Date
Meaning & History
Probably from Nahuatl tene "lip-possessor; one who speaks well or vigorously", itself derived from tentli "lip, mouth; voice, word" and the possessive suffix -e, combined with the suffix -pal "through, by means of". This may have derived from a transliteration of la lengua, a Spanish sobriquet of the famous translator Malinche meaning "the interpreter; the tongue".