tliltic
The Nahuatl word for black is tliltic.
tliltic is an adjective used to describe something that is absorbing all light.
Meaning: absorbing all light (adj)
Did you know?
- In some Nahuatl traditions, the color black is associated with the North and the deity Tezcatlipoca, whose name means 'Smoking Mirror'.
- In Nahuatl, the root tlilli can refer to both 'black' and 'ink', as the ancient Aztecs used a black pigment made from carbon and water to write their codices.
- In Nahuatl, many color words are derived from nouns representing the substance that possesses that color, such as using the word for 'charcoal' to describe something black.
Examples in context
- Tliltic in tlacatl.The man is black.
- Tliltic in noyollo.My heart is black.
Example conversation
José and Maria are looking at a piece of fabric.
- José¿Tlen tlapali tlanexti?What color is it?
- MariaIn tliltic tlapali.It is the black color.
- JoséTliltic tlapali tlajsiuh?Do they make black color?
- MariaQuetzali, tliltic tlapali tlanequi.Yes, they want black color.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “black” translations and entries tliltic, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
