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Etymology

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From Proto-Athabaskan *tsαɢ (to act with teeth by biting).

In Navajo this root often occurs with the emphatic infix -x-.

It is related to the noun atsá (eagle).

Root

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-TSAʼ

  1. to bite down, to grasp (with teeth or beak), to clench
Theme Category Bases Transitive bases (O + ł)
O + ł motion

S carries O clamped in teeth or beak

O + ∅ successive

S grasps O with teeth or beak

ahidiniitsxah
yíní + ∅ stative

S has O clamped in teeth or beak

di + ∅ ?

S releases P from teeth

Stem set

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Aspect IMP PERF FUT ITER OPT
MOM -tsééh -tsaʼ -tsah -tsah -tsééh
CONT -tsaʼ -tsaʼ -tsah -tsah -tsaʼ
SEM -tsah -tsah -tsah -tsah -tsah
NEUT - -tsaʼ - - -

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Derived terms

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Navajo terms belonging to the root -TSAʼ (grasp with teeth)