The vocabulary in Mexico is full of words that come from Nahuatl such as: avocado, chocolate, kite, comal, jícara, among a long etcetera. However, many times they are used in such a natural way that we do not stop to think about their origins and especially their meaning.
The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) defines the word apapacho as an “affectionate pat or a hug” from which the verb apapachar is derived. However, the original meaning has to do with a more tender definition that goes beyond a “loving pat.”
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The word comes from the Nahuatl patzoa, which means to squeeze, on the other hand, it is related to the verb to crush, defined by the RAE as crushing.
According to the writer and researcher of indigenous languages in Mexico, Susana Bautista, Nahuatl stands out as one of the most beautiful languages, this is because the meanings in its vocabulary always have a poetic connotation that is not normally understood. they can translate as is into other languages.
What is its meaning?
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Although the RAE defines the word “papachar” in a “more formal” way, in reality the tender meaning it has refers to “caress with the soul”.
The Dictionary of the Nahuatl or Mexican language places the root of the word in the pachoa voice, which means “snuggle, approach, squeeze, cover, crouch, give affection and protect”.
It should be noted that the meaning of “caress with the soul” has been spread mainly through social networks and that is why this definition, becoming popular, has become very relevant when giving an interpretation to the word.
On the other hand, the translator and poet Ana Marisol Reséndiz, highlighted that translating the Nahuatl language into Spanish is a complicated experience “philosophically speaking, because the translation does not exist, but rather it is a linguistic bridge, since it is ineffable, it is something that cannot be it can be conveyed with exact words.”
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The term apapachar is used mainly in Mexico and Honduras, although as we know, the language knows no borders and has also been popularized in other parts of Latin America such as Colombia and Peru. However, it is used on a daily basis in the first mentioned countries.
Source: infobae