Classical Nahuatl

Alternative forms

• ycnauiluitl semana (obsolete spelling)

Noun

ic nāhuilhuitl semana ‎(inanimate)

1. Wednesday; the fourth day of the week.
   • 1571: Idem, 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, pages 85r