How Did Avocado Get Its Name?
Avocados are one of the most popular fruits – yes, it’s a fruit – in the world. Think about, amongst all the food trends that have come and gone, avocados in any form, have always been staple. These versatile and healthy green superfoods don’t just make for an interesting snack, but also bring with them an interesting story.
What if we tell you that everytime you sliced up avocados, you were actually eating something named after genitalia? Yep, you read that right. It’s time for an etymology story. So, how did avocado get its name? Let’s find out.
How Did Avocado Get Its Name: The History
Indigenous people of Mexico and Central America discovered the avocado in 500 BC, around the time when the place was filled with Nahuatl-speaking Aztecs. It wasn’t until the 1800s that avocados made their way to the U.S. They quickly gained popularity, prompting farmers in California, Florida, and Hawaii to begin cultivating avocados in an effort to meet the growing local demand. Additionally, the first Hass avocado was cultivated in 1926 by a local farmer.
So, back to our main question: how did avocado get its name?
The Aztecs who discovered avocados spoke their indigenous language Nahuatl. After discovering this fruit, the Aztecs named it the nahuatl word āhuacatl, which means both “testicles” and “avocado.”
If literally translated, avocado means testicles! The Online Etymology Dictionary also has “testicles” as the secondary meaning of avocado.
Yes, that’s right! The most trending, tasty and healthy superfood is actually named after the male reproductive organ!
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Seems very obvious now that you think of it, right? It is likely that the texture, shape, and size of the fruit, and the way they hang in pairs from the tree were the inspiration behind the origin of the name of avocado.
Due to this, Aztecs also believed that the fruit promoted fertility for both men and women and became a common aphrodisiac. However, this is just a common myth and not a scientifically backed fact.
The name ‘āhuacatl’ evolved shortly after Spanish conquerors arrived and began to adapt to Mesoamerican culture. A lot of words were revised and simplified during this time. For example: The Nahuatl word tomatl became tomate in Spanish. This is when āhuacatl became “aguacate,” which today is the Spanish word for avocado, so the association with testicles went away with the name change.
Good thing they changed it, right? Now you won’t think about testicles every time you buy avocados.
Does guacamole mean testicle sauce?
We don’t want to ruin your favorite snack…. but people have speculated that guacamole translates to “testicle sauce.” That’s not it… the Nahuatl word, mōlli, means “sauce.” Mesoamerican language specialist, Frances Karttunen, has debunked this myth already but it has to be a crazy coincidence, right?
According to him, when the original word was modified from ‘āhuacatl’ to aguacate, it lost its double meaning connotation. The Spanish word didn’t carry the same meaning anymore so technically, guacamole couldn’t mean testicle sauce.
“Seems to me that contemporary Nahuah get a giggle out of looking up at the fruit hanging in the trees and thinking of them as vegetable testicles,” says Dr. Karttunen. “But, except in jest, I don’t think a Nahua would imagine āhuacamōllito be anything other than mashed up avocado.”
All that matters is that our favorite avocado smoothie is not actually a testicle smoothie!
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The Journey of Avocado: Final Thoughts
Now we all know what are avocados named after, but this isn’t going to change anything, right? We still love our versatile green superfood.
However, this interesting etymology might just bring a smile to your face the next time you are buying avocados or making your favorite avocado toast for breakfast. Share the story with your friends and impress them with the history of how did avocado get its name the next time you host, especially with a bowl full of guacamole!
If you like etymology stories, be sure to read the history of the word ‘DUDE’.
