Complete Lemizh / English dictionary with 782 lemmata

à.

relative pronoun type II level n: see unit 6, Relative pronouns

Etymology

NLem, LMLem, MLem a, formed after the Ghean relative pronouns
a f‑a s‑a sh‑a x‑a / fˇ‑a sˇ‑a shˇ‑a xˇ‑a
/a ɸa s̟a ʃa χa / βa z̟a ʒa ʁa/

alaà.

to make alders

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem alaix‑a
< Besk ʼałaix
< PCelt *ális‑ā
< PIE *h₂élis‑eh₂

This is one of many Beskidic tree names introduced in the Tlöngö̀l. ‘Female’ (zero) poststems are almost universal in trees.

Cognates

Eng alder, Lat alnus ‘alder’

aràc.

to make a pressure unit, a pressure of 4.759 pascals (see appendix, Units of measurement)

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem aer‑a, academic loan of
< Koi ἀήρ ‘air, wind’
< SHell *awḗr
< PIE *h₂u̯éh₁‑r, r-stem noun of
PIE *h₂u̯eh₁‑ ‘blow’

Like the momentum unit, this word was probably masculinised to show some vigour.

doublet of xnàt.

Cognates

Eng wi‑nd, Ger wehen ‘blow (wind)’

argà.

to make rivers (also the constellations Eridanus and Fornax; see appendix, Constellations)

argò. a heroic, even hopeless plan; lit. ‘the intention to create rivers’

Etymology

< NLem arg‑a
< LMLem, MLem arg‑ar
< OLem arg‑ ‘flow, drip’
< PLem *arg‑, root present of
< PIE *reg̑‑

Expected would be ModLem **ràg., but poststem formation was inhibited by the fact that rivers are mythologically female, as in other PIE languages.

Cognates

Ice raki ‘moisture, dampness’

artà.

to make blood

artè. blood forming organs

< NLem anagzn‑a ‘gathering place for discussion and teaching’
< LMLem, MLem angwnj‑yr ‘hearth, gathering place around a hearth’
< OLem hangwnj‑ ‘hearth’
< PLem *hangwnj‑
< PIE *h₁n̥gʷní‑s ‘fire’ [animate]

Cognates

Eng ignite (via Lat ignis ‘fire’)

anàkf.

to give someone-dat leave;
dat: to spend/take a vacation; a vacation

Etymology

àkh.

to make/build ships (also the constellation corresponding to parts of Carina, Vela and Puppis; see appendix, Constellations)

ykhÌk. airplane (⇐ ⇔ Ìkh Ùky. ‘ship for / benefitting from the air’)
ykhRÌzw. tram, streetcar (‘ship for streets’) – colloquially RÙzw.
ykhtÌcs. railway train (‘ship for dry land’) – colloquially tÙcs.
ykhtxÌb. underground railway train, tube train (‘ship for tunnels’) – colloquially txÙb. (especially in Shabar, the Lemizh capital)

Usage notes

Being a seafaring nation, the Lemizh use the word for ‘ship’ – pars pro toto – for other means of transport as well; see the compounds above.

Etymology

< NLem akx‑a
< LMLem, MLem akx‑yr
< Ghe aqx‑ə̄ /aqχɯː/

àtx.

to make sour, acidic, to give a sour taste to something-dat, to make an acid

ètx. hydrogen (symbol: Ο)
Ìtx. (oxy)acid of an element-ten in the oxidation state six lower than the highest one;
of an element-com in the oxidation state four lower than the highest one;
of an element-ins in the oxidation state two lower than the highest one;
of an element-ben in the highest oxidation state
That’s blatant misuse of grammar by chemists.

Usage notes

If not qualified with a weakening numeral, this word usually describes something as having a really sour taste (up to and including strong acids in the chemical sense). This is attested from Early New Lemizh.

Chemical elements

	1	2	3		4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
1	H																		He
2	Li	Be												B	C	N	O	F	Ne
3	Na	Mg												Al	Si	P	S	Cl	Ar
4	K	Ca	Sc		Ti	V	Cr	Mn	Fe	Co	Ni	Cu	Zn	Ga	Ge	As	Se	Br	Kr
5	Rb	Sr	Y		Zr	Nb	Mo	Tc	Ru	Rh	Pd	Ag	Cd	In	Sn	Sb	Te	I	Xe
6	Cs	Ba	La	*	Hf	Ta	W	Re	Os	Ir	Pt	Au	Hg	Tl	Pb	Bi	Po	At	Rn
7	Fr	Ra	Ac	†	Rf	Db	Sg	Bh	Hs	Mt	Ds	Rg	Cn	Nh	Fl	Mc	Lv	Ts	Og

*	Ce	Pr	Nd	Pm	Sm	Eu	Gd	Tb	Dy	Ho	Er	Tm	Yb	Lu
†	Th	Pa	U	Np	Pu	Am	Cm	Bk	Cf	Es	Fm	Md	No	Lr

	1	2		7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
1	Ο
2	Ε									Β	Α	Ζ	Γ	Ω
3	Αλ	Π								Στ	Ψ	Λ	Θ	Χ
4	Τ	Γυ		Ιχ	Σ	Μ	Ιτ	Χα	Ψα					Κ
5	Ια							Αρ			Κα			Ι
6	Γλ	Πρ	*					Χρ	Υ		Μο			Μλ
7	Φο		†								Sτ			Πο

*
†			Ει

Etymology

< NLem Otx‑a
< LMLem, MLem Otxx‑yr
< Ghe ötxx‑ə̄ /œtχχɯː/

atxàp.

< NLem, LMLem, MLem ev‑a
< OLem hedh‑
< PLem *hedh‑, Narten present of
< PIE *h₁ed‑

doublet of àvd., àqt. and vnàt.

Cognates

Eng eat, Lat edō ‘eat’

àvd.

to host someone-dat

èvd. a host
ìvd. a guest

ivdmlì. Pleiades (see appendix, Constellations)

Usage notes

The nominal form, ‘a host’, has been used for highly favourable circumstances and natural forces (e.g. ‘This weather is a host for our weekend trip’), especially those bringing material wellbeing (e.g. ‘The invention of the bicycle proved a host for Τηλέμαχος and his family, but he died poor nonetheless’), since Proto-Lemizh. In modern usage, the inner nominative fills this role.

Etymology

< NLem evdj‑a
< LMLem, MLem eqdj‑ar
< OLem hethdj‑
< PLem *hethdj‑
< PIE *h₁éd‑ti‑s ‘banquet’, abstract noun of
PIE *h₁ed‑ ‘eat’

doublet of àv., àqt. and vnàt.

Cognates

Eng eat, Lat edō ‘eat’

àw.

to make ants

Etymology

< NLem Ow‑a
< LMLem, MLem Ow‑yr
< Ghe öfˡ‑ə̄ /œβɯː/

àwd.

to make tables; to lay a table

Usage notes

Ìwd. can not only mean a table, but also a laid table; hence the secondary meaning of the verb, which is attested from Late Middle Lemizh. See also àh. ‘make a bed’.

In metonymical use denoting a group of people sitting at a table, this word is negatively connotated: eá Ìwde. ‘The table laughed [derisively]’.

Etymology

< NLem ewd‑a
< LMLem èbd‑yr
< MLem eObd‑yr
< Ghe eöpᴛʱ‑ə̄ /ɛ͜œbʱd̠ʱɯː/

àwb.

to speak or act frankly, bluntly

Etymology

àhp.

to make salty, to give a salty taste to something-dat

èhp. sodium (symbol: Αλ)

Usage notes

This word refers to the taste, as opposed to the substance salt. hlà. ‘make salt’ is used for the latter purpose.

Etymology

< NLem yhph‑a
< LMLem, MLem yhph‑yr
< Ghe əshpshⁿ‑ə̄ /əʃpʃɯː/

àhw.

to make horses (also chess knights; and also the constellation Pegasus; see appendix, Constellations)

Usage notes

Since Middle Lemizh times this word emphasises the nobility the Lemizh have traditionally seen in this animal; i.e. it connotes ‘steed’ rather than ‘nag’.

Calling a human a horse is praise for doing good, in a steady way, maybe even stubbornly.

Etymology

< NLem ehw‑a
< LMLem, MLem ehw‑yr
< OLem heshw‑
< PLem *heshw‑
< PIE *h₁ék̑u̯‑os

doublet of ehwà. and xikà.

Cognates

Lat equus ‘horse’, Gk ἵππος ‘horse’

àhs.

to make thirteen individuals

Etymology

< NLem yhs‑a
< LMLem, MLem yhs‑yl
< Ghe əshs‑ə̄ /əʃs̟ɯː/

àst.

to make the most, to make the largest amount (often with partitive; often compounded; see unit 11, Verbs of comparison and Superlative)

Usage notes

The absence of causes for most things has been a common theme in Lemizh literature and other arts since Late Middle Lemizh times, well before quantum physics was devloped. Compare tàcd..

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem ist‑a
< MLem istu‑a, back formation of
< OLem superlative suffix ‑istu‑
< PLem *‑isto‑
< PIE *‑isto‑s

Cognates

Eng superlative suffix ‑est, probably fir‑st

astekà.

to make South American

to make sweetmeats, candies

Etymology

Usage notes

With a dat object, this word merely means ‘address one’s laughter at someone’, and the psu of course names the reason for laughing. Neither necessarily expresses derision.

Etymology

Cognates

Eng (and many other languages) ha! (laughter)

ehwà.

to make unicorns

Etymology

< NLem ehw‑a ‘horse’
< LMLem, MLem ehw‑yr
< OLem heshw‑
< PLem *heshw‑
< PIE *h₁ék̑u̯‑os

This word replaced the bahuvrihi NLem karxn‑r‑U lit. ‘one-horn’; the regular ModLem outcome would have been homophonic with kÌcx. ‘horn’.

doublet of àhw. and xikà.

Cognates

Lat equus ‘horse’, Gk ἵππος ‘horse’

esfàs.

to hide something-acc, or self-transporting: somewhere-dat etc. (perfect: describing the state, otherwise the action)

Usage notes

In literal use, this verb is only for hiding things or people (including oneself), not for facts or feelings. This was different in Middle Lemizh. — But the phrase esfàs màski. ‘hide [oneself] behind [one’s] wit’ refers to glossing over one’s intentions or feelings by witty talk.

Etymology

poststem from perfect of
< NLem esf‑a
< LMLem èsf‑a
< MLem eisf‑a
< Ghe eisf‑a /ɛ͜ɪs̟ɸa/

eqinà.

to make Ethiynic

eqinàr. the federation of Ethiyn in northeastern Europe

Etymology

< Eth Eþījnu, of unknown origin

ylàs.

to make futile, vain, to do something-acc in vain

Etymology

< NLem ylas‑a
< Besk iłas /h‑/, of unknown origin

yglàj.

agentive dat: to look at something-nom, at the image of something-acc with spectacles/glasses

yglùj. spectacles, glasses

Etymology

poststem from plural of
< NLem ydl‑a ‘lens’
< LMLem, MLem ydl‑ar
< Ghe ətˡ‑ā /ədˡʌː/ ‘igniter, lens’, nominalisation of
Ghe ətˡ‑a /ədˡa/ ‘burn’

doublet of yglàc.

yglàc.

(archaic) agentive dat: to look at something-nom, at the image of something-acc with a monocle

to make (it) night(time)

ytfèR. evening
ytfìR. morning

Usage notes

As the counterpart of the ‘male’ day, the word for the night kept its ‘female’ (i.e. zero) poststem.

Etymology

< NLem ytf‑a
< LMLem, MLem ytf‑yr
< Ghe əᴛf‑ə̄ /ət̠ɸɯː/

yphà.

to make (colour) orange

yphilkà. to make (colour) cerulean (blue-green, a colour between blue and cyan/turquoise)

Usage notes

While the Gheans applied the term əpshqⁿə̄ only to a specific hue of orange, which they despised, the range of meaning was somewhat widened in Early New Lemizh. Modern Lemizh views the complete range between red and yellow as yphÌ.; and any negative connotations are obsolete.

Being the only ‘female’ of the basic colour words (see the etymology section), orange is perceived as overwhelmingly girly.

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem yphakn‑a
< LMLem, MLem yphkn‑yr
< Ghe əpshqⁿ‑ə̄ /əpʃqⁿɯː/

Gender change was caused by simplification of yphilk-kÌ. ‘cerulean’ to yphil-kÌ..

ypsàp.

to make bellies

Etymology

< NLem ypsap‑a
< LMLem Ìpsp‑yr
< MLem yapsp‑yr
< Ghe əapsp‑ə̄ /ə͜aps̟pɯː/

ycvà.

to change the subject to something seen as more important by the speaker; to say something-acc to someone-dat, changing the subject (see pragmatics page III, Utterance modifiers: Verbs of communication)

Etymology

< NLem ycv‑a
< LMLem, MLem ycwc‑a ‘evade’
< Ghe əshfshˡ‑a /əʒβʒa/ ‘answer’

yzàj.

to (com)press, squeeze something-dat into some shape-acc [e.g. flat]; to crush something-dat to something-acc [e.g. parts, dust];
dat: to contract; to crush to something-acc

Lat levis ‘light, quick, trifling’

ysrà.

to make goats

Usage notes

Goats are known for their intelligence. To compliment someone on an intelligent thought or act, you can say sklág viì ysrÌy. ‘You proved [to be] a goat’ or simply ysrá vìi. ‘You [actively] turned into a goat, you made yourself a goat’. These idioms are attested from Early New Lemizh, although the association must have existed earlier: the modern word for ‘intelligent’ is actually derived from the native MLem name for goats. — Compare edÌ. ‘sheep’.

Etymology

< NLem ysr‑a
< LMLem Ìassr‑yr
< MLem yyassr‑yr
< Ghe ə̄asspʳ‑ə̄ /ɯː͜ar̥r̥ʙɯː/

ià.

to love someone-acc/dat

Etymology

< NLem i‑a
< LMLem ì‑a
< MLem ii‑a ‘ask for, strive’
< OLem ī‑
< PLem *ī‑, root present of
< PIE *i̯eh₂‑

Cognates

Ved yā́mi ‘ask for’, Gk δίζημαι ‘seek’

iotà.

to make an energy unit, an energy of 3.708 millijoules (see appendix, Units of measurement)

nÌ iotìly. not the slightest amount, lit. ‘not a iotỳ’

Etymology

< NLem iote‑a, academic loan of
< Koi ἰότη‑ς ‘wish’, of unknown origin

The idea behind this unit is that the (potential, kinetic, etc.) energy contained in an object represents its ‘wish’ to perform work.

The phrase ‘not a iotỳ’ comes from the fact that this is a pretty small unit of energy.

igcàd.

to lead someone-dat (as a master)

igcèd. master; Lord (title of the monotheistic deity; see also jfèxw. ‘Devil’)

Usage notes

This term is used for higher ranks in a hierarchy than nàd., and/or more formally. Adherents of monotheism reserve it as a title for their god. (Funnily, the word can be traced to the Gheans, who had an atheistic religion.)

In the last few centuries, the word has also denoted, pars pro toto, a master’s family. This use, however, is on the decline.

Etymology

< NLem igjadl‑a
< LMLem, MLem igjdl‑ar ‘lord’
< Ghe iqᴛˡ‑ā /ɪɢˠd̠ˡʌː/

doublet of igcàks.

igcàks.

to say ‘lawks!’; lawks!

Etymology

dialectal form of
ModLem igcàd. ‘Lord’
< NLem igjadl‑a
< LMLem, MLem igjdl‑ar ‘lord’
< Ghe iqᴛˡ‑ā /ɪɢˠd̠ˡʌː/

to make an electric charge or dielectric flux unit, a charge or flux of 57.64 millicoulombs (see appendix, Units of measurement)

Etymology

academic loan of
< Koi οἶ‑ς ‘sheep’
< SHell *ówi‑s
< PIE *h₂óu̯i‑s

A way of creating static electricity is to rub amber against sheep’s wool. As e (for Koi ἤλεκτρον ‘amber’) was already used as the symbol for the force unit, it was decided to name the charge unit for the sheep.

Cognates

Eng ewe, Lat ovis ‘sheep’

oRwxàf.

to make poodles (also the constellation Canis Major; see appendix, Constellations)

Poodles make a sound rather like this.

Etymology

< NLem oRw‑xaf‑a, compound of
NLem oRw‑a ‘hound’
< LMLem, MLem oRw‑yr
< Ghe oxfˇ‑ə̄ /ɔʁβɯː/ ‘dog’, an onomatopoeia
—and—
NLem xaf‑a ‘water’
< LMLem, MLem xaf‑yr
< OLem xaf‑ ‘water, stream’
< PLem *xaf‑ ‘water’ [animate], ‘stream’
< PIE *h₂ép‑s

The poodle is named ‘water-hound’ for its qualities in waterfowl hunting. (Compare the English name, which is related to puddle.)

Cognates

Ved ā́p ‘water’, Ir abhainn ‘river’

oranutnà.

to make orangutans

Etymology

< NLem oranutan‑a
< Mal orang hutan, lit. ‘forest person’

It is not clear whether orang hutan referred to the ape, or whether this was a misunderstanding between Europeans and Malays. The term might actually have meant ‘forest people’ or ‘librarians’ (i.e. ‘free people’).

Cognates

Eng orangutan

omà.

to make eleven individuals

Usage notes

The number eleven is associated with a sense of ‘too much, more than one’s fill’, as seen in such phrases as omà. ‘make eleven = do more than really necessary’ or làxt omÌy. ‘want eleven = want more than one’s share’. This is often thought to be a remnant of the old decimal system (11 = more than 10), but has only been attested by Late Middle Lemizh times, about 700 years after the adoption of the Ghean hexadecimal numbers.

Etymology

< NLem om‑a
< LMLem òm‑yl
< MLem oum‑yl
< Ghe oəfʱ‑ə̄ /ɔ͜əmɯː/

doublet of omàj.

omàj.

to do duty / act as a councillor

omèj. councillor

Etymology

poststem from plural of
< NLem om‑a ‘eleven’
< LMLem òm‑yl
< MLem oum‑yl
< Ghe oəfʱ‑ə̄ /ɔ͜əmɯː/

The term comes from the fact that the Lemizh monarchy historically had 11 councillors (as well as 15 ministers).

doublet of omà.

odnà.

to make (it) afternoon

odnykÌ. the second half of the night

Usage notes

See atxàp..

Etymology

< NLem odn‑a
< LMLem òdnm‑yr
< MLem oadnm‑yr
< Ghe oaᴛsfʱ‑ə̄ /ɔ͜ad̠ʱnmɯː/

ohrà.

to pay tax(es) to someone-dat;
dat: to tax someone-nom

Etymology

< NLem ohr‑a
< LMLem, MLem ohr‑yr
< Ghe oshʳ‑ə̄ /ɔr̠̥ɯː/

oshàc.

Usage notes

See djeipysràd. for some information on Lemizh polytheism, and àxk. for the weekday associated with this god.

Etymology

< NLem Onkyrt‑a, academic loan of
< OLem hönkyrt‑ ‘Lone Runner (the God of trade)’
< PLem *hōn‑kars‑, compound of
PLem *hōn‑ ‘single, alone’
< PIE *h₁ói̯‑n‑os ‘one, single’, adjectival form of
PIE *h₁ei̯ ‘he, she, it’
—and—
PLem *kars‑ ‘run’, root present of
< PIE *k̑ers‑

The sound shift from stem-final *s to t in OLem is unexplained; this development is only expected in verbs and adjectives, not in nouns.

Cognates

Eng one; Gk Ἐπί‑κουρος (Epicurus) ‘ally’ (lit. ‘one running with [someone]’), Lat currō ‘run’

Oglàc.

to make moles (animals)

Usage notes

Originally referring to the European mole, Talpa europaea, the word is now used for species from other world regions as well.

Etymology

poststem from singular of
< NLem Odl‑a
< LMLem Òdl‑ar, nominalisation of
< MLem OUdl‑a ‘dig’
< Ghe öitˡ‑a /œ͜ɪdˡa/

The singular poststem is based on the assumption that moles are solitary animals.

This word replaced MLem dzingswivyr ‘mole; mole hill’, lit. ‘earth thrower’ (a cognate of the first component of djingmesrà. and of swàv.).

Otà.

to make a (solar) year (see appendix, Date and Units of measurement for usage)

OtòR. New Year

OteihkÌ. lunar year (⇐ ⇔ OtÌ ihkèe. ‘a year made by the Moon’; see appendix, Moon calendar)

Usage notes

The New Year is celebrated extensively and lushly by the Lemizh. This was different during Old and Middle Lemizh times, when the turn of the year was a rather prosaic matter.

Etymology

Udreà.

to make a magnetic flux density unit, a flux density of 10.02 teslas (see appendix, Units of measurement)

Etymology

shortened form, academic loan of
< Koi ὑδρεί‑ᾱ ‘irrigation, water supply’, abstract noun of
Koi ὕδωρ ‘water’, contamination from plural, ‘voiceless’ initial of
< SHell *wódr̥
< PIE *u̯ódr̥ ‘water’ [inanimate], deverbal noun of
PIE *u̯ed‑ ‘well, gush’

Like most electromagnetic units, Udreà. uses the electricity is water metaphor. Physicists were running out of letters for unit symbols, which explains the omission of initial x that would be expected here.

là.

to do something-fact, to act;
fact: to happen

lè. source, sender; other case descriptors analogous
lÙr. (mathematics) dimension

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem l‑a
< Ghe ᴛˡ‑a /d̠ˡa/

lanà.

to make elms

Etymology

làb.

to make flowers (small, herbaceous flowering plants)

Usage notes

lèb. ‘one producing flowers’ and lìb. ‘one turned into a flower’ are popular pet names for girls because of the phonetical similarity with lèwb., lìwb. ‘girlfriend’.

Etymology

< NLem leb‑a
< LMLem lèb‑ar
< MLem leeb‑ar ‘flower(ing plant)’
< OLem lēb‑ ‘fascinate, charm’
< PLem *lewb‑ ‘confuse’, Narten present of
< PIE *leu̯bʰ‑ ‘love; infatuate, confuse’

doublet of làwb.

Cognates

Eng love, Lat libet ‘it is pleasing’

labàt.

to make cars

Usage notes

These days, automobiles are mostly used in rural areas with insufficient infrastructure. When townspeople say labÌt., they typically refer to underground, tram or railroad cars.

