nagual

Where does the word "nagual" come from? It comes from Nahuatl nahualli, passing through Spanish before entering English (1900s).

Nagual’s story begins in Nahuatl: nahualli meant “a shapeshifting sorcerer or spirit companion.” Named a shamanic practitioner believed able to shapeshift into an animal form. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as nagual. Carlos Castaneda's books of the 1970s popularized the word in English. It reached English by 1900s as nagual. Borrowed into English anthropological and folklore writing. Today, nagual means in Mesoamerican folklore, a person believed to have the supernatural ability to transform into an animal.

1. Stage 1 · Nahuatl · pre-1500s nahualli "a shapeshifting sorcerer or spirit companion", named a shamanic practitioner believed able to shapeshift into an animal form.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1600s nagual "a sorcerer or animal spirit companion", Carlos Castaneda's books of the 1970s popularized the word in English.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1900s nagual "a person's animal spirit counterpart in Mesoamerican belief", borrowed into English anthropological and folklore writing.