*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Aztec

Borrowed from Spanish azteca, from Classical Nahuatl aztēcah, plural of aztēcatl (“inhabitant of Aztlán”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

One of the Nahuatl languages. · A city, the county seat of San Juan County, New Mexico, United States.

adj

Of or pertaining to the Mexica people. · Of or pertaining to the Nahuas. · Of or pertaining to the Nahuatl language.

noun

A Mexica. · A Nahua. · A hybrid defensive back position combining aspects of the safety, nickelback and linebacker positions.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Spanish azteca, from Classical Nahuatl aztēcah, plural of aztēcatl (“inhabitant of Aztlán”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "azteca"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Spanish azteca"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nci",
        "3": "aztēcah"
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Nahuatl aztēcah"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "azteca",
      "azteca#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "aztēcah",
      "aztecah#Classical_Nahuatl"
    ],
    [
      "aztēcatl",
      "aztēcatl#Nahuatl"
    ],
    [
      "Aztlán",
      "Aztlán"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "One of the Nahuatl languages.",
        "A city, the county seat of San Juan County, New Mexico, United States."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "6b0fe5e7fcf5d2e61122987508aa4586ecd0b1a10f0e96cee59cf580ba91fb30",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6311e883d125027721bfff3d692792d3445c494f27d6235fcf0d8eb3c8a939b9",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 323253
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of or pertaining to the Mexica people.",
        "Of or pertaining to the Nahuas.",
        "Of or pertaining to the Nahuatl language."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "9586d9e30eac7e098743927907e04e02f239b657cd8d7545abc336137fdae50b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "de20a40bee8949820b93efe01ba49980ae31a67519d2cbff625874e8c21a9960",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 323251
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A Mexica.",
        "A Nahua.",
        "A hybrid defensive back position combining aspects of the safety, nickelback and linebacker positions."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "ac8b7919577b50451433beaf087cb36e4a5a14d964a4571d4dcce2f4b9a792e2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "56f990116945f77c236e5e4df6232966d8bfd4d304774da656676e79bc07bec4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 323252
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Aztec →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-QXp0ZWM