łį́į́ʼ
See also: lii, Lii, LII, and li'i
Navajo
Etymology
Of the extant senses, "pet" is oldest; the original meaning, retained in Athabaskan cognates, was "dog."[1] Upon the reintroduction of the horse to North America, the Navajo language transferred the usage of łį́į́ʼ to the horse (which became the new favored "pet" in Navajo culture), with the dog being referred to by a derived term, łééchąąʼí (literally "shit pet"). Compare Dogrib tłı̨ (“dog”).
Noun
łį́į́ʼ (compound łéʼé-, łéé-, łį́į́ʼ-, possessed form bilį́į́ʼ)
- pet
- livestock
- horse
Inflection
possessives of łį́į́ʼ
| singular | duoplural | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | shilį́į́ʼ | nihilį́į́ʼ | danihilį́į́ʼ |
| 2nd person | nilį́į́ʼ | nihilį́į́ʼ | danihilį́į́ʼ |
| 3rd person | bilį́į́ʼ | ||
| 4th person (3o) | yilį́į́ʼ | ||
| 4th person (3a) | halį́į́ʼ | ||
| Indefinite (3i) | alį́į́ʼ | ||
Derived terms
Derived terms
- táłtłʼááh łį́į́ʼ (“seahorse”)
- tééh łį́į́ʼ (“zebra”)
- tóshjeeh binaago łį́į́ʼ náádadiilwoʼígíí
- łééchąąʼí (“dog”)
- łéʼéyázhí (“colt”)
- łį́į́ʼkąʼii
- łį́į́ʼtsaʼii
- łį́į́ʼ bighan (“corral”)
- łį́į́ʼ bikʼídahaznilgo naalgeedígíí
- łį́į́ʼ bitsísʼná
- łį́į́ʼ tʼáá dilkǫǫhgo naalgeedígíí
- łį́į́ʼ yáshchʼį́į́d
References
- Sapir, Internal Linguistic Evidence Suggestive of the Northern Origin of the Navaho , p. 227
Western Apache
Noun
łį́į́ʼ
- horse