Guacamole
/ˌɡwɑː.kəˈmoʊ.leɪ/noun
A thick sauce or dip made chiefly from mashed avocado, often seasoned with lime, onion, chile, and cilantro.
Did you know?Nahuatl āhuacatl could mean both “avocado” and “testicle,” likely because of the fruit’s shape and its hanging growth habit; molli meant “sauce” or “stew.”
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian era
Classical Nahuatl
āhuacamōlli
“Avocado sauce; āhuacatl meant “avocado” and mōlli meant “sauce” or “stew””
16th Century
Spanish
ahuacamolli
“A Nahuatl dish recorded and adapted by Spanish speakers in Mexico”
16th–17th Century
Spanish
aguacate
“Avocado; a Spanish reshaping of Nahuatl āhuacatl”
17th–18th Century
Spanish
guacamole
“Avocado-based sauce or preparation, formed from the earlier Nahuatl-derived expression”
19th Century
English
guacamole
“A Mexican avocado dish or sauce adopted into English usage”
Modern English
English
guacamole
“A widely used avocado dip or sauce”