Zapotec (redirected from Zapotecs)

Za·po·tec  (zäp-tk, säp-)

n. pl. Zapotec or Za·po·tecs

1.

a. A member of a Mesoamerican Indian people centered at Monte Albán in southern Mexico, whose civilization reached its height around a.d. 300-900.

b. A modern-day descendant of this people.

2. Any of a group of related languages spoken in southern Mexico.

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[Spanish Zapoteco, from Nahuatl tzapotcah, pl. of tzapotcatl, person from Tzapotlan, from Tzapotln, place name : tzapotl, sapodilla + tln, place.]

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Zapo·tec adj.

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Zapotec [ˈzɑːpəˌtɛk]

n

1. (Social Science / Peoples) pl -tecs, -tec Also called Zapotecan [ˌzæpəʊˈtɛkən ˌzɑː-] any member of a large tribe of central American Indians inhabiting S Mexico, esp the Mexican state of Oaxaca

2. (Linguistics / Languages) the group of languages spoken by this people

3. (Social Science / Peoples) (Linguistics / Languages) Also Zapotecan of or relating to this people or their language

[from Spanish Zapoteca, from Nahuatl Tzapoteca, literally: people of the land of the sapodillas, from tzapotl sapodilla]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	Zapotec - a member of a large tribe of Mesoamericans living in southern Mexico whose civilization flourished around 300 to 900 Zapotecan American Indian, Indian, Red Indian - a member of the race of people living in America when Europeans arrived
	2.	Zapotec - the language of the Zapotec Zapotecan Uto-Aztecan, Uto-Aztecan language - a family of American Indian languages
Adj.	1.	Zapotec - of or relating to the language or culture of the Zapotec people