Where does “atsáłbáí” come from?
atsáłbáí (Navajo) comes from Navajo łibá, from Navajo łi-, from Navajo -ł-, from Proto-Athabaskan ɬ.
atsáłbáí (Navajo): gray eagle, hawk
Ancestry of “atsáłbáí”, step by step
atsáłbáí traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Navajo łibá
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Navajo | łibá | it is gray |
| 2 | Navajo | łi- | An adjectival prefix that forms neuter imperfective verbs, especially those relating to color |
| 3 | Navajo | -ł- | The -ł- classifier or valence-change prefix, a... |
| 4 | Proto-Athabaskan | ɬ | — |
via Navajo atsá
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Navajo | atsá | eagle |
| 2 | Proto-Athabaskan | tsαɢ | to act with teeth by biting |