yohuac moteittitia

Classical Nahuatl

Alternative forms

• youac moteittitia (obsolete spelling)

Etymology

Literally “at night it appears before others”, from yohuac (“at night”) + mo- (“to itself”) + tē- (“to all, everybody”) + ittītia (“to make see”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈjó.wak mo.teːt̚.tiːˈtí.ja]

Noun

yohuac motēittītia (animate)

1. (it is) a nocturnal ghost or apparition, especially one seen as an evil omen.
   • 1571, Alonso de Molina, Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana y mexicana y castellana, f. 41v. col. 1:

     Youac moteittitia. fantaſma q parece denoche.

     Youac moteittitia. a ghost that appears at night.

Synonyms

• (ghost, apparition): yohualtētzāhuitl

References

• Alonso de Molina (1571) Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana y mexicana y castellana, Editorial Porrúa, page 41v