Where does “tséłchííʼ” come from?

tséłchííʼ (Navajo) comes from Navajo tsé, from Proto-Athabaskan *tseˑ, from Proto-Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit *caj.

tséłchííʼ (Navajo): red sandstone, coral

Definitions

  1. red sandstone, coral

Ancestry of “tséłchííʼ”, step by step

tséłchííʼ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Navajo tsé

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajotsérock, stone, boulder
2Proto-Athabaskan*tseˑstone
3Proto-Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit*caj—

via Navajo łichííʼ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajołichííʼhe/she/it is red; the colour red; a penny
Every word from Proto-Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit *caj →Every word from Proto-Athabaskan *tseˑ →Every word from Navajo tsé →