Lemizh / English dictionary

gwàq.

to make four individuals

‘make four’, a version of an old language game for four players, focusing on abstract thought. Other versions of this game are for five, seven or ten players, and named accordingly. The cover term for the game is dmàj. ‘fill (up), make full > make quite a lot’.

Usage notes

As in other traditions, four is the number of the physical world (Earth, or the cosmos). This metaphor, which is probably based on the four cardinal points of the compass, the four classical elements, and other concepts, is attested from Proto-Lemizh. As far as we know, the Lemizh always have had a positive attitude towards this world (and thus to the number four) and identified more with their bodies than with their psyches, similar to the Greeks.

Etymology

< NLem gwiq‑a
< LMLem, MLem gwiq‑yl
< OLem gwith‑, inflected form of
< PLem *gwethwores
< PIE *kʷétu̯ores

Cognates

Eng four, Gk τέτταρες ‘four’