Mexihco

Central Nahuatl

Alternative forms

• (Cholula): Mexico
• (Texcoco): Mexihko
• (Tlaxcala): Mexiko

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [meːˈʃíʔ.ko]

Proper noun

Mexihco (locative)

1. Mexico (a country in North America)
2. México (a state of Mexico)

Derived terms

• mexihcatl

Classical Nahuatl

Etymology

Uncertain; popularly thought to derive from a compound of mētztli (“moon”) +‎ xīctli (“navel”) +‎ -co (locative suffix), which would yield *Mēxxīcco (literally “place on the moon’s navel”). The form Mēxihco would thus imply the degemination of [ʃː] and the dissimilation of [kk] to [ʔk], with the appearance of the glottal stop automatically triggering the shortening of the preceding [iː] to [i].

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [meːˈʃiʔ.ko]

• Audio (Classical Nahuatl):

  (file)

Proper noun

Mēxihco (locative)

1. Tenochtitlan (the capital of the Aztec Empire; modern Mexico City)

Synonyms

• Tenochtitlan

Derived terms

• mēxihcatl
• mēxihcopa
• mēxihcopahuīc

 

Descendants

• → Spanish: México (see there for further descendants)

References

• Frances Karttunen (1992) An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl, University of Oklahoma Press, page 145