Cihuatl
/ˈsi.wat͡ɬ/noun
A Nahuatl word meaning “woman.”
Did you know?In Nahuatl, cihuatl is a core word for “woman,” and it survives in many Aztec-era compounds and place names, including Cihuacóatl, the name of a powerful deity and title tied to women and serpentine power.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Nahuatl
Nah
cihuatl
“woman”
Postclassic Mesoamerica
Nah
cihuātl
“woman; female person”
16th Century
Nah
cihuatl
“woman, recorded by Spanish chroniclers and missionaries”
Modern English
English
cihuatl
“a Nahuatl loanword referring to the word for “woman” in Classical Nahuatl”
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