Where does “tsin naaʼeeł” come from?

tsin naaʼeeł (Navajo) comes from Navajo tsin, from Proto-Athabaskan *kʸən — stick.

tsin naaʼeeł (Navajo): ship, vessel; boat; canoe

Definitions

  1. ship, vessel; boat; canoe

Ancestry of “tsin naaʼeeł”, step by step

tsin naaʼeeł traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Navajo tsin

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajotsinwood, timber; tree
2Proto-Athabaskan*kʸənstick

via Navajo dah naaʼeeł

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajodah naaʼeełit floats about on the surface
Every word from Proto-Athabaskan *kʸən →Every word from Navajo tsin →