The Nahuatl was the language developed by the Aztec empire and pre - Columbian inhabitants of the Mexican territory. Its use gradually declined after the arrival of the Spanish, since they imposed the Spanish.
Later it was recovered and currently in the Mexican region its learning is encouraged. There are native tribes that have Nahuatl as their official language, and it is the native language with the most speakers in Mexico.
The Nahuatl tradition did not completely disappear from Spanish. Traces of it remain, derived words and loanwords.
You may also be interested in this list of phrases in Nahuatl.
30 common Nahuatl words
Yolotl: It refers to the heart, in a literal and anatomical sense, not in the abstract.
Atl: It means water.
Kuali: Represents the adjective good.
Xochitl: It means flower.
Tlali: It refers to the earth, referring to the ground they walk on, not the planet.
Choquizotlahua: A word they used to refer specifically to the feeling of tiredness from having cried a lot.
Chicahuacatlazotla: It refers to the act of passionately loving.
Cualancaitta: It is used when speaking with hatred of someone who is not present.
Itollani: It is the intense desire to want to be praised.
Mahuizototoca: Represents the desire to have wealth.
Mamati: It is used to describe the feeling of shame of others.
Moyolchichiliani: It is the action of feeling motivated a second time towards the same task.
Moyoleuhqui: Used to describe the feeling of being in love.
Ni mitz yolmajtok: It is an expression that means I miss you.
Ni mo yolpachojtok: It literally means my heart is crushed, and it is used when you are depressed.
Straw: It is a word in current use that derives from the Nahuatl popotili (straw). It is a hollow stem that serves to suck liquids.
Xicalli: S ignifies a glass made of pumpkin.
Copalli: It means resin, and it was used to identify one produced from the sap of tropical trees.
Xococ: It was a dessert made with fermented milk and with an acid flavor.
Comalli: It is a kitchen instrument, traditionally used in the kitchen to cook or fry food.
Cuachilnácatl: It means red meat and is used to identify a reef fish found on the coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Achichincle: At the time of the colony it was used to refer to the person in charge of extracting the water emanated from the springs of the mines. It literally means the one who sucks water.
Chictili: It is the name of a sticky resin. It is extracted from the gum tree, and it is with which chewing gum is made.
Olot: It is the heart of the corn, after having been shelled.
Ulli: This is the name given to the resin that was extracted from the tree that the Aztecs called ulquahuill. Rubber is derived from this material.
Xoloescuintle: It is the word to say dog.
Izcuintli: It means hairless dog. In Mexico the derivation Escuincle is used to refer in a derogatory way to a child.
Papalotl: It means butterfly. From this word derives the Mexican word kite, spread in other Central American countries.
Nican nican: It is an expression that was used during the game of marbles, it literally means here I am.
Ajcahuetzcato: It is a word to describe a woman who laughs out loud.
References
- The most beautiful words of the indigenous languages of Mexico. cityexpress.com
- 16 Nahuatl words and phrases to describe exactly what you feel. (2016) verne.elpais.com
- Nahuatl words that we continue to use every day. (2016) culturacolectiva.com
- Words in Nahuatl. mexica.ohui.net
- 20 words you use every day that you didn't know were Nahuatl. (2017) matadornetwork.com