nahual

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English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish nahual, from Classical Nahuatl nāhualli (“sorcerer, spirit, animal form a person may take”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /nəˈwɑːl/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: na‧hual

Noun

nahual (plural nahuals) (Mesoamerican mythology)

  1. An animal form which a person may take.
    She has a nahual for every day of the week.
  2. (Mesoamerican mythology) A person who is able to take an animal form.
    They suspected that the man was a nahual.

Derived terms

See also

Spanish

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Nahuatl nāhualli (“sorcerer”).

Pronunciation

Noun

nahual m (plural nahuales)

  1. (Central America, Mexico) sorcerer
    Synonyms: brujo, hechicero
  2. (Central America, Mexico) healer, witch doctor
    Synonym: curandero
  3. (in Mesoamerican mythology) nahual (animal form which a person may take)
    Synonym: tonal
  4. (in Mesoamerican mythology) nahual (person able to take animal form)

Descendants

  • → English: nahual

References

  • Carlos Montemayor et al. (2009) Diccionario del náhuatl en el español de México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, page 93

Further reading

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