ahuacatl
/aːwakatɬ/Milpa Alta
The English word "avocado" is translated into Nahuatl as ahuacatl. Wiktionary also lists awakatl (Amecameca and Jaltocán) and ahuacatli.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
Ways to say it
| Nahuatl | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ahuacatl | /aːwakatɬ/ | Milpa Alta |
| awakatl (Amecameca and Jaltocán) | ||
| ahuacatli | /aːwakatɬi/ | Cholula |
| auakatl | /aːwakatɬ/ | Tlaxcala |
| ahuakatl | /aːwakatɬ/ | Texcoco |
The word is used to refer to the avocado fruit.
What does it mean word for word?
The term ahuacatl literally means "testicle", a reference to the shape of the fruit.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Different varieties of the word are used in specific regions: awakatl is used in Amecameca and Jaltocán, ahuacatli is used in Cholula, ahuacatl is used in Milpa-Alta, auakatl is used in Tlaxcala and ahuakatl is used in Texcoco.
How does it change in a sentence?
ahuacatl is a singular noun. To form the plural, the suffix -tl is often replaced or modified depending on the dialect, such as in the Cholula form ahuacatli.
How do you pronounce it?
/aːwakatɬ/
Did you know?
- Because ahuacatl means 'testicle', the fruit was historically associated with aphrodisiac properties in the regions where Nahuatl was spoken.
- Nahuatl uses an agglutinative structure, meaning that while ahuacatl is the root, other meanings can be attached to it by adding long strings of prefixes and suffixes.
- The English word 'avocado' is actually a phonetic adaptation of the Nahuatl word ahuacatl, meaning the name of the fruit was carried to Europe via the Spanish conquest.
Example sentences for Nahuatl are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Juan and Yolanda are preparing food in the kitchen.
- JuanYolanda, ¿tinemia ahuacatl?Yolanda, do you want avocado?
- YolandaQuenelhui, niquitlahtoa ahuacatl.Yes, I want avocado.
- JuanIn ahuacatl tlanonili.The avocado is ripe.
- YolandaTlazohcamati, Juan.Thank you, Juan.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “avocado” translations and entries ahuacatl, ahuacatli, auakatl, ahuakatl, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries awakatl, CC BY-SA 4.0.
