Where does “tʼiisbáí” come from?

tʼiisbáí (Navajo) comes from Navajo łibá, from Navajo łi-, from Navajo -ł-, from Proto-Athabaskan ɬ.

tʼiisbáí (Navajo): quaking aspen, American aspen

Definitions

  1. quaking aspen, American aspen

Ancestry of “tʼiisbáí”, step by step

tʼiisbáí traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Navajo łibá

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajołibáit is gray
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 tʼiis

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajotʼiiscottonwood, poplar; aspen, maple, large oak,...
Every word from Proto-Athabaskan ɬEvery word from Navajo łi-Every word from Navajo -ł-