Etymology

< NLem labatl‑a
< Mag Lábatlan ‘a northwest Magyarian town’, compound of
Mag láb ‘leg’
—and—
Mag ‑atlan ‘-less’

The town of Lábatlan used to be famous for producing horse-drawn coaches. The omission of ‑n in the NLem loan might be due to a reanalysis as partitive case suffix, based on the idea that coaches were made in ‘Lábatlan, among other [towns]’.

làbv.

to make white, to make a light/pale colour (as in ‘to go white’), to whiten, to brighten up (referring to colour, not to light intensity)

lilbvjnà. to make (pure) white
lilbvnà. to make black, to blacken (non-white, ‘passive’ black, as in ‘blackened by age, dark/black night’; compare wàcg.)

lybvnÌs. fluorine (symbol: Ω)

Etymology

làj.

to make/build houses

— lynjè bÌnje. house and garden, one’s immovable property

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem lingj‑a
< OLem lingj‑
< PLem *lingj‑ ‘house, hive’, back formation of
PLem *melidhlingj‑ ‘beehive’
< PIE *melidlíg̑ʰ‑i‑eh₂ ‘bee’, nominalisation of
PIE *mélid‑lei̯g̑ʰ‑ ‘lick honey’, compound of
PIE *mélid ‘honey’
—and—
PIE *lei̯g̑ʰ‑ ‘lick’

doublet of melàs.

Cognates

Eng lick, Gk λείχω ‘lick’

làjg.

to bend something-dat into some shape-acc [e.g. into a z]; to break something-dat into something-acc [e.g. into parts, in two] by bending;
dat: to bend; to break into something-acc by being bent

Eng ad‑olescent (via Lat ad‑olēscō ‘grow up’)

làw.

to make lions (also the constellation Leo; see appendix, Constellations)

Etymology

< NLem lew‑a
< LMLem, MLem lew‑yr
< OLem lew‑
< SHell *leũ‑on
< PIE *léu̯‑om

PIE *léu̯‑om might be a borrowing from PSem *labiʾ‑ (compare Heb לביא). Or it might be the other way round.

Cognates

Eng lion, Gk λέων ‘lion’

làwb.

làf.

to make skin, fruit’s peel, tree’s bark, bread’s crust, cheese’s rind

lUfdrÌ. tree’s bark (⇐ ⇔ lÌf drÌU.)
lUfwÌsp. bread’s crust
lUfxalÌ. apple’s peel
etc.

Etymology

< NLem lufr‑a
< LMLem, MLem lufr‑yr
< OLem lufr‑
< PLem *lufr‑, nominalisation, r-stem adjective of
< PIE *leu̯p‑ ‘peel (off)’

Cognates

Lit lupù ‘peel (off)’

lemàc.

to make Lemizh

lemàrc. the country of Lemaria

Etymology

poststem from collective singular of
< NLem lem‑a
< LMLem lèmin‑yr
< MLem leemin‑yr
< OLem lēmin‑
< PLem *lēmen‑
< PIE *lei̯h₁mh̥́₁n‑os ‘from the bay’, vrddhi derivation of
PIE *lih₁‑mh̥₁n‑ós ‘bay’, lit. ‘snuggling oneself against’, root present mediopassive participle of
PIE *lei̯h₁‑ ‘snuggle’

Cognates

Ved láyate ‘snuggles [against], sticks [to]’

lepxà.

to make daisies

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem lepxOj‑a
< LMLem lèb‑xÒj‑ar, compound of
LMLem lèb‑ar ‘flower’
< MLem leeb‑ar ‘flower(ing plant)’
< OLem lēb‑ ‘fascinate, charm’
< PLem *lewb‑ ‘confuse’, Narten present of
< PIE *leu̯bʰ‑ ‘love; infatuate, confuse’
—and—
LMLem xÒj‑yr ‘egg’
< MLem xOUj‑yr
< OLem xöüj‑
< PLem *xōwj‑
< PIE *h₂ōu̯i̯‑óm, vriddhi derivative of
PIE *h₂éu̯i‑s ‘bird’

The daisy is called ‘egg flower’ for its colouring. Feminisation is common in flower names, but not as universal as in trees.

Cognates

Eng love; Eng egg

to make North American

loxlàr. North America

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem loxlan‑a, from Lochlann, a Celtic word for Scandinavia, because North America was discovered by Scandinavian people

See darawà. for some information on continents’ names.

loxwà.

to make/build temples (houses of worship)

Etymology

< NLem loxw‑a
< LMLem, MLem loxw‑yr
< OLem lohw‑
< PLem *lohw‑
< PIE *lóku‑s ‘pond, pool’

Some of the oldest Lemizh temples were dedicated to a lake goddess and built near lakes, hence the semantic development by metonymy.

Gae loch ‘lake, fjord’, Lat lacus ‘lake’; unrelated to Eng lake

lrà.

agentive ins: to exponentiate some value-dat by some value-nom to give some result-acc (see unit 7, Mathematical functions)

lrè. logarithm of some value-acc to some base-dat
lrì. n^th-nom root of some value-acc

Etymology

This is an academic derivation of lÙr. ‘spatial aim; (geometric) dimension’. It notably violates Lemizh phonotactics, probably because mathematicians aren’t linguists.

Rà.

to make each individual separately/respectively (see unit 7, Indefinite numerals);

Etymology

< NLem R‑a
< LMLem, MLem R‑yr
< Ghe xˇ‑ə̄ /ʁɯː/

Ràg.

to be a soul

Règ. soul

Usage notes

This isn’t quite the same as our monotheistic concept of the soul. It isn’t thought to be immortal, for one thing. C.G. Jung’s idea of anima/animus comes close, as do the dæmons in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials.

Compare psàx..

Etymology

doublet of Ràzw.

Cognates

Eng get, Lat pre‑hendō ‘take, seize’

Ràjb.

< NLem Rozw‑a
< LMLem, MLem Rozw‑yr
< OLem ghozw‑
< PLem *gghozw‑ ‘way, road’
< PIE *gʰód‑u̯‑eh₂, u̯-stem noun of
PIE *gʰed‑ ‘take, seize’

doublet of Ràjd.

Cognates

Ger Gasse ‘lane’, Eng get, Lat pre‑hendō ‘take, seize’

Ràw.

Ràst.

self-receiving: to dream (of) something-acc

Resthràk. to have a nightmare (⇐ ⇔ Ràst hrèke. ‘dream sent by an ogre’)

Usage notes

This word is only used for experiences during sleep, not for hopes and wishes.

Etymology

< NLem Rostx‑a
< LMLem, MLem Rostxj‑er ‘strange lands’
< OLem ghostxj‑
< PLem *gghostxj‑ ‘foreign parts, abroad’
< PIE *gʰósth₂i‑s ‘stranger, foreigner’

doublet of xudjàs.

Cognates

Eng host, guest (via Lat hospes ‘host, guest’)

Ràsw.

to make (it) spring

Usage notes

Technically, spring starts with the spring equinox (around 21^rd March in our calendar) and ends with the summer solstice (around 21^st June). In everyday parlance, however, the term is usually applied to the time spanning weeks 14 to 26 in the Lemizh Sun calendar, which starts and ends somewhat earlier.

Etymology

< NLem R‑usw‑a, clarifying compound of
NLem R‑a
< LMLem, MLem lz‑ir, temporal noun of
MLem lz‑yr ‘green’
< Ghe ᴛsˡ‑ə̄ /d̠ˡz̟ɯː/
—and—
NLem, LMLem, MLem usw‑a ‘enjoy’
< OLem husw‑ ‘enjoyable’
< PLem *husw‑, u-stem adjective of
< PIE *h₁u̯es‑ ‘good’

poststem from singular of
< NLem Ren‑a ‘monkey’
< LMLem, MLem aRen‑yr
< Egy jꜥn /ʔaˈʕen/ ‘baboon’

doublet of Renà. and Renàj. – the singular poststem comes from the erroneous assumption that lemurs, in contrast to monkeys, are solitary animals.

rà.

to make one individual

to make an angle unit, an angle of one radian or any other dimensionless unit (see appendix, Units of measurement)

rìr sèspy. prime minister

Etymology

< NLem r‑a
< LMLem, MLem r‑yr
< Ghe ᴛʳ‑ə̄ /r̠ɯː/

ramàc.

ramòc. Ramo (pen name of the author of the Tlöngö̀l, the epic novel defining the onset of New Lemizh)

Etymology

irregular masculinisation of
< NLem ram‑o

The fact that Ramo chose a pen name with an inner tentive case speaks volumes.

ràgw.

to make a dark colour, to darken (referring to colour, not to light intensity)

Etymology

< NLem argw‑a
< LMLem, MLem argw‑yr
< OLem hargw‑ ‘dark’
< PLem *hargw‑, o-stem adjective of
< PIE *h₁regʷ‑

Cognates

Gk Ἔρεβος ‘god of darkness’, possibly Ice ragna‑rök ‘end times in Norse mythology’ (via ON rökr ‘twilight’)

ràdj.

dat: to (accidentally) discover something-acc

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem ardz‑a ‘emerge’
< OLem ardz‑
< PLem *ardz‑, root present of
< PIE *redʰ‑ ‘emerge, appear’

Cognates

OCS roždǫ ‘give birth’

ràt.

to drive a vehicle-acc, to steer something/someone-acc (for the thing moved) or dat (for the thing manoeuvred, also metaphorically)

rèt. also the constellation Auriga; see appendix, Constellations

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem ret‑a
< OLem ret‑
< PLem *reth‑ ‘run’, Narten present of
< PIE *ret‑

The verb may have meant ‘go on wheels’ already in PIE, as *rot‑eh₂ is the source of Lat rota ‘wheel’ and *rot‑h₂‑ós that of Ved rátha ‘chariot’.

Cognates

Ger Rad ‘wheel’, Ir rith ‘run’; likely unrelated to Eng rattle and Ger rattern

ràtx.

to give hope to someone-dat about something-acc;
dat, perfect or not topicalised: to hope for something-acc (see unit 13, Verbs of certainty)

Etymology

< NLem rentx‑a
< LMLem, MLem rentk‑a ‘tackle confidently’
< OLem rentk‑
< PLem *rentk‑, sk̑-present of
< PIE *reh₁dʰ‑ ‘be successful’

Cognates

Ger reden ‘talk’, OCS raždǫ ‘care’

ràjd.

to make red, to redden (with embarrassment-caus/psu)

riljdkà. to make cyan or turquoise

rijdvnè. lithium (symbol: Ε) (⇐ vnè rìjde. ‘making fire red’)

Usage notes

rÌjd. is more likely to describe the focal colour (‘bright red’) than other colour terms, as attested since Middle Lemizh. (Conversely, ‘reddish’, i.e. a compound with a weakening numeral, is more likely to be used for hues that are not quite focal red.)

Judges wear red, which has resulted in colloquially calling them rèjd., and in the use of the verb ràjd. (‘making something-dat red’) to refer to verdicts.

Etymology

< NLem rundr‑a
< LMLem, MLem rundr‑yr
< OLem hrundr‑
< PLem *hrundr‑, r-stem adjective of
< PIE *h₁reu̯dʰ‑

This is the word for ‘red’ in most Indo-European languages.

doublet of redmà.

Cognates

Eng red, Gk ἐρυθρός ‘red’

ràc.

to make points / an area to the right of something-nom (see unit 12, Temporal and spatial verbs)

recxnÌ., rÌc. south (symbol: r)
rilckexnÌ., rilckÌ. north (symbol: X)

Usage notes

Right-handed men used to carry their swords on the left, which gave rise to the custom of letting the lady walk on the right-hand side so as not to ruin her dress when drawing. Curiously, the ‘male’ poststem of rÌc. and the ‘female’ one of the opposite rilckÌ. have not been able to change this tradition.

Likewise, it is not socially acceptable for the man to walk too far away from the lady, nor to walk between two ladies, despite the gender change of these words.

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem Ur‑a
< LMLem, MLem Ur‑yr
< OLem ür‑
< PLem *ūr‑, r-stem adjective of
< PIE *u̯eg̑‑ ‘lively, strong’

Many languages derive their words for the direction ‘right’ from the idea that the right hand is the ‘correct’ or the ‘strong’ one. Gender change occurred to avoid homophony with the numeral rà..

Cognates

Eng wake, vigour (via Lat vigeō ‘thrive, flourish’); however, none of the original sounds is left in the present-day word: both r and c come from the PIE adjectival suffix -r-.

ràzg.

to make a braid, to braid something-dat

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem arzg‑a
< OLem arzg‑
< PLem *arzg‑, root present of
< PIE *resg‑

Cognates

Lat restis ‘rope’, Lit rezgù ‘braid, knit’

ràw.

to make an amount (see unit 7, Weighting numerals – usually with partitive bracket; see unit 8, Cardinal numerals)

Etymology

< NLem orw‑a
< LMLem òrw‑yl
< MLem oerw‑yl
< Ghe oeᴛpʳ‑ə̄ /ɔ͜ɛr̠ʙɯː/

ràwb.

to push something-acc somewhere-dat etc. (dat can be ambiguous); to push, press against something-dat; also non-sending

rÌwb. button, key to press, such as on a keyboard or musical instrument

Usage notes

Since Old Lemizh, this verb has been connoted positively. Don’t use it to translate hostile kinds of pushing such as ‘shove, jostle’.

Etymology

contamination of
< NLem srUmb‑a
< LMLem, MLem srimb‑a
< OLem srimb‑
< PLem *tsrimb‑, root present of
< PIE *dʰrei̯bʰ‑ ‘drive’
—with—
< NLem, LMLem, MLem runp‑a ‘break, snap’
< OLem runp‑ ‘break, snap’ [intr.]
< PLem *runp‑, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *reu̯p‑

ràwb. (for expected **sràwb.) was contaminated with ràxp., the modern word for ‘pull’.

possible doublet of srUà.

Cognates

Eng drive

ràxp.

to pull something-acc somewhere-dat etc. (dat can be ambiguous); at something-dat; also non-sending

rirxpùf. lifting device: lift, elevator; crane

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem runp‑a ‘break, snap’
< OLem runp‑ ‘break, snap’ [intr.]
< PLem *runp‑, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *reu̯p‑

This word replaced NLem dux‑a – compare duxvàsk..

Cognates

Eng rupture (via Lat rumpō ‘break, burst, tear’ [tr.]), Ved lumpáti ‘breaks’ [tr.]

ràh.

to like something or someone-acc/dat;
agentive caus, causal-reflexive: to please someone-nom

Usage notes

This verb is usually taken to mean ‘like very much’; it is close to our informal use of ‘love’ as in ‘I love books’.

Etymology

< NLem irh‑a
< LMLem, MLem irhh‑a
< Ghe ipshshʳ‑a /ɪʙr̠̥r̠̥a/

ràs.

to make frost (a cover of small ice crystals)

Etymology

rendà.

to summarise something-dat to something-acc

nàt.

to open something-acc, also non-sending
acc, occasionally self-transporting: to open;
(in measurements, else informal) to make 65536⁶ individuals (see appendix, Units of measurement)

djUtnÌt. Saturnian day, the Lemizh equivalent of Monday (symbol: Æ; see appendix, Date)

Usage notes

The inherited name of the god has been used metonymically in the sense of ‘seed, inception, beginning’ since Old Lemizh times. In Early New Lemizh, the verbal form expressed facilitating access to something, or the ‘opening’ of new opportunities – a usage that is alive today.

The planet Saturn, as well as the god, is called djistnÌt. in Modern Lemizh.

Etymology

haplology of
< NLem dzokont‑a
< LMLem, MLem dziskont‑yr ‘Seedputter (the God of agriculture)’
< OLem dziskont‑
< PLem *dzeskont‑
< PIE *dʰh̥₁sk̑‑ónt‑s ‘putting, making’, sk̑é-present active participle of
PIE *dʰeh₁‑ ‘put, make’

Expected would be ModLem **djotnàt. and resulting **djUt-djotnÌt. for the name of the day; this caused the haplology. The root is probably the same as in PIE *dʰoh₁‑néh₂‑s ‘seed, grain’.

Cognates

Gk δίδωμι ‘give’, Lat dō ‘give’

natlà.

to make an angular power density unit, an angular power density of 2.813 milliwatts per steradian (see appendix, Units of measurement)

Etymology

shortened form, academic loan of
< Koi ναυ‑τιλί‑ᾱ ‘seafaring’, nominal derivation of
Koi ναῦ‑ς ‘ship’
< SHell *snaũ‑s ‘boat’
< PIE *snéh₂‑u‑s, u-stem noun of
PIE *sneh₂‑ ‘swim, bathe’

Having been invented together with the unit of power density, this unit too has a naval name.

Cognates

Eng navy (via Lat nāvis ‘ship’)

nàj.

to make points / an area between objects-nom (see unit 12, Temporal and spatial verbs)

Usage notes

See the connotations section of ràc. for some context on gender change in spatial verbs.

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem en‑a, inflected form of
< LMLem, MLem en
< OLem hen ‘in’
< PLem *hen
< PIE *h₁en

Gender change occurred to avoid homophony with the negator nà..

Cognates

Eng in, Gk ἐν ‘in’

nàjw.

(to pursue) habitually, (to pursue) a habit (see unit 12, Aspect)

Etymology

< NLem nanw‑a
< LMLem, MLem nanw‑yr ‘habit(ual)’
< OLem n‑anw‑, compound of
OLem ne‑ ‘not’, inflected form of
< PLem *ne
< PIE *ne ‘no, not’
—and—
OLem anw‑ ‘new, unfamiliar’
< PLem *anw‑, u-stem adjective of
< PIE *neu̯‑ ‘new’

Cognates

Eng no; Eng new

nàzd.

to make birds

nymzdlÌb. flamingo (also the constellation in the region of Triangulum Australe, Pavo, Ara and Telescopium; see appendix, Constellations) (⇐ ⇔ nÌzd lÌbym. ‘a bird like a flower’)

Etymology

< NLem nezd‑a
< LMLem, MLem nezd‑yr
< OLem nizd‑ ‘nest’
< PLem *nizd‑
< PIE *nisd‑ós

The meaning ‘bird’ developed from MLem nezd‑ar, lit. ‘nest-builder’, which is attested in a few instances.

The word for ‘flamingo’ is a calque from Sikelian ραδαρν ‘rose-bird’.

Cognates

Eng nest, Lat nīdus ‘nest’

nàw.

to make valleys

Etymology

< NLem namr‑a
< LMLem, MLem namr‑yr
< OLem namr‑
< PLem *namr‑ ‘tilted (ground) > valley’, r-stem adjective of
< PIE *nem‑ ‘tilt’

Cognates

Ved námate ‘tilt’, TochB ñmetsi ‘tilt’

nàwb.

to inflate, stretch something-dat into some shape-acc; to burst, rip, tear something-dat into something-acc [e.g. dust; in two];
dat: to stretch; to burst, rip, tear into something-acc

Usage notes

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem nemb‑a ‘burst, tear’
< OLem nemb‑
< PLem *nemb‑ ‘burst, shatter’, Narten present of
< PIE *nebʰ‑

Cognates

Ved nábhate ‘bursts, shatters’

nàxt.

The secondary meaning ‘to drift quickly’ is attested from Late Middle Lemizh, in a song about 255 toy balloons made from pig bladders.

Cognates

Ved náyati ‘leads’

nezà.

to acquaint someone-dat with someone/something-acc;
dat, perfect: to know someone/something-acc (personally, from one’s own experience)

Usage notes

In LMLem, the word specifically referred to a formal yet superficial introduction of new people in the neighbourhood, which was traditionally done by women. While this concept can still be felt today (as evidenced by the feminisation of the poststem), the meaning significantly broadened in NLem times to include acquaintance with things, events and facts.

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem nezadwr‑a ‘become acquainted, get to know’
< LMLem nèzdwor‑a
< MLem neezdwor‑a
< OLem nēz‑dwor‑, compound of
OLem nēz‑ ‘push’
< PLem *newz‑, Narten present of
< PIE *neu̯d‑
—and—
OLem dwor‑ ‘pasture gate’
< PLem *dwor‑
< PIE *dʰu̯ór‑s ‘door’

The concept behind the OLem compound is ‘push open the door to someone(’s land) > make contact with someone’.

Cognates

Ved nudáte ‘pushes’; Eng door

nexwaklà.

to work manually, to do a blue-collar job

nexwaklè. blue-collar worker

Etymology

< NLem nexwatal‑a ‘Nechwatal’ (prototypical blue-collar worker)
< Gl Nechwatal, of unknown origin

niftnàj.

to make the god Neptune/Poseidon; to make the planet Uranus (symbol: Ç)

Usage notes

See djeipysràd. for some information on Lemizh polytheism, and xmàj. for the weekday associated with this god.

Confusingly, the planet Uranus, known to the Lemizh since ancient times, was named by them after the water god – corresponding to the god Neptune/Poseidon in our tradition. The planet Neptune, discovered in modern times, has the Midwinter God, fOpysrÌf., as its patron.

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem nifton‑a, academic loan of
< OLem nifton‑ ‘Nephew of the Waters’
< PLem *nefton‑
< PIE *népton‑os

Cognates

Lat Neptune, Ir Nechtan

notà.

to make hot dogs

Usage notes

The typical hot dogs eaten in Lemaria are made with mustard, onions and curry powder. The recipe is said to have originated in Central Danubia.

Etymology

from the country of Notoslava, southeast of Danubia, which has nothing to do whatsoever with the recipe

Cognates

Gk νότος ‘south’

nrà.

(to keep the) peace

< NLem mark‑uw‑a, from an Australian language

This word is said to be based on a misunderstanding, as the Australian term actually refers to a type of alcoholic sweet.

manwà.

to magnetically repel (dat: attract) something-acc, to be a magnet, to be magnetic; magnetism

manwÌ. ferromagnetic

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem manw‑a ‘affection’
< OLem manw‑
< PLem *manw‑, néu̯-present of
< PIE *men‑ ‘think’

The NLem word for affection gradually replaced ned‑a << Koi μαγνῆτι‑ς ‘magnet’ (probably from the region Μαγνησία in Ancient Greece, where magnetic stones were found).

doublet of màjw. ‘feel affection’, màsw., minà. and swmilà.

