bone(s); also occasionally seen as a land measurement; possibly being a measure from the elbow to the wrist, or the length of the forearm (like the matzotzopaztli, perhaps; also note that the weaving batten was a tzotzopaztli, though usually a bit longer than the forearm bone)
A document from Mexico City from the year 1600 that uses both matl and maitl for a measurement, speaking of chinampas, provides a window onto omitl: "matlactli oce mait ypan cemomitl." A translation from 1697 uses braza to translate matl/maitl, and explains that the omitl was 1/3 of a matl/maitl.
njman ic qujmontlapachoa, qujmonixqujmjloa, cecenme, ica neçaoalquachtli, tliltic omjcallo, ioan qujmonmaca icpaxiqujpilli, tliltic omjcallo, in vncan temj copalli = Then they veiled and covered their faces, each one of them, with black fasting capes designed with bones. And they gave them cotton incense bags, black and designed with bones, which they filled with incense (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
omitl = a fraction of a matl, and it is translated as "codo," possibly making the measure from the elbow to the wrist (San Hipólito Teocaltitlan, Mexico City, 1592)
"mitl" (short for omitl?) appears in a document and appears to be a fraction of a matl, translated twice as "media braza" (San Hipólito Teocaltitlan, Mexico City, 1593)
nomiuh = my bone
yn inecauhcatzin yn imomiyotzin Sanctome ompa = the relics and bones of saints (early seventeenth century, central New Spain)
Bones (omitl) are given as some of the essential items found in the "devil's houses" (Sahagún).
iyomiyo, yomiyo = his or her bones; omiyotl = bones
Uel nomiuh, uel momiuh. Itechpa mitoa: in tlein nicnopialia...no uel itech mocaquia in yeuecauh: in aquin tlamaya yaoc = Strictly my bone, strictly your bone. This is said when I hold fast to something that belongs to me...It meant the same in the past when someone took a captive in battle.
in nomiuh = your (sic?) bone (e.g. on your plate)
in nomiyo = your (sic?) bone (part of your body), your bones
Nouhquiya teipan quemman maltiyaya huacca quena quilliah tlen quizqui pan itlacayo:
Tomin: Ni tomin eliyaya huehhueyi huan quence huahcapatomin, nouhquiya quipiyaya hueliz miac xihuitl eltoya pan itlacayo, neciyaya yayahuic.
Cantelah: Eltoya ome cantelahcotoctli nezqui quence yancuic nocca hueliz yancuic quichihuiltoqueh tequitl tlen axcualli huan yeca queuhquinon nezqui.
Omitl: Ome omitl cuecuetzitzin nouhquiya hueliz ayicanah tlahuel huahcahua neciyaya nocca chipahuac.
Amatlatehtectli: Ni amatl quizqui hazta yayahuic hueliz huahcauhquiya eltoc pan itlacayo.
Tetl: Quizqui ome tetl zan tlen zancualli hueyi, yayahuic huan yehyectzin petlanih huan alaxtique. (Cruz de la Cruz and Dufendach
2019, 657) = After bathing then they told her what came out of her body:
Pieces of money: the money pieces were large, and they seemed to be from an older time. It also seemed like they had been in her body a long time because they were black.
Candle: there were pieces of candle that seemed newer. The pieces must have been from bad works done recently.
Bones: two small bones that also appeared newer because they were still white.
Paper cuttings: the paper cuttings were black so perhaps they had been in her body a long time.
Rocks: two rocks came out that were fairly large. Tey were black, pretty, shiny, and smooth.] (Cruz de la Cruz and Dufendach 2019,
665)
ça omitl aoctle ynacayo = sólo eran huesos descarnados (Tlaxcala, 1662–1692)
omitl = hueso; nomiuh (por no-omiuh) = mi hueso