Popocatépetl
/Ëpo.po.kaËte.petÍĄÉŹ/noun
An active volcano in central Mexico, east of Mexico City.
Did you know?PopocatĂ©petl comes from Nahuatl popĆca âit smokesâ + tepÄtl âmountain,â and the volcanoâs name survives through a living Indigenous language, not a later European invention.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Nahuatl
Nah
popĆca + tepÄtl
ââit smokesâ + âmountainââ
16th Century
Nah
PopĆcatÄpetl
ââSmoking Mountain,â the Nahuatl name of the volcanoâ
16th Century
Spa
Popocatépetl
âSpanish transcription of the Nahuatl place nameâ
Modern English
English
Popocatépetl
âThe name used in English for the volcano in central Mexicoâ