Where does “naʼashǫ́ʼii bijáád ádinígíí” come from?

naʼashǫ́ʼii bijáád ádinígíí (Navajo) comes from Navajo bijáád, from Navajo ajáád, from Proto-Athabaskan *-ǯʷaˑdəʔ — shin, lower leg.

naʼashǫ́ʼii bijáád ádinígíí (Navajo): worm lizard

Definitions

  1. worm lizard

Ancestry of “naʼashǫ́ʼii bijáád ádinígíí”, step by step

naʼashǫ́ʼii bijáád ádinígíí traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Navajo bijáád

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajobijáádhis/her/its/their leg; its wheels
2Navajoajáádleg; wheel
3Proto-Athabaskan*-ǯʷaˑdəʔshin, lower leg

via Navajo naʼashǫ́ʼii

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajonaʼashǫ́ʼiilizard; reptile; snake
2Navajoneishoodhe/she is dragging it around, hauling it around
3Navajo-ii"nominalizer"

via Navajo ádin

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajoádinthere is nothing, there is none; he/she/it is...
Every word from Proto-Athabaskan *-ǯʷaˑdəʔ →Every word from Navajo ajáád →Every word from Navajo bijáád →