Where does “tłʼiishtsiiʼí” come from?

tłʼiishtsiiʼí (Navajo) comes from Navajo tłʼiish, from Proto-Athabaskan tł'əɣəš — eel, snake.

tłʼiishtsiiʼí (Navajo): northern snakehead (Channa argus, in family Channidae)

Definitions

  1. northern snakehead (Channa argus, in family Channidae)

Ancestry of “tłʼiishtsiiʼí”, step by step

tłʼiishtsiiʼí traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Navajo tłʼiish

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajotłʼiishsnake, serpent
2Proto-Athabaskantł'əɣəšeel, snake

via Navajo atsiiʼ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajoatsiiʼhair; head
2Proto-Athabaskantsi̓head
Every word from Proto-Athabaskan tł'əɣəš →Every word from Navajo tłʼiish →