tetl
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Noun
tetl
References
- Silva Hernández, Fernando (2014); El vocabulario básico del náhuatl y español, Secretaría de Educación Pública del estado de Hidalgo, Mexico City, Mexico.
Noun
tetl
Etymology
From Proto-Nahuan *tetl, from Proto-Uto-Aztecan *tïn-ta.
Pronunciation
Noun
tetl anim or inan (plural temeh)
- rock, stone
- egg
- 1555, Alonso de Molina, Aqui comienca un vocabulario en la lengua castellana y mexicana, f. 239v:
- Veuo generalmente. tetl.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Derived terms
Counter
tetl
- a counter word used mainly for small, round objects; including, but not limited to: stones, chickens, seeds and beans, tamales, fruit, eggs, houses, seats, chili peppers, maize kernels, gourds, tubers, hills, etc.
- Zan ōntetl in īteuh.
- Its eggs are only two.
- Mācuiltemeh in temeh, tēcpantocah.
- There are fives of stones, placed in a row.
- 1571, Alonso de Molina, Arte de la lengua mexicana y castellana, f. 3v:
- P Ara contar piedras, gallinas, cacao, tunas, tamales, cerezas, hueuos, vaſijas, caſas, aſſentaderos, frutas, chiles, mayz, friſoles, calabaças, nabos, xicalas, o coſas redondas, aſi como cerros, ¬c. Dizen deſta manera. / ¶Centetl.vno o vna. 1 / ¶Ontetl.dos. 2 / ¶Etetl.tres. 3 / ¶Nauhtetl.quatro. 4 […]
- To count stones, chickens, cacao beans, prickly pears, tamales, cherries, eggs, pots, houses, places to sit, fruit, chili peppers, kernels of maize, beans, gourds, turnips, calabashes, or other rounds things, as well as mountains, etc., they say as follows: ¶Centetl. one. 1 / ¶Ontetl. two. 2 / ¶Etetl. three. 3 / ¶Nauhtetl. four. 4 […]
Usage notes
- The counter tetl is treated like a suffix, and is placed immediately after the numeral that modifies a noun:
- ce (“one”) → centetl ayohtli (“one gourd”)
- nāhui (“four”) → nāuhtetl tomatl (“four tomatoes”)
- mahtlāctli (“ten”) → mahtlāctetl calli (“ten houses”)
References
- Andrews, J. Richard. (2003) Workbook for Introduction to Classical Nahuatl, Revised Edition, University of Oklahoma Press, pp. 249–250.
- Karttunen, Frances. (1983) An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl, University of Texas Press, p. 235.
- Lockhart, James. (2001) Nahuatl as Written, Stanford University Press, p. 234.
Etymology
Cognate to Classical Nahuatl tetl
Noun
tetl
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