Cihuateotl
/siwaˈte.oːtɬ/noun
A Nahua female deity or spirit, especially one associated with women who died in childbirth.
Did you know?In Aztec belief, women who died in childbirth could become Cihuateteo, honored in some respects like warriors who died in battle.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian Nahuatl
Nahuatl
cihuātl
“Woman or female person”
Pre-Columbian Nahuatl
Nahuatl
tēōtl
“Deity, god, or sacred supernatural power”
Late Postclassic Period
Classical Nahuatl
cihuātēōtl
“Female deity; literally, woman-deity”
16th Century
Colonial Spanish
cihuateteo
“A recorded Nahuatl religious term referring to female supernatural beings”
20th Century
English scholarship
Cihuateteo
“The spirits or deities of women who died in childbirth”
Modern English
English
Cihuateotl
“A variant English spelling of the Nahuatl-derived name”
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