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Etymology

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From Proto-Athabaskan *ɢəž (to act with a stick, to be forked).

Cognate root found in Ahtna delggez (it is forked), gges (skewer).

Found in Navajo in a number of disparate themes related to cutting, to forked or gapped shape, to seeping/spreading, and to acting with a stick or gestures.

Also found in a base related to flashing, probably a corruption of the root -GĘZH, of similar meaning (see -KĘ́Ę́Z/-KÉÉZ for a similar situation).

Root

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-GIZH

 1. to cut, to incise; to be forked, to have a gap

Theme Category Bases Transitive bases (O + ł)
O + ł motion

S cuts O

naʼałgizh
O + ∅ successive

S cuts O

iigish
ádiigish (+d)
ł adjectival

S is forked, gapped, has a pass

S breaks, gaps out (a dam)

S breaks O

 2. to soak, to seep, to spread

Theme Category Bases Unspecified (+ʼa)
si + d

S soaks, seeps

si + ∅

S spreads

 3. to act with a stick or gestures

Theme Category Bases Transitive bases (O + ł)
O + ∅ successive

S stirs O

ʼa + ∅ successive

S makes signals to P

 4. to flash

Theme Category Bases Transitive bases (O + ł)
dzi + l

S flashes

Stem set

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Aspect IMP PERF FUT ITER OPT
MOM -géésh -gizh -gish -gish -géésh
MOM -gíísh -gizh -gish -gish -gíísh
CONT -gizh -gizh -gish -gish -gizh
REV -gish -gizh -gish -gish -gish
SEM -gish -gish -gish -gish -gish
NEUT -gizh -gizh - - -
NEUT - -giizh - - -

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Synonyms

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to cut:

action of water:


Derived terms

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Navajo terms belonging to the root -GIZH (cut)

Navajo terms belonging to the root -GIZH (soak)

Navajo terms belonging to the root -GIZH (act with stick)

Navajo terms belonging to the root -GIZH (flash)