Which language is the name "guacamole" derived from?

The name “guacamole” is derived from Classical Nahuatl.

The word comes from āhuacamōlli, commonly translated as “avocado sauce” or “avocado mixture.” It combines āhuacatl, meaning avocado, with mōlli, meaning sauce or a mashed preparation. Spanish speakers adopted and reshaped the Nahuatl term, producing the modern Spanish guacamole and its later English use.

Classical Nahuatl was the prestigious literary variety associated with the Valley of Mexico and the Aztec Empire during the late pre-Columbian and early colonial periods. After the Spanish conquest, Nahuatl was written extensively in the Latin alphabet, preserving many Indigenous words in historical records.

Guacamole itself was developed in Mexico and traditionally involves mashing ripe avocado with salt, often in a molcajete and tejolote. Modern recipes commonly add lime, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, or tomato. The word is sometimes surrounded by playful folk etymologies, but the established linguistic explanation connects it to Nahuatl rather than Mayan, Quechua, or Spanish.