
[<Mexican Spanish palapa (c1975 in sense ‘shelter roofed with palm leaves or branches’; 1929 or earlier in sense ‘leaves or branches of the tree Orbignya cohune’), of unknown origin.]
saguaro 1856
A large branching cactus, Carnegiea gigantea, found in desert regions of southwestern North America.
[? Mexican.]
shack, n.3 1878
1. a. A roughly built cabin or shanty of logs, mud, etc. Also applied to other similar structures.
[Of obscure origin. The late J. Platt, Jun., suggested (N. & Q. Ser. x. XII. 306/2) that the source might be the Mexican jacal, Aztec xacalli, wooden hut. Cf. SHACKLE n.3]
tamal 1856
A Mexican delicacy, made of crushed Indian corn, flavoured with pieces of meat or chicken, red pepper, etc., wrapped in corn-husks and baked.
[Mexican Sp. ta'mal, pl. tamales (-'ales).]
⇨ Watson (1938: 117) suggests the following Nahuatl etymology for tamal: tamal or tamale (earlier tamauli) < Nah. tamalli (cp. nixtamal – See Appendix G)
tapayaxin 1753
The orbicular horned lizard, Phrynosoma orbiculare, incorrectly called the horned frog or toad.
[Native Mexican.]
tequila 1849
a. A gin-like Mexican spirit made by distilling the fermented sap of a maguey, Agave tequilana; cf. MESCAL.
[a. Mexican Sp., f. the name of a town which is one of the centres of its production.]
⇨ Watson (1938: 118) suggests the following Nahuatl etymology for tequila:
tequila (or tequela) < Mexican city Tequila, < Nah. Tequilan ‘the place of the divide’
toyon 1876
The Californian Holly, Heteromeles (Photinia) arbutifolia, N.O. Rosaceæ.
[a. Mexican Sp. tollon (to´on), the native name.]
tuza 1787
A Mexican pocket-gopher or pouched rat: a rodent, formerly supposed to be a kind of mole.
[a. Sp. tuza, ad. Mexican tuçan or tozan, the native name.]
Appendix F. Citations for OED Entries
The following citations for individual entries are accurate as of September, 2008.
ahuehuete, n. ADDITIONS SERIES 1997
amole SECOND EDITION 1989
atlatl SECOND EDITION 1989
atole SECOND EDITION 1989
avocado SECOND EDITION 1989
axolotl SECOND EDITION 1989
cacao SECOND EDITION 1989
cacomistle SECOND EDITION 1989
camote SECOND EDITION 1989
chayote SECOND EDITION 1989
chia, n.2 DRAFT ENTRY Sept. 2007
Chicano, n. and a. SECOND EDITION 1989
chicle, n. SECOND EDITION 1989
chilli, chilly SECOND EDITION 1989
chipotle, n. DRAFT ENTRY June 2004
chinampa SECOND EDITION 1989
chocolate SECOND EDITION 1989
cocoa SECOND EDITION 1989
colin SECOND EDITION 1989
conepatl SECOND EDITION 1989
copal SECOND EDITION 1989
copalche, -chi SECOND EDITION 1989
coyote SECOND EDITION 1989
guacamole SECOND EDITION 1989
guayule SECOND EDITION 1989
hule SECOND EDITION 1989
istle SECOND EDITION 1989
jacal SECOND EDITION 1989
jalap SECOND EDITION 1989
jalapeño ADDITIONS SERIES 1993
jicama, n. ADDITIONS SERIES 1997
jicara SECOND EDITION 1989
mariachi, n. and adj. DRAFT REVISION Dec. 2000
marijuana, n.* DRAFT REVISION June 2008
mazame, n. DRAFT REVISION June 2008
Mazatec, adj. and n. DRAFT REVISION Mar. 2001
mecate, n. DRAFT REVISION June 2001
