In guacamole’s Nahuatl source word, mōlli means sauce.
The name guacamole comes from Classical Nahuatl āhuacamōlli, commonly translated as “avocado sauce.” The compound joins āhuacatl, meaning avocado, with mōlli, meaning sauce or mole. That linguistic structure describes the dish directly: an avocado preparation made into a sauce-like food.
Mōlli is also the origin of the modern Spanish word mole, which refers to a broad family of Mexican sauces and marinades. Mole and guacamole are not the same dish, but they share this Nahuatl root for a sauce or prepared mixture. In English-language explanations, “sauce” is the clearest translation for this quiz’s wording.
A frequent misconception is that the name literally means only “mashed avocado.” Mashing is central to traditional preparation, but the etymology emphasizes the resulting sauce. The accent mark and macron in mōlli represent scholarly transcription of Nahuatl sounds and vowel length; ordinary English references often simplify the spelling.