Where does “yi-” come from?

yi- (Navajo) comes from Navajo ní-, from Navajo ł-, from Proto-Athabaskan *-ɬ — Forms instrumental nouns from verbs.

yi- (Navajo): night, dawn

Definitions

  1. night, dawn

Ancestry of “yi-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Navajoní-forms the comparative form of neuter imperfective verbs
2Navajoł-the
3Proto-Athabaskan*-ɬForms instrumental nouns from verbs

Words derived from “yi-”

Every word from Proto-Athabaskan *-ɬ →Every word from Navajo ní- →Every word from Navajo ł- →