Where does “béésh tózháanii” come from?

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

béésh tózháanii (Navajo): mercury

Definitions

  1. mercury

Ancestry of “béésh tózháanii”, step by step

béésh tózháanii 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 tózháán

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajotózháánit is thin (having a thin consistency, as a batter), watery, mushy
2Navajowater, liquid, fluid
3Proto-Athabaskantuˑwater; juice of a fruit
Every word from Proto-Athabaskan *qʊ̓nʼEvery word from Navajo kǫʼEvery word from Navajo biiʼ