Cognates

Gk μνάομαι ‘remember’, Lat mēns ‘mind, reason’

màg.

to make shipyards, space docks

mUgÌkh. (clarifying compound used by landlubbers) shipyard, space dock

Etymology

< NLem meg‑a
< LMLem napègi‑yr
< Koi ναυ‑πήγι‑ον, nominalisation, compound of
Koi ναῦ‑ς ‘ship’
< SHell *snaũ‑s ‘boat’
< PIE *snéh₂‑u‑s, u-stem noun of
PIE *sneh₂‑ ‘swim, bathe’
—and—
Koi πηγνυ‑μι ‘fasten, stiffen, build’
< SHell *pāgnu‑mi, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *peh₂g̑‑ ‘stiffen, become solid’

Cognates

Eng navy (via Lat nāvis ‘ship’); Eng fang, Lat pangō ‘fasten’

màt.

self-receiving: to sleep

mìRt. wake up

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem mitn‑a
< MLem mit‑ne‑a, compound of
MLem mit‑a ‘wake’
< OLem mit‑ ‘awake’
< PLem *mis‑, o-stem adjective of
< PIE *mei̯s‑ ‘open one’s eyes’
—and—
MLem ne‑a ‘not’
< OLem ne‑, inflected form of
< PLem *ne
< PIE *ne ‘no, not’

doublet of melàj.

Cognates

Ved miṣáti ‘opens the eyes’; Eng no

màpx.

self-receiving: to understand something-acc

Etymology

< NLem umpx‑a
< LMLem, MLem umpk‑a
< OLem umpk‑
< PLem *umpk‑, sk̑-present of
< PIE *u̯ebʰ‑ ‘weave, wrap around’

The meaning probably comes from a metaphor on the lines of ‘wrap one’s head around something’.

doublet of wàb. and wmàb.

Cognates

Eng weave, Gk ὑφαίνω ‘weave’

màj.

to bind/tie something/someone-acc to something-dat with a rope

mùj. rope

Etymology

< NLem maljm‑a ‘restrain, bind with a rope’
< LMLem, MLem malngw‑a ‘hinder, restrain’
< OLem malngw‑
< PLem *malngw‑, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *melkʷ‑ ‘hinder, harm, destroy’

to act, speak, think wisely, to make/produce wisdom, wise deeds, sayings, thoughts

mèv. also the constellation Ophiuchus (see appendix, Constellations)

Etymology

< NLem mev‑a
< LMLem, MLem mev‑yr
< OLem medh‑ ‘measure, look after, enforce’
< PLem *medh‑, Narten present of
< PIE *med‑

Cognates

Ger messen ‘measure’ (but not Eng measure), Gk μήδομαι ‘contrive, devise, plot’

màw.

Usage notes

Talking wittily can be seen as concealing one’s intentions or feelings, as in the phrase esfàs màski. ‘hide behind [one’s] wit’.

Etymology

< NLem mask‑a
< LMLem, MLem mnask‑a ‘think’
< OLem mnask‑
< PLem *mnask‑, sk̑-present of
< PIE *mneh₂‑

Cognates

Gk μνάομαι ‘think of, woo’, Ved ā‑manati ‘mentions, hands down’

màst.

self-transporting: to visit someone-dat

Etymology

< NLem mist‑a
< LMLem, MLem mizt‑yr ‘reward’
< OLem mizt‑
< PLem *mizt‑
< PIE *misdʰh₁‑ós ‘reward, wages’

< NLem miqxp‑a
< LMLem miqxp‑ar
< MLem miqxpe‑ar, haplology of
< OLem mithxpeir‑
< PLem *mithx‑pāwar‑ ‘remote or far shining fire; star?’, compound of
PLem *mithx‑ ‘remote, far’, o-stem adjective of
< PIE *mei̯th₂‑ ‘change, remove’
—and—
PLem *pāwar‑ ‘fire’ [inanimate]
< PIE *péh₂u̯r̥

Cognates

Lat mittō ‘send, release’, Ger meiden ‘avoid’; Eng fire

meuxà.

to make acorns

meuxè. oak
meuxÌ. acorn

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem meuxes‑a
< Besk mäuxäs
< PCelt *messu, of unknown origin

This is one of many Beskidic tree names introduced in the Tlöngö̀l. ‘Female’ (zero) poststems are almost universal in trees.

Cognates

Wel mes ‘acorns’, possibly Eng mast ‘fruit of forest trees’

melàj.

to make temples (the regions of the head)

Usage notes

The temples were regarded as the location of the Règ. (soul, dæmon) particularly in LMLem times. They are still associated with positive, friendly, soft traits of a person.

That your temples hurt when your Règ. is unhappy is probably just a superstition.

Etymology

poststem from plural of
< NLem mel‑a
< LMLem mitnèl‑yr
< MLem mitne‑el‑yr, nominalisation, diminutive of
MLem mit‑ne‑a ‘sleep’, compound of
MLem mit‑a ‘wake’
< OLem mit‑ ‘awake’
< PLem *mis‑, o-stem adjective of
< PIE *mei̯s‑ ‘open one’s eyes’
—and—
MLem ne‑a ‘not’
< OLem ne‑, inflected form of
< PLem *ne
< PIE *ne ‘no, not’

doublet of màt.

Cognates

Ved miṣáti ‘opens the eyes’; Eng no

melàs.

to make a power unit, a power of 2.813 milliwatts (see appendix, Units of measurement)

Etymology

< NLem meliss‑a, academic loan of
< Koi μέλισσ‑α ‘bee’
< SHell *melilíkhi‑ā
< PIE *melidlíg̑ʰ‑i‑eh₂, nominalisation of
PIE *mélid‑lei̯g̑ʰ‑, compound of
PIE *mélid ‘honey’
—and—
PIE *lei̯g̑ʰ‑ ‘lick’

An old unit of power was named after the more impressive horse (Koi ἵππος), but (1) the symbol x was needed for the length unit, (2) 2.8 milliwatts are closer to a bee’s than to a horse’s power output, and (3) one of the physicists who devised the modern unit system had a wife called Μέλισσα.

doublet of làj.

Cognates

Eng mil‑dew, Lat mel ‘honey’; Eng lick

memà.

to become a mum(my)-nom

memè. mum(my) of someone-acc

Etymology

baby talk for mesè. ‘mother’

mesà.

to give birth to a child-acc

mesè. mother of someone-acc
mesÌ. child (son, daughter) of a mother-nom; native to somewhere-loc/sce

< NLem maltx‑a
< LMLem, MLem maltk‑a
< OLem maltk‑
< PLem *maltk‑, sk̑-present of
< PIE *meld‑ ‘soften’

Cognates

Eng melt, Ger schmelzen ‘melt’

mlàv.

to make sweet, to sweeten, to make sweets

mlèv. oxygen (symbol: Γ)
mlùv. sweetener

Etymology

< NLem mliv‑a
< LMLem, MLem miliv‑yr
< OLem milidh‑
< PLem *melidh‑ ‘honey’
< PIE *mélid

Cognates

Eng mil‑dew, Lat mel ‘honey’

mlàw.

agentive ins: to copy something-nom about something-acc somewhere-dat (like non-sending ‘read’ in unit 14, Objects related to language)

Etymology

metathesis of
< NLem l‑mem‑a, clarifying compound of
NLem, LMLem, MLem l‑a ‘do’
< Ghe ᴛˡ‑a /d̠ˡa/
—and—
NLem mem‑a ‘copy’
< LMLem mèmun‑yr ‘monkey’
< MLem meimun‑yr
< OTroy μιμῡν‑ς /ˈme͜imuːns/, from an Asian language

Cognates

Ar مَيْمُون ‘baboon, mandrill’; probably unrelated to Eng mime

mRàkh.

to make centaurs (also the constellation consisting of Centaurus and Crux; see appendix, Constellations)

Etymology

mràj.

to make 65536 individuals

Etymology

shortening, poststem from plural of
< NLem mra‑a
< LMLem mUrià‑yr
< Koi μυριά‑ς ‘ten thousand, countless numbers’, nominalisation of
Koi μυρί‑ος ‘countless’, of uncertain origin

This is a (probably academic) loan from the Greek word for 10,000, modelled after skmà. ‘256’, originally ‘100’.

Cognates

Eng myriad

mràw.

to celebrate something-acc/caus; celebration

Etymology

< NLem marw‑a
< LMLem, MLem mindudarw‑a ‘gather for entertainment’
< OLem mindu‑darw‑ ‘gather for entertainment’, lit. ‘drink mead and dance (?)’, compound of
OLem mindu‑ ‘mead’
< PLem *mendu‑
< PIE *médʰu
—and—
OLem darw‑ ‘dance’
< PLem *darw‑, u-present of
< PIE *dreu̯‑ ‘run’

Cognates

Eng mead; Ved drávati ‘runs’

gà.

to informally greet someone-dat, to say goodbye to someone-dat; an informal greeting, ‘Hello! Hi! Bye!’ etc. (gesture: 🖖 for the letter g)

Etymology

originally spelt g–à., this is a shortened form of gcrà., the more formal variant of greeting

ganà.

to sing to someone-dat about something-acc

ganàm. something like singing (humorously used to refer to very bad singing)

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem gan‑a
< OLem kan‑
< PLem *kan‑, Narten present of
< PIE *kan‑

Funnily, the native word for singing survived Ramo’s attempt in the Tlöngö̀l to replace it with its doublet khnà., a Beskidic loanword, while the latter came to mean ‘shout’.

Cognates

Lat canō ‘sing’, Ir can ‘sing’

gàd.

to make whales

gydpÌsk. Cetus (see appendix, Constellations)

Etymology

< NLem ged‑a
< LMLem gèd‑yr
< MLem geed‑yr ‘whale, sea monster’
< OTroy κητ‑ος /ˈɡeːdos/
< SHell *kẽt‑os, of unknown origin

Cognates

Gk κῆτ‑ος ‘whale’

gàb.

to take up with or spike on a fork

gùb. a fork

Usage notes

The meaning of this word covers the eating, gardening and farming tools, but not other objects of similar shapes such as road forks.

Etymology

< NLem gabl‑a
< LMLem, MLem gabl‑yr
< PCelt *gábl‑ā
< PIE *gʰh̥́₁b‑l‑eh₂ ‘a farming tool’, instrumental noun of
PIE *gʰeh₁b‑ ‘grab, take’

doublet of Ràjb.

Cognates

Lat habeō ‘have, hold’ (but not Eng have), Ir gabhlóg ‘fork’

gàjd.

to act competently, beneficially or ethically, to make good (beneficial, of high quality, ethically sound)

gyjdèk. brand of air conditioner (⇐ ⇔ Ìk gÌjdy. ‘make the air good’; see also srywdèk.)

Etymology

< NLem gundr‑a
< LMLem, MLem gundr‑yr
< OLem kundr‑ ‘clean’
< PLem *kundr‑, r-stem adjective of
< PIE *k̑eu̯dʰ‑ ‘become clean’

Cognates

Ved śundhati ‘cleans’

gàcx.

to make grain(s), fruit of cereal plants

gècx. cereal plant

Usage notes

This word is used strictly for edible types of grass such as wheat, maize and barley, not for other plants such as buckwheat or quinoa.

Etymology

< NLem garxn‑a
< LMLem, MLem garxn‑yr
< OLem garxn‑
< PLem *garxn‑
< PIE *g̑r̥h₂‑n‑óm, n-stem noun of
PIE *g̑erh₂‑ ‘make/grow(?) old, mature’

doublet of gràk.

Cognates

Eng grain, Gk γέρων ‘old man’

gonàtx.

to run museums

gonòrtx. museum (building, site)

Etymology

ModLem pry‑gonàtx., reanalysis of
ModLem prigonàtx.
< NLem prigounts‑a ‘fine art’
< Besk prigåunts ‘the High One (Goddess of art)’
< PCelt *brigant‑ī
< PIE *bʰr̥g̑ʰént‑ih₂, feminine of
PIE *bʰérg̑ʰ‑ont‑s ‘high’, nt-stem adjective of
PIE *bʰerg̑ʰ‑ ‘rise’

The motivation for the reanalysis of pri- ~ pry- as the temporal/spatial verb prÌ. ‘front’ is not quite clear.

doublet of bvyrgcà.

Cognates

Eng Brigid (via Ir Brighid)

gomàs.

to make a power density unit, a power density of 0.3322 watts per square metre (see appendix, Units of measurement)

Etymology

academic loan of
< Koi γόμ‑ος ‘cargo’
< SHell *góm‑os, nominalisation of
SHell *gém‑ō ‘be full(y loaded)’, full-grade thematic present of
< PIE *gem‑ ‘seize, grab’

Cognates

TochB kamāte ‘carried’

glàt.

to handle a sword,
to fight (against) someone-dat with a sword,
to cut something-dat into something-acc [e.g. pieces, in two] with a sword

glùt. sword

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem dal‑a
< LMLem, MLem dal‑ar
< OLem dalh‑ ‘hew, split’
< PLem *dalh‑, root present of
< PIE *delh₁‑

Cognates

Lat doleō ‘hurt, suffer’, Lit delù ‘wear out, diminish’

glàxw.

to be comically amused by someone or something-acc/causal-transporting (also dat/causal-receiving; see unit 3, Ambiguous usage);
caus, causal-reflexive: to comically amuse someone-nom, to be amusing/funny to/for someone-nom

Etymology

gmàw.

to honour someone-dat

Usage notes

Today, the Lemizh usually honour people for their qualities, abilities or deeds. Quite often even for the right ones.

In Early New Lemizh times, honour was frequently associated with social status and heritage, like a large property of land. This view, thankfully, is on the decline.

Etymology

< NLem gmim‑a
< LMLem, MLem gomem‑yr ‘qualities, abilities (of someone)’
< OLem kom‑hem‑ ‘bag, bundle’, compound of
OLem kom ‘with’
< PLem, PIE *kom
—and—
OLem hem‑ ‘take’
< PLem *hem‑, Narten present of
< PIE *h₁em‑

Cognates

Lat cum ‘with’; Lat emō ‘take’

gmrà.

to make warm, to warm

gmrilcùwb. freezer
gmrilcrù. refrigerator

Etymology

< NLem gmr‑a
< LMLem gmr‑yr
< MLem gmru‑yr
< OLem gmru‑
< PLem *gmru‑, u-stem adjective of
< PIE *gʷʰer‑ ‘get warm’

doublet of qàc.

Cognates

Eng thermo-meter (via Gk θερμ‑ός), but perhaps not warm (see fràc.)

gcà.

to make fifteen individuals

Usage notes

Historically, 15 was the number of ministers in the Lemizh monarchy. gcÌ. ‘the Fifteen’ is still used pars pro toto for the (or any) government. See also omèj. ‘councillor’.

Etymology

< NLem gj‑a
< LMLem, MLem gj‑yl
< Ghe qˡ‑ə̄ /ɢˠɯː/

gcrà.

to greet, welcome someone-dat to someplace-sce, to say farewell, goodbye to someone-dat; a greeting or farewell, ‘How do you do? Good morning/afternoon/evening/night! Goodbye!’ etc.

Usage notes

While this verb used to be reserved for welcome greetings until recent times, it is now used as a fairly universal greeting, also for farewells. The informal variant is gà..

Etymology

< NLem gjor‑a, syncope of
< LMLem, MLem gjisor‑a ‘welcome, show respect’
< OLem gjisor‑
< PLem *gjesor‑ ‘hand’
< PIE *g̑ʰés‑or‑s, r-stem noun of
PIE *g̑ʰes‑ ‘grip’

doublet of jàs. and xrà.

Cognates

Eng chiro‑practic (via Koi), TochB ṣar ‘hand’

gcnàjg.

to deceive someone-dat about something-acc

Usage notes

This verb is more general than màxk. ‘deceive with words, lie’ and is therefore mostly used for non-verbal kinds of deceit.

Etymology

< NLem gjnung‑a
< LMLem, MLem gjingung‑a ‘make harmless trickeries, cheat’
< OLem gjingung‑ ‘cuckoo’s egg > harmless trickery, cheating’
< PLem *gjengung‑ ‘cuckoo’
< PIE *g̑ʰégʰug̑ʰ‑eh₂, probably onomatopoetic

Eng who, what, Lat quis, quid ‘who, what’

gwalpà.

to make cups (also the constellation Crater; see appendix, Constellations)

Etymology

< NLem gwalp‑a
< LMLem, MLem gwalp‑yr
< OLem gwalp‑
< PLem *gwalp‑ ‘curved > cup, bowl’, o-stem adjective of
< PIE *ku̯elp‑ ‘bend, bulge’

Cognates

Ger wölben ‘curve, bulge’

gwàb.

to make healthy, to heal someone-dat

gwùb. remedy (medicine/appliance/treatment against a disease)

Etymology

< NLem gwibl‑a
< LMLem gwìbl‑a ‘be healthy’
< MLem gwiiblu‑a ‘be well, healthy, in good shape’
< OLem gwī‑blu‑, compound of
OLem gwī‑ ‘live’
< PLem *gwī‑, root present of
< PIE *gʷi̯eh₃‑
—and—
OLem blu‑ ‘strong’
< PLem *blu‑, u-stem adjective of
< PIE *bel‑

Cognates

Lat vīvō ‘live’; Gk βελτίων ‘better’

Eng cure (via Lat cūra ‘care’), Ir (Munster) chí ‘see’

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’

gwlà.

to blaze (of fire); dat: to blaze (of an object)

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem gwal‑a
< OLem gwalh‑ ‘burn, blaze’
< PLem *gwalh‑, root present of
< PIE *g̑u̯elh₁‑

doublet of gwlàk.

Cognates

Ved jválati ‘burn’, Lit žvỹla ‘glitter’

gwlàk.

to make coal

gwlykhÌc. carbon (symbol: Α)

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem gwel‑a
< LMLem gwèl‑yr
< MLem gweel‑yr
< OLem gwēl‑
< PLem *gwēl‑
< PIE *g̑u̯élh₁‑os, zero-affix noun of
PIE *g̑u̯elh₁‑ ‘burn, blaze’

doublet of gwlà.

Cognates

Ved jválati ‘burn’, Lit žvỹla ‘glitter’

gwrà.

Cognates

Eng hound, Lat canis ‘dog’

dà. [1]

to give something-acc to someone-dat;
dat: to get, receive (agentive: take) something-acc from someone-nom

dytexà. to sow
dyxàf. to water something-dat
etc.

Usage notes

Giving at the ‘right’ time was an important issue in Late Middle Lemizh times, governed by rather complicated rules. Today, we still have phrases such as dà nÌjaR. ‘give between times = commit a social blunder’ and dà gmÌaR. ‘give outside times = ditto’; and dàR. ‘the time of giving’ can mean ‘exactly the right moment’.

Etymology

< NLem dO‑a
< LMLem dÒ‑a
< MLem dOO‑a
< OLem dö‑
< PLem *dō‑, Narten present of
< PIE *deh₃‑

Cognates

Gk δίδωμι ‘give’, Lat dō ‘give’

dà. [2]

agentive ins: to calculate a trigonometric function of an angle etc.-dat to give some result-acc (see unit 7, Mathematical functions)

illustration of the use of spatial verbs for the trigonometric functions

dyprà. to calculate the cosine (⇐ ⇔ dà prìly. ~ ‘calculate the frontness’, i.e. the distance in the direction of the first or x-axis)
dyàf. to calculate the sine (~ ‘calculate the upness’)
dyfàw. to calculate the tangent (~ ‘calculate the farness’)

Etymology

academic formation, gender change of
< NLem disk‑a ‘circle’

See dàsk. for further information.

Cognates

Eng disc (via Lat discus)

darawà.

to make Australian

darawàr. Australia

Etymology

from the Tharawal tribe in southeastern Australia, following the tradition of naming continents after people that either live there (blUcnàr. ‘Africa’) or thereabouts (astekàr. ‘South America’) or have discovered them (loxlàr. ‘North America’, krytfokàr. ‘Antarctica’)

All continents, like most islands, have ‘female’ (zero) poststems.

dàp.

to make flour

Etymology

< NLem dap‑a
< LMLem, MLem dap‑yr
< OLem dap‑
< PLem *daf‑ ‘split up’, root present of
< PIE *deh₂p‑

Gk δίδωμι, Lat dō

dàcj.

to plug something (e.g. a leak)-dat; something-acc in(to something-dat)

dÌcj. a plug

to make ten individuals

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

Usage notes

The number ten is associated with feasts and opulent meals, as in the phrase soÌx dÌhy., lit. ‘ten dishes’.

Etymology

< NLem dih‑a
< LMLem, MLem dih‑yl
< OLem dish‑, inflected form of
< PLem *deshamt
< PIE *dék̑m̥t

Cognates

Eng ten, Gk δέκα ‘ten’

dàsk.

The NLem word for ‘tree’ was wror‑a, which would have become (feminised) ModLem wrà., a homonym of ‘carry’.

also a doublet of drulà.

Cognates

Eng tree, Gk δόρυ ‘wood, tree, spear’

dràt.

to make/produce wood, timber

Usage notes

People who swear a lot have been said to behave like woodworkers since Late Middle Lemizh (rather unfairly, since woodworkers’ oaths are usually pretty mild).

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem dur‑a
< LMLem dur‑yr
< MLem duru‑yr
< OLem duru‑
< PLem *doru‑ ‘tree, wood (material)’
< PIE *dóru

doublet of drà. and drulà.

Cognates

Eng tree, Gk δόρυ ‘wood, tree, spear’

dràph.

to make bitter, to give a bitter taste to something-dat

Eng sit; Gk δόρυ ‘wood, tree, spear’

dràw.

to dance with someone-dat (In partner dances, the man is usually in the nom and the lady in the dat; in group dances, we use the nom, or possibly the acc if seen as self-transporting, with a partitive ‘and’.);
a dance (action of dancing)

drèw., drìw. dance partner (in a partner dance)
drèw., drÌw. (with outer partitive) dance partner (in a group dance)
dròrw. dance floor

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem darw‑a
< OLem darw‑
< PLem *darw‑, u-present of
< PIE *dreu̯‑ ‘run’

doublet of dnà.

For NLem darw‑in ‘dance partners, among others’, see Nature 462, 288: Bird behaviour, Darwin and dance.

Cognates

Ved drávati ‘runs’, Cro Drava and other European river names. Although Eng draw is unrelated, partner dancing is really a draw in at least three senses of the word – finding your partner is a draw; discussions with your partner often end in a draw; and when you’re getting good at it, you’re a draw.

droà.

to make Troyan

droàr. the country of Troy (modern endonym: ηλψσό /l̩pˈsu/) in Asia Minor

droUkrÌst. Turkish Delight (⇐ ⇔ droÌ krÌstU. ‘Troyan thing [beneficient] for the throat’)

Etymology

< NLem dro‑a
< LMLem drò‑yr
< MLem drou‑yr
< OTroy Τροι‑α /ˈdroia/, from an Anatolian word, ultimately
< PIE *trḗb‑s ‘dwelling’

The term for Turkish Delight is calqued from Ar رَاحَة الْحُلْقُوم ‘throat comfort’.

