[Aztlan] Mayan words in English

[Steve Slavik]

How about ocelotl = ocelot??

slavik


  Cacao is a Nahuatl word, actualy "cacahuatl"  It existed long before the
  arrival of the Spanish.  In all likelihood the Spanish picked it up from
  the Nahua.  The -tl- is dropped when the word actually is used in some
  way, leaving cacahua-  It has a root meaning of seed pod, applied to what
  we know as cacao.  In Nahuatl there were other seed pods, the most famous
  of which was the tlalcacahuatl, or earth-seed pod.  This one is the
  peanut.  In Spanish the -tlal- part got lost ending in just cacahuate (or
  cacahuete in Iberian Spanish today)


  >> The word 'cocoa' originated from cacao, which is found in English as the
  > word for the pod. It's an example of a spelling metathesis. The word
  > 'cacao' (/kakaw/) came from Mayan all right, but before that it was a
  > Mije-Sokean loan /kakawa/. I believe it became /kakawatl/ 'peanut' in
  > Nahuatl after those arrived with the Spanish; Nahuatl experts please set
  > me straight.
  >