tsov

White Hmong

Etymology

From Proto-Hmong *tsjoᴮ (“tiger”), borrowed from Middle Chinese 祖 (MC tsuX, “ancestor”). The semantic shift from "ancestor" > "tiger" comes from the traditional Southeast Asian association and addressing of tigers as ancestors.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʂɒ˧˦/

Noun

tsov (classifier: tus)

1. tiger

Derived terms

• tsov cuam (“a legendary tiger, reportedly small, swift, and with a human face”)
• tsov dub (“black panther”)
• tsov nplooj suab (“Bengal tiger”)
• tsov ntxhuav (“lion”)
• tsov pom teev (“leopard”)
• tsov txaij (“leopard”)

 

References

• Heimbach, Ernest E. (1979) White Hmong — English Dictionary‎^[1], SEAP Publications, →ISBN, page 355.