a jaguar (Felis onca), or an ocelot (Felis pardalis); a warrior; a calendrical marker; also, a person's name; sometimes translated or represented as a tigre (tiger) or a león (lion), animals that were not known in the Americas prior to colonization; could be associated with masculinity and taking care of women (see attestations)
Fernando Horcasitas explains that dances in Nahua pueblos often carry the name "tecuani" in Nahuatl or "tigre" in Spanish, but the animal of reference, originally, was the ocelotl. Sixteenth-century scholars who described the pre-Columbian calendars used the term "tigre" to translate "ocelotl," too.
ce ozelotl ycxitlan = ce: o:ce:lo:tl i:cxitlan = a jaguar at his feet (Tlaxcala, ca. 1600) [ce ocelotl icxitlan]
quitzonaya yn tepo naz tlí- Yhuá cololí; cuauh coyolím, yhuá hoccequine Yaotlatquítl ycamiec tzatziliztli, tla huelecayo tíca cayȗh, Ozelomê mimiztín = quitzonaya in tepona:ztli i:hua:n cololi, cuauhcoyolin, i:hua:n oc cequi:ne ya:o:tlatquitl i:ca miec tzahtziliztli, tlahue:lehcayo:tica ca iuh o:celo: meh, mimi:ztin = they beat the lateral log drum and trumpets, wooden bells, along with other war property, with much furious shouting, like coyotes, jaguars, and mountain lions. (Tlaxcala, ca. 1600)
vcelueoaicpali (oceloehuaicpalli) = Jaguar skin seat (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
In the ongoing discussion of cat terms Kier Salmon brings up the subject of Nahuatl *ocelotl*. The latter (*o:ce:lo:tl*) is actually 'jaguar' par excellence, whereas *tla'coo:ce:lo:tl *(literally, 'semi-jaguar') is 'ocelot'. I have no idea why Dibble and Anderson (or Anderson and Dibble) decided to continue translating plain *o:ce:lo:tl* simply as 'ocelot', which is quite a misleading definition. The zoologist they consulted, Stephen Durrant, recommended 'jaguar' over their 'ocelot' (Florentine Codex, Bk. 11, 1963, p. 1, fn. 2), but they stuck to their translation. As a result, they rendered both *o:ce:lo:tl* and *tla'coo:ce:lo:tl* as "ocelot". The indigenous consultants for the Florentine Codex descriptions, however, clearly regarded the *tla'coo:ce:lo:tl*, which they also named the * tla'comiztli* ('semi-puma'), as a separate animal, not merely a different kind of *o:ce:lo:tl*, as the following passage (FC 11: 3) implies:
Nohmatca nehhuātl NiNāhualocēlōtl = It is I in person. I am Nahualli-jaguar. (Atenango, between Mexico City and Acapulco, 1629)
quimonpehualtique yn ocellome castillan = they sent two jaguars off to Spain (central Mexico, early seventeenth century)
ocelotl = Jaguar (a name given to a child) (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
aço cana ticmonequjltiz, in quauhtli in ocelutl = Perchance somewhere thou wilt require the eagle warrior, the ocelot warrior (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
luis ocelotl (the glyph on 120 is a head of an ocelot or jaguar) (Tepetlaoztoc, sixteenth century)
Quetzalcoatl: yn ehecatl ynteiacancauh yntlachpancauh in tlaloque, yn aoaque, yn qujqujiauhti. Auh yn jquac molhuja eheca, mjtoa: teuhtli quaqualaca, ycoioca, tetecujca, tlatlaiooa, tlatlalpitza, tlatlatzinj, motlatlaueltia. Auh yujn yn muchichioaia: ocelocopile, mjxtlilpopotz, hecanechioale, mizqujnechioale, tzicoliuhcanacoche, teucujtlaacuechcozque, quetzacoxollamamale, ocelotzitzile, icpaomjcicujle, hecacozcachimale, hecaujque, no poçulcaque. = Quetzalcoatl—he was the wind, the guide and road-sweeper of the rain gods, of the masters of the water, of those who brought rain. And when the wind rose, when the dust rumbled, and it crackled and there was a great din, and it became dark and the wind blew in many directions, and it thundered; then it was said: “{Quetzalcoatl} is wrathful.” And thus was he bedight: he had a conical ocelot-skin cap. His face was thickly smeared with soot. He was adorned with {spiral} wind and mesquite symbols. He had a curved, turquoise mosaic ear-pendant. He wore a gold neckband of small sea-shells. He had the quetzal-pheasant as a burden on his back. He had ocelot anklets with rattles. He wore a cotton bone {-ribbed} jacket. He carried the shield with the wind-shell design. He had the curved {inlaid} spear-thrower and also foam sandals. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
