olcoatl. | Nahuatl Dictionary

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olcoatl.

Headword:

olcoatl.

Principal English Translation:

a type of rattlesnake
Digital Florentine Codex/Códice Florentino Digital, edited by Kim N. Richter and Alicia Maria Houtrouw, "Book 11: Earthly Things", fol. 81r, Getty Research Institute, 2023. https://florentinecodex.getty.edu/en/book/11/folio/81r/images/c75ecc7d-f... Accessed 31 October 2025.

Attestations from sources in English:

The ol- at the start of the name may refer to movement (olin) or rubber (olli). The image in the Florentine Codex shows it to be black or dark gray. (SW)

The Gran Diccionario Náhuatl (citing Wimmer 2004), states: "Désigne sans doute un être mythique." (It probably refers to a mythical being.) (Engl. transl. by SW) The GDN also mentions Garibay, "Serpiente del hule." (Rubber serpent.) (Engl. transl. by SW)