Ahuacate
/ˌɑː.wəˈkɑː.teɪ/noun
A regional or historical English name for the avocado, derived from Nahuatl through Spanish.
Did you know?Nahuatl āhuacatl meant both “avocado” and “testicle,” likely because the fruit’s shape and its hanging growth on the tree invited the comparison; claims that it was a fertility charm are not firmly documented.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Nahuatl
āhuacatl
“Avocado; also a word for testicle”
16th Century
Classical Nahuatl
ahuacatl
“The avocado fruit, recorded by Spanish chroniclers in descriptions of Indigenous Mexico”
16th Century
Spanish
aguacate
“Avocado, borrowed from Nahuatl āhuacatl”
17th Century
Spanish
ahuacate
“A variant spelling influenced by the original Nahuatl form”
18th–19th Century
English
ahuacate
“A historical or regional English name for the avocado”
Modern English
English
ahuacate
“A rare variant or historical name for avocado”