nkwis

Unami

Etymology

From Proto-Algonquian *nekwiʔsa (“my son”). Synchronically analyzable as:

• /n-/: 1st person singular possessive prefix
• /-kwis-: son

Cognate with Munsee ngwíssus (“my son”), Ojibwe ningozis (“my son”), Ojibwe ningwizis (“my son”), Mi'kmaq ngwiss (“my son”), Malecite-Passamaquoddy nqoss (“my son”), Cree ᓂᑯᓯᐢ (nikosis, “my son”), Southern East Cree ᓂᑯᔅ (nikos, “my son”), Northern East Cree ᓂᑯᓯᔅ (nikosis, “my son”), Montagnais nikuss (“my son”), Fox nekwitha (“my son”).

Noun

nkwis (diminutive nkwitët, vocative nkwistuk, plural nkwisàk, absentative nkwisa)

1. first-person singular pos of kwis (“son”) my son

possessives of nkwis

	singular	plural
1st person	nkwis	inclusive kwisëna; exclusive nkwisëna
2nd person	kwis	kwisëwa
3rd person	kwisa	kwisëwoo

Derived terms

• kèkait nkwis
• tenksisit nkwis
• wèkwisit
• wèkwisu

References

• Rementer, Jim with Pearson, Bruce L. (2005) “nkwis”, in Leneaux, Grant, Whritenour, Raymond, editors, The Lenape Talking Dictionary, The Lenape Language Preservation Project