awééʼ hayiiníłí

Etymology

awééʼ (“baby”) + hayiiníłí, composed of ha- (“up out”) + -y- (3rd person object prefix) + -hi- (seriative) + ∅- (3rd person subject prefix) + -∅- (classifier) + -nííł (imperfective stem of root -NIL, “to handle plural objects”) + -í (nominalizer), literally “she pulls babies out one after another”.

Noun

awééʼ hayiiníłí

  1. midwife
    Synonym: awééʼ hayiidzį́sí

References

  • Robert W. Young and William Morgan, Sr. (1987), The Navajo Language. A Grammar and Colloquial Dictionary, Albuquerque, New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press, page 137.
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