-DÉÉL

From Proto-Athabaskan *detɬʼ (“plural or rope-like subject falls or moves abruptly”).

Found in a wide range of extended meanings across all Athabaskan languages including Navajo, with potentially convergence in shape with other roots (see below Proto-Athabaskan *dətɬʼ “to jolt”), making the analyzis quite difficult.

Cognate root found in Ahtna Ø+daetlʼ (“plural S go, fly”), ałdaetlʼ (“I threw them, moved them quickly”), niłdełdeł (“he struck them together”), yaldaetlʼ (“he ate them”), Gwich'in kʼeegiidàl (“they arrived”), naljil (“I ate them”).

The Navajo root describes the movement of a slender flexible object (as a rope, a chain, a wire,...), of objects coming in pairs (as gloves, shoes, scissors,...), or of a group of animate objects (as a band, a tribe, a herd). Extended meanings include the eating of plural objects (as berries), the slamming of an object (like a rope but not exclusively) against another one, and the conception of a baby or egg.

-DÉÉL

  1. SFO moves or falls (a rope, a pair of shoes, a tribe)

  2. to eat plural objects

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Navajo terms belonging to the root -DÉÉL (SFO moves)

Navajo terms belonging to the root -DÉÉL (eat plural)

From Proto-Athabaskan *də̓tɬʼ (“to jolt”). Maybe related to -DÉÉL above from Proto-Athabaskan *detɬʼ, with its extended meaning related to “hitting”, “striking” or “slamming”.

Cognate root found in Koyukon əłdəł (“he shook, quivered”), Carrier usdił (“to be nervous”), Gwich'in gwaahdàl (“it is trembling”), Chipewyan dɛldɛ́l (“(teeth) are rattling”).

-DÉÉL

1. to jolt, to jar, to shake

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Navajo terms belonging to the root -DÉÉL (jolt)