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13 Mexican Indigenous Words You Didn't Know You Were Using

13 Mexican Indigenous Words You Didn't Know You Were Using
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By 

National Reporter, HuffPost

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Many Americans mistakenly view Mexicans as foreign. In fact, the indigenous people of Mexico have called North America home for a whole lot longer than the Europeans who first started populating the Americas at the close of the fifteenth century. As a reminder, here's 13 words in Nahuatl, the language of the Mexica people of Central Mexico, that English speakers use all the time -- many without knowing it.

1
Avocado
Getty Images
Passed into English by way of the Spanish word "aguacate," the word originates from the Nahuatl term "āhuacatl," meaning both "avocado" and "testicle," according to Merriam-Webster.
2
Cacao
WikiMedia:
The fruit whose dried seeds are used to make chocolate was originally named cacahuatl.
3
Chocolate
Flickr:balusss
The Nahuatl "xocolatl" is made up of the parts "xococ," meaning "bitter," and "atl," meaning "water."
4
Coyote
Flickr:joergermeister
These North American canines take their name from the Nahuatl "coyōtl."
5
Guacamole
Flickr:Jürgen Stemper // Bloemche
The Nahuatl "āhuacamōlli" literally means "avocado sauce."
6
Jicama
WikiMedia:
This vegetable, which is becoming increasingly popular in the United States, bears a name adapted from the Nahuatl "xīcama."
7
Jalapeño
Getty Images
The name of this spicy pepper comes from the Mexican city of Xalapa in the state of Veracruz. In Nahuatl, "xalapan" means "sand by the water."
8
Mesquite
WikiMedia:
If you've traveled to the U.S. Southwest, you've likely seen these trees that lend a smokey flavor to Texas barbecue. The name comes from the Nahuatl "mizquitl."
9
Mezcal
Flickr:Eneas
The name for one of Mexico's greatest contributions to world culinary culture, "mezcal," evolved out of the Nahuatl term "mexcalli." Made from the smoked heart of the agave, the prefix means "maguey" -- a synonym for the plant -- while xcalli means "something cooked," according to Dictionary.com.
10
Ocelot
Flickr:jitze
The French shortened the Nahuatl name or this spotted cat once commonly seen in the Americas, from tlālōcēlōtl.
11
Peyote
A tourist eats peyote at the desert near the town of Real de 14, in San Luis Potosi State, Mexico on July 17, 2013. Getty Images
The name of this hallucinogenic cactus derives from the Nahuatl "peyotl."
12
Shack
Flickr:Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism
Though the word is of uncertain origin, some think it evolved out of the Nahuatl term "xacalli," for "wooden hut."
13
Tomato
Getty Images
The English word for this fruit is an adaption of the Nahuatl "tomatl."

