Where does “tsétsíín” come from?

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

tsétsíín (Navajo): base or foot of a cliff

Definitions

  1. base or foot of a cliff

Ancestry of “tsétsíín”, step by step

tsétsíín 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 atsíín

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajoatsíínfoot, base
2Proto-Athabaskan*kʸənstick
Every word from Proto-Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit *caj →Every word from Proto-Athabaskan *tseˑ →Every word from Navajo tsé →