Lemizh / English dictionary
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wemà.
to make/build dams
Usage notes
This verb has been used since Early New Lemizh to express ‘putting obstacles in someone’s way’; with an inner accusative, the word can mean ‘obstacle, hurdle’.
Etymology
gender change of
< NLem wemabwr‑a
< LMLem, MLem wembrw‑yr
< OLem wembrw‑
< PLem *bwembrw‑
< PIE *bʰébʰru‑s ‘beaver’, reduplicated noun of
PIE *bʰreu̯‑ ‘brown’
Gender change was motivated by the myth that only female beavers build dams.
Cognates
Eng beaver, brown