Where does “béésh hataałí” come from?

béésh hataałí (Navajo) comes from Navajo béésh, from Navajo biiʼ, from Navajo kǫʼ, from Proto-Athabaskan *qʊ̓nʼ — fire.

béésh hataałí (Navajo): phonograph, record player; radio

Definitions

  1. phonograph, record player; radio

Ancestry of “béésh hataałí”, step by step

béésh hataałí traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Navajo béésh

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajobééshflint; iron; metal
2Navajobiiʼin it/him/her/them, within it/him/her/them,...
3Navajokǫʼfire
4Proto-Athabaskan*qʊ̓nʼfire

via Navajo hataał

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajohataałhe/she is singing, chanting; music
2Navajo-taałto sing, to hold a ceremony
Every word from Proto-Athabaskan *qʊ̓nʼ →Every word from Navajo kǫʼ →Every word from Navajo biiʼ →