naʼazhǫǫsh

Navajo

Pronunciation

Audio (NV) (file)

Etymology 1

From the name of the hoop-and-pole game, so called because the birch wood was used in the construction of the pole for the once popular hoop-and-pole game, which often involved betting on the winners.

Noun

naʼazhǫǫsh

(botany) birch (Betula utahensis, Betula occidentalis)

Synonyms

kʼishchííʼ

Etymology 2

na- (“round about”) + ʼa- (“something, someone”, 3rd person indefinite objective-subject pronoun) + -zhǫǫsh (“to play the hoop-and-pole game”, imperfective stem). Compare Chipewyan thųth (“spear”)

Noun

naʼazhǫǫsh

(games) the hoop-and-pole game
the pole used in the hoop-and-pole game
casino

Derived terms

Naʼazhǫǫsh hahoodzo (“Nevada”)
Naʼazhǫǫsh Hatsoh (“Las Vegas”)