Glossary

anhinga:

snakebird, darter; fish-eating bird of warm inland waters having a long flexible neck and slender sharp-pointed bill; dark plumage

aquittazque:

"they will not see it" (= electronic counter-countermeasures or ECCM)

chacmool:

statue of a reclining deity with a bowl or depression in its belly, intended to receive the blood from sacrifices.

Chamber of Ixquitecatl:

sickbay/autodoc of a ship

coatl:

serpent

cotinga:

chatterer, flycatcher, tyrant flycatcher, tyrant bird; passerine bird with bright red and black plumage

Eagle Knights:

the most prestigious of military orders in Cuauhtlicalli

ehuayotilahuac:

thick hulled; thick-barked; thick-skinned

foldspace:

the no-space between dimensions which the Azteca cross to travel between distant locations.  Unlike most FTL techniques used in sci-fi, folding space does not require one to be outside a gravity well to perform.  Moving big pieces of equipment (like mecha) requires that they have special equipment to amplify the foldspace ability.  Most City-States (Ixcuina being the exception) have very large transport ships that they carry their warrior skins through foldspace in.

Heart-of-Jade:

power source of all Azteca technology, including autonomous units such as mechs; designed by the Huitznahua to be very unstable so that any tampering with causes it to explode.

Huellachia:

"It sees well" (= refined sensors)

Itzehuatl:

"Obsidian skin" (= Foamed crystal armour)

iyac:

leader of a small group of warriors (usually ten warriors.)  Also: "his nose"; "its nose"; "its tip"; "its end"; "stinking".

jacana:

small tropical wading bird with extremely large feet enabling it to walk on floating vegetation; brown and white plumage with a bright yellow neck spot

Ja-Naketh:

The Ja-Naketh were a race of rocklike beings that had a group mind mentality.  They were defeated and destroyed by the Tolteca before the Azteca were ever brought to the Spirit Warrior Empire.

KreeSara:

The enemy currently fought by the Spirit Warrior Empire.  They have been driven back to their homeworld and the forces of Quetzalcoatl took the battle back to them, but Chantico took the opportunity to strike at Quetzaltepec in the War of Flowers.

Litany of Preparedness:

pre-flight check

Mochimaltia:

"it forms a shield" (= electronic countermeasures, or ECM suite)

nahuatl:

language of the Azteca

Ocelot Knights:

the most prestigious of military orders in Chantico

papalotl:

butterfly (also the name of a small unarmed shuttle class)

Pilot's House:

bridge of a ship

priests of Macuiltotec:

those in charge of mecha maintenance and repair.  The actual work is conducted by slaves whose tongues have been cut out to prevent them from revealing the secrets of the Gods' Gifts.

Revered Speaker:

head priest and ruler of a city-state

Shadow Walkers:

Spirit Warriors have encountered strange, "invisible" foes out on the borders of the Spirit Warrior Empire.  They attack without warning, often wiping out entire War Parties from ambush.  Little is known about them.  None have ever been captured, and no wreckage has ever been recovered from battles. Thus far they have not made any major incursions into the heart of the Spirit Warrior Empire.

Snake Woman:

Second-in-command to the Revered Speaker, the Snake Woman is, paradoxically, always male.  The title originates from the legend that the Snake Woman (an aspect of the earth goddess) helped Quetzalcoatl to create life.  The holder of this position is always hand-picked by the Revered Speaker and is often in charge of all military operations.

Spirit Helper:

on-board computer

teaching suit:

virtual-reality simulator to train warriors to the use of mechs.

tequiua:

[teh-KEE-oo-ah.  Lit. "Beast of prey"] rank one step above iyac.

tlachtli:

a ball game played in an I-shaped court, with two teams facing along the long side of the I.  There are two hoops in the centre of each long side, and each team tries to bounce the ball into the other's side of the court.  The players cannot use their hands, head or feet to strike the ball.  They wear extensive protective equipment, including neck, leg, arm and head protection.  The most spectacular shot one can do is to send the ball through a hoop with a hip shot, a fairly unlikely event.  The game immediately stops and victory is declared.  Defeat often means, for important games, being sacrificed to the gods.  Of course, victory often means, for important games, being sacrificed to the gods!

tlazochimalli:

"precious shield" (= command armour)

warrior shrine:

repair bay for mecha

warrior skin:

mecha

yaoquizque:

novice warrior

Nahuatl Source Materials: Nahuatl language vocabulary and dictionary links
Nahuatl HyperLex: Lexicon Search Engine
Nahuatl-English Basic Dictionary

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