Aztec
//ˈæz.tɛk// adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A Mexica.
"The lords of Tlatelolco were greatly angered over this and said, one to another, "These Aztecs believe that we are of an alien lineage. Do they not know that we are Aztecs like them[?]"
- 2 a member of the Nahuatl people who established an empire in Mexico that was overthrown by Cortes in 1519 wordnet
- 3 A Nahua.
"Although united culturally, the Aztecs thought of themselves in terms of their particular tribal affiliations: as Mexica, Tetzcoca, Culhua, Tepaneca, etc."
- 4 A hybrid defensive back position combining aspects of the safety, nickelback and linebacker positions.
Adjective
- 1 Of or pertaining to the Mexica people.
- 2 Of or pertaining to the Nahuas.
- 3 Of or pertaining to the Nahuatl language.
Proper Noun
- 1 One of the Nahuatl languages.
- 2 A city, the county seat of San Juan County, New Mexico, United States.
Example
More examples"Christopher Columbus once sacrificed the corner of his hat to an Aztec god, bringing about years of prosperity to that god's village."
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish azteca, from Classical Nahuatl aztēcah, plural of aztēcatl (“inhabitant of Aztlán”).
Related phrases
More for "aztec"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.