firma.

(a loanword from Spanish)

Headword: 
firma.
Principal English Translation: 

signature; often a rubric
(a loanword from Spanish)

Orthographic Variants: 
pilma, pilman, firman, filma, frma, pirma
Lockhart’s Nahuatl as Written: 

ypilman = ifirma (his signature)
James Lockhart, Nahuatl as Written: Lessons in Older Written Nahuatl, with Copious Examples and Texts (Stanford: Stanford University Press and UCLA Latin American Studies, 2001), 201.

Attestations from sources in English: 

amo nictlalli nofirma ypampa amo nicmati nitlacuiloz onictlalli ome cruz nomachiouh = I did not put down my signature because I do not know how to write; I put down my rubric [sign], two crosses (Coyoacan 1575)
Rebecca Horn, Postconquest Coyoacan: Nahua-Spanish Relations in Central Mexico, 1519–1650 (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997), 162, 319.

yuh quineltilihque yhuan mofirmatique yhuan caueceras mofirmatique = so confirmed it and signed; the cabecera rulers also signed
The Tlaxcalan Actas: A Compendium of the Records of the Cabildo of Tlaxcala (1545–1627), eds. James Lockhart, Frances Berdan, and Arthur J.O. Anderson (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1986), 126.

yuhqui quimitavili yn magco sro corror ypan mofirmatique = Thus the magnificent sir corregidor spoke to them (Tlaxcala, 1547)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 22, 120.

tictlalia tomachio totoca tofirma = we place our rubrics, our names, our signatures (Coyoacan, 1557)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 12, 92–93.

çan tlapic oquitlatlalli pirma = falsely placed the signatures (San Pedro Huehuetlan, Soconusco, 1565)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 30, 194–195.

ypan quitlalique infirmas yntoca = they placed their signatures, their names; ipan nictlalli nofirma notoca = I put my signature, my name (Tlaxcala, 1566)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 1, 52–53.

nican nictlalia nomachiouh notocan nopilman = I put here my rubric, name, and signature (Coyoacan, 1568)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 11, 90–91.

mofirmatique motocayotique = signed and wrote their names (Tlaxcala, 1566)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 1 (related documents), 52–53.

yn infirmas yntocatçintica (Xochimilco, 1572)
Frances Karttunen and James Lockhart, Nahuatl in the Middle Years: Language Contact Phenomena in Texts of the Colonial Period, Linguistics 85 (Los Angeles, University of California Publications, 1976), 94.

nican tictlallia totoca tofirma = we put here our names and signatures; nican nictlallia notoca nofirma= I put here my name and signature (Coyoacan, 1573)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 16, 100–101.

tictlalia tomachiyo tofirmas = we put here our rubrics and signatures(Coyoacan, 1575)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 13, 94–95.

nican nictlalia nofirma cruz = I...put here my signature of a cross(Coyoacan, 1575)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 20, 114–115.

Y nica quitlalia yfilma in itoca = Here [three men] place their signatures and names (Nombre de Dios, Durango, late-16th century, 1585?)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 23, 128–129.

oquimofirmayotilli (Coyoacan, 1613)
Frances Karttunen and James Lockhart, Nahuatl in the Middle Years: Language Contact Phenomena in Texts of the Colonial Period, Linguistics 85 (Los Angeles, University of California Publications, 1976), Doc. 6, 105.

nictlalia nofirma = I put my signature (San Bartolomé Atenco, Coyoacan, 1575)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 20, 114–115.

Nican tictoLaLiLia tomachioL tofrma = we place here our rubrics and signatures; titofrmatia = we sign [S. Francisco Tzacualco (in west?), 1629]
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 31, 196–199.

nican mofirmatiya = they sign here; nican mofirmatiya = here they sign [S. Francisco Analcotitlan (Jalisco?), 1652]
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 8., 78–81.

nican timofirmatia = we sign here (San Martín Hidalgo, Jalisco, 1653)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 28, 176–177.

nican tictlalia totoca tofirma we place here our names and signatures (S. Simón Pochtlan, Azcapotzalco, 1695)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 5, 72–73.

nican quiMotlalilia Yn infirmatzin = here...affixed their signatures; Ynin Amatl Yca firmaz = this signed document (Azcapotzalco, 1703)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 14, 96–97.

nicneltilia yca y notoCa y nofirma (Centlalpan, Chalco, 1736)
Frances Karttunen and James Lockhart, Nahuatl in the Middle Years: Language Contact Phenomena in Texts of the Colonial Period, Linguistics 85 (Los Angeles, University of California Publications, 1976), Doc. 10.

nican quimotlalilia intocatzin yhuan infirmatzin yCa testigos = here they put their names and signatures, with witnesses (Azcapotzalco, 1738)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 17, 102–103.

nican tictlalia totoCa yhuan tofirma yCa testigos = we put here our names and signatures [with[ witnesses (Azcapotzalco, 1738)
Beyond the Codices, eds. Arthur J.O. Anderson, Frances Berdan, and James Lockhart (Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center, 1976), Doc. 17, 106–107.

Attestations from sources in Spanish: 

amo quimati amatli ynic amo pilmati = no sabe escribir ni firmar (Tizatlan, Tlaxcala, 1599)
Vidas y bienes olvidados: Testamentos indígenas novohispanos, vol. 2, Testamentos en náhuatl y castellano del siglo XVI, eds., Teresa Rojas Rabiela, Elsa Leticia Rea López, Constantino Medina Lima (Mexico: Consejo Nacional de Ciencias Tecnología, 1999), 318–319.

mofilmati motocayoti yn señor teniente = El señor teniete aquí puso su firma y su nombre. (Santa Bárbara Tamasolco, 1593)
Vidas y bienes olvidados: Testamentos indígenas novohispanos, vol. 1, Testamentos en castellano del siglo XVI y en náhuatl y castellano de Ocotelulco de los siglos XVI y XVII, eds. Teresa Rojas Rabiela, Elsa Leticia Rea López, y Constantino Medina Lima (Mexico: CIESAS, 1999), 210–211.

yhuan yn tehuantin hoccepa tictlalia totoca tofilma yc titlaneltilia = y nosotros otra vez pusimos nuestro nombre y nuestra firma para dar veracidad (Santa Ana Acolco, 1629)
Vidas y bienes olvidados: Testamentos indígenas novohispanos, vol. 1, Testamentos en castellano del siglo XVI y en náhuatl y castellano de Ocotelulco de los siglos XVI y XVII, eds. Teresa Rojas Rabiela, Elsa Leticia Rea López, y Constantino Medina Lima (Mexico: CIESAS, 1999), 188-189.

oquimotlalilique yntocatzin yhuan yn infirmatzin = firmaron de sus nombres y firmas (Ciudad de México, 1582)
Luis Reyes García, Eustaquio Celestino Solís, Armando Valencia Ríos, et al, Documentos nauas de la Ciudad de México del siglo XVI (México: Centro de Investigación y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social y Archivo General de la Nación, 1996), 182.