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Náhuatl Words You Use as Mexican Slang Without Realizing It
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Add a word/Sounds like "teh" (as in "ten") + "pahl" (as in "park") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "teh" (as in "ten")/
Meaning
A fragment of pre-Hispanic ceramic or clay pottery that turns up in archaeological excavations in Mexico. The word comes from the Nahuatl "tepalli" (smooth stone) and is used in academic, museum, and archaeological contexts to refer to these ancient ceramic shards.
Examples
“The museum has ceramic fragments that are over two thousand years old.”
“Archaeologists found Aztec-era pottery shards in the historic city center.”
Regional synonyms
/Sounds like "teh" (as in "ten") + "pahl" (as in "park") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "teh" (as in "ten")/
Meaning
In Mexico, a broken, useless, and worthless item or a person of little value, often used to describe something that is beyond repair or has no worth.
Examples
“That old, broken phone is a tepalcate, buy a new one.”
“The museum has ancient tepalcates dating back over two thousand years.”
Showing 2 definitions, sorted by votes
Community
Your word isn't here yet
Join Hablaaa and add the expression no one else has documented.
/Sounds like "teh" (as in "ten") + "pahl" (as in "park") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "teh" (as in "ten")/
Meaning
A fragment of pre-Hispanic ceramic or clay pottery that turns up in archaeological excavations in Mexico. The word comes from the Nahuatl "tepalli" (smooth stone) and is used in academic, museum, and archaeological contexts to refer to these ancient ceramic shards.
Examples
“The museum has ceramic fragments that are over two thousand years old.”
“Archaeologists found Aztec-era pottery shards in the historic city center.”
Regional synonyms
/Sounds like "teh" (as in "ten") + "pahl" (as in "park") + "KAH" (as in "car") + "teh" (as in "ten")/
Meaning
In Mexico, a broken, useless, and worthless item or a person of little value, often used to describe something that is beyond repair or has no worth.
Examples
“That old, broken phone is a tepalcate, buy a new one.”
“The museum has ancient tepalcates dating back over two thousand years.”
Showing 2 definitions, sorted by votes
Articles featuring this word
Lambeculos
An extreme, shameless brown-noser who flatters anyone with power, without dignity or limits. In Colombia and Venezuela, lambeculos is the outermost edge of sycophancy: the person who cheers on the boss even when the boss is completely wrong, just to stay in their good graces.