Tenochtitlan

See also: Tenochtitlán

English

Etymology

  • Borrowed from Spanish Tenochtitlán, from Classical Nahuatl Tenochtitlan.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /təˈnɔt͡ʃtɪtˌlæn/, /təˈnɔt͡ʃtɪtˌlɑn/

    Proper noun

    Tenochtitlan

    2. The former capital of the Aztec Empire; modern Mexico City.
      Synonym: Mexico-Tenochtitlan

    Translations

    Classical Nahuatl

    Etymology

  • The ligatured locative suffix -titlan (“below, beneath, at the base of”) is preceded by the element *Tenoch-, which is of disputed etymology. The name Tenochtitlan is represented in the Aztec writing system in the form of the glyph shown here, which perhaps suggests Andrews' etymology (see below), unless one or both of the syllables te and noch are here used only phonetically in the glyph, with little indication of the actual meaning (vowel length seldom if ever had any indication in hieroglyphic writing). In addition, while the short vowel in te- is undisputed, the vowel length of -noch-/-nōch- is disputed, as noted by Karttunen.

    • Andrews (2003) gives tetl (“rock”) +‎ nōchtli (“prickly-pear fruit”) +‎ -ti- +‎ -tlan (“near”), literally “At the Place Near Rock-cactus-Fruit”.[1]
    • Lockhart (2001) says "the meaning and nature of tenoch- is not entirely clear despite general consensus that it refers to a type of cactus."[2]
    • Karttunen (1983) says "NŌCH-TLI 'fruit of the prickly pear cactus' is often cited as a constituent of this name, but it contrasts in vowel length."[3]

    Pronunciation

    Andrews (2003) writes Tenōchtitlan;[1] Karttunen (1983) and Lockhart (2001) write Tenochtitlan.[3][2]

    • (Tenōchtitlan) IPA(key): [te.noːt͡ʃ.ˈtí.t͡ɬan]
    • (Tenochtitlan) IPA(key): [te.not͡ʃ.ˈtí.t͡ɬan]

    Proper noun

    Tenochtitlan

    1. Tenochtitlan (the former capital of the Aztec Empire; modern Mexico City)
      Synonym: Mēxihco

    Descendants

    • → Spanish: Tenochtitlán, Tenochtitlan
      • → English: Tenochtitlan
      • → Portuguese: Tenochtitlán

    References

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Andrews, J. Richard (2003), Introduction to Classical Nahuatl, Revised Edition, University of Oklahoma Press, page 502
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lockhart, James (2001), Nahuatl as Written, Stanford University Press, page 233
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Karttunen, Frances. (1983) An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl, University of Texas Press, p. 225.

    Portuguese

    Proper noun

    Tenochtitlan f

    1. alternative spelling of Tenochtitlán

    Spanish

    Proper noun

    Tenochtitlan m

    1. alternative form of Tenochtitlán
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