†melt, n.2 DRAFT REVISION June 2001
mescal, n. DRAFT REVISION June 2008
mesquite, n. DRAFT REVISION June 2008
mesteque, n. DRAFT REVISION June 2008
metate, n. DRAFT REVISION Mar. 2008
Mexican, n. and adj. DRAFT REVISION Sept. 2008
milpa, n. DRAFT REVISION Mar. 2002
Mixe, n. and adj. DRAFT ENTRY June 2008
Mixteca, n. and adj. DRAFT ENTRY June 2008
Mixteco, n. and adj. DRAFT ENTRY Sept. 2002
mizquitl, n. DRAFT REVISION June 2008
molcajete, n. DRAFT ENTRY Sept. 2002
mole, n.7 DRAFT REVISION Sept. 2002
Montezuma, n. DRAFT REVISION Dec. 2007
nagual, n. DRAFT ENTRY June 2003
Nahua, n. and adj. DRAFT REVISION June 2003
Nahuatl, adj. and n. DRAFT REVISION June 2008
Nahuatlaca, n. and adj. DRAFT REVISION Sept. 2008
Nahuatlan, n. and adj. DRAFT REVISION Mar. 2008
nopal, n. DRAFT REVISION Sept. 2008
Oaxacan, n. and adj. DRAFT REVISION June 2008
ocelot, n. DRAFT REVISION Mar. 2004
ocote, n. DRAFT REVISION Dec. 2007
octli, n. DRAFT REVISION Mar. 2004
Olmec, n. and adj. DRAFT REVISION June 2008
Olmeca, n. DRAFT ENTRY Dec. 2007
ololiuqui, n. DRAFT REVISION June 2004
Otomi, n. and adj. DRAFT REVISION Mar. 2008
oyamel, n. DRAFT ENTRY Dec. 2007
palapa, n. DRAFT ENTRY June 2008
pauxi, n. DRAFT REVISION June 2008
petaca, n. DRAFT ENTRY June 2008
petate, n. DRAFT ENTRY Dec. 2005
peyote, n. DRAFT REVISION Dec. 2005
pinacate, n. DRAFT ENTRY June 2006
pinole, n. DRAFT REVISION June 2007
posole, n. DRAFT ENTRY June 2008
pulque, n. DRAFT REVISION June 2008
pupusa, n. DRAFT ENTRY Sept. 2007
quamoclit, n. DRAFT REVISION June 2008
quetzal, n. DRAFT REVISION June 2008
Quetzalcoatl, n. DRAFT REVISION Dec. 2007
sacate, zacate SECOND EDITION 1989
saguaro, n. SECOND EDITION 1989
shack, n.3 SECOND EDITION 1989
sotol SECOND EDITION 1989
Subtiaba SECOND EDITION 1989
tacamahac SECOND EDITION 1989
tamal SECOND EDITION 1989
tapayaxin SECOND EDITION 1989
Tecoma SECOND EDITION 1989
teguexin SECOND EDITION 1989
teocalli SECOND EDITION 1989
teonanacatl SECOND EDITION 1989
tepache SECOND EDITION 1989
tequila SECOND EDITION 1989
tilma SECOND EDITION 1989
tlachtli SECOND EDITION 1989
Tlapanec, n. (and adj.) SECOND EDITION 1989
toloache SECOND EDITION 1989
Toltec (n. and a.) SECOND EDITION 1989
Totonac SECOND EDITION 1989
toyon SECOND EDITION 1989
tule SECOND EDITION 1989
tuza SECOND EDITION 1989
Zapotec, n. and a. SECOND EDITION 1989
Appendix G. Nahuatl Loan Words Identified by Watson (1938)
Watson (1938) lists many words of Nahuatl origin in American English. I include his complete list here, indicating his definitions and proposed etymologies for words that are not included in the OED, along with the page number reference for each word. Words that are also listed in the OED as having Nahuatl etymologies are marked with an asterisk (*), and the definitions and etymologies for these are not repeated here (refer to Appendices A and B above). Watson’s words that are listed in the OED but which are not noted as having Nahuatl etymologies are marked with the crosshatch (#).
