Nahuatl Words in English

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Instructions: From chocolate to tomato, discover how the Aztec Nahuatl language gave English some of its most delicious words!

1.
The word 'chocolate' comes from the Nahuatl 'xocolatl.' What does 'xocolatl' roughly translate to?
A
Dark bean
B
Sweet drink
C
Royal beverage
D
Bitter water
2.
Which common fruit's English name comes from the Nahuatl 'tomatl'?
A
Tomato
B
Avocado
C
Potato
D
Pepper
3.
The word 'avocado' comes from the Nahuatl 'ahuacatl.' What did 'ahuacatl' also mean in Nahuatl?
A
Fatty pear
B
Testicle (due to its shape)
C
Green fruit
D
Tree egg
4.
Which English word for a type of coyote comes directly from the Nahuatl 'coyotl'?
A
Wolf
B
Jackal
C
Coyote
D
Fox
5.
The word 'chili' (the pepper) comes from the Nahuatl 'chilli.' How long have chili peppers been cultivated in Mesoamerica?
A
About 1,000 years
B
About 3,000 years
C
Over 6,000 years
D
About 500 years
6.
Which English word for a type of sauce made from avocados comes from the Nahuatl 'ahuacamolli'?
A
Salsa verde
B
Mole sauce
C
Guacamole
D
Pico de gallo
7.
The word 'cacao' (the source of cocoa and chocolate) comes from Nahuatl. What did the Aztecs use cacao beans for besides food?
A
Building material
B
Currency
C
Jewelry
D
Medicine only
8.
Which English word for a type of axolotl (a salamander) comes directly from Nahuatl?
A
Salamander
B
Gecko
C
Axolotl
D
Newt
9.
The word 'axolotl' in Nahuatl roughly translates to what?
A
Mud swimmer
B
River fish
C
Little dragon
D
Water monster or water dog
10.
Which word for a flat corn-based bread comes from the Nahuatl word through Spanish?
A
Tortilla
B
Flatbread
C
Naan
D
Pita
11.
The word 'mesquite' (a type of tree) comes from the Nahuatl 'mizquitl.' What is mesquite commonly used for?
A
Smoking and grilling food
B
Building houses
C
Weaving cloth
D
Making paper
12.
Which word for an ocelot (a wild cat) comes from the Nahuatl 'ocelotl'?
A
Jaguar
B
Puma
C
Lynx
D
Ocelot
13.
The word 'tamale' comes from the Nahuatl 'tamalli.' What is a tamale?
A
A corn dough dish wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf
B
A type of soup
C
A fried tortilla
D
A spicy stew
14.
Which type of small dog breed gets its name from a Mexican state, which in turn has Nahuatl origins?
A
Chihuahua
B
Pomeranian
C
Terrier
D
Poodle
15.
The word 'shack' may derive from the Nahuatl 'xacalli.' What did 'xacalli' mean?
A
A cave dwelling
B
A tent
C
A storage shed
D
A wooden hut or adobe cabin

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