Tepoztli
/teˈpost͡ɬi/noun
A Classical Nahuatl word meaning metal, especially copper or a metal tool such as an axe.
Did you know?Tepoztli appears in the name Tepoztlán, traditionally interpreted as “place of copper” or “place of metal,” and is associated with the deity Tepoztecatl.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-15th Century
Proto-Nahuan
*tepoztli
“Reconstructed ancestor meaning metal or metallic substance”
15th–16th Century
Classical Nahuatl
tepoztli
“Metal; copper; a metal implement or axe”
16th Century
Colonial Nahuatl
tepoztli
“A term recorded by Spanish missionaries and chroniclers for metal and metal objects”
16th Century
Nahuatl
Tepoztlán
“A place-name formed with tepoztli and the locative suffix -tlan”
Modern English
English
tepoztli
“A specialized Nahuatl term used in historical, linguistic, and Mesoamerican studies”
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