Ocelotl
/o.seˈloːtɬ/noun
A Classical Nahuatl word meaning jaguar, and the name of the 14th day sign in the Aztec calendar.
Did you know?In the Aztec calendar, Ocelotl—or Jaguar—was the 14th day sign, linked with the jaguar’s feared power and nocturnal presence.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Proto-Nahuan
*ocelōtl
“Reconstructed ancestor of the Nahuatl word for jaguar”
16th Century
Classical Nahuatl
ocelōtl
“Jaguar; a powerful spotted feline”
16th Century
Classical Nahuatl
Ocelotl
“The Jaguar day sign in the Aztec calendar”
16th Century
Spanish
ocelote
“A jaguar or similar American spotted cat, borrowed from Nahuatl”
18th Century
English
ocelot
“A small American wild cat with a spotted coat”