Cognates

Ger Dorf ‘village’, Eng place names such as Weaver‑thorpe, OIr treb ‘house, farm’

drulà.

to make bushes, shrubs

drulygwrÌjd. rosebush; also a constellation corresponding to part of Cassiopeia (see appendix, Constellations)

Etymology

< NLem drul‑a
< LMLem, MLem durul‑yr
< OLem durul‑
< PLem *dorul‑
< PIE *dóru‑l‑om ‘small tree’, diminutive of
PIE *dóru ‘tree, wood (material)’

Trees and bushes are mythologically female (as evidenced by the Greek dryads, which are also etymologically related). This inhibited poststem formation of this word; otherwise expected would be **dràj.. Regular feminisation was inhibited by the related word drÌ. ‘tree’.

also a doublet of dràt.

Cognates

Eng tree, Gk δόρυ ‘wood, tree, spear’

dnà.

self-transporting: to walk somewhere-dat etc.;
(mathematics) a vector

dnù. leg

dnà trÌtir. to make a bad move (lit. ‘to walk into the ashes’)

Usage notes

This word can connote walking somewhere for a purpose, or walking with an aim, as fràw. is the go-to word for ambling aimlessly.

Etymology

< NLem dn‑a
< LMLem drn‑a ‘run’
< MLem drnu‑a
< OLem drnu‑
< PLem *drnu‑, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *dreu̯‑

doublet of dràw.

Cognates

Ved drávati ‘runs’, Cro Drava and other European river names; Eng dromedary is from a related PIE root

dnàk.

to make corners

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem gun‑a
< LMLem gun‑yr
< MLem gunu‑yr
< OLem gunu‑
< PLem *gonu‑ ‘knee’
< PIE *g̑ónu

Cognates

Eng knee, Gk γόνυ ‘knee’

dnàs.

dmà.

to make many, much (relative weight 3⁄4; see unit 7, Weighting numerals – usually with partitive bracket; see unit 8, Cardinal numerals)

also an alternative name for the language game mentioned under dmàj.

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem bmin‑a ‘full’
< LMLem, MLem pylmen‑yr
< OLem pylhmen‑
< PLem *palhmen‑
< PIE *pl̥h₁‑mh̥₁n‑ós ‘filled’, root present mediopassive participle of
PIE *pleh₁‑ ‘fill, become full’

See Ràbv. for information on Ghean weighting numerals.

doublet of dmàj.

Cognates

Eng full, Lat plēnus ‘full’

dmàd.

to make islands

Etymology

< NLem dmyd‑a ‘private, secluded space > island’
< LMLem domàti‑yr ‘room, chamber’
< Koi δωμάτι‑ον, diminutive of
Koi δῶμα ‘house’, rebuilt as μα-stem of
< SHell *dõ
< PIE *dómh₂‑s, root noun of
PIE *demh₂‑ ‘build’

doublet of dmàk.

The modern meaning was originally sailors’ jargon until it came into wider use in the last centuries. The older word for an island is NLem jsoj‑a. (See also jsàj. and stràz..)

Cognates

Eng dome (via Lat domus ‘house’)

dmàk.

to make bricks

Etymology

< NLem damk‑a
< LMLem, MLem damk‑yr
< OLem damk‑ ‘build; brick’
< PLem *damx‑ ‘build’, root present of
< PIE *demh₂‑

doublet of dmàd.

Cognates

Eng dome (via Lat domus ‘house’)

dmàt.

to make/produce an optical stimulus;
to seem to someone-dat (to be) somehow / like someone-qualnom;
dat: to see (agentive: look at) something-nom, the image of something-acc;
agentive caus: to show someone-dat something-nom, the image of something-acc;
dat, perfect: to know something-nom (having seen it)

dmùt. eye

dmetfàw. dat: to watch television (⇐ ⇔ dmàt fÌwe. ‘see something far away’)
dmetfùw. the medium of television; television set

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem demt‑a
< OLem demt‑
< PLem *dems‑, Narten present of
< PIE *dekʷs‑ ‘show’

The word for television is a calque from British.

Cognates

Av daxšat̰ ‘teach(?)’

dmàpx.

to make hats; (geometry) to make cones

Usage notes

The NLem word at first referred to a type of weird hats that were fashionable at the time; today, it denotes hats of all sorts.

Also since NLem times, dmÌpx. has been used metonymically to refer to people with respect to their brainpower, like we use ‘brain’ in ‘She is the brain of our organisation’ or ‘We need some good brains’. However, the implication of intelligence is slightly less pronounced.

Etymology

< NLem bempx‑a
< LMLem bèmbik‑yr ‘cone’
< Koi βέμβιξ ‘bumblebee, spinning top’, of unknown origin

dmàj.

to make quite a lot (relative weight 5⁄8; see unit 7, Weighting numerals – usually with partitive bracket; see unit 8, Cardinal numerals)

also an old language game for four, five, seven or ten players, focusing on abstract thought. Although the game is 4000 years old, this cover term only came into use by Early New Lemizh times when it still meant ‘make full’.

Etymology

< NLem bmin‑a ‘full’
< LMLem, MLem pylmen‑yr
< OLem pylhmen‑
< PLem *palhmen‑
< PIE *pl̥h₁‑mh̥₁n‑ós ‘filled’, root present mediopassive participle of
PIE *pleh₁‑ ‘fill, become full’

See Ràbv. for information on Ghean weighting numerals.

doublet of dmà.

Cognates

Eng full, Lat plēnus ‘full’

djà.

to sell something-acc to someone-dat;
dat: to buy something-acc from someone-nom

djÌ. purchase (something bought)
djòr. shop

Etymology

irregular poststem of
< NLem taln‑a
< LMLem, MLem talnk‑a ‘burden’ [tr.]
< OLem talnk‑
< PLem *talnx‑ ‘lift up, take upon oneself’, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *telh₂‑

Cognates

Eng thole, tolerate (via Lat tolerō ‘endure’), Lat tollō ‘lift up, take away’

djàt.

to make (it) daytime

djèRt. morning
djìRt. evening

djàt jnyýR xàxs xtrÌjy. Day is eternal, [only] the planet turns. (compare OArk Reeh Votanthar dovulum Moo.)

For compounds denoting weekdays, see the appendix, Date.

Usage notes

Daytime, like the Sun, is mythologically and poetically seen as male. This is the source of the ‘male’ (non-zero) poststem. See also the word for the night.

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem dje‑a
< LMLem djè‑yr
< MLem djei‑yr ‘day’
< OLem djei‑
< PLem *djēw‑
< PIE *di̯ḗu‑s ‘sky’

Cognates

Gk Ζεύς ‘Zeus’, Lat diēs ‘day’

djàvf.

to make a week, a time span of seven days (see appendix, Units of measurement, for usage)

Etymology

< NLem djevf‑a
< LMLem djèqif‑yr
< MLem djei‑qif‑yr, compound of
MLem djei‑yr ‘day’
< OLem djei‑
< PLem *djēw‑
< PIE *di̯ḗu‑s ‘sky’
—and—
MLem qif‑yl ‘seven’
< OLem thift‑, inflected form of
< PLem *seftam
< PIE *septḿ̥

Cognates

Lat diēs ‘day’; Eng seven

djeipysràd.

to make the god or the planet Jupiter/Zeus (symbol: Å)

Usage notes

See xàps. for the associated weekday.

This is the head of the polytheistic religion’s pantheon in the Lemizh denomination. Other denominations such as Greek and Ethiynic mainly differ in gods’ names, holidays, and other details. Polytheism in Europe goes back to PIE times, making its gods cognate to our Graeco-Roman pantheon. It is one of three major religions on this continent, the others being an atheism of Ghean heritage and a monotheism which is distantly related to Judaism.

Some Lemizh gods and goddesses (djiÌ.) and their Roman and Greek equivalents

Lemizh	Roman	Greek
ihkè.	Luna	Selene
usrÌ.	Venus	Aphrodite
OnkrÌt.	Mercury	Hermes
niftnÌj.	Neptune	Poseidon
minÌ.	Minerva	Athena
djeipysrÌd.	Jupiter	Zeus
djingmesrÌ.	Terra	Gaia
djistnÌt.	Saturn	Kronos
bvyrgcÌ.	Proserpina	Persephone
xyrtksÌ.	Diana	Artemis
sxnèz.	Sol	Helios
fOpysrÌf.	(none; Midwinter God)
frekrÌf.	Mars	Ares

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem djeipysir‑a, academic loan of
< OLem djeipysir‑ ‘Father Sky’
< PLem *djēw‑paser‑, compound of
PLem *djēw‑ ‘sky’
< PIE *di̯ḗu‑s
—and—
PLem *paser‑ ‘father’
< PIE *ph̥₂tér‑s

Cognates

Gk Ζεύς Πατήρ ‘Father Zeus’, Lat Jupiter

djemà.

to have an idea

djemÌ. an idea

Etymology

< NLem djem‑a
< LMLem djèmyn‑yr
< MLem djeemyn‑yr
< OLem djēmyn‑
< PLem *djāman‑ ‘sign’
< PIE *dʰi̯éh₂‑mn̥, neuter abstract -mn̥-noun of
PIE *dʰi̯eh₂‑ ‘notice’

doublet of zmàs. and smà.

Cognates

Eng semantic (via Gk), Ved dhyāyati ‘think of, imagine’

djià.

to make gods/goddesses

Usage notes

This word only applies to polytheistic gods, while igcèd. is reserved for the monotheistic god. See djeipysràd. for some information on Lemizh polytheism.

Etymology

< NLem dzi‑a, academic loan of
< OLem dzi‑, back-formation of Mother Earth’s (dzingmēsir‑) and the Seedputter’s (dziskont‑) names

djingmesrà.

to make the goddess Terra/Gaia, also the Earth when explicitly referred to as a planet among the others (symbol: Ã)

Usage notes

See djeipysràd. for some information on Lemizh polytheism, and xnà. for the weekday associated with this goddess.

Etymology

< NLem dzingmesir‑a, academic loan of
< OLem dzingmēsir‑ ‘Mother Earth’
< PLem *dzeng‑māser‑, compound of
PLem *dzeng‑ ‘?’, Narten present of
< PIE *dʰég̑ʰ‑
—and—
PLem *māser‑ ‘mother’
< PIE *méh₂ter‑s

The first part of the PLem compound *dzeng‑māser‑ is the (verbal) root of PLem *dzeng‑om‑ ‘earth’ and is of unclear meaning.

Cognates

Eng humus (via Lat humus ‘ground, earth, soil’); Eng mother

djistnàt.

to make the god or the planet Saturn/Kronos (symbol: Æ)

Usage notes

See djeipysràd. for some information on Lemizh polytheism, and nàt. for the weekday associated with this god.

Etymology

Cognates

Lit tekù ‘run, flow’; Gk δαίομαι ‘divide’

dwàc.

to marry (Traditionally, the man is in the nom and the woman in the dat; the more modern approach is to use the nom for both, combined with a partitive ‘and’.); a wedding

dwèc. (traditional) bridegroom, husband; (modern, with outer partitive) spouse
dwìc. (traditional) bride, wife
dwìlc. marriage
dwòc. a Lemizh concept similar to getting engaged, but more informal

dwecRìc. king’s wife; also the constellation Cassiopeia (see appendix, Constellations)
dwocwè., dwocwì. fiancé(e) (The second w is a pronoun referring to the parole and has to be adjusted for the word’s level. See ‘spilt milk’ in unit 10, Perfect, which is the same type of construction only with a cons instead of a ten.)

Usage notes

While a modern Lemizh marriage amounts to a sincere promise, little is known about the situation in Old Lemizh times. OLem dwarnh‑ seems to have referred to a rather more informal concept; it may have meant something closer to ‘get engaged’.

The resemblence to dwà. ‘make two’ is pure chance but often seen as quite fitting.

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem dwarn‑a
< OLem dwarnh‑
< PLem *dwarnh‑, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *tu̯erh₁‑ ‘grasp’

Cognates

Lit tveriù ‘grasp’, Gk σειρᾱ́ ‘rope, chain’

dwàcj.

to be enthusiastic about something-acc/causal-transporting, also dat/causal-receiving (see unit 3, Ambiguous usage)

Etymology

< NLem dwarjm‑a
< LMLem, MLem dwarnw‑yr
< OLem dwarnw‑ ‘excite joyfully, fill with enthusiasm’
< PLem *dwarnw‑, néu̯-present of
< PIE *tu̯er‑ ‘drive’

Cognates

Ved tvárate ‘hurry’

dwàw.

to make bottles

Etymology

banà.

to make buses

Etymology

bàst.

to do heroic deeds, to be a hero

bèst. hero

bastjàx. hero’s journey, hero’s quest

Etymology

< NLem bast‑a
< LMLem bast‑ar, nominalisation of
< Koi βαστ‑ώ ‘lift, raise, bear’, short form of
Koi βαστάζ‑ω, of Pre-Greek origin

Cognates

Ital bastare ‘be enough, suffice’

bermà.

blàp.

to make a momentum unit, a momentum of 53.13 millinewton-seconds (see appendix, Units of measurement)

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem bel‑a, academic loan of
< Koi βέλ‑ος ‘missile, arrow’, levelling of
< SHell *q̌él‑os
< PIE *gʷélh₁‑os, zero-affix noun of
PIE *gʷelh₁‑ ‘hit, throw’

Gender change occurred to avoid homophony with blà. ‘strong’, and also because physicists wanted to be taken seriously.

Cognates

Eng ballistic (via Gk βάλλω ‘throw’) and probably ball (dancing party) (via Gk βαλλίζω ‘dance’)

blàc.

to make copper (symbol: Χα)

Etymology

< NLem blor‑a
< LMLem, MLem pilor‑yr
< OLem pilor‑
< PLem *pelor‑ ‘a shiny metal, a copper alloy?’
< PIE *pél‑or‑s, r-stem noun of
PIE *pel‑ ‘flare up’

Cognates

OCS poljǫ ‘burn’

blàqk.

to do duty in / as a parliament

blèqk. parliamentarian, member of parliament
blòrqk. parliament building

Etymology

< NLem bleqk‑a
< LMLem bul‑reqk‑a ‘senate’, clarifying compound of
LMLem bul‑yr
< Koi βουλ‑ή ‘will, decision, (Athenian) senate’, nominalisation of
Koi βούλο‑μαι ‘wish, will’
< SHell *q̌ólno‑mai, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *gʷelh₃‑ ‘wish, want’
—and—
LMLem, MLem reqk‑a ‘meet’
< OLem rethk‑
< PLem *rethk‑, sk̑-present of
< PIE *reh₁t‑ ‘meet, find’

Cognates

Gk βούλομαι ‘wish, will’; OCS ob‑ręštǫ ‘find’

blUcnà.

to make African

< NLem bwrOr‑a
< LMLem, MLem perwer‑a ‘wear’
< OLem per‑wer‑, compound of
OLem peri ‘around, through’
< PLem, PIE *peri
—and—
OLem wer‑ ‘carry, bear’
< PLem *bwer‑, Narten present of
< PIE *bʰer‑

Cognates

Gk περί ‘about, around’; Eng bear ‘carry’

bvmàp.

to take fright because of someone or something-acc/causal-transporting (also dat/causal-receiving; see unit 3, Ambiguous usage)
agentive caus, causal-reflexive: to shock, frighten someone-nom

Usage notes

This verb denotes ‘hot’ fear as opposed to ‘cold’ fear, which is xràtx..

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem bwmi‑a
< LMLem bwimbì‑yr ‘fear’ [noun]
< MLem bwimbii‑yr
< OLem bwimbī‑
< PLem *bwembī‑ ‘fear’ [verb], perfect of
< PIE *bʰei̯h₂‑ ‘come to fear’

Cognates

Ger beben ‘shake, quiver’, Ved bháyate ‘is afraid’

kà.

opposition (‘minus’) negator (see unit 6, Negators): to turn something-dat into the opposite;
to make minus one individual

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem k‑a
< Ghe q‑a /qa/

Development of the minus sign

k → The Lemizh letter k rotated sideways so that the double stroke is horizontal. → _

self-transporting: to go somewhere-dat etc. on wheels

kùk. wheel

Etymology

< NLem kUkl‑a
< LMLem kÙkl‑yr ‘wheel, circle’
< Koi κύκλ‑ος
< SHell *qúql‑os
< PIE *kʷékʷl‑os

This word replaced native MLem gweml‑yr.

Cognates

Eng wheel, cycle (via Lat cyclus)

kàt.

to make cats

Usage notes

Cats, being regarded as somewhat mysterious creatures as in many cultures, have a whole host of associations, a common theme being causality and its absence. A good synopsis is:

Earl Robby Weldwend (1981). kèlt. – Causes for Making Cats. Faber and Faber.

Etymology

< NLem kat‑a
< LMLem kàt‑yr
< MLem kaut‑yr
< Egy ṯaute ‘jungle cat’, female form of
Egy ṯaus

Cognates

Eng cat, Ital gatto ‘cat’

kàjg.

to reluctantly say something-acc – not sufficiently relevant to the current subject – to someone-dat (relevance hedging: see pragmatics page III, Utterance modifiers: Verbs of communication)

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem kejgj‑a
< OLem keghggh‑ ‘hold under protection’
< PLem *keghggh‑, perfect of
< PIE *kagʰ‑ ‘seize, enclose’

Cognates

Eng hedge, Wel cae ‘field’

kàcx.

to make horns

kècx. horned (animal)
korncxnès. rhinoceros

Etymology

< NLem karxn‑a
< LMLem, MLem karxn‑yr
< OLem karxn‑
< PLem *karxn‑
< PIE *k̑r̥h₂n‑ós

Cognates

Eng horn, Lat cornū ‘horn’

kàx.

to make a speed (actually a rapidity) unit, a speed of 6.980 centimetres per second (see appendix, Units of measurement)

Etymology

kÌst. tear

Etymology

< NLem kust‑a
< LMLem, MLem kuzt‑a
< OLem kuzt‑
< PLem *kuzt‑, root present of
< PIE *keu̯sdʰh₁‑ ‘hide’

The meaning probably developed from the idea of hiding one’s face when weeping.

Cognates

Eng hoard

kàf.

to act, speak, think intelligently, to make/produce intelligent deeds, sayings, thoughts

Etymology

< NLem kafr‑a
< LMLem kafr‑yr
< MLem kafr‑yr ‘goat > intelligent’
< OLem kafr‑ ‘goat’
< PLem *kafr‑
< PIE *kápr‑os

to make cuckoos

Etymology

< NLem kuk‑a
< LMLem kuk‑yr
< MLem kuku‑yr
< OLem kuku‑, onomatopoetic

This word replaced older gjingung‑, whence ModLem gcnàjg. ‘deceive’.

klà.

dat: to steal something-acc

klè. thief

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem, LMLem, MLem kalp‑a
< OLem kalp‑
< PLem *kalp‑, root present of
< PIE *klep‑

Gender change avoided homophony with klàp. ‘thank’, which would be rather incongruous.

Cognates

Eng klepto‑maniac (via Gk κλέπτω ‘steal’)

klàt.

to make tails

Etymology

< NLem kelt‑a ‘pendulum, tail’
< LMLem kè‑alt‑ar ‘pendulum’, nominalisation, compound of
LMLem kè‑a ‘swing’
< MLem kei‑a ‘wobble, swing’
< OLem kei‑
< PLem *kēw‑, Narten present of
< PIE *keh₁u̯‑
—and—
LMLem, MLem alt‑yr ‘heavy’
< OLem alt‑
< PLem *als‑ ‘gather, pick up’, root present of
< PIE *les‑

This word replaced LMLem kesman‑yr ‘tail’ (a doublet of xtàj.).

doublet of keltàj.

to make wire

Etymology

< NLem koRj‑a ‘(coil of) wire’
< Besk koŕy ‘(curly) hair’
< PCelt *góury‑os
< PIE *góu̯h₁‑ri̯‑os ‘something round, bent?’

This word appears first in the sense of ‘wire’ in a poem in the Tlöngö̀l, a clear rip-off of a British poet’s work.

Cognates

possibly Gk γῦρος ‘ring, circle’

kRàq.

to make musical notes, tones

Etymology

< NLem toRq‑a, irregular development of
< Besk toŕt ‘sound’
< PCelt *dúrd‑os, of unknown origin

The NLem outcome should be **toRta. It is strongly suspected that Ramo intentionally misspelled the word in the Tlöngö̀l to get a softer sounding word.

krà.

to make a time unit, a time span of 1.318 seconds (see appendix, Time and Units of measurement)

krilrÌj. 16 time units, a time span of about 20 seconds
krilskmÌ. 256 time units, a time span of about 5½ minutes
kriljÌs. 4096 time units, a time span of 90 minutes
krilmrÌj. 65536 time units, a time span of 24 hours

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem kard‑a, shortened form, academic loan of
< Koi καρδί‑ᾱ ‘heart’
< SHell *kr̥dí‑ā
< PIE *k̑r̥dí‑eh₂, i̯-extension, feminine of
PIE *k̑érd‑s

The name of the basic time unit was chosen for its length of (very roughly) a heartbeat. Gender change occurred to avoid homophony with the related word kràd. ‘(heart)beat’.

doublet of kràd.

Cognates

Eng heart, Lat cor ‘heart’, Gk καρδία ‘heart’

kràgw.

to be mad, insane, to behave madly

krègw. mad(man)

Etymology

< NLem krOgwn‑a
< LMLem krègwon‑ar
< MLem kreigwon‑ar ‘bloodthirsty’
< OLem krei‑gwon‑, endocentric compound (tatpurusha) of
OLem krei‑ ‘blood (outside the body)’
< PLem *krēw‑
< PIE *kréu̯h₂‑s, root noun of
PIE *kreu̯h₂‑ ‘(make) bleed’
—and—
OLem gwon‑ ‘eager’
< PLem *gwon‑
< PIE *k̑u̯ón‑s ‘dog’

Cognates

Gk κρέας ‘flesh’; Eng hound

kràd.

to beat (only of the heart)

krèd. heart

Etymology

< NLem kerd‑a
< LMLem, MLem kerd‑ar
< OLem kerd‑ ‘heart’
< PLem *kerd‑
< PIE *k̑érd‑s

doublet of krà.

