Where does “dah alzhin” come from?

dah alzhin (Navajo) comes from Navajo alzhin, from Navajo -ZHĮ́Į́ʼ, from Proto-Athabaskan *žəŋʸ — to be black, blackish, dark in color.

dah alzhin (Navajo): dot, speck; minute; inch

Definitions

  1. dot, speck; minute; inch

Ancestry of “dah alzhin”, step by step

dah alzhin traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Navajo alzhin

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajoalzhinsomething is black
2Navajo-ZHĮ́Į́ʼblack; {| style="margin-bottom:.1em;...
3Proto-Athabaskan*žəŋʸto be black, blackish, dark in color

via Navajo dah

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajodahup, off, at an elevation, set off
Every word from Proto-Athabaskan *žəŋʸ →Every word from Navajo -ZHĮ́Į́ʼ →Every word from Navajo alzhin →