anacahuitap.111
‘a small tree (Cordia boissieri) found on the lower Rio Grande, the wood as well as the leaf and fleshy fruit being used medicinally in throat and chest complaints by Mexican natives of Texas’ < Nah. anacahuitl, quahuitl ‘tree’
anaqua also: knackaway p.111
‘a green-leaved tree of the borage family (Ehretia elliptica)’
cp. anacahuita
amole p.119
‘a substance obtained by pounding the roots of the yucca or Spanish bayonet’
< Nah. amolli, a- ‘water’ + -molli ‘a saponaceous vegetable substance’
*atolep.116
*avocadop.109
*axolotl p.109
ayacahuitap.111
‘a pine tree (Pinus strobiformis) of the Southwest, otherwise called the Mexican white pine’
< Nah. ayacuahuitl or ayauhquauitl. cp. anacahuita
*cacaop.108
*cacomistlep.118
cacomite p.116
‘a species of Tigridia from which a good flour is prepared’ (from Bartlett 1859)
< Nah. cacomitl ‘a root that has a chestnut-like taste’
*camote p.116
capules p.115
‘a rosaceous shrub or small tree bearing blackish red or deepish yellow edible berries of
an agreeable odor’
< Nah. capulin ‘the cherry-tree or its fruit’
chacalac p.119
‘The Texan guan (Ortalis vetula maccalli)’
< Nah. chacalaca ‘imitative term signifying the cackling of a bird’
chacatep.111
‘A small bush known to botanists as Krameria canescens or grayi, in various parts of Texas’
< Nah. chacatl
*chia p.115
chicalote p.111
‘The white-flowered thorn-poppy (Argemone platyceras), found in southern California’
< Nah. chicalotl ‘a spiny herb’
*chicle p.120
chilacayotealso, chicayote, chilicothe p.116
‘Several species of gourds having fruits with and edible pulp (especially eaten as a dessert), found in various southwestern States’
< Nah. tzilacayotli, tzilac ‘flat, smooth’ + ayotli ‘gourd’
chilaquiles p.116
‘A vegetable dish seasoned with chilchotes’
< Nah. chilaquilitl, chilli ‘chile’ + quilitl ‘an edible herb’
chilchote p.116
‘A Texan word signifying “green or sweet peppers”
< Nah. chilchotl ‘green or sweet peppers’
*chile also chili, chilli p.109
chiltapinalso: chiltepin, chilchipines p.112
‘Bird-pepper (Capiscum baccatum), pungent red oval berries of this plant were [and still are – JH] prized as a condiment’
< Nah. chilli + tecpin ‘flea’
*chocolate p.109
claco also: tlaco, tlacp.121
‘In reference to Mexican money found in Texas. “This word is derived from Mexican Spanish tlaco or claco, denoting ‘half’, from the fact that the coin has half the value of the quartilla.”
< tlaco ‘half’, see also cacomistle
comal p.120
‘A slightly concave utensil of stone or earthenware, or more recently an iron dish, for the purpose of baking tortillas’
< Nah. comalli ‘a crude form of earthenware griddle’
*conepatlalso: conepate p.109
*copal p.108
*coyote p.118
coyotillo p.112
“The beautiful-leaved west Texas shrub Karwinskia humboldtiana, [which] bears blackish edible berries or fleshy drupes, the eating of which is popularly supposed to cause paralysis of the lower extremities, but to be harmless if the small, round seed is rejected. In Mexican folk-lore it is held that the coyote, while fond of the berry, rejects the seed as pernicious: hence the name, formed from coyote. . . plus the Spanish diminutive –illo.”
< Sp. coyote + -illo DIM
#enchilada p.117
esquitep.117
‘pop-corn sweetened’, synonymous with tequesquite
< Nah. izquitl < icequi ‘to roast corn or chickpeas on a flat earthenware dish’
#hoactzin also, hoatzin p.109
“The remarkable bird Opisthocomus hoazin or O. cristatus, inhabiting tropical America, has been known in English since 1661 as the hoactzin or hoatzin and (from the fetid smell of the male) later as the stinkbird”.
