Where does “béésh náʼiiláhí” come from?

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

béésh náʼiiláhí (Navajo): magnet

Definitions

  1. magnet

Ancestry of “béésh náʼiiláhí”, step by step

béésh náʼiiláhí 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 náʼiiláhí

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajonáʼiiláhíthe one that collects things
Every word from Proto-Athabaskan *qʊ̓nʼ →Every word from Navajo kǫʼ →Every word from Navajo biiʼ →