Cognates

Eng heart, Lat cor ‘heart’, Gk καρδία ‘heart’

kràb.

to make crabs (also the constellation Cancer; see appendix, Constellations)

Etymology

< NLem krobl‑a ‘castle, stronghold; crab’
< LMLem akròpoli‑yr ‘upper town, castle, stronghold’
< Koi ἀκρό‑πολι‑ς, compound of
Koi ἄκρ‑ος ‘sharp, topmost’
< SHell *ákr‑os ‘sharp’, r-stem adjective of
< PIE *h₂ek̑‑ ‘be sharp’
—and—
Koi πόλι‑ς ‘city’
< SHell *tpóli‑s ‘fortification’
< PIE *tpólh₁i‑s

The NLem metaphorical use of the word for a stronghold to denote crabs comes from their defensive exoskeleton and pincers.

The literal use lives on in two words: kroblÌc. ‘Kroblizh, Shabar Castle, the castle of Lemaria’s capital’ with a singular poststem and kroblÌj. ‘[any] castle’, the corresponding plural from.

Cognates

Lat aceō ‘be sour’; Eng police (via Gk πόλις ‘city’)

kràt.

to hunt, to chase someone/something-acc

krèt. also the constellation Orion (see appendix, Constellations)
krÙlt. to catch (up with) someone/something-dat

kratylàs. to hunt in vain; a vain hunt, a wild-goose chase (often used with inner ten: to intend / be about to go on a wild-goose chase; ⇐ ⇔ kràt ilÌsa.)

kràt spàzy. the pursuit of happiness

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem kart‑a
< OLem kart‑
< PLem *kars‑ ‘run’, root present of
< PIE *k̑ers‑ or *k̑ers‑

Cognates

Gk Ἐπί‑κουρος (Epicurus) ‘ally’ (lit. ‘one running with [someone]’), Lat currō ‘run’

kràj.

to form an ensemble of something-dat (see unit 7, Grouping numerals)

krÌj. ensemble, (mathematics) group
krìj. components (with outer part to denote one or some of more components of an ensemble)

krijomÌj. council
krijrÌwb. keyboard
krijcnÌzd. plumage
krijfnÌwb. family (also the biological rank)
etc.

Etymology

< NLem korj‑a
< LMLem, MLem korj‑yr ‘male association’
< OLem korj‑
< PLem *korj‑
< PIE *kór‑i̯‑os, derivation of
PIE *kór‑os ‘war’

Cognates

Ger Heer ‘army’, Gk Κοιρό‑μαχος and other proper names; unrelated to Ger Krieg ‘war’

kràw.

to play a trombone (or an instrument rather like it)

Cognates

Gk ἐρέχθω ‘rend, break’

kràst.

to make throats

krystrÙjd. robin; redthroat; also the constellation spanning Corvus and part of Hydra (see appendix, Constellations) (see also unit 6, Bahuvrihi compounds)

Etymology

< NLem karst‑a
< LMLem, MLem karst‑yr
< OLem karst‑
< PLem *karst‑
< PIE *kŕ̥s‑t‑s ‘cut’, verbal adjective of
PIE *kers‑

The throat is probably named for its function to separate head and body.

Cognates

Hit karaszi ‘cuts, separates’

krytfokà.

to make Antarctic

krytfokàr. Antarctica

Etymology

This is one of many Beskidic tree names introduced in the Tlöngö̀l. ‘Female’ (zero) poststems are almost universal in trees.

khrenà.

to make loops, to loop

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem kxreint‑a ‘kind of song sung by guests at banquets’
< Besk kxreint ‘round; kind of song’
< PCelt *krundi‑s ‘round’, of unknown origin

Cognates

Ir cruinn ‘round’

khnà.

to shout something-acc at someone-dat

< NLem ksef‑a
< LMLem, MLem ksef‑yr
< OLem ksef‑
< PLem *ksef‑
< PIE *kʷsép‑s ‘night’

doublet of ksfelà.

Cognates

Ved kṣáp ‘night, darkness’

ksrà.

doublet of ksàf.

Cognates

Ved kṣáp ‘night, darkness’

kfusà.

to imagine something-acc, to create an image/concept-acc from something-dat

Usage notes

This word is about imaginative creation of new images or concepts (good as well as bad). It contrasts with pqxarà., the making of false images or concepts.

Etymology

< NLem kfus‑a
< LMLem, MLem kyfus‑yr ‘brain’
< OLem kyfus‑
< PLem *kafus‑ ‘head’
< PIE *káput

Cognates

Eng head, Lat caput ‘head’

kfrà.

to care for something/someone-acc/dat, to deem something/someone-acc/dat important;
ambiguous (acc/dat): to be important to someone-nom

Usage notes

See kfràc. ‘make important’.

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem kfror‑a ‘important’
< LMLem, MLem kfrar‑yr
< OLem kfrar‑
< PLem *kfrar‑, r-stem adjective of
< PIE *gʷreh₂‑ ‘heavy’

doublet of kfràc.

Cognates

Gk βαρύς ‘heavy’, Ved gurú ‘guru; weighty’

kfràjd.

to claim something-acc (see unit 13, Verbs of certainty)

Etymology

< NLem kfrOnd‑a
< LMLem, MLem kfrend‑a
< OLem kfrend‑ ‘claim, insist’
< PLem *kfrend‑, Narten present of
< PIE *kʷrend‑ ‘yell, neigh’

Cognates

Ved krándati ‘yell, neigh’

kfràc.

to make important for something/someone-ben

Usage notes

This is an adjectival verb, treating importance as a property like heavy or yellow, as in ‘Sunlight is important [for plants]’. To express an emotion such as ‘You are important to me’, use the corresponding word with the ‘female’ poststem and verb-of-emotion plot usage, kfrà. ‘care for, deem important’.

Etymology

< NLem kfror‑a
< LMLem, MLem kfrar‑yr
< OLem kfrar‑
< PLem *kfrar‑, r-stem adjective of
< PIE *gʷreh₂‑ ‘heavy’

doublet of kfrà.

Cognates

Gk βαρύς ‘heavy’, Ved gurú ‘guru; weighty’

tà.

definite pronoun: to make this/that one (see unit 6, Demonstrative pronouns)

tÌ. this/that (one);
with outer causative/persuasive: therefore;
with outer temporal: at this/that time;
with outer locative: here/there;
etc.

Etymology

< NLem t‑a
< LMLem, MLem t‑yr ‘this, that’
< OLem t‑
< PLem *t‑
< PIE *t‑ód

Cognates

Eng that, the, Gk τό ‘the’

taà.

to measure the circle

taù., τ = 2π = 6.28318530717958647692528676655900…

Usage notes

The Lemizh got it right. Yes, really.

Etymology

academic loan, back formation of
< Koi ταῦ ‘the letter τ’, from τόρνος ‘lathe, compass (drawing tool)’ and Τερψιχόρη, the muse of dancing

Cognates

either Eng turn, or Lit tarpstù ‘thrive, prosper’ and probably Ger dürfen ‘may, be allowed’

tamgà.

to tango with someone-dat (the leader [usually the man] is in the nom and the follower [usually the lady] in the dat); a tango (action of dancing)

tamgè. leader in tango
tamgì. follower in tango

Etymology

< NLem tamgu‑a
< Ibb tamgu ‘to dance’

tàk.

agentive dat: to grasp something-acc;
dat, perfect: to hold something-acc (e.g. in one’s hands)

Usage notes

kàfk. has a similar meaning but with a connotation of force.

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem tek‑a
< OLem tek‑ ‘take into one’s hand(s), grasp’
< PLem *tex‑ ‘acquire’, Narten present of
< PIE *tek‑

Cognates

Lit tèkti ‘receive’; unrelated to Eng take

tàkf.

to work and teach as an academic, at university;
to teach someone-dat something-acc at university; see gwàt. for further plot usages

tìkf. student (at university)
tÙlkf. academic degree
tòrkf. university building/campus

takfrà. lesson (at university)

Usage notes

This verb encompasses both teaching and research done by academic staff. Teaching in particular can be expressed with the compound gwattàkf., research by xasktàkf..

Also compare skholà. ‘teach in school’.

Etymology

< NLem tykf‑a
< LMLem, MLem otykpf‑yr ‘high-born daughter’
< Ghe otəqshp ̑‑ə̄ /ɔtəʛɓɯː/ ‘daughter’

tàp.

to lead someone-dat to an assumption about something-acc;
dat, perfect: to assume something-acc

Usage notes

Conceptually, we assume something if it is that which is typically the case under the given circumstances; what seems to follow from the given circumstances. This is also the basis for this verb’s etymology.

Etymology

< NLem tUp‑a
< LMLem tÙp‑yr ‘(something) typical’
< Koi τύπ‑ος ‘impression, mark > type’
< SHell *túp‑os ‘impression, mark’, nominalisation of
SHell *túpt‑ō ‘push, hit’, zero-grade i̯é-present of
< PIE *teu̯p‑, form without s-mobile of
PIE *steu̯p‑

doublet of stàd., stedràj. and stedràc.

Cognates

Eng type (via Gk)

tàj.

to make/build/found cities, towns

tyjgmÌ. suburb (⇐ ⇔ tÌj gmÌy. ‘a town outside’)

Etymology

< NLem taj‑a
< LMLem, MLem taxj‑yr ‘dwelling’
< OLem taçj‑
< PLem *taçj‑, o-stem adjective of
< PIE *tk̑ei̯‑ ‘dwell, farm’

Cognates

Ved kṣéti ‘dwells’, Gk ἔκτισσα ‘found (a city)’

tàcd.

to make more, to make a larger amount (often with qualitative; often compounded; see unit 11, Verbs of comparison and Comparative)

Usage notes

The difficulty of locating more of something (such as knowledge, wisdom) has been a common theme in literature and other arts since Late Middle Lemizh times; e.g. qàzg tìlcdy gwÌar. in the well-known song (‘Won’t you dance for me cos I just don’t care / What’s going on today, I think there’s something more…’). Compare àst..

Etymology

gender change, anomalous poststem formation (under the influence of àst. ‘make the most’) of
< NLem, LMLem tir‑a
< MLem tiro‑a, back formation of
< OLem comparative suffix ‑tiro‑
< PLem *‑tero‑
< PIE *‑tero‑s

Cognates

Eng far‑ther, Gk comparative suffix ‑τερος

tàcs.

to make (dry) land (as opposed to the sea)

tÙcs. (colloquial) railway train (short form of ykhtÌcs. ⇐ ⇔ Ìkh tÙcsy. ‘ship benefitting from dry land’)

Etymology

< NLem tarsn‑a
< LMLem, MLem tarns‑yr ‘dry land, steppe’
< OLem tarns‑
< PLem *tarns‑ ‘dry out, get thirsty’, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *ters‑

doublet of tràt.

Cognates

Eng thirst, Lat terra ‘earth’

tàx.

to make/produce art, (an) art

tÌx. artwork

Etymology

tlOnà.

tlOnÒl. Tlöngö̀l (the epic novel defining the onset of New Lemizh)

Etymology

< NLem tlOn‑a ‘endure, pluck up courage’
< LMLem tlèn‑a
< Koi τλῆναι, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *telh₂‑ ‘lift up, take upon oneself’

This verb is only used for the name of the epic. The modern form for all other purposes is klàj..

Cognates

Eng thole, tolerate (via Lat tolerō ‘endure’), Lat tollō ‘lift up, take away’

trà.

to make three individuals

Etymology

< NLem tart‑a
< LMLem, MLem tart‑yr
< OLem tart‑
< PLem *tars‑ ‘dry’, o-stem adjective of
< PIE *ters‑ ‘dry out, get thirsty’

doublet of tàcs.

Cognates

Eng thirst, Lat terra ‘earth’

tràw.

to perform witchcraft

trèw. witch; also the constellation Virgo (see appendix, Constellations)

Usage notes

The idea that witches often come in threes is nicely matched by the phonological similarity to trÌ. ‘three’.

Etymology

< NLem trom‑a
< LMLem tràmi‑yr ‘gut’
< Koi τράμι‑ς, nominalisation of
< SHell *tér‑mi ‘drill, rub’, root present of
< PIE *terh₁‑

The NLem word literally means ‘gut-maker’; the concept was probably ‘someone making the guts whole = someone healing the innards’. Gender change was inhibited by the word trÌ..

doublet of tràd.

Cognates

Lat terō ‘rub’, possibly Eng throw

txilàbv. to make/prepare white tea
txilàxw. to make green tea
txiwràf. to make black tea
txiflàc. to make oolong
(all with inner acc for the beverage and inner dat for the leaves)

Usage notes

This is the word for tea from the plant Camellia sinensis and, by extension, for other strongly aromatic sorts of tea, especially spiced teas.

Etymology

< NLem tha‑a ‘black tea’
< Man 茶
< OCh 荼 /*rlaː, laː, ɦlja/ ‘a bitter tasting plant, tea’
< PST *s-la ‘leaf, tea?, flat object’

The MLem word was li‑yr < OTroy ϲλι‑α /ˈhlia/ < OCh, before it was re-loaned from Man.

Cognates

Eng tea, chai

txàb.

to make tunnels

txÙb. (colloquial; especially in Shabar, the Lemizh capital) underground railway train, tube train (short form of ykhtxÌb. ⇐ ⇔ Ìkh txÙby. ‘ship benefitting from tunnels’)

Etymology

< NLem tfydR‑a
< LMLem, MLem ytfydlz‑yr
< Ghe əᴛf‑əᴛsˡ‑ə̄ /ət̠ɸəd̠ˡz̟ɯː/, compound of
Ghe əᴛf‑ə̄ /ət̠ɸɯː/ ‘night’
—and—
Ghe ᴛsˡ‑ə̄ /d̠ˡz̟ɯː/ ‘green’

pà.

to ask (interrogate) someone-dat about something-acc (see unit 16, Questions, imperative and exclamations)

là pÙla. to answer something-acc to someone-dat

Etymology

< NLem pevn‑a
< LMLem pèvont‑yr
< MLem peevont‑yr
< OLem pē‑dhont‑, compound of
OLem pē‑ ‘kind of official, probably of the clergy’
< PLem *pē‑, Narten present of
< PIE *peh₁i̯‑ ‘rebuke’
—and—
OLem dhont‑ ‘tooth’
< PLem *edhont‑
< PIE *h̥₁d‑ónt‑s, Narten present active participle of
PIE *h₁ed‑ ‘eat’

Apparently, high-ranking people were known for their straight teeth in Old Lemizh times.

Cognates

Ved pī́yati ‘rebuke’; Eng tooth

Cognates

Ved vi-pipāná- ‘sorting out’; Eng in

pifprà.

dat: to progress, improve; to improve something-dat

Usage notes

see pifà.

Etymology

< NLem pif‑prO‑a, compound of
NLem, LMLem, MLem pif‑a ‘move (purposefully)’
< OLem pifh‑ ‘move’ [intr.]
< PLem *pifh‑, i-reduplicated athematic present of
< PIE *peh₁‑
—and—
NLem prO‑a ‘front’, inflected form of
< LMLem prÒ ‘in front of’
< MLem prOO
< OLem prö
< PLem *prō
< PIE *prō ‘forth’

Cognates

Ved vi-pipāná- ‘sorting out’; Lat prō ‘for, in front of’

polnà.

to list something-dat, to make/write lists of something-dat (Grouping numeral, see unit 7)

polnÌ. a list of things-dat

Usage notes

Having to write lists, or having to work through lists, can cause physical nausea, as the Lemizh as well as the Ethiynic are well aware. — Hence the negative connotation of the word, its implication of tediousness.

Etymology

< Eth bolná ‘scroll > list’
< PWald *kholn‑á ‘roll, cylinder’, nominalisation of
PWald *kholnḗ‑mi ‘turn, roll’, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *kʷelh₁‑ ‘turn (around)’

doublet of gwàj. and possible doublet of telmà.

Cognates

Gk κύκλος ‘cycle’, Ger dulden ‘tolerate, endure’

podaRàg.

to play the timpani

podaRèg. timpanist; also the star β Trianguli Australis
podaRùg. timpani

Etymology

< NLem podaRugn‑a
< Besk podaŕugn ‘drum’
< PCelt *bodar‑ágn‑os, instrumental noun of
PCelt *bodar‑ós ‘deaf’, r-stem adjective of
< PIE *bʰedʰh₁‑ ‘deafen’

doublet of wdràg.

Cognates

Ir bodhrán ‘kind of drum’, Ved badhirá ‘deaf’

potmàs.

to make an electric current or magnetic potential unit, a current/potential of 43.72 milliamperes (see appendix, Units of measurement)

Etymology

shortened form, academic loan of
< Koi ποταμ‑ός ‘river’, probably related to
< Koi πῑ́πτ‑ω ‘fall’
< SHell *pī́pt‑ō, i-reduplicated thematic present of
< PIE *peth₂‑ ‘fly (up)’

Most electric units use the electricity is water metaphor, which relates an electric current to running water.

Cognates

Eng hippo‑potamus; probably feather, petition (via Lat petō ‘ask, request’)

plàk.

to unlock something-dat, to open a lock-acc to something-dat

plÌk. a lock
plùk. key

Etymology

plOqkàj.

to infect someone-dat (of bacteria)

Lat prō ‘for, in front of’

pràg.

to make towers

prigtxeklÌw. ivory tower; also the constellation in the region of Ara, Triangulum Australe, Circinus and Musca (see appendix, Constellations) (⇐ ⇔ prÌg txeklÌwi.)

Etymology

Cognates

Ved prīṇā́ti ‘pleases’; for some reason unrelated to Prague and Ger Pracht ‘splendour’

pràxt.

to make red deer (Cervus elaphus and, by extension, other species of Old World deer; also the constellation Stag, corresponding to Lyra and Hercules; see appendix, Constellations)

prèxt. (harsh) social critic, lit. ‘deer-maker’

Usage notes

Calling people red deer or saying they behave like deer (là prÌxtem.) refers to them quarrelling fruitlessly. The idea is that of two stags having got their antlers interlocked in their fight. This is a fairly recent metaphor. Calling a social critic a ‘deer-maker’ probably refers to them pointing out useless quarrels among people, thereby turning them metaphorically into red deer.

Etymology

< NLem prunt‑a ‘stag’
< LMLem prùnt‑yr
< MLem pruont‑yr
< OLem pruont‑
< PLem *pruont‑
< PIE *pru‑ónt‑s ‘jumper’, Narten present active participle of
PIE *preu̯‑ ‘jump’

Cognates

Eng frog, Ved pravanta ‘jump’

proxà.

to make badgers (Meles meles and, by extension, other species of this genus)

< NLem pxloj‑a
< LMLem palxòj‑yr ‘(flat) pasture land’
< MLem palxouj‑yr
< OLem pal‑xouj‑, compound of
OLem palx‑ ‘flat’
< PLem *palx‑, root present of
< PIE *pleh₂‑
—and—
OLem xouj‑ ‘pasture’
< PLem *xowj‑
< PIE *h₂óu̯i‑s ‘sheep’

Cognates

Eng floor, Eng plain (via Lat plānus ‘flat, intelligible’); Eng ewe

psàx.

to make psyches, souls

Usage notes

This is the Ancient Greek concept of the ‘metaphysic shadow’, the immortal part of a human and possibly other animals. It differs from our monotheistic soul in that it is not the human’s essence; the Greeks didn’t identify with their psyches but with their bodies. The Iliad’s lines 3 and 4 may clarify this viewpoint:
πολλὰς δ’ ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προΐαψεν
ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσιν
‘[Achilles’s wrath] hurled many valiant psyches of heroes down to Hades, and made themselves a prey to dogs …’

Compare Ràg..

Etymology

< NLem psUx‑a
< LMLem psUx‑yr
< Koi ψῡχ‑ή, nominalisation of
Koi ψῡ́χ‑ω ‘blow’
< SHell *psū́kh‑ō, of uncertain origin

pslà.

to cut something-dat into something-acc [e.g. pieces, in two] with scissors

gender change of
< NLem pfi‑a
< LMLem pifì‑yr ‘bulge’ [noun]
< MLem pifii‑yr
< OLem pifī‑ ‘swell’
< PLem *pifī‑, i-reduplicated athematic present of
< PIE *pei̯h₁‑

For some strange reason, masculinisation is common in verbs of emotion; see spàz. ‘be happy’.

Cognates

Ved pínvate ‘swells’

pqàht.

to count something-dat

pqùht. a number

Usage notes

Originally meaning natural numbers, the tool noun’s meaning has been extended to negative, real and complex numbers in modern times. This of course reflects the development of modern mathematics and parallels our use of the word. The verbal usage is also relatively new.

Etymology

< NLem pfeht‑a ‘number’
< LMLem Opfèhtt‑yr
< MLem Opfeihtt‑yr
< Ghe öp ̑eishᴛt‑ə̄ /œɓɛ͜ɪʃt̠tɯː/

pqxarà.

to fantasise about something-acc

Usage notes

This word is about making false images or concepts. It contrasts with kfusà., the imaginative creation of new images or concepts.

Etymology

< NLem pqxar‑a
< LMLem, MLem piqxar‑yr ‘wing’
< OLem pithxar‑
< PLem *pethxar‑ ‘feather’
< PIE *péth₂‑r̥, r-stem noun of
PIE *peth₂‑ ‘spread (one’s wings), fly (up)’

doublet of ftnàk.

Cognates

Eng pen (via Lat penna ‘feather, quill pen’)

jà.

relative pronoun type I level n−5: see unit 6, Relative pronouns

Etymology

NLem, LMLem, MLem j‑a, formed after the Ghean relative pronouns
a f‑a s‑a sh‑a x‑a / fˇ‑a sˇ‑a shˇ‑a xˇ‑a
/a ɸa s̟a ʃa χa / βa z̟a ʒa ʁa/

jàk.

to make mouths

Etymology

< NLem jek‑a
< LMLem jek‑yr
< MLem jek‑yr ‘mouth, oral cavity’
< OLem jek‑
< PLem *jex‑ ‘speak’, Narten present of
< PIE *i̯ek‑

Cognates

Eng joke (via Lat iocus), Ger Gicht ‘gout’

jàt.

to give a name to someone-dat, to call, name someone-dat something-acc after someone-psu

jÌt. a name

Etymology

< NLem jet‑a
< LMLem jèt‑a
< MLem jeet‑a ‘call (by name)’
< OLem jēt‑ ‘call, rouse’
< PLem *jews‑ ‘notice, awake’, Narten present of
< PIE *i̯eu̯t‑

Cognates

OCS oštuštǫ ‘sense, notice’

jawrà.

to make jaguars (also the constellation in the region of Apus and Chamaeleon; see appendix, Constellations)

Etymology

< NLem jawar‑a
< Old Tupi îaûara ‘jaguar’

Cognates

Eng jaguar

jàx.

to move something-acc somewhere-dat etc., also non-sending; a body part-acc;
self-transporting: to move (a distance), to go somewhere ditto by train etc.-ins

jùx. engine, motor
jìrx. to put something-acc somewhere ditto; self-transporting: to arrive
jèrx. self-transporting: to leave, depart

jyxhlà. to salt something-dat
jyxsràx. to sugar something-dat
etc.
jixdwàw. to bottle something-acc
jixRàxt. to shoulder something-acc
etc.

jirxvìrsk. to misplace something-acc, self-transporting: to get lost (⇐ vàsk jìrxi. ‘put erroneously’)

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem, LMLem, MLem j‑a
< OLem j‑
< PLem *j‑, root present of
< PIE *h₁ei̯‑

Gender change occurred to avoid homophony with the pronoun jà., as pronouns referring to verbs were becoming more common during the last centuries.

