Where does “tsézhin” come from?

tsézhin (Navajo) comes from Navajo łizhin, from Navajo łi-, from Navajo -ł-, from Proto-Athabaskan ɬ.

tsézhin (Navajo): trap rock, lava rock; malpais; lava

Definitions

  1. trap rock, lava rock; malpais; lava

Ancestry of “tsézhin”, step by step

tsézhin traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Navajo łizhin

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajołizhinit is black
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 tsé

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajotsérock, stone, boulder
2Proto-Athabaskan*tseˑstone
3Proto-Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit*caj—
Every word from Proto-Athabaskan ɬ →Every word from Navajo łi- →Every word from Navajo -ł- →