a plural ending for nouns, originally for animates (people, animals, etc.)
Only animate beings (people and animals) were to be given the plural form in Classical Nahuatl. Typical plural endings are -tin and -meh (or, as Launey writes it, mê). Plurals can also be indicated through reduplication. Exceptions of inanimate plurals include mountains (tētepê) and stars (cīcitlāltin), which probably relate to their personification in religious belief. Also, -tin will follow a consonant, but the plural ending -meh (or, for linguists, -mê) will follow either a vowel or a consonant.
yz ca quitlapialli y tlatovani quipia ycuezcu yva totome quipia = Here is the one who guards things for the tlatoani, who guards his grain bin and the turkey hens (Cuernavaca region, ca. 1540s)
nican tlami yn intlahtol huehuetque yn achto christianosme catca yn achto momachtianime pipiltin catca = here ends the account of the ancient ones who were the first Christians, the nobleman who were the first neophytes; and: tlaca españa yn españolesme yn huel ixquich yc omocenmanque in ipā cemanahuatl = the people of Spain, the Spaniards who then expanded over all the world. (central Mexico, early seventeenth century)
nican audiencia imixpan Regidorme (Coyoacan, 1557)
capilla y cuycanime y teopa ... ipampa y capilla (Coyoacan, before July 1549)
nca mahuistililonime Jues Sr Dn Visente ferrer Bautista ihuan Alcalde Dn Marcos Juan i lle mochintin Ofisiales de Republica (Azcapotzalco, 1738)
ma quimatican in ixquichime quitazque yn notestamo = know all who see my testament (Tlaxcala, 1566)
tlacat. nican tepiltzin. criyoyo mitohua yntech quiça yn pipiltin conquistadoresme = the child of people here, called a criollo; he comes from the noble conquerors (early seventeenth century, central New Spain)
incozqui diablome = the necklaces of the devils (Mexico City, sixteenth century)
amilome = white fish (pl.), called amilotes in Spanish (early seventeenth century, central New Spain)
meme = magueyes (San Pablo Tepemaxalco, Toluca Valley, 1710)
tlalmilme = fields (a plural that shows influence of Spanish speech on native vocabulary -- from a notary writing in the first half of the eighteenth century)
ticeme = one of us. From ceme -- one of a group. Plural of ce; cemeh = some of them.
Notice the use of "home" (two) and "yeyme" (three) in Zapata y Mendoza, which suggests that the -me of ome is a plural ending. (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
Search this dictionary, additionally, for teopixquime, juezesme, tialldesme, tirregidoresme, hobispome, presme, preme, Judiosme, tlateotocanime, ocellome, yndiome, cabildome, etc.
yn quenin oquitlalique otlanavatique cequintin Corregidoresme in imaltepepova ipan corregidorti = comó lo han dispuesto y ordenado otros corregidores en los pueblos en los cuales son corregidores (Cuauhtinchan, Puebla, s. XVI)
home noço yeyme = dos o tres (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
yeyme zouah = tres mujeres (Tlaxcala, 1567)
ynicuac omomanque altepeme = cuando se extendieron [establecieron] los pueblos
Este mismo lenguaje se encuentra en el manuscrito Techialoyan afiliado con Ocoyacac, y probablemente otros manuscritos de este género, por que el vocabulario no es muy variable. El Dr. James Lockhart lo ve como una construcción rara, pero está incluida en el diccionario de la Dra. Frances Karttunen.
amame = los papeles;
amame = los documentos (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
Los nombres terminados en ni añaden me: tlatoani, rey, príncipe, tlatoanime, reyes, príncipes; temachtiani, maestro, predic ador, el que enseña, temachtianime, maestros, etc.