Cognates

Gk εἶμι ‘come, go’, Lat eō ‘go’

jàxw.

to make bile

jèxw. liver

Etymology

< NLem jexw‑a
< LMLem jèxw‑yr
< MLem jeexw‑yr, haplology of
< OLem jēxwyr‑
< PLem *jēxwar‑ ‘liver’
< PIE *i̯ḗkʷr̥

Cognates

Gk ἧπαρ ‘liver’, Lat iecur ‘liver’

jàs.

to make 4096 individuals

Usage notes

The number 1000 has traditionally been seen as unlucky, attested from Old Lemizh. Fortunately, it is no longer a round number (1000_dec = 3E8_hex) and can easily be avoided.

Etymology

< NLem jesl‑a
< LMLem, MLem jesl‑yl
< OLem jesl‑ ‘thousand’
< PLem *gjesl‑
< PIE *g̑ʰés‑l‑os lit. ‘a hand full (of corn?)’, l-stem noun of
PIE *g̑ʰes‑ ‘grip’

Following the example of skmà., the numeric value of this word was adapted to the Ghean hexadecimal system in Middle Lemizh.

doublet of gcrà. and xrà.

Cognates

Eng kilo- (via Gk χίλιοι ‘thousand’), probably Lat mille (< PIE *sm̥‑g̑ʰésl‑os ‘one thousand’)

jàsk.

to make/brew beer

< NLem jUr‑a
< LMLem, MLem jUr‑yr
< OLem jür‑
< PLem *gjuwer‑ ‘wild beast’, Lindeman’s variant of
< PIE *g̑ʰu̯ér‑s, root noun of
PIE *g̑ʰu̯er‑ ‘go crookedly’

doublet of qrà.

Cognates

Eng feral (via Lat ferus ‘wild’), Ved hvárate ‘diverge, bend, go crookedly’

jràk.

to make roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)

Etymology

< NLem jork‑a
< LMLem, MLem jork‑yr
< OLem jork‑
< PLem *jork‑
< PIE *i̯órk‑os

Cognates

Gk ζορκάς ‘roe deer, gazelle’, Wel iwrch ‘roe deer’

jnà.

to make every, all, the whole (relative weight 1; see unit 7, Weighting numerals – usually with partitive bracket; see unit 8, Cardinal numerals), the Universe

Usage notes

This word has pejorative connotations when used with certain words (mainly flat things, but also faces), dating from Middle Lemizh:

‘all the (sheets of) paper’ is a term for excessive bureaucracy.
‘bringing all the tables into the restaurant’ or ‘laying out / using all the blankets/bedsheets’ indicates overactivity and disorganisation.
If someone puts ‘all the paintings in his (living) room’, he is overdoing it, or he simply has no taste.
‘all the faces in the room’ is derogatory, unlike ‘all the people in the room’.

This list is far from complete.

to make ice, (of water or bodies of water) to freeze

Etymology

jbÙlt. to elect someone-dat for some office-acc

Etymology

< NLem jbot‑a
< LMLem kibot‑yr ‘voting urn’
< Koi κιβωτ‑ός ‘wooden box, chest’, of unknown origin

This word was loaned in error; the Koi term for a voting urn is actually the diminutive κιβώτιον.

Cognates

possibly Lat cibus ‘food’

jvelà.

to play chess, a game of chess

jvelÌ. chess piece
jvelòr. chess board

Etymology

Etymology

< NLem jsti‑a
< LMLem xistì‑yr
< Koi ἱστί‑ον, diminutive of
Koi ἱστ‑ός ‘mast’, nominalisation of
Koi ἵστη‑μι ‘stand’ [tr.]
< SHell *sístā‑mi, i-reduplicated athematic present of
< PIE *steh₂‑ ‘stand’

doublet of zdrà.

Cognates

Eng histo-logy (via Gk), Eng stand

jfàxw.

to do evil to someone-dat

< NLem canxw‑a ‘dust’
< LMLem, MLem canxw‑yr
< OLem zhanxw‑
< PLem *dzanxw‑ ‘raise dust’, u-present of
< PIE *dʰenh₂‑ ‘slip away’

doublet of cnàxw.

Cognates

Gk θάνατος ‘death’, Eng Danube

càwb.

to make hardly any(thing) (relative weight 1⁄8; see unit 7, Weighting numerals – usually with partitive bracket; see unit 8, Cardinal numerals)

Usage notes

The Middle and Old Lemizh sense of ‘negligible, trivial, not worth mentioning’ is still palpable today.

Etymology

< NLem cambr‑a
< LMLem cambr‑yr
< MLem cambr‑yr ‘negligible’
< OLem zhambr‑
< PLem *dzambr‑ ‘few, little’, r-stem adjective of
< PIE *dʰebʰ‑ ‘reduce’

See Ràbv. for information on Ghean weighting numerals.

Cognates

Ved dabhnóti ‘deceives’, Lv dâbt ‘strike, beat’

càx.

to make/cultivate fields (for growing crops); (board games, especially chess) to make spaces, squares

Etymology

< NLem cOx‑a
< LMLem cÒx‑yr
< MLem cOOxe‑yr, haplology of
< OLem zhöxēr‑
< PLem *dzō‑xār‑ ‘field (for growing crops)’, compound of
PLem *dzō‑ ‘grain, seed’
< PIE *dʰóh₁n‑eh₂
—and—
PLem *xār‑ ‘field, pasture land’
< PIE *h₂ég̑r‑os

Cognates

Eng acre, Lat ager ‘field, land’

càhw.

to make hair, fur

cahwnè., cahwcèwb. bald

Etymology

< NLem cOhw‑a
< LMLem cÒ‑ehw‑yr, compound of
LMLem cÒ‑yr ‘awn’
< MLem cOO‑yr
< OLem zhö‑
< PLem *dzō‑ ‘grain, seed’
< PIE *dʰóh₁n‑eh₂
—and—
LMLem, MLem ehw‑yr ‘horse’
< OLem heshw‑
< PLem *heshw‑
< PIE *h₁ék̑u̯‑os

Cognates

Lit dúona ‘bread’; Lat equus ‘horse’

cOàc.

to make human(s), persons, people

Etymology

poststem from singular of
< NLem cO‑a
< LMLem ecÒ‑yr
< MLem ecOO‑yr
< OLem hezhö‑ ‘person, individual’, inflected form of
< PLem *hezhō ‘I’
< PIE *h₁eg̑óh₂

Cognates

Eng I, Gk ἐγώ ‘I’

crà. [1]

to make few, little, a bit (relative weight 1⁄4; see unit 7, Weighting numerals – usually with partitive bracket; see unit 8, Cardinal numerals)

crURÌjg. vitamin (⇐ ⇔ crÌ RàjgU. ‘a bit for life’)

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem crumbw‑a ‘2/6’
< LMLem crumbw‑yr, contamination of
< MLem srumbw‑yr ‘few, little’
< OLem srumbw‑
< PLem *tsrumbw‑ ‘of little worth’, u-stem adjective of
< PIE *dʰreu̯bʰ‑ ‘break’ [intr.], crumble’
—with—
< MLem cambr‑yr ‘negligible’
< OLem zhambr‑
< PLem *dzambr‑ ‘few, little’, r-stem adjective of
< PIE *dʰebʰ‑ ‘reduce’

See Ràbv. for information on Ghean weighting numerals.

Cognates

Gk θρύπτω ‘crush, grind’

cnàzd.

to make feathers;
to write or draw something (e.g. a letter, a sketch)-fact about something-acc to someone-dat with a pen or quill (the fact object also needs an inner fact; see unit 14, Objects related to language and the last exercise there)

cnùzd. pen, quill (see usage notes)

Usage notes

The two meanings have quite different plot usages: thus, cnÌzd. (inner acc) can mean ‘something about which is written with a pen or [in historical contexts] a quill’ but in most cases means ‘birds’ feathers’. The inner fact cnàzd. mostly refers to writing or drawing with a pen or quill as opposed to making feathers, while cnùzd. (inner ins) most often means ‘pen, quill’, not ‘an instrument for making feathers’.

to work with one’s hands, to do something-fact with one’s hands

cmùk. hand

Etymology

< NLem camk‑a
< LMLem, MLem camk‑yr
< OLem shamk‑
< PLem *samx‑ ‘scoop up’, root present of
< PIE *semh₂‑

doublet of qmàxz.

Cognates

Lit semiù ‘scoop’

cgàc.

to make hedgehogs

Usage notes

As in many cultures, the hedgehog is the proverbial non-agressive but well-defended animal. Phrases along the lines of là cgÌcem. ‘withdraw defensively (and anyone trying to get through the defenses is doing so at their own risk)’, lit. ‘behave like a hedgehog’, have been attested since Old Lemizh.

Etymology

simplification of
< NLem cgjir‑a
< LMLem, MLem hUgjir‑yr
< OLem shügjir‑
< PLem *sū‑gjer‑, clarifying compound of
PLem *sū‑ ‘pig’
< PIE *súh₂‑s
—and—
PLem *gjer‑ ‘hedgehog’
< PIE *g̑ʰér‑s

Expected would be ModLem **cgcàc., which has lost one of its cs for obvious reasons.

Cognates

Eng sow; Gk χήρ ‘hedgehog’

zà.

relative pronoun type I level n−3: see unit 6, Relative pronouns

Etymology

NLem, LMLem, MLem z‑a, formed after the Ghean relative pronouns
a f‑a s‑a sh‑a x‑a / fˇ‑a sˇ‑a shˇ‑a xˇ‑a
/a ɸa s̟a ʃa χa / βa z̟a ʒa ʁa/

zaraqàht.

to make Zarathustra (an ancient philosopher and poet)

Etymology

< NLem zaraquhtr‑a, academic loan of
< OLem zarathushtr‑, from an Asian language

Cognates

To judge from context, Av Zaraθuštra seems to be related.

zrOnà.

to make mermaids (also a constellation in the region of Cassiopaia, Camelopardalis and Lynx; see appendix, Constellations)

zrOnyÌx. merman (also the constellations Aquarius and Equuleus)

Etymology

< NLem zrOn‑a
< LMLem serèn‑yr
< Koi Σειρήν ‘Siren’, agentive noun of
Koi σειρ‑ά ‘cord, rope’, nominalisation of
Koi εἴρ‑ω ‘link, bind together’
< SHell *héry‑ō, full-grade i̯e-present of
< PIE *ser‑

doublet of sràj. and sràc.

Cognates

Eng Siren, Lat serō ‘link, bind together’

znàg.

to deform something-dat into some shape-acc [e.g. flat, into a z]

Etymology

self-transporting: to sit down, perfect: to sit somewhere-dat etc.;
acc, perfect: to float, to be afloat in water etc.-nom (or agentive caus)

zdòrs. a seat

zdasgwìlt. to be capable of floating

Etymology

poststem from perfect of
< NLem, LMLem, MLem zd‑a
< OLem zd‑ ‘sit’
< PLem *zd‑, root aorist of
< PIE *sed‑ ‘sit down’

The secondary meaning ‘float’ was generalised from the earlier development of nenà. ‘run’ > also ‘float quickly’.

Cognates

Eng sit, Lat sedeō ‘sit’

zdrà.

to write or draw something (e.g. a letter, a sketch)-fact about something-acc to someone-dat with a pencil (the fact object also needs an inner fact; see unit 14, Objects related to language and the last exercise there)

zdrù. pencil

Etymology

< NLem zdor‑a ‘silverpoint, leadpoint’
< LMLem zdòr‑yr ‘stylus’
< MLem zdour‑yr ‘pin, stylus’
< OTroy σταυρ‑ος /ˈsdauros/
< SHell *staur‑ós ‘stake, pole’
< PIE *sth̥₂‑ur‑ós, r-stem noun of
PIE *steh₂‑ ‘stand’

doublet of jstà.

Cognates

Eng histo-logy (via Gk), Eng stand

zdnàk.

to make lice

Etymology

zvormàv.

to do science, to work as a scientist on something-acc; science

Etymology

vnè. a/the fire
vnÌ. smoke and ashes
vnì. fuel
vnòr. fireplace, hearth

vnajnà. agentive caus: to burn down something-dat (as opposed to ‘set fire to’)

Usage notes

Fire is mythologically and poetically seen as female, which is the source of the ‘female’ (zero) poststem in Modern Lemizh. George Lakoff did not comment on this fact. (xÌf. ‘water’, by comparison, is male, as for some reason is sxnèz. ‘Sun’.)

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem vengw‑a
< LMLem, MLem vengw‑yr ‘fire’
< OLem dhengw‑ ‘make fire’
< PLem *dzengw‑ ‘burn’ [tr.], Narten present of
< PIE *dʰegʷʰ‑

The Old Lemizh meaning ‘make fire’ gave rise to the inner accusative of MLem vengw‑yr ‘fire’. The modern plot, by contrast, views the fire-nom as burning an object-dat, in analogy to someone breaking a branch, the Sun melting snow, etc.

Cognates

Lat foveō ‘(keep) warm, foster’, Ved dáhati ‘burns’ [tr.]

vnàt.

to chew something-dat into something-acc [e.g. mush]

vnùt. molar (tooth)

vnatmlè. ruminant

Etymology

< NLem vont‑a
< LMLem, MLem vont‑yr ‘tooth’
< OLem dhont‑
< PLem *edhont‑
< PIE *h̥₁d‑ónt‑s, Narten present active participle of
PIE *h₁ed‑ ‘eat’

doublet of àv., àvd. and àqt.

Cognates

Eng tooth, Lat dēns ‘tooth’

vmàj.

to make agarics (lamelled mushrooms)

vmyjkrÌgw. fly agaric
vmyjcrÌ. death cap

NLem, LMLem, MLem w‑a, formed after the Ghean relative pronouns
a f‑a s‑a sh‑a x‑a / fˇ‑a sˇ‑a shˇ‑a xˇ‑a
/a ɸa s̟a ʃa χa / βa z̟a ʒa ʁa/

wàgw.

to make dogs

Usage notes

Dogs are, of course, famous for wagging their tails.

Etymology

< NLem wagw‑a
< LMLem, MLem wagw‑yr, dialect borrowing of
< OLem walgw‑
< PLem *walgw‑
< PIE *u̯ĺ̥kʷ‑os ‘wolf’

Cognates

Eng wolf, Gk λύκος ‘wolf’

wàb.

to make/weave nets

Etymology

< NLem wib‑a
< LMLem wìb‑yr
< MLem wiib‑yr
< OLem wīb‑ ‘weave a net; net’
< PLem *wiwb‑, i-reduplicated athematic present of
< PIE *u̯ebʰ‑ ‘weave, wrap around’

doublet of màpx. and wmàb.

Cognates

Eng weave and web, Gk ὑφαίνω ‘weave’

wàtx.

to make books

Etymology

< NLem weth‑a ‘scroll’
< LMLem, MLem aweth‑yr
< Ghe afˡetsh‑ə̄ /aβɛtʃɯː/

This word, originally meaning ‘scroll’, now refers to books of all shapes, and especially the modern form consisting of bound pages. The older term for ‘book’, NLem blU‑a (< Koi βιβλί‑ον) has fallen out of use after acquiring pejorative connotations along the lines of ‘old, yellowing, smelly tome’. (Also, blU‑a was homonymic with the word for Africa.)

wàcg.

to make black, to blacken (‘active’ black, as in black fur or varnish; compare lilbvnà.)

wycgnÌs. astatine (symbol: Μλ)

Etymology

< NLem wargr‑a
< LMLem, MLem wargr‑yr
< OLem wargr‑
< PLem *bwargr‑ ‘dark, black’, r-stem adjective of
< PIE *bʰerg̑‑ ‘roast’

Most basic colour terms in Lemizh are r-stem Caland adjectives, perhaps motivated by the word for ‘red’.

Cognates

Ved bhr̥jjáti ‘roasts’, Lat fer(c)tum ‘a sacrificial cake’

wàcz.

to make rice

Etymology

Eng woe, Lat vae! ‘woe!’

weRà.

to make hazelnuts

weRè. hazel (tree, shrub)
weRÌ. hazelnut

Etymology

< NLem weR‑a
< LMLem wèR‑yr
< MLem weeR‑yr ‘a nut tree’
< OLem wēgh‑
< PLem *bwāɦ‑ ‘beech’
< PIE *bʰeh₂g‑ós

Cognates

Eng book, Gk φηγός ‘oak’

weRdà.

to make branches

Usage notes

At least since Late Middle Lemizh, poets have used this word for singing of green, richly leaved branches and the music the wind elicits from them.

Etymology

< NLem weRdo‑a
< LMLem wèRdò‑yr
< MLem weeRdou‑yr
< OLem wēgh‑dou‑, compound of
OLem wēgh‑ ‘a nut tree’
< PLem *bwāɦ‑ ‘beech’
< PIE *bʰeh₂g‑ós
—and—
OLem dou‑ ‘arm’
< PLem *dow‑
< PIE *dóu̯‑s

Cognates

Eng book, Gk φηγός ‘oak’; Ved dós ‘arm’

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

Etymology

< NLem wlot‑a ‘guard, record’
< LMLem, MLem fulat‑a ‘watch, guard’
< OTroy φυλαττ‑αι /fuˈlatai/
< SHell *phulátt‑ō, of unknown origin

doublet of wlotà.

Cognates

Eng pro‑phylaxis (via Gk φύλαξις ‘act of watching, guarding’)

wlotà.

to make/shoot films, movies, videos about something-acc; to film something-acc

wlotù. film camera

Usage notes

To say ‘We made a film about J. R. R. Tolkien-acc’ as opposed to ‘We filmed J. R. R. Tolkien-acc’, use a more abstract accusative object, as in ‘We made a film about = We filmed Tolkien’s life’.

Etymology

< NLem wlot‑a ‘guard, record’
< LMLem, MLem fulat‑a ‘watch, guard’
< OTroy φυλαττ‑αι /fuˈlatai/
< SHell *phulátt‑ō, of unknown origin

doublet of wlàt.

Cognates

Eng pro‑phylaxis (via Gk φύλαξις ‘act of watching, guarding’)

wRà.

possible doublet of pràg.

Cognates

Ved barhayā sám ‘I want to stregthen’; Ger Burg ‘castle, stronghold’

wràdj.

to make chins

Etymology

< NLem wardz‑a ‘beard’
< LMLem, MLem wardz‑yr
< OLem wardz‑
< PLem *bwardz‑
< PIE *bʰárdʰ‑os

From Old Lemizh onwards, this word described a bristly, untidy beard, then an unshaven chin, whence the modern meaning.

Cognates

Eng beard, Lat barba ‘beard’

wràks.

self-receiving, mainly dat: to start waiting, perfect: to wait

Etymology

< NLem warks‑a
< LMLem, MLem warkt‑a
< OLem warkt‑
< PLem *warks‑ ‘look out, watch (for a sign)’, s-desiderative of
< PIE *u̯reg‑ ‘follow (a trace)’

Cognates

Eng urge (via Lat urgeō ‘press, urge’), Ice rekja ‘follow, trace’

wràt.

to make metaphors, to make metaphorical, to express something-dat as/using a metaphor-acc

Etymology

< NLem wrOn‑a
< LMLem wer‑en‑yr ‘trope, metaphor’, compound of
LMLem, MLem wer‑a ‘carry, bear’
< OLem wer‑
< PLem *bwer‑, Narten present of
< PIE *bʰer‑
—and—
LMLem, MLem en ‘between’
< OLem hen ‘in’
< PLem *hen
< PIE *h₁en

This is a calque of Koi μεταφορά ‘trope, metaphor’.

Cognates

Eng bear ‘carry’; Eng in

wnàd.

to split something-dat into something-acc [e.g. pieces, in two] with an axe

wnùd. axe

Usage notes

The axe has traditionally been seen as a lowly and despicable tool, as attested from Old Lemizh. The Winged Axe, however, is held in great esteem.

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem wind‑a
< OLem wind‑
< PLem *bwind‑ ‘split’, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *bʰei̯d‑

doublet of wàv.

Cognates

Eng bite, fissure (via Lat findō ‘split’)

wmà.

to cover (put over) something-dat with something-acc;
acc, perfect: to cover (be over) something-dat

wmÌ. a cover (lid, covering cloth, etc.); also a lady’s poncho

Etymology

< NLem wmU‑a ‘winter coat; cover’
< LMLem wermÒ‑yr ‘winter coat’
< MLem wermOO‑yr ‘coat’
< OLem wer‑mö‑, compound of
OLem wer‑ ‘carry, bear’
< PLem *bwer‑, Narten present of
< PIE *bʰer‑
—and—
OLem mö‑ ‘fleece (?)’
< PLem *mō‑
< PIE *mói̯s

doublet of wmàf.

Cognates

Eng bear ‘carry’; Lit maĩšas ‘sack’

wmàb.

to weave something-dat into something-acc

wmÌb. woven fabric
wmùb. weaving tool, also the constellation corresponding to part of Carina (see appendix, Constellations)

Usage notes

This word is used as a metaphor for the fabric of the universe (as in English), and in physics jargon for the microwave background.

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem wemb‑a
< OLem wemb‑
< PLem *wemb‑, Narten present of
< PIE *u̯ebʰ‑ ‘weave, wrap around’

doublet of màpx. and wàb.

