tecpatl

Central Nahuatl

Etymology

From Classical Nahuatl tecpatl.

Noun

tecpatl

1. Stone knife

Classical Nahuatl

The glyph designating the day ce tecpatl (“one flint knife”), as depicted on f. 11r the Codex Magliabechiano.

Etymology

Equivalent to tetl "stone" + *icpatl "top" (compare icpactli "top", icpalli "high-backed seat") according to Andrews (2003).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈtekpat͡ɬ]

Noun

tecpatl inan (plural tecpatl)

1. (it is) flint.
2. (it is) a flint knife
3. (it is) a fint knife motif, especially when worn as an adornment.
4. (it is) the eighteenth day sign of the Aztec tōnalpōhualli, represented by a stylized, red and white lanceolate flint knife.
   • 16th c., Codex Magliabechiano, represented by a stylized flint knife.

     çe tec patl'. ques vna piedra. de pedernal a figura de hierro cõ que ellos sacrificauã

     ce tecpatl. that is to say, a piece of flint shaped like a knife which they used in sacrifice.

References

• Andrews, J. Richard. (2003) Workbook for Introduction to Classical Nahuatl, Revised Edition, University of Oklahoma Press, page 225, 249.
• Karttunen, Frances. (1983) An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl, University of Texas Press, page 217.
• Lockhart, James. (2001) Nahuatl as Written, Stanford University Press, page 233.