nəˈ(g)wäl noun
also na·hual nəˈ(h)wäl
( plural naguals -älz ; or nagua·les -äˌlās ; also nahuals )
Etymology: Spanish, from Nahuatl nahualli, naualli, from nahua to dance with tied hands
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