Reconstruction:Taíno/kasike

This Taíno entry contains reconstructed words and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Taíno

Etymology

From *ka- +‎ *-si- (“head”) (compare Arawak isi, isihi (“head; tip; leader”), Wayuu ekii (“head”), Garifuna ichügü (“head”)) +‎ *-ke, from Proto-Arawak.[1]

Noun

*kasike

chieftain

Descendants

→ Old Spanish: cacique, cacica
- Spanish: cacique (see there for further descendants)

References

Granberry, Julian; Vescelius, Gary (2004) Languages of the Pre-Columbian Antilles, Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, →ISBN, page 124

[1] Granberry, Julian; Vescelius, Gary (2004) Languages of the Pre-Columbian Antilles, Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, →ISBN, page 124