< Nah. uatzin [attributed to Webster’s 1934]
huajealso: guage p.112
‘designating a tree indigenous to and very common in Mexico and certain parts of the south’
< Nah. huaxin ‘a tree indigenous to and very common in Mexico and certain parts of the south’
huajillo also: juajillo p.112
cp. huaje, + -illo DIM (Sp.)
huajolote also: guajolote p.119
‘A species of wild turkey, Meleagris gallopavo mexicana, as called in some parts of Texas’
< Nah. huexolotl
huisache p.112
‘A small tree (Acacia farnesiana) whose fragrant yellow flowers are used in perfumery’
< Nah. huitzachin, huitzli + achi ‘a spiny shrub’
*istlealso: ixtle, istle-grass p.114
iztlialso: iztle p.120
‘A cutting implement made of a flake of obsidian’
< Nah. itztli ‘a sort of obsidian from which Indians shape arrowheads, knives and other like articles’
*jacal p.119
*jalap p.109
jalapa pp.112-113
‘Jathropha macrorhiza, commonly found along the course of the lower Rio Grande.’ “Since the rhizome is purgative as well as emetic, the origin of this name may be referred to jalap”
< Nah. xalapa ‘the name of several trees whose roots yield a purgative medicine’
cp. jalap
*jicara p.120
jicote p.118
‘A species of bee (Tallichet says ‘a ground bee’), which gives a very painful sting’, as known in Texas. “In Mexico jicote is used more generally, being applied not only to various species of bees, but also to hornets or wasps”.
< Nah. xicotli ‘a species of large honeybee’
jilote p.117
‘An ear of green corn, or “roasting ear”
< Nah. xilotl ‘an ear of green corn, a roasting ear’
jocqui p.118
‘A Texas designation for buttermilk’
< Sp. jocoqui < Nah. xococ ‘bitter foodstuff made with milk’
*mecate p.120
*mescal also: mezcal p.118
*mesquite also: mesquitalp.113
*metate p.121
*Mexico p.109
*milpa p.121
nixtamal p.117
‘In Texas, a dish made of whole corn softened in a lime or lye solution’
< Nah. nextamalli, cp. tamal
*nopalalso: nopalera, nopalry p.113
*ocelot p.109
ocotillo p.113
“Jacob’s wand, Fouquieria splendens, a spiny tree or shrub which loves to gladden the deserts after the annual rains by putting forth its bright scarlet flowers and its foliage”. ‘Also applied to a species of candlewood related to it.’
< ocote + -illo DIM, cp. ocote
*peyote p.113
*pinole p.117
quiote p.116
‘Applied to the fruit of certain agaves which after baking are used as foodstuffs in Texas’
< Nah. quiotl or quiotl ‘a shoot or sprout, especially of the maguey’
*sacatealso: zacate p.114
sapodillacp. sapote + Sp. –illa DIMp.108
#sapote also: zapote p.113
‘The Mexican or black persimmon, Diospyros texana, a small tree which yields a black stain or dye’
< Nah. tzapotl ‘applied to various trees of diverse genera and the fruits they bear’
sinsontle p.119
‘A Texan designation – “especially current among Mexican natives” – of the mocking bird’
< Nah. centzontlatolli ‘four hundred (or a myriad of) voices’
*sotol also: sotole p.118
*tacamahaca also: tacamahac p.108
tamal also: tamale p.117
< Nah. tamalli
tecolote p.119
‘The great horned owl, Bubo virginianus subarcticus, as known in Texas (from Spanish tecolote)’
< Nah. tencolotl ‘a name said to have reference to the curvature of [an owl’s] beak’
*teocalli p.109
tepocatep.119
‘A Texan name for the tadpole’
< Nah. atepocatl ‘a spawn of frogs’
tepopote p.114
‘An additional name for the cañatilla, the evergreen shrub Ephedra antisyphilitica; “This small shrub, says Havard, affords a popular remedy among Mexicans and frontiersmen in cases of gonorrhoea and syphilis”
< Nah. tetl ‘stone’ + popotl ‘broom’
tequesquite p.117
‘Texan, “signifying according to Tallichet ‘a kind of pop-corn’, is identical in meaning with esquite… and in form with another Mexican term known to our travelers and others from 1844 as denoting a native carbonate of soda mixed with sulphate and common salt, which effervesces after wet weather and later forms a crust”.
< Nah. tequixquitl ‘salt-peter’, cp. esquite, tesquite
#tequila < Nah. Tequilan ‘the place of the divide’p.118
tesquite < Nah. tequixquitl ‘salt-peter’, cp. esquite, tequesquitep.121
*tilma p.121
*toloache p.114
*tomato p.109
*tule p.115
*zopilote p.119