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Before You Go

24 Words You Didn't Know Were Spanish
Banana(01 of24)
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The word's origins are probably African, but it came to English through Spanish. (credit:Getty Images)
California(02 of24)
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The name is first mentioned in the Spanish romance Garci Ordóñez de Montalvo "Exploits of Espladán," first published in 1510. According to Dictionary.com, the book was influential among the early Spanish explorers, who first used the name California to describe the North American territory. (credit:Getty Images)
Armadillo(03 of24)
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The name for this creature made its way into English from the Spanish "armado" (armed) and the diminutive "-illo," according to Dictionary.com.IMAGE: An armadillo is seen around the golf course during a practice round prior to the start of THE PLAYERS Championship held at THE PLAYERS Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on May 5, 2010 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Cargo(04 of24)
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Ultimately derived from the verb "cargar," to carry. (credit:Getty Images)
Cannibal(05 of24)
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When Christopher Columbus arrived in what would become known as the Americas, he encountered an indigenous group that came to be called the Caribs (from which the word "Caribbean" was born). Columbus pronounced the word the group used to describe itself as "caniba," which morphed into its current usage because the early European conquerers thought the Caribs ate their enemies -- an exaggerated myth that has some basis in fact. Caniba became "caníbal" in Spanish and "cannibal" in English.IMAGE: British-born actor Anthony Hopkins makes a Hannibal Lecter face as he puts his hands in the cement at the Mann's Chinese Theater 11 January 2001 in Hollywood. Hopkins stars in the new film 'Hannibal', a sequel to 'The Silence of the Lambs'. (credit:Getty Images)
Alcatraz(06 of24)
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Actually a Spanish word that refers to a bird called the gannet, which looks like this.IMAGE: A view of the former warden's house at Alcatraz Island on March 21, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (credit:Getty Images)
Bodega(07 of24)
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If you live in New York, you probably use this word to describe what the rest of the country calls a corner store. (credit:Getty Images)
Cafeteria(08 of24)
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In Spanish there's an accent on the "i", but it's basically the same word. (credit:Getty Images)
Chilli (09 of24)
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The word came to English via Spanish, but its origin is Nahuatl, the most-spoken indigenous language of Mexico. (credit:Getty Images)
Embargo(10 of24)
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Means the same thing in Spanish. (credit:Getty Images)
Florida(11 of24)
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Means "land full of flowers" in Spanish. (credit:AP)
Hurricane(12 of24)
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The Spaniards adopted the term from the Caribs, who lived in the Caribbean islands where the tropical cyclones are common. (credit:AP)
Macho(13 of24)
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It means the same thing in Spanish. It can also just mean "male." (credit:Getty Images)
Jerky(14 of24)
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The word for the dried meat actually entered English through Spanish from the Quechua word "charqui." IMAGE: US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney hands out beef jerky to journalists on board his campaign plane at the Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 28, 2012. (credit:Getty Images)
Llama(15 of24)
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Another Quechua word that ended up in the English language by way Spanish.IMAGE: Bolivian President Evo Morales receives a llama as a present after attending the inauguration ceremony of breeding ponds for trouts --filled with water from the Silala river, on dispute with bordering Chile-- in Quetena Chico locality, Silala, southwest Bolivia on March 28, 2013. (credit:Getty Images)
Montana(16 of24)
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This is just a mispronunciation of "montaña," the Spanish word for "mountain." (credit:AP)
Mustang(17 of24)
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From the Spanish "mesteño," meaning a horse roaming free without an owner. (credit:Getty Images)
Rodeo(18 of24)
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Same word in Spanish, just pronounced different. It comes from the verb "rodear," meaning "to encircle" -- a term used to describe driving cattle.IMAGE: In this photo provided by Montana State, Northwestern College's Cole Stevenson is launched into the chutes during the bull riding event at the Montana State University spring rodeo competition, Thursday, April 4, 2013, in Bozeman, Mont. (credit:AP)
Nevada(19 of24)
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It means "snow-capped peak," so you can see how the state wound up with that name.IMAGE: Japan's highest peak Mount Fuji is seen covered with snow behind rape blossoms in full bloom in Ninomiya, suburban Tokyo, on January 10, 2009. (credit:Getty Images)
Cilantro(20 of24)
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You may be used to calling this fresh herb by the Spanish name "cilantro," which is now part of common use. The plant is also known by English word "coriander." (credit:Getty Images)
Peon(21 of24)
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Pretty much the same word in Spanish, meaning laborer. (credit:AP)
Puma(22 of24)
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This feline variety got named in Spanish before English. (credit:AP)
Ranch(23 of24)
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An alteration of the Spanish "rancho" adopted in the nineteenth century.IMAGE: A worker moves cattle into a ranch in San Valentin in northern Guatemala, near the border with Mexico, in an area considered to be held by Mexico's Zetas cartel, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. (credit:AP)
Buckaroo(24 of24)
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This odd word is actually a goofy mispronunciation of "vaquero," the Spanish word for "cowboy."IMAGE: In this photo provided by Montana State University, Western Montana College's Drew Baker misses the eight-second whistle during the bull riding event at the Montana State University spring rodeo competition, Thursday, April 4, 2013, in Bozeman, Mont. (AP Photo/Montana State University, Kelly Gorham) (credit:AP)
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