ic nahuilhuitl semana

Classical Nahuatl

Alternative forms

• ycnauiluitl semana (obsolete spelling)

Etymology

From ic nāhui (“fourth”) +‎ ilhuitl (“day”) +‎ semana (“week”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [i.naːˈwiɬ.wit͡ɬ ʃiˈmaː.naʔ]

Noun

ic nāhuilhuitl semana (inanimate)

1. Wednesday; the fourth day of the week.
   • 1571, Alonso de Molina, Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana y mexicana y castellana, f. 85r. col. 1:

     Miercoles,dia dela ſemana. lo meſmo. vel. ycnauil / huitl ſemana.

     Wednesday, the day of the week. the same, or ycnauilhuitl ſemana.

Usage notes

• It should be noted that the seven-day week was adopted by the Aztecs only after the Spanish conquest. Prior to Spanish arrival the Aztecs used two calendrical systems: the tōnalpōhualli (“day count”), divided into 20 trecenas, or periods of 13 days, for a total of 260 days; and the xiuhpōhualli (“year count”), divided into 18 periods of 20 days each, plus another 5 unlucky days, for a total of 365 days.

Synonyms

• miercoles

References

• Alonso de Molina (1571) Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana y mexicana y castellana, Editorial Porrúa, page 85r