Where does “shash łizhinii” come from?

shash łizhinii (Navajo) comes from Navajo łizhin, from Navajo łi-, from Navajo -ł-, from Proto-Athabaskan ɬ.

shash łizhinii (Navajo): black bear

Definitions

  1. black bear

Ancestry of “shash łizhinii”, step by step

shash łizhinii traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Navajo łizhin

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajołizhinit is black
2Navajołi-An adjectival prefix that forms neuter imperfective verbs, especially those relating to color
3Navajo-ł-The -ł- classifier or valence-change prefix, a...
4Proto-Athabaskanɬ

via Navajo shash

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajoshashbear
2Proto-Athabaskan*x̯əšʷblack bear
Every word from Proto-Athabaskan ɬEvery word from Navajo łi-Every word from Navajo -ł-