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Quet·zal·co·a·tl

(kĕt-säl′kō-ätl)

n.
Mythology

A god of the Toltecs and Aztecs, often represented as a plumed serpent, who was worshiped as co-creator of the world along with his adversary Tezcatlipoca.

[Nahuatl Quetzalcōātl : quetzal-, stem of quetzalli, quetzal tail feather; see QUETZAL + cōātl, snake (from Proto-Uto-Aztecan *kowa-, snake, rattlesnake, possibly akin to Proto-Uto-Aztecan *koya, to kill, and *ko(i), to die).]

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Quetzalcoatl

from the mid-16th-century

Codex Magliabechiano

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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