Teocentli
/te.oˈsen.t͡ɬi/noun
A Nahuatl word for maize or corn, especially in compounds and traditional usage.
Did you know?In Nahuatl, teō- means “god” or “sacred,” so teocentli carries the sense of maize as a holy gift rather than mere grain.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Nahuatl
Nah
teōcentli
“maize; sacred corn”
Postclassic Mesoamerica
Nah
teōtl + centli
“god, sacred force + maize/corn”
16th Century
Spa
teocentli
“recorded by Spanish chroniclers as a Nahuatl term for maize”
Modern English
Eng
teocentli
“a borrowed Nahuatl word referring to maize or sacred corn”
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