Where does “z-” come from?

z- (Ahtna) comes from Proto-Athabaskan *s- — A perfective modal prefix, often describing position.

z- (Ahtna): Appears in some imperfective verbs, many of them neuter verbs, as well as many perfective verbs

Definitions

  1. Appears in some imperfective verbs, many of them neuter verbs, as well as many perfective verbs

Ancestry of “z-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Athabaskan*s-A perfective modal prefix, often describing position

Words derived from “z-

Every word from Proto-Athabaskan *s-