gish

shigish (first-person singular)
nihigish (duoplural first-person)
danihigish (first-person plural)
nigish (second-person singular)
nihigish (duoplural second-person)
danihigish (plural second-person)
bigish (third-person)
yigish (fourth-person)
hagish (fourth-person)
agish (indefinite)

From the root -GIZH (“make a motion with a sticklike object”).


nił

From -nił (“to pound”), from + -neʼ (imperfective stem of root -NEʼ, “to propel a solid roundish object”).

nowrap

<i class="Latn mention" lang="nv">-neʼ</i>

<i class="Latn mention" lang="nv">-NEʼ</i>


beeʼeldǫǫh

Literally, “an explosion is made with it”. Compare bee.

beeʼeldǫǫh tʼáá bíniʼdii bikʼa ádiih yiyiinííłígíí

chidí naaʼnaʼí beeʼeldǫǫh bikááʼ dah naaznilígíí

chidí naaʼnaʼí beeʼeldǫǫhtsoh bikááʼ dah naaznilígíí


hadoh dóó hakʼaz neiłkidígíí

hado (“heat”) + dóó (“and”) + hakʼaz (“cold”) + neiłkid (“it causes it to move about in a sliding manner”) + -ígíí (nominalizer)


beeʼeldǫǫhtsoh

From beeʼeldǫǫh (“gun”) + -tsoh (“big”).


tsah

awl, needle (may refer to a hypodermic needle, a cartridge needle for a phonograph, or a sewing needle)


bizis

shizis (first-person singular)
nihizis (duoplural first-person)
danihizis (first-person plural)
nizis (second-person singular)
nihizis (duoplural second-person)
danihizis (plural second-person)
bizis (third-person)
yizis (fourth-person)
hazis (fourth-person)
azis (indefinite)


tsénił

tsé (“stone”) + -nił (“to pound”), from + -neʼ (imperfective stem of root -NEʼ, “to propel a solid roundish object”). See nił.


agaanstsiin

agaan (“arm”) + -s- (ligature) + atsiin (“stem, stalk”). Doublet of agąąstsiin.


adeeʼ

shideeʼ (first-person singular)
nihideeʼ (duoplural first-person)
danihideeʼ (first-person plural)
nideeʼ (second-person singular)
nihideeʼ (duoplural second-person)
danihideeʼ (plural second-person)
bideeʼ (third-person)
yideeʼ (fourth-person)
hadeeʼ (fourth-person)
adeeʼ (indefinite)
sheʼadeeʼ (first-person singular)
niheʼadeeʼ (duoplural first-person)
daniheʼadeeʼ (first-person plural)
neʼadeeʼ (second-person singular)
niheʼadeeʼ (duoplural second-person)
daniheʼadeeʼ (plural second-person)
beʼadeeʼ (third-person)
yeʼadeeʼ (fourth-person)
hweʼadeeʼ (fourth-person)

In Navajo culture, spoons were originally made of deer antler, and the word adeeʼ (originally meaning "antler" or "horn"), in the meaning of "spoon," was kept even as spoons were later made from the dried fruits of the gourd (ndilkal) plant. Since adeeʼ is no longer used to mean "deer antler," it becomes independent in that meaning and grammatically loses its inalienable status: bįįh bideeʼ (deer's horn), beʼadeeʼ ("his spoon").


dah iistłʼǫ́

dah (“up”) + ii- (contraction of ʼa-hi-) = ʼa- (indefinite 3rd-person object-subject pronoun) + hi- (seriative aspect, one after another) + -s- (ligature) + -tłʼǫ́ (perfective stem, to tie, weave)


head

beeʼeldǫǫh tʼáá bíniʼdii bikʼa ádiih yiyiinííłígíí


bee atsidí

bee (“with it”) + atsid (“he pounds something”) + -í (nominalizer)


bééshʼadeeʼ

béésh (“metal”) + adeeʼ (“gourd, dipper”)


béésh astʼogii

From béésh (“flint”) + astʼod (“stuck in something”) + -g- (ligature) + -ii (nominalizer).


tsitsʼaaʼ naadloʼí

tsitsʼaaʼ (“wooden box”) + naadloʼ (“it is carried about suspended”) + -í (nominalizer)


ásaaʼ

beʼésaʼ (possessed-form)
sheʼésaʼ (first-person singular)
niheʼésaʼ (duoplural first-person)
daniheʼésaʼ (first-person plural)
neʼésaʼ (second-person singular)
niheʼésaʼ (duoplural second-person)
daniheʼésaʼ (plural second-person)
beʼésaʼ (third-person)
yeʼésaʼ (fourth-person)
hweʼésaʼ (fourth-person)
sheʼésaaʼ (first-person singular)
niheʼésaaʼ (duoplural first-person)
daniheʼésaaʼ (first-person plural)
neʼésaaʼ (second-person singular)
niheʼésaaʼ (duoplural second-person)
daniheʼésaaʼ (plural second-person)
beʼésaaʼ (third-person)
yeʼésaaʼ (fourth-person)
hweʼésaaʼ (fourth-person)

Possibly Proto-Athabaskan *usa̓sakʸ, suggested to be of Eskimo-Aleut origin, compare Aleut isxatix (“grass basket”). Cognate with Chiricahua ʼísaa, Eyak ʼishXah, Tsuut'ina ʼásaʼ, Dena'ina isukʼ.


bee adlání

bee (“by means of it”) + adlą́ (“one drinks”) + -n- (ligature) + -í (nominalizer)


bee atsidítsoh

From bee (“with it”) + atsid (“he pounds something”) + -í (nominalizer) + -tsoh (“big”).


kʼaaʼ

bikʼaʼ (possessed-form)
shikʼaʼ (first-person singular)
nihikʼaʼ (duoplural first-person)
danihikʼaʼ (first-person plural)
nikʼaʼ (second-person singular)
nihikʼaʼ (duoplural second-person)
danihikʼaʼ (plural second-person)
bikʼaʼ (third-person)
yikʼaʼ (fourth-person)
hakʼaʼ (fourth-person)
akʼaʼ (indefinite)

From Proto-Athabaskan *-q’aʔ, cognates include Western Apache kʼaaʼ and Chipewyan k’á.


tóshjeeh

tó (“water”) + -sh- (ligature) + jeeh (“resin”)

tóshjeeh binaago łį́į́ʼ náádadiilwoʼígíí


ałtį́į́ʼ

sheʼałtį́į́ʼ (first-person singular)
niheʼałtį́į́ʼ (duoplural first-person)
daniheʼałtį́į́ʼ (first-person plural)
neʼałtį́į́ʼ (second-person singular)
niheʼałtį́į́ʼ (duoplural second-person)
daniheʼałtį́į́ʼ (plural second-person)
beʼałtį́į́ʼ (third-person)
yeʼałtį́į́ʼ (fourth-person)
hweʼałtį́į́ʼ (fourth-person)
ałtį́į́ʼ (indefinite)

sheʼałtį́į́ʼ


yadiizíní

yadiizį́ (“it stands straight up”) + -n- (ligature) + -í (nominalizer)


bee akʼeʼelchíhí

bee (“with it”) + akʼeʼelchí (“one writes”) + -í (“nominalizer”)


hał

club (weapon used by Naayééʼ Neizghání to kill Fear)


biwooʼ hólóní

bi- (“its”) + awooʼ (“tooth”) + hólǫ́ (“there is”) + -í (“nominalizer”)