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem wzar‑k‑a ‘umbrella’, compound of
NLem wzar‑a ‘rain’
< LMLem, MLem wuzar‑yr
< OLem wuzar‑
< PLem *wozar‑ ‘water’ [inanimate]
< PIE *u̯ódr̥, deverbal noun of
PIE *u̯ed‑ ‘well, gush’
—and—
NLem, LMLem, MLem k‑a ‘opposition’
< Ghe q‑a /qa/

doublet of wzàhk.

Cognates

Eng water, undulate (via Lat unda ‘wave’), Gk ὕδωρ ‘water’

wzàc.

to rain somewhere-dat etc.

wzèc. rain cloud
wzÌc. the rain

wzycrÌ. raindrop

Usage notes

Unsurprisingly, rain is associated with weeping and thus sadness. Together with xnÌt. ‘wind’, which can stand for happiness because of its whistling, this gives us metaphors such as — wzyncÒ xnÌntO. ‘with (wildly) mixed feelings’, attested from Early New Lemizh.

Etymology

< NLem wzar‑a
< LMLem, MLem wuzar‑yr
< OLem wuzar‑
< PLem *wozar‑ ‘water’ [inanimate]
< PIE *u̯ódr̥, deverbal noun of
PIE *u̯ed‑ ‘well, gush’

PIE also had an animate word for water, *h₂ép‑s; see xàf..

Cognates

Eng water, undulate (via Lat unda ‘wave’), Gk ὕδωρ ‘water’

wzàhk.

to protect someone/something-dat with an umbrella

wzùhk. umbrella

Etymology

< NLem wzar‑k‑a, compound of
NLem wzar‑a ‘rain’
< LMLem, MLem wuzar‑yr
< OLem wuzar‑
< PLem *wozar‑ ‘water’ [inanimate]
< PIE *u̯ódr̥, deverbal noun of
PIE *u̯ed‑ ‘well, gush’
—and—
NLem, LMLem, MLem k‑a ‘opposition’
< Ghe q‑a /qa/

doublet of wzà.

Cognates

Eng water, undulate (via Lat unda ‘wave’), Gk ὕδωρ ‘water’

wxàjg.

to promise something-acc to someone-dat

wxÙljg. keep a promise to someone-dat

Etymology

< NLem wxung‑a
< LMLem, MLem wixung‑a
< OLem hwihung‑ ‘speak solemnly’
< PLem *hwehung‑, e-reduplicated athematic present of
< PIE *h₁u̯egʷʰ‑

Cognates

Eng vow (via Lat voveō ‘vow, promise’)

xà.

relative pronoun type II level n−5: see unit 6, Relative pronouns

Etymology

NLem, LMLem, MLem x‑a, formed after the Ghean relative pronouns
a f‑a s‑a sh‑a x‑a / fˇ‑a sˇ‑a shˇ‑a xˇ‑a
/a ɸa s̟a ʃa χa / βa z̟a ʒa ʁa/

xalà.

to make apples

xalè. apple tree
xalÌ. apple

Usage notes

Apple trees are said to always be on time in producing their fruit. Since Late Middle Lemizh, you can praise a punctual person by calling them an apple tree; and xalàR. or xalòR. is the end of summer (whereas fràRxk. and fròRxk. refer to early summer).

Etymology

< NLem xaOl‑a
< LMLem xàÒl‑yr
< MLem xayOOl‑yr
< OLem xayöl‑
< PLem *xawōl‑
< PIE *h₂ébōl

Cognates

Eng apple, Avalon (via a Celtic language)

xalàv.

to make intestines

Usage notes

This word specifically refers to the part of the intestinal tract below the stomach.

Ger eggen ‘harrow’, Lat aceō ‘be sour’

xàps.

to make weather;
(in measurements, else informal) to make 65536⁵ individuals (see appendix, Units of measurement)

djUtxÌps. Jovian day, the Lemizh equivalent of Thursday (symbol: Å; see appendix, Date)

Usage notes

The name of the Indo-European sky god, equivalent to Jupiter/Zeus, has been used metonymically to refer to the weather since Old Lemizh. From Early New Lemizh times onwards, this word is used exclusively to describe the weather (both fair and rough). It is also found compounded in the name of a weekday.

The planet Jupiter, as well as the god, is called djeipysrÌd. in Modern Lemizh.

Etymology

simplification and voicing assimilation (from the weekday) of
< NLem djeps‑a
< LMLem djèpys‑yr ‘Father Sky’
< MLem djeipys‑yr, haplology of
< OLem djeipysir‑
< PLem *djēw‑paser‑, compound of
PLem *djēw‑ ‘day’
< PIE *di̯ḗu‑s ‘sky’
—and—
PLem *paser‑ ‘father’
< PIE *ph̥₂tér‑s

Cognates

Gk Ζεύς Πατήρ ‘Father Zeus’, Lat Jupiter

xàj.

to make grass

Etymology

< NLem xoj‑a ‘grass(land)’
< LMLem xòj‑yr
< MLem xouj‑yr ‘pasture’
< OLem xouj‑
< PLem *xowj‑
< PIE *h₂óu̯i‑s ‘sheep’

Cognates

Eng ewe, Lat ovis ‘sheep’

xajRà.

to make cranes (the birds; also the constellation corresponding roughly to Columba and Caelum; see appendix, Constellations)

Etymology

< NLem xajR‑a
< LMLem xàj‑Rarj‑yr, compound of
LMLem xàj‑yr ‘waterfowl’
< MLem xayj‑yr ‘(water?) bird’
< OLem xayj‑ ‘bird’
< PLem *xawj‑
< PIE *h₂éu̯i‑s
—and—
LMLem, MLem Rarj‑ar ‘colour’
< OLem gharj‑
< PLem *ggharj‑ ‘paint, anoint’, root present of
< PIE *gʰrei̯‑

The bird, originally just the common crane (Grus grus), is named for its prominent black, white and red head.

Cognates

Lat avis ‘bird’; Eng grimace, Gk χρίω ‘paint, anoint’

xàjq.

to make mountains

xijqjmÌx. iceberg (⇐ ⇔ xÌjq jmÌxi. ‘mountain made from ice’)

Usage notes

Living in a relatively flat country, the Lemizh threshold for calling something a mountain is pretty low. Their highest mountain, at the border to Heptengia, is 2544 metres above sea level; for (say) Danubians, this is scarcely more than a hill.

Etymology

< NLem xojqt‑a
< LMLem xòjfust‑yr ‘rock’
< MLem xoujfust‑yr
< OLem xoujfust‑
< PLem *xowj‑fost‑ ‘rock, boulder (in a pasture or field)’, compound of
PLem *xowj‑ ‘pasture’
< PIE *h₂óu̯i‑s ‘sheep’
—and—
PLem *fost‑ ‘bone’
< PIE *h₃ésth₁

Cognates

Eng ewe; Lat os ‘bone’

xàc.

to ride a horse etc.-dat (focusing on the horse being directed) or -acc (focusing on the horse moving)

Lat avis ‘bird’; Ved pínvate ‘swells’

xàxs.

to rotate, turn something-acc (continuously), to roll something-acc somewhere-dat etc., also non-sending;
self-transporting: to rotate, to roll somewhere ditto;
(mathematics) the curl of a vector field-acc (curl F = ∇_[m F_n] ≡ ∇_m F_n − ∇_n F_m)

xùxs. axis, axle

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem xaxs‑a
< OLem xaçs‑ ‘axis, axle’
< PLem *xaçs‑
< PIE *h₂ék̑s‑os

doublet of xaxsà.

Cognates

Eng axle, axis (via Lat axis)

xaxsà.

to waltz with someone-dat (the leader [usually the man] is in the nom and the follower [usually the lady] in the dat); a waltz (action of dancing)

xaxsè. leader in waltz
xaxsì. follower in waltz

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem xaxs‑a ‘rotate’
< OLem xaçs‑ ‘axis, axle’
< PLem *xaçs‑
< PIE *h₂ék̑s‑os

doublet of xàxs.

Cognates

Eng axle, axis (via Lat axis)

xàsk.

to search, to look/listen for something-acc;
agentive acc: to hide from someone-nom

xÙlsk. to find something-dat

xasktàkf. to research at university
xiskrùc. compass (tool for determining the cardinal directions) (⇐ ⇔ xùsk rÌci. ‘means for searching south’)

xàsk dmàta. look out for; xàsk xOàja. listen for (to explicitly distinguish them from ‘look for’)

Usage notes

Since Middle Lemizh, this verb connotes that the searched-for thing or person is actively hiding or concealing itself. Conversely, with agentive accusative it can express ‘hide from someone (who is searching for you)’, literally ‘have someone looking for you’.

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem xesk‑a
< OLem xisk‑
< PLem *xisk‑, sk̑-present of
< PIE *h₂ei̯s‑

Cognates

Eng ask, Lat qu‑aerō ‘ask’

xàf.

to make water

Usage notes

Water is mythologically and poetically seen as male, matching the non-zero poststem; vnè. ‘fire’, by contrast, is female.

Etymology

< NLem xaf‑a
< LMLem, MLem xaf‑yr
< OLem xaf‑ ‘water, stream’
< PLem *xaf‑ ‘water’ [animate], ‘stream’
< PIE *h₂ép‑s

PIE also had an inanimate word for water, *u̯ódr̥; see wzàc..

Cognates

Ved ā́p ‘water’, Ir abhainn ‘river’

xepàz.

to make roots

Usage notes

This word normally refers to roots of trees, not to edible roots such as carrots; except in a botanical context where it denotes roots of any plant.

Etymology

< NLem xepOz‑a
< LMLem xèpÒz‑yr
< MLem xeepOOz‑yr
< OLem xēpöz‑
< PLem *xā‑pōz‑, compound of
PLem *xā‑ ‘oak’
< PIE *h₂éi̯g̑‑s
—and—
PLem *pōz‑ ‘foot’
< PIE *pṓd‑s

Cognates

Alb enjë ‘European yew; stinking juniper’; Eng foot

xyrtksà.

to make the goddess Diana/Artemis; to make the minor planet Pallas

Usage notes

See djeipysràd. for some information on Lemizh polytheism.

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem xyrtksor‑a, academic loan of
< OLem xyrtksor‑ ‘Bear-Lady’
< PLem *xartk‑sor‑, feminine of
PLem *xartk‑ ‘bear’
< PIE *h₂ŕ̥tk̑‑os

Artemis was chosen as the namesake for the minor planet Pallas because of its high inclination to the ecliptic (35°) – it ventures far into the wilderness, so to speak.

doublet of xràtx.

Cognates

Eng Arctic (via Gk ἄρκτος ‘bear’), Lat ursus ‘bear’

xikà.

to sneak something-acc in somewhere-dat, to slyly and secretly introduce something-acc to somewhere-dat

xikÌ. a Trojan horse

Etymology

< NTroy ϲιξξω /ˈhikko/ ‘horse’
< OTroy ϲιϙϙ‑ος /ˈhikkos/
< SHell *híqq‑os, unexplained reflex of
< PIE *h₁ék̑u̯‑os

doublet of àhw. and ehwà.

Cognates

Lat equus ‘horse’, Gk ἵππος ‘horse’

xoà.

to slide something-acc somewhere-dat etc., also non-sending;
self-transporting: to slide somewhere ditto;
acc: to slip on something-nom/caus (especially soap)

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem xo‑a ‘slip’, an onomatopoeia

xOàj.

to make/produce a sound;
dat: to hear (agentive: listen to) something-nom, the sound of something-acc

xOùj. ear

xOejfàw. dat: to listen to the radio (⇐ ⇔ xOàj fÌwe. ‘hear something far away’)
dmetfùw. the medium of radio broadcasting; radio receiver

Etymology

poststem from plural of
< NLem xO‑a
< LMLem xÒ‑a
< MLem xOU‑a
< OLem xöü‑ ‘ear’
< PLem *xōw‑
< PIE *h₂ṓu̯s

The plural poststem comes from the fact that we have two ears.

Cognates

Eng ear, Lat auris ‘ear’

xudjàs.

to testify something-acc to someone-dat

xudjès. a witness (e.g. at court)

Usage notes

Originally used only for witnesses testifying at court (as in NTroy), this word now can also express testifying in other, more informal contexts.

A witness in the sense of someone being present at a ceremony such as a wedding or the signing of a document is called frodjì..

Etymology

< NTroy χοζισ /ˈxudzis/ ‘guest, witness (at court)’
< OTroy χοστι‑ς /ˈxosdis/ ‘stranger, foreigner’
< SHell *khósti‑s
< PIE *gʰósth₂i‑s

doublet of Ràst.

Cognates

Eng host, guest (via Lat hospes ‘host, guest’)

xUxtrà.

to make comets

Etymology

< NLem xUxter‑a, academic loan of
< OLem xü‑xter‑, compound of
OLem xü‑ ‘blow’
< PLem *xū‑, root present of
< PIE *h₂u̯eh₁‑
—and—
OLem xter‑ ‘planet’
< PLem *xter‑
< PIE *h₂stér‑s ‘star’

The regular NLem outcome would be xter‑a (with apocope of U), which is homophonous with the word for ‘star’; so, the word was re-made from OLem.

The literal meaning ‘blowing/blown planet’ could refer to its ‘blowing’ tail or to comets’ habit of disappearing, as if they were blown away with the wind.

Cognates

Eng wi‑nd; Eng star

xlà.

to make/produce wool

xlè. a wooly animal

Usage notes

When unqualified, this word is usually taken to refer to sheep’s wool.

Etymology

< NLem xUl‑a
< LMLem xÙel‑yr
< MLem xUeel‑yr
< OLem xüēl‑
< PLem *xuwēl‑, Lindeman’s variant of
< PIE *h₂u̯élh₁‑s

Cognates

Eng wool, Lat lāna ‘wool’

xlàj.

xràtx.

to fear, to be afraid or scared of someone or something-acc/causal-transporting (also dat/causal-receiving; see unit 3, Ambiguous usage);
agentive caus, causal-reflexive: to frighten someone-nom

Usage notes

This verb denotes ‘cold’ fear as opposed to ‘hot’ fear, i.e. a fright or shock, which is bvmàp..

Etymology

< NLem xartx‑a
< LMLem, MLem xartk‑yr ‘bear’
< OLem xartk‑
< PLem *xartk‑
< PIE *h₂ŕ̥tk̑‑os

doublet of xyrtksà.

Cognates

Eng Arctic (via Gk ἄρκτος ‘bear’), Lat ursus ‘bear’

xràp.

to hook something-acc/dat

xrùp. a hook

Etymology

< NLem xarp‑a
< LMLem, MLem xarp‑yr
< OLem xarp‑
< PLem *xarf‑ ‘plough’, root present of
< PIE *h₂erh₃‑

Cognates

Lat arō ‘plough’, Lit ariù ‘plough’

xràj.

(to pursue) a profession (see unit 6, Compounds from brackets)

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem xer‑a
< LMLem xèr‑a
< MLem xeer‑a ‘get up, get to work’
< OLem xēr‑
< PLem *xār‑
< PIE *h₂éi̯r̥ ‘day, morning’

Masculinisation occurred at a time when professional work was mainly done by men, while women stayed at home with their children. Things have long since changed, but the language is stuck with this anachronism.

Cognates

Eng ear‑ly, Gk ἄρι‑στον ‘breakfast’

xràw.

to make wolves (also the constellation Lupus; see appendix, Constellations)

Usage notes

Calling someone a wolf primarily has referred to their strength and leadership qualities since Old Lemizh (as opposed to their fierceness or savagery).

Etymology

< NLem xrOm‑a
< LMLem, MLem xrem‑yr
< OLem xrem‑
< PLem *kxrem‑ ‘howl (of wolves)’, Narten present of
< PIE *gʰrem‑ ‘resound, rage’

Cognates

Ger Gram ‘grief’, Lit grumiù ‘resound, thunder’

xnà.

to make earthly;
(in measurements, else informal) to make 65536³ individuals (see appendix, Units of measurement)

xnàr. the (surface of the) earth, the land, the inhabited/habitable world as opposed to the sky or mythological/religious places

djUtxnÌ. Terrestrial day, the Lemizh equivalent of Saturday (symbol: Ã; see appendix, Date)

Usage notes

The Earth as a planet among the others, as well as the goddess Terra/Gaia, is called djingmesrÌ. in Modern Lemizh.

Etymology

simplification and voicing assimilation (from the weekday), gender change of
< NLem dznis‑a
< LMLem dzingmès‑yr ‘Mother Earth’
< MLem dzingmees‑yr, haplology of
< OLem dzingmēsir‑
< PLem *dzeng‑māser‑, compound of
PLem *dzeng‑ ‘?’, Narten present of
< PIE *dʰég̑ʰ‑
—and—
PLem *māser‑ ‘mother’
< PIE *méh₂ter‑s

The first part of the PLem compound *dzeng‑māser‑ is the (verbal) root of PLem *dzeng‑om‑ ‘earth’ and is of unclear meaning.

Cognates

Eng humus (via Lat humus ‘ground, earth, soil’); Eng mother

xnàt.

acc (poetically self-transporting): to blow (only of wind)

xnÌt. wind, breeze
xnèt. wind (poetic, personifying)

Usage notes

Wind is associated with whistling and thus happiness and joy, usually of a fierce kind; compare wzÌc. ‘rain’.

In the literal sense, the word normally denotes a light wind or breeze; consequently, xRÌbv. ‘gale, strong breeze’ is used for significantly lower wind speeds than the English word ‘gale’.

Etymology

to make babies, infants (very joung human or other living beings) of a parent-nom

Etymology

< NLem xmus‑a
< LMLem, MLem nefos‑yr ‘descendant’
< OLem nifos‑ ‘ancestor’ [sic]
< PLem *nefos‑ ‘grandson, nephew’
< PIE *népot‑s

Cognates

Eng nephew (via Lat nepōs ‘nephew, grandson’), Ger Neffe ‘nephew’

xmlàg.

to give milk, to nurse, suckle someone-dat;
agentive dat: to suck milk from a woman-nom, to milk an animal-nom

xmlèg. mammal
xmlÌg. milk
xmlùg. (female) breast

Usage notes

The verb is typically understood in the immediate sense of giving milk from one’s breasts (or in general, mammary glands). For translating ‘give someone milk (e.g. in a glass)’, it is safer to use dà xmlÌgy..

xmlìg. ‘the recipient of milking, the receiver of milk’ has been referring to someone receiving a benefit or favour since Early New Lemizh.

Etymology

< NLem xmylg‑a
< LMLem, MLem xmalg‑a
< OLem xmalg‑
< PLem *xmalg‑, root present of
< PIE *h₂melg̑‑

Cognates

Eng milk, Gk ἀμέλγω ‘I milk’

xklàj.

to make soap

Etymology

< NLem xklon‑a
< LMLem xilkòn‑yr
< Koi ἱλκόν‑ον
< SHell *silkón‑on
< OLem thilpkon‑
< PLem *selp‑kon‑ ‘cleaning paste’, compound of
PLem *selp‑ ‘oil, fat’
< PIE *sélp‑s
—and—
PLem *kon‑ ‘dust, ashes’
< PIE *kón‑os

Cognates

Eng salve; Eng in‑cinerate (via Lat cinis ‘ashes’)

xtà.

to make eight individuals

Usage notes

xpàj.

to make almost every, nearly all (relative weight 7⁄8; see unit 7, Weighting numerals – usually with partitive bracket; see unit 8, Cardinal numerals)

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem xp‑a
< LMLem, MLem xp‑yr
< Ghe xp‑ə̄ /χpɯː/

Gender change was triggered by the similar-sounding numeral xtà.. See Ràbv. for more on Ghean weighting numerals.

xpàf.

to make peoples

Etymology

< NLem xpif‑a
< LMLem jUpìf‑yr ‘foreigner’
< MLem jUpiif‑yr
< OLem jüpīf‑ ‘a foreign people’
< PLem *jū‑piwf‑ ‘a foreign people’, lit. ‘you drinkers’, compound of
PLem *jū ‘you’ [plural]
< PIE *i̯uH
—and—
PLem *piwf‑ ‘drink’, i-reduplicated athematic present of
< PIE *peh₃‑

It is unclear to which people the PLem word referred to, and whether it was a derogatory term or a title of praise.

Cognates

Eng you; Lat bibō ‘drink’

xprà.

agentive ins: to calculate a hyperbolic function of some value-dat to give some result-acc (see unit 7, Mathematical functions)

xpryprà. to calculate the hyperbolic cosine (⇐ ⇔ xprà prìly. ~ ‘calculate the frontness’)
xpryàf. to calculate the hyperbolic sine (~ ‘calculate the upness’)
xpryfàw. to calculate the hyperbolic tangent (~ ‘calculate the farness’)

See dà. for the connection between trigonometric and hyperbolic functions with spatial verbs.

Etymology

academic formation, gender change of
< NLem xprol‑a ‘hyperbola’

See xpràj. for further information.

xpràj.

to make hyperbolas

Etymology

< NLem xprol‑a
< LMLem xUperbol‑yr
< Koi ὑπερβολ‑ή, nominalisation of
Koi ὑπερ‑βάλλ‑ω ‘exceed’, compound of
Koi ὑπερ ‘over, above’
< SHell *huper
< PIE *uper ‘above’
—and—
Koi βάλλ‑ω ‘throw’
< SHell *q̌ĺ̥l‑ō, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *gʷelh₁‑ ‘hit, throw’

Cognates

Eng hyperbola (via Gk); Eng over; Eng ballistic (also via Gk)

xwà.

(to pursue) a hobby (see unit 6, Compounds from brackets)

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem xwyx‑a ‘pastime, hobby’
< LMLem xwyx‑yr
< MLem xwyxU‑yr ‘mission, vocation’
< OLem xwyxü‑
< PLem *xwaxū‑ ‘follow, pursue’, e-reduplicated athematic present of
< PIE *h₂u̯ei̯‑ ‘run’

Cognates

Hit huwāi ‘run’

xsrà.

Usage notes

There is of course an elaboate founding myth dating back to Late Middle Lemizh times, which this space is too narrow to contain.

Etymology

< NLem haba‑a
< LMLem hàbà‑yr
< MLem haebaa‑yr ‘Shabar (kingdom)’

The further etymology is doubtful; the word is possibly related to Ar سبأ, Heb שבא ‘Sheba’;
or else to a Proto-Turkic word meaning ‘low’ and OPers bāğ ‘garden, orchard’ (i.e. ‘lower vineyards’);
or maybe both.

hàt.

to make pigs

Usage notes

The myth that pigs are dirty because they roll in their own faeces is of course completely unfounded.

