nagual

noun

na·​gual

nəˈ(g)wäl

variants or less commonly nahual

nəˈ(h)wäl

plural naguals

-älz

or naguales

-äˌlās

also nahuals

1

a

: a personal guardian spirit or protective alter ego assumed by various Middle American Indians to reside in an animal or less frequently in some other embodiment compare huaca

b

: the animal double or guardian itself

2

: a sorcerer believed by various Middle American Indians to be capable of transforming himself into animal form

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Nahuatl nahualli, naualli, from nahua to dance with tied hands

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