Where does “apitzotl” come from?

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

apitzotl (Central Nahuatl): hippopotamus

Definitions

  1. hippopotamus

Ancestry of “apitzotl”, step by step

apitzotl 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 pitzotl

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Central Nahuatlpitzotlpig
Every word from Proto-Uto-Aztecan pa →Every word from Proto-Nahuan *aa- →Every word from Classical Nahuatl ātl →