Mexihco

Classical Nahuatl

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly from the stems mētztli (moon) + xīctli (navel) + the locative -co, which would yield *Mēxxīcco (“at the place of the moon's navel”). The form Mēxihco would thus imply the degemination of [ʃː] and the dissimilation of [kk] to [ʔk], with the appearance of the glottal stop automatically triggering the shortening of the preceding [iː] to [i]. Some theories link the place name to metl (maguey) and cihtli (hare), though both these constituents are phonetically unviable.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [meːˈʃíʔ.ko]

Proper noun

Mēxihco (locative)

  1. Tenochtitlan; an altepetl and capital of the Aztec empire.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

References

  • Frances Karttunen (1992) An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl, University of Oklahoma Press, page 145
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