metlapil

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Nahuatl metlapīlli (“hand-held grinding stone”), from metlatl (“metate”) + pīlli (“son”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /metlaˈpil/ [me.t̪laˈpil]
• Rhymes: -il
• Syllabification: me‧tla‧pil

Noun

metlapil m (plural metlapiles)

1. (Honduras, Mexico) a cylindrical grinding stone, especially one used with a metate

Related terms

• mano
• metate

See also

• molcajete
• tejolote

References

• Carlos Montemayor et al. (2009), Diccionario del náhuatl en el español de México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, page 86

Further reading

• “metlapil”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025