oc cepa no oalquiça, oc ce ocelutl, oallaecaiotitiuh, teecaiotitiujtz, çan no iuh qujchioaia calactiuetzi = Once again emerged another ocelot[-costumed warrior], who came out as third, doing the same as he quickly came out. (16th century, Mexico City)
ychan ymach ytoca Hozelotl = la casa de su sobrino llamado Hocelotl [sic] (Tlaxcala, 1564)
auh in mexica acalchimaltica micalque monamicque tlatilolca moch tlahuiztli co[n]maq’[ui]que M[art]in Xollotecatl ocelonahualle yetia co[n]maqui = Y los mexicanos combatieron con canoas escudo, se enfrentaron a los tlatelolcas, todos llevaban puestas sus insignias. Martín Xollotecatl fue como nahual de ocelote [ocelonahualle], se visitó [con tal insignia] (ca. 1582, México)
In ticuauhti, in tocelo = Eres águila, eres tigre (Eres varón, tu condición es mantener a la mujer) (centro de México, s. XVI)
axcan ypan xapato mo poa nahui cali tecpatl cali tochi acatl chihuitl cahuitl zipatli= ehecatl= cali= cuespali= cohuatl= miquistli= masatl= tochi= atl= iscuintli= osomatl= minali= acatl= ocelotl= quautli= coscaquautli= olin= tecpatl= quiahuitl= chochitl = ahoy en éste día sábado que se cuenta cuatro casa. Pedernal, Casa, Consejo, Caña, signos de los años en el Tiempo estos cuatro signos se cuentan. Lagarto, Mono, Viento, Yerba tocida, Casa, Caña, Lagartija, Tigre, Culebra, Aguila, Muerte, Aguila de collar, Venado, Movimiento, Conejo, Pedernal, Agua, Lluvia, Perro, Flor (Estado de Hidalgo, ca. 1722?)
yq[ua]c meuh papalocuicatl yc q'[ui]z yn ilhuitzin Sant Juan yquac yecauhque papalome yva[n] ocelome = entonces se interpretó el papalocuicatl, con esto se hizo la fiesta de San Juan, entonces se terminaron las mariposas y los ocelotes (ca. 1582, México)
1566 años yquac quauhpatlanihuac in tecpa[n]quiyahuac yc quinpapaquiltique in tlatovani macevalloc Axochitlayotl in meuh huel moce[n]cauh ynic Mexico macehualloc yhua[n] yn ofiçialesme nanahuintin yn inmaceuhcahua[n] moch moce[n]cauhque[ue] yhua[n] yn ipa[n] esta[n]çia yn ima altepetl moch hualla yn intlahuiz yn ipa[n] macehualloc auh hualla in xilla[n]hecatl Colhuaca[n] ocellotl / auh in quauhpatla[n]que yn icpac quauhtecomatl catca çitlalpapalotl yhuan tronpeta q'[ui]pitzaya yn icpac quahuitl = 1566 años, entonces hubo palo volador en el exterior del palacio con lo que alegraron al señor; se danzó y se interpretó el axochitla[ca]yotl; se arreglaron muy bien en México para danzar y los oficiales pusieron cada uno cuatro de sus danzantes, todos se arreglaron bien. Y de las estancias, manos del altepetl vinieron todas sus insignias con las cuales danzaron. Y vino el xillanhecatl, el ocelote de Colhuacan. Y los danzantes del palo volador, tenían sobre la manzana la citlalpapalotl y tocaban una trompeta encima del palo. (ca. 1582, México)
auh in mexica acalchimaltica micalque monamicque tlatilolca moch tlahuiztli co[n]maq’[ui]que M[art]in Xollotecatl ocelonahualle yetia co[n]maqui = Y los mexicanos combatieron con canoas escudo, se enfrentaron a los tlatelolcas, todos llevaban puestas sus insignias. Martín Xollotecatl fue como nahual de ocelote [ocelonahualle], se visitó [con tal insignia] (ca. 1582, México)
Juã ozolotl = Juan Ocelotl (Tlaixpan, 1575)