Where does “amaxtli” come from?

amaxtli (Central Nahuatl) comes from Central Nahuatl atl, from Classical Nahuatl ātl, from Proto-Nahuan *aa-, from Proto-Uto-Aztecan pa — water.

amaxtli (Central Nahuatl): swim briefs

Definitions

  1. swim briefs

Ancestry of “amaxtli”, step by step

amaxtli traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Central Nahuatl atl

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Central Nahuatlatlwater
2Classical NahuatlātlAlternative spelling of atl; water
3Proto-Nahuan*aa-water
4Proto-Uto-Aztecanpawater

via Central Nahuatl maxtli

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Central Nahuatlmaxtlibriefs, male underwear
2Classical Nahuatlmaxtliloincloth
Every word from Proto-Uto-Aztecan pa →Every word from Proto-Nahuan *aa- →Every word from Classical Nahuatl ātl →