-yotl

Classical Nahuatl

Pronunciation

• IPA: /-joːt͡ɬ/

Suffix

-yōtl

1. (added to nouns) -ness, -ity, -hood, -ship; forms abstract nouns.

Examples:

tahyōtl (“paternity, fatherhood”), from tahtli (“father”)

tepitōnyōtl (“smallness”), from tepitōn (“something small”)

tōltēcayōtl (“artisanry”), from tōltēcatl (“artisan”)

1. (added to nouns) forms concrete nouns with senses extended from the original.

Examples:

ācayōtl (“piping”), from ācatl (“cane”)

iztayōtl (“brine”), from iztatl (“salt”)

yāōyōtl (“war, warfare”), from yāōtl (“enemy”)

Usage notes

The spelling of the particle changes in some situations:

• After ch it becomes -chōtl

  oquichchōtl (“semen”), from oquichtli (“man, husband”)

• After l it becomes -lōtl

  nāhuallōtl (“sorcery”), from nāhualli (“sorcerer”)

• After z it becomes -zōtl

  māhuizzōtl (“honor”), from māhuiztli (“fear”)

Derived terms

[+] Classical Nahuatl words suffixed with -yotl

References

• 2001, James Lockhart, Nahuatl as Written: Lessons in Older Written Nahuatl, with Copious Examples and Texts, Stanford University Press, page 242: