-CHÍÍL

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *čiˑtɬʼ (snow). Compare Navajo chííl (snowstorm). The root often appears with the emphatic infix -x-.

The verb yíchííł translates as “a snowstorm arrives” in the imperfective mode, while in the perfective mode it means “it snows”.

Root

-CHÍÍL

  1. to snow
    Synonyms: -ZAS, -DZAAZ, -YOL
Theme Category Bases Transitive bases (O + ł)
? a snowstorm moves

Stem set

Aspect Imperfective Perfective Future Iterative Optative
Momentaneous -chííł -chííl -chííł -chííł -chííł

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Derived terms

Navajo terms belonging to the root -CHÍÍL (snow)

References

  • Young, Robert; Morgan, William; Midgette, Sally (1992), Analytical lexicon of Navajo, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, →ISBN, page 93