Mexican X-plainer: Balls, Nuts & Avocados
From time to time, I come across a meme or smirking social media post that claims the following:
“Avocado comes from the Aztecs’ word for testicle.” :lewd snicker:
And I’m like, “WTF? No, güey, absolutely not. Gah.”
Imagine some schlub five hundred years from now, giggling at the English words “balls” and “nuts.”
“Holy crap, Americans named their favorite sports equipment and a protein-rich food after their testicles! What a bunch of weirdos!”
Now imagine an interlocutor: “No, dude. I read online that their word for expensive gems came from the English word for testicles: jewels. Crazy!”
Then a clever friend of theirs jumps in. “That’s nothing! In Spanish, they named EGGS after their testicles, man. HUEVOS.”
I think you get the picture. Do you see how freaking stupid that is?
Yes, there was probably an informal, metaphorical use of “āhuacatl” (avocado) to stand for “ātetl” (the actual word for “testicles”).
But the name for the fruit came first, people. It wasn’t the OTHER WAY AROUND.
I’ll rant a bit more, then etymology time.
Why are folx so willing to believe this sort of nonsense? I’m not sure, but I see — again and…
