Etymology Explorer › Spanish

Where does “macuahuitl” come from?

macuahuitl (Spanish) comes from Classical Nahuatl māccuahuitl, from Classical Nahuatl māc, from Old Dutch māg, from Proto-Germanic mēgaz, from Proto-Indo-European mag'- — to be able, help.

Ancestry of “macuahuitl”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Classical Nahuatlmāccuahuitl—
2Classical Nahuatlmācin the hand
3Old Dutchmāg—
4Proto-Germanicmēgazson-in-law; or more generally, a relative through...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmag'-to be able, help
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mag'- →