-DLÉÉZH

Navajo

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *łe̓dž (“to plaster with mud”). Cognate with łeezh (“soil, dirt, ashes”), dleesh (“white clay”).

Root

-DLÉÉZH

1. to paint, to daub, to coat

Theme	Category	Bases	Transitive bases (O + ł)
O + ∅	?	S paints yiʼniidleesh (∅-MOM) naʼídleesh (ni-MOM) yidleesh (CONCL) ↳ adleesh ↳ hadleesh ↳ ádídleesh yiyiidlish (SEM)
ho + d	conversive	road is paved ahadleesh (∅-MOM) nihoodleesh (ni-MOM) hadleesh (CONCL)

Stem set

Aspect	IMP	PERF	FUT	ITER	OPT
MOM / CONCL	-dleesh	-dléézh	-dlish	-dlish	-dleesh
SEM	-dlish	-dlish	-dlish	-dlish	-dlish

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Synonyms

to paint:

• -CHʼĄĄʼ

to coat, to smear:

• -JÉÉʼ
• -TŁAH

Derived terms

Navajo terms belonging to the root -DLÉÉZH (paint)