Tecuhtli
/teˈkuʔt͡ɬi/noun
A Nahuatl word meaning 'lord' or 'nobleman,' used as an honorific title.
Did you know?In Nahuatl, *tecuhtli* was a high-status title tied to rulership and reverence, and its presence in names and honorifics shows how language itself could encode social power.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Nahuatl
Nah
tecuhtli
“lord; nobleman; ruler”
Postclassic Mesoamerica
Nah
tecuhtli
“honorific title for a man of rank or authority”
16th Century
Nah/Spanish
tecutli
“recorded in early colonial transcriptions as a noble title”
Modern English
English
tecuhtli
“a Nahuatl title meaning 'lord' or 'nobleman'”