< NLem hel‑a
< LMLem hèl‑yr
< MLem heel‑yr
< OLem shēl‑
< PLem *sāl‑
< PIE *séh₂l‑s

Cognates

Eng salt, Gk ἅλς ‘salt’

hlàg.

to make/bulid walls

Etymology

< NLem halg‑a
< LMLem, MLem halg‑yr
< OLem shalg‑ ‘be hindered’
< PLem *salg‑ ‘end’, root present of
< PIE *sleg̑‑

doublet of zmàj.

Cognates

Gk λήγω ‘leave off, cease’

hrà.

to yelp at someone-dat

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem hur‑a
< OLem shur‑
< PLem *sur‑ ‘to sound’, root present of
< PIE *su̯er‑

doublet of huràj.

Cognates

Eng swear, Ved svárati ‘sing, sound’

hràk.

to make gravel, pebbles

hrèk. ‘gravel-maker’, a legendary, ogre-like creature

Etymology

< NLem hark‑a
< LMLem, MLem hark‑yr
< OLem shark‑
< PWald *šárkh‑a
< PIE *k̑órk‑eh₂

doublet of saphàs. and sràx.

Cognates

Gk κρόκη ‘pebble’, Eng sugar

hràw.

to make (a surface) smooth; to act smoothly, acc/dat: to work/go smoothly

Usage notes

In seafaring, the adjective is used with various weighting numerals to describe different grades of smoothness or roughness of the sea.

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem harw‑a ‘work/go smoothly’
< OLem sharw‑
< PLem *sarw‑ ‘flow’, root present of
< PIE *sreu̯‑

Cognates

Gk ῥέω ‘flow’, Ved srávati ‘flow’

hnàxt.

to happen by fate

hnàxt., hnàlxt. fate

hnaRxt‑prilkà. tUxaR‑prà. [Things have] happened by fate. [Things] will happen by chance. (loosely: The past is fate’s domain, the future is luck’s domain.)

Etymology

< NLem hnunt‑a ‘healer (one mixing potions)’
< LMLem, MLem mihkont‑ar
< OLem mishkont‑
< PLem *mishkont‑
< PIE *mik̑sk̑‑ónt‑s ‘mixing’, sk̑é-present active participle of
PIE *mei̯k̑‑ ‘mix’

doublet of màh. and màhk.

Eng daughter, Gk θυγάτηρ ‘daughter, maid-servant’

hzàd.

to make donkeys

Etymology

< NLem hzOdn‑a
< LMLem ehw‑xÒdrn‑yr, compound of
LMLem, MLem ehw‑yr ‘horse’
< OLem heshw‑
< PLem *heshw‑
< PIE *h₁ék̑u̯‑os
—and—
LMLem xÒdrn‑yr ‘hare’
< MLem xOUdrnu‑yr
< OLem xöüdrnu‑
< PLem *xōw‑drnu‑, compound of
PLem *xōw‑ ‘ear’
< PIE *h₂ṓu̯s
—and—
PLem *drnu‑ ‘run’, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *dreu̯‑

The donkey is literally called ‘hare-horse’ because of its long ears.

Cognates

Lat equus ‘horse’; Eng ear; Ved drávati ‘runs’

hhà.

to make a ‘shh’ sound, to go ‘shh’

hh: shh!

Etymology

Variants of ‘sh’ and ‘s’ are used in many languages to request silence.

sà.

relative pronoun type II level n−3: see unit 6, Relative pronouns

Etymology

NLem, LMLem, MLem s‑a, formed after the Ghean relative pronouns
a f‑a s‑a sh‑a x‑a / fˇ‑a sˇ‑a shˇ‑a xˇ‑a
/a ɸa s̟a ʃa χa / βa z̟a ʒa ʁa/

saphàs.

to (pay) bail to someone-dat

saphÌs. bail (security)
saphÙls. bail (release from prison in exchange for security)

Etymology

< NTroy σαψςασ /ˈsapʃas / ‘sugar; bail’
< OTroy σαρχ‑α /ˈsarxa/ ‘sugar’
< SHell *sárkh‑ā
< PWald *šárkh‑a ‘gravel’
< PIE *k̑órk‑eh₂

doublet of hràk. and sràx.

Cognates

Gk κρόκη ‘pebble’, Eng sugar

saxàf.

to play/sound a trumpet

saxèf. trumpet player; (metaphorically) someone alerting someone-dat to an opportunity
saxùf. trumpet; also the constellation Sagitta (see appendix, Constellations)

Usage notes

This term is often erroneously used for a kind of single-reed instrument made of brass, which looks somewhat similar but has a quite different method of sound production.

In modern times, the sound of a trumpet has become a metaphor for a call – successful or futile – to recognise a moment of Opportunity. The trumpet player themself, though, is oblivious to the meaning of the call.

Etymology

irregular development of
< NLem salpn‑a
< LMLem sàlpink‑yr ‘war-trumpet’
< Koi σάλπιγξ, of unknown origin

The expected modern form would be **sàxp.. The additional vowel and fricativisation of p is somewhat of a mystery. It has been variously attributed to folk etymology or contamination with the names of other instruments, but no conclusive explanation exists.

sàsp.

to serve as a minister, to head a ministry

sèsp. minister
sìsp. ministry (government department)
sòrsp. ministry building

Usage notes

Until early New Lemizh times, ministers were appointed for an indefinite time span and often amassed more money and power than reasonable. The situation got much better when they were prohibited from serving more than four years.

Understandably, Lemizh trust in politics is quite limited, which is part of the reason why democracy has been working for so long in this country. Thus, sùsp. ‘a means for heading a ministry’ is used to describe proceedings that are not entirely kosher.

Etymology

< NLem sasp‑a
< LMLem Osàspt‑ar
< MLem Osayspt‑ar
< Ghe ösaəspt‑ā /œs̟a͜əs̟ptʌː/

selà.

to make an angle unit, an angle of 28′ 7.5″ (see appendix, Units of measurement)

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem selen‑a, academic loan of
< Koi Σελήν‑η ‘Moon (goddess), Selene’, from
Koi σέλα‑ς ‘light, ray, spark’
< SHell *swéla‑s
< PIE *su̯el‑ ‘smoulder, burn’

The Moon has an apparent diameter of about an angle unit. Gender change occurred because the Moon is mythologically and poetically seen as female (in Lemizh as well as in Greek).

Cognates

Eng sultry, Lit svįlù ‘smoulder’

soàx.

to cook something-dat (for the ingredients) / -acc (for the dish)

soùx. kitchen stove
soòrx. kitchen

soÌx dÌhy. lit. ‘ten dishes’, an opulent meal

Etymology

< NLem soux‑a
NLem tsoixe‑soux‑a ‘chef’, reanalysis of
NLem tsoixesoux‑a
< Besk tsoixäsåux ‘chieftain’
< PCelt *towissāk‑os ‘chief, primary’
< PIE *u̯ei̯d‑ ‘see’ or *u̯edʰ‑ ‘lead’

This word was introduced in the Tlöngö̀l as a term for someone who has developed cooking into an art. It replaced LMLem pexw‑a, a cognate of Eng cook.

Cognates

Ir taoiseach ‘leader, prime minister’

sokrateàs.

to make Socrates (an ancient Greek philosopher)

Etymology

academic loan of
< Koi Σωκράτη‑ς

slàc.

to make butter

Etymology

< NLem slUc‑a
< LMLem, MLem slic‑yr
< OLem slizh‑
< PLem *slizh‑, root present of
< PIE *slei̯g̑‑ ‘smear, grease’

Cognates

Eng sleek, slick

srà.

to make rotten; dat: to rot, decay; to rot, decay something-dat

Usage notes

This word is used to describe biological or technical decay, but not for morals or other metaphorical senses we have in English.

The adjectival use is normally with dat as we are talking about a rotting or rotten thing rather than about a thing with the properties of rottenness.

Etymology

< NLem srO‑a
< LMLem srè‑a
< MLem sree‑a
< OLem srē‑
< PLem *tsrā‑
< PIE *dʰréh₂g̑‑om ‘berry’

Cognates

Lat frāgum ‘strawberry’, Ved drā́kṣā ‘vine’

sràb.

to write something (e.g. a letter)-fact about something-acc to someone-dat (the fact object also needs an inner fact or is absorbed by ‘write’; see unit 14, Objects related to language and the last exercise there)

srùb. writing utensil

Etymology

irregular development of
< NLem esr‑a
< LMLem èsr‑a
< MLem eesr‑a
< Ghe eestʳ‑a /ɛːr̥ra/

The elision of e- and addition of the poststem -b is probably a contamination with psràb. ‘to father’, interpreting the author of a text as its father. This development is fortunate because the uncontaminated esr‑a is pretty awkward.

Cognates

unrelated to Ger schreiben ‘write’

sràj.

to meet someone-dat

Etymology

poststem from plural of
< NLem, LMLem, MLem sr‑a ‘link’
< OLem sr‑ ‘link, bind together’
< PLem *sr‑, root present of
< PIE *ser‑

The NLem word for ‘meet’ was reqk‑a, which came to mean ‘touch’.

doublet of zrOnà. and sràc.

Cognates

Gk εἴρω ‘link, bind together’, Lat serō ‘link, bind together’

sràc.

to link something-acc to something-dat

srùc. a link

Etymology

poststem from singular of
< NLem, LMLem, MLem sr‑a
< OLem sr‑ ‘link, bind together’
< PLem *sr‑, root present of
< PIE *ser‑

doublet of zrOnà. and sràj.

Cognates

Gk εἴρω ‘link, bind together’, Lat serō ‘link, bind together’

sràwd.

to make adequate, functional, okay

srìlwd: okay!

srywdèk. air conditioner (⇐ ⇔ Ìk srÌwdy. ‘make the air okay’; see also gyjdèk.)

Usage notes

srUÌ., srUù. playing equipment
srUòr. playing board

Etymology

< NLem srU‑a
< LMLem srì‑a ‘drive’
< MLem srii‑a
< OLem srī‑
< PLem *tsriw‑, possibly from
< PIE *dʰrei̯bʰ‑

possible doublet of ràwb.

Cognates

possibly Eng drive

snàw.

to snow somewhere-dat etc.

snèw. snow cloud
snÌw. the snow

snywrÌ. snowflake

Etymology

< NLem sningw‑a
< LMLem, MLem snengw‑yr ‘snow cloud’
< OLem sningw‑ ‘snow’
< PLem *sningw‑
< PIE *snígʷʰ‑os, deverbal noun of
PIE *snei̯gʷʰ‑ ‘adhere; snow’

doublet of qnexà.

Cognates

Eng snow, Lat nix ‘snow’

snàq.

to bite someone / (into) something-dat

snùq. incisor (tooth)

Etymology

< NLem sniq‑a ‘adder; bite’
< LMLem snèq‑ar ‘adder’
< MLem sneeq‑ar, haplology of
< OLem snēthyr‑
< PLem *snēthar‑
< PIE *snéh₁‑tr̥, nominalisation of
PIE *sneh₁‑ ‘twist, spin’

The word for ‘adder’, originally ‘twister’, was reinterpreted as ‘biter’ in NLem, from which the verb ‘bite’ was generalised.

Cognates

Eng adder, Ger nähen ‘sew’

snràk.

to knot a piece of string etc.-dat, to make knots

Etymology

< NLem snyrk‑a
< LMLem, MLem snark‑a
< OLem snark‑ ‘tie, tighten’
< PLem *snark‑, root present of
< PIE *snerk‑

Cognates

Eng en‑snare, probably Gk νάρκη ‘fit, cramp’; definitely unrelated to ‘Snark’, which is also rendered snrÌk. in ModLem

smà.

to mean something-acc to someone-dat, to convey meaning to someone-dat

smù. sign

Etymology

< NLem sem‑a
< LMLem sèma‑yr ‘sign’
< Koi σῆμα
< SHell *thyā́mn̥
< PIE *dʰi̯éh₂‑mn̥, neuter abstract -mn̥-noun of
PIE *dʰi̯eh₂‑ ‘notice’

doublet of djemà. and zmàs.

Cognates

Eng semantic (via Gk), Ved dhyāyati ‘think of, imagine’

smàj.

dat: to be (currently) aware, conscious of something-acc, to remember something-acc [inner fact for remembering to do something; inner non-fact for remembering a fact, something concrete, etc.]

See also unit 14, Differences between infinitives and gerunds.

Usage notes

This verb indicates that a person is conscious of something they know anyway. It is not used like ‘aware’ in the sense of knowing something (as in ‘He isn’t aware that people are talking about him.’).

Etymology

< NLem smyn‑a
< LMLem, MLem musan‑a ‘keep safe’
< OLem musanh‑ ‘lift, remove’
< PLem *musanh‑, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *meu̯sh₁‑

Cognates

Ved móṣathā ‘will rob’, TochB masa ‘went’

smàv.

to lick something-dat

< NLem smyrsk‑a
< LMLem, MLem smarsk‑a ‘lend’
< OLem smarsk‑
< PLem *smarsk‑, sk̑-present of
< PIE *smer‑ ‘allot; receive a share’

The NLem meaning is based on the idea that you ‘lend’ a cupboard items that it will later return to you.

Cognates

Eng merit (via Lat mereō ‘deserve, earn’)

skàqk.

to make shards, to break into shards

Etymology

< NLem skeqk‑a
< LMLem, MLem skevk‑yr
< OLem skedhk‑
< PLem *skedhx‑ ‘splinter’, Narten present of
< PIE *skedh₂‑ ‘splinter, scatter’

doublet of zdnàk.

Cognates

Gk σκίδνημι ‘disperse’, Lit kedù ‘burst’

sklà.

to make bridges (also the constellation spanning Reticulus and part of Hydrus and Dorado; see appendix, Constellations)

Etymology

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem skarp‑a
< OLem skarp‑
< PLem *skarf‑ ‘divide, separate’, root present of
< PIE *skerh₃‑

Cognates

Lit skiriù ‘divide, separate, distinguish’

According to the Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, this PIE verb has to be separated from *sker‑ ‘cut’ > Eng shear; PIE *skreb‑ ‘scrape’ > Eng scrap, scrape is also unrelated.

skràj.

to prick, sting someone-dat

skrùj. a prick, sting

Etymology

possibly dialect borrowing of
< NLem skerdz‑a
< LMLem, MLem skerdz‑yr
< OLem skerdz‑
< PLem *skerdz‑ ‘cut, sting (?)’, Narten present of
< PIE *skerdʰ‑

The regular ModLem outcome would be **skràdj.

Cognates

Lit skerdžiù ‘stab, slaughter’

skràc.

to work with one’s fingers, to do something-fact with one’s fingers

skrùc. finger

Etymology

< NLem skrOr‑a
< LMLem, MLem dyrkter‑yr
< OLem dyrkter‑
< PLem *darkter‑
< PIE *dr̥gʰ‑tér‑s ‘holder (?)’, non-event agent of
PIE *dregʰ‑ ‘hold (fast)’

doublet of dàcj.

Cognates

Gk δράσσομαι ‘hold, seize’, OCS drъžǫ ‘hold’

skmà.

to make 256 individuals

Etymology

< NLem skam‑a
< LMLem, MLem tkam‑yl
< OLem tkamt‑ ‘hundred’, inflected form of
< PLem *tkamtom
< PIE *dk̑m̥tóm

The numeric value of this word was adapted to the Ghean hexadecimal system in Middle Lemizh.

Cognates

Eng hundred, Lat centum ‘hundred’

skmàw.

to work as a butcher

Etymology

< NLem skmim‑a
< LMLem skarpmèm‑ar
< MLem skarp‑meem‑ar, compound of
MLem skarp‑a ‘split, divide, break’
< OLem skarp‑
< PLem *skarf‑ ‘divide, separate’, root present of
< PIE *skerh₃‑
—and—
MLem meem‑yr ‘meat, flesh’
< OLem mēm‑
< PLem *mēm‑
< PIE *mḗms

Cognates

Lit skiriù ‘divide, separate, distinguish’; Eng membrane (via Lat mem‑brāna ‘skin, membrane’)

skholà.

to teach someone-dat something-acc in school; see gwàt. for further plot usages

skholè. school teacher
skholì. pupil
skholòr. schoolhouse, school building/campus

skholarà. school lesson

Usage notes

This verb denotes basic education in school, as opposed to higher education at university (tàkf.) or other forms such as night school, informal teaching, etc. The super-category verb is gwàt..

Etymology

< NLem skxol‑a ‘school’ [noun]
< LMLem skxol‑yr
< MLem skxol‑yr ‘leisure, rest’
< OLem skçol‑
< PLem *skçol‑
< PIE *sg̑ʰ‑h̥₃l‑éh₂, abstract noun of
PIE *seg̑ʰ‑ ‘hold, overpower’

The LMLem meaning is influenced by the similar sounding, and cognate, Koi σχολή.

Cognates

Ved sáhate ‘overpower, defeat’, Eng school (via Gk σχολή ‘leisure; lecture, disputation’)

stàd.

to make stories about something-dat (or as a sibling acc object in certain constructions that have ‘story’ in the fact; like ‘poem’ in unit 14, Objects related to language)

Etymology

Etymology

< NLem strogn‑a
< LMLem tetràgon‑yr ‘square, rectangle’
< Koi τετρά‑γων‑ον, compound of
Koi τετρα‑ ‘four…’, combining form of
Koi τέτταρες ‘four’
< SHell *qétwores
< PIE *kʷétu̯ores
—and—
Koi γωνί‑α ‘corner(stone), angle’
Koi γόνυ ‘knee’
< SHell *gónu
< PIE *g̑ónu

Cognates

Eng four; Eng knee

stràz.

to make Crimean

stràrz. Crimea

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem star‑a ‘bull’
< LMLem stàr‑yr
< MLem stayr‑yr
< OLem stayr‑
< PLem *stawr‑
< PIE *stáu̯r‑os

This is a (folk etymological) calque from Gk Ταυρική, which is actually derived from the name of the Tauroi, who lived there in the first millennium BCE. It is a shortened form of NLem jsoj‑star‑a, lit. ‘island of the bull(s)’.

doublet of strà.

Cognates

Ger Stier ‘bull’, Lat taurus ‘bull’

stnàg.

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem sperdz‑a
< OLem sperdz‑
< PLem *sperdz‑, Narten present of
< PIE *sperdʰ‑ ‘run away, flee’

Cognates

Ger Spurt ‘sprint’, Ved spárdhate ‘compete’

sjà.

Etymology

< NLem swmil‑a
< LMLem mineswel‑yr
< MLem minesw‑el‑yr, diminutive of
MLem minesw‑yr ‘owl’
< OLem minesw‑ ‘Goddess of wisdom’
< PLem *menesw‑
< PIE *men‑ésu̯‑eh₂, nominalisation of
PIE *men‑ ‘think’

doublet of manwà., màjw., màsw. and minà.

sxnyzrÌ. sunbeam, sunray

Usage notes

The Sun is mythologically and poetically seen as the male and strong counterpart of the Moon, as in most Indo-European languages. This is the source of the ‘male’ (non-zero) poststem in Modern Lemizh.

< NLem qerm‑a, academic loan of
< Koi θερμ‑ός ‘warm’
< SHell *qherm‑ós
< PIE *gʷʰer‑m‑ós, m-stem noun of
PIE *gʷʰer‑ ‘get warm’

doublet of gmrà.

Cognates

Eng thermo-meter (via Gk θερμ‑ός), but perhaps not warm

qàzg.

to think (about) something-acc (to oneself-dat)

qùzg. brain

Usage notes

This verb does not only mean ‘silently communicate to oneself, ponder’ but also ‘opine, reckon’. The Lemizh hardly ever use ‘believe’ (swnàt.) for the latter purpose.

Etymology

< NLem qizgw‑a
< LMLem, MLem qisgw‑a
< OLem thisgw‑
< PLem *sisgw‑ ‘discuss (constructively), reason’, i-reduplicated athematic present of
< PIE *sekʷ‑ ‘say’

Cognates

Eng say, Lat in‑quit ‘says, said’

qàxk.

self-transporting: to fly somewhere-dat etc.;
nom: to beat one’s wings, turn one’s propeller or rotor, etc.

Usage notes

The sense of ‘beating one’s wings’, attested from Old Lemizh, typically implies doing so effectively, powerfully (as opposed to, say, fluttering feebly).

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem qexk‑a
< OLem thexk‑
< PLem *sexk‑, intensive of
< PIE *skek‑ ‘move quickly, jump’

doublet of stnàt.

Cognates

Ger ge‑schehen ‘happen’, Eng chic (via Fr chic and Ger schick ‘elegant’)

qàs.

to make (it) winter

Usage notes

Technically, winter starts with the winter solstice (around 21^st December in our calendar) and ends with the spring equinox (around 21^st March). In everyday parlance, however, the term is usually applied to the time spanning weeks 1 to 13 in the Lemizh Sun calendar, which starts and ends somewhat earlier.

Etymology

< NLem qisn‑a
< LMLem, MLem qisn‑yr
< OLem thisn‑
< PLem *sisn‑ ‘age’ [verb], i-reduplicated athematic present of
< PIE *sen‑ ‘old’

Winter was named as the ‘old’ part of the year long before there was a calendar that started with the winter solstice.

Cognates

Eng senile (via Lat senīlis ‘aged’), Ir sean ‘old’

qàf.

to make seven individuals

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

Etymology

< NLem qif‑a
< LMLem, MLem qif‑yl
< OLem thift‑, inflected form of
< PLem *seftam
< PIE *septḿ̥

Cognates

Eng seven, Gk ἑπτά ‘seven’

qentà.

self-receiving: to smoke tobacco

qentÌ. tobacco smoke
qentù. tobacco pipe (also the constellation in the region of Leo, Sextans and Hydra; see appendix, Constellations)

qentuglùf. cigar (⇐ ⇔ qentù glÌfu. ‘rolled tobacco pipe/implement’)

Etymology

< NLem qent‑a ‘smoke (also tobacco)’
< LMLem, MLem qent‑a ‘smoke (also herbs)’
< OLem thent‑ ‘to smoke (also herbs)’
< PLem *sent‑ ‘to smoke’, Narten present of
< PIE *sen‑dʰh₁‑ ‘secrete’, compound of
PIE *sen ‘aside, away’
—and—
PIE *dʰeh₁‑ ‘put, make’

doublet of qnàt.

Cognates

Eng cinder, Gk ὄνθος ‘dung’

qlà.

to farm something (e.g. a crop)-dat

qlè. farmer
qlòr. a farm

Etymology

< NLem, LMLem, MLem qel‑a
< OLem