kinaaldá

Navajo

Etymology

Possibly from kin (“house”) + na- (atelic, circuital) + -∅- (3rd person subject prefix) + -l- (classifier) + -dá (neuter perfective stem of root -DÁ, “to sit — 1 actor”), referring to the isolation of a girl at her first menstruation in a small hut where she must remain for a period of time.

Noun

kinaaldá

1. puberty
2. puberty ceremony
3. first menses

Related terms

• kinaaldaah (“she menstruates for the first time”)