Where does “amaitl” come from?

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

amaitl (Classical Nahuatl): coastal lagoon, estuary

Definitions

  1. coastal lagoon, estuary

Ancestry of “amaitl”, step by step

amaitl traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Classical Nahuatl ātl

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

via Classical Nahuatl māitl

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Classical Nahuatlmāitlhand, arm; arm, hand
2Proto-Nahuan*maa(y)(V)-—
Every word from Proto-Uto-Aztecan pa →Every word from Proto-Nahuan *aa- →Every word from Classical Nahuatl ātl →