Where does “amiztli” come from?

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

amiztli (Classical Nahuatl): sea lion

Definitions

  1. sea lion

Ancestry of “amiztli”, step by step

amiztli 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 miztli

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Classical NahuatlmiztliPuma/cougar/mountain lion
2Proto-Uto-Aztecanmusawildcat
Every word from Proto-Uto-Aztecan pa →Every word from Proto-Nahuan *aa- →Every word from Classical Nahuatl ātl →