Where does “tsédláád” come from?

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

tsédláád (Navajo): rock lichen, lichen on rock

Definitions

  1. rock lichen, lichen on rock

Ancestry of “tsédláád”, step by step

tsédláád 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 dláád

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajodláádmold, moldy, lichen
2Proto-Athabaskan*dlaˑtʼalgae, scum, moss
Every word from Proto-Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit *caj →Every word from Proto-Athabaskan *tseˑ →Every word from Navajo tsé →