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Za·po·tec

(zäpə-tĕk′, säpō-)

n. pl. Zapotec or Za·po·tecs

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

b. A modern-day descendant of this people.

2. Any of a group of Oto-Manguean languages spoken in southern Mexico by the Zapotec.

[Spanish Zapoteco, from Nahuatl tzapotēcah, pl. of tzapotēcatl, person from Tzapotlan, from Tzapotlān, place name : tzapotl, sapodilla + tlān, place.]

Zapo·tec′ adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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