'Nahuatl' originates from the Nahuatl language itself, specifically the word 'nāhuatl,' where 'nāhua-' meant 'clear sound or speech.'

'Nāhuatl' was used by the Aztecs and other Nahua peoples to describe their language, and it eventually became the modern English word 'Nahuatl.'

Initially, it meant 'clear sound or speech,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'the language of the Nahuatl people.'