nahualism

N1A1H4U1A1L1I1S1M3

noun

The Mesoamerican belief that certain human beings can transform into animals.

OriginNahuatl nahualli →
Scrabble 14
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounnahualism (uncountable)

alternative nagualism

  1. uncountableartsThe Mesoamerican belief that certain human beings can transform into animals.

Origin

  1. Nahuatlnahualli“sorcerer, spirit, animal form a person may take”
  2. Englishnahualism

From nahual + -ism. The first element is from Nahuatl nahualli (“sorcerer, spirit, animal form a person may take”).

More words from Nahuatl

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

nahualism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nahualism

MLA

“nahualism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nahualism. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nahualism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nahualism.

Source: nahualism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.