tmakwa
Abenaki edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Literally "tree-cutter", from tamezô- ("to cut") + a root meaning "tree" (compare temanakw, "broken tree"). The vowel between the first two consonants (t/d and m) is written especially in Eastern Abenaki.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
tmakwa (animate, plural tmakwak)
- a beaver (literally "tree-cutter": flat-tailed aquatic mammal which gnaws down trees)
- 1884, Joseph Laurent, New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues, page 195:
- N’namihô tmakwa.
- I see a beaver.
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
- tmakwaiia (“beaver-meat”)