outdusis
Penobscot
Etymology
The root outdu ("trail," "pathway") + the diminutive suffix -sis. Compare the (Western) Abenaki ôwdesis.
Noun
outdusis
- (little) pathway, (little) path
- (figuratively) (an individual's) nature, personal integrity (how that person behaves when no one else is around or when otherwise free from accountability)
Usage notes
Also written audesis.
References
- 1918, Frank G. Speck, Newell Lion, Penobscot Transformer Tales, in the International Journal of American Linguistics, volume 1, number 3 (August 1918)
- Penobscot Nation
- A Penobscot native named "outdusis"