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Az·tec

(ăztĕk′)

1. A member of a people of central Mexico whose civilization was at its height at the time of the Spanish conquest in the early 16th century.

2. The Nahuatl language of the Aztecs.

adj. also Az·tec·an (-tĕk′ən)

Of or relating to the Aztecs or their language, culture, or empire.

[Spanish azteca, from Nahuatl Aztēcah, people from Aztlán, plural of Aztēcatl, person from Aztlán, from Aztlān, Aztlán, legendary homeland of the Aztec; see AZTLÁN.]

(click for a larger image)

Aztec

Excavated in Mexico City in 1790, the 1479 basalt Aztec calendar stone weighs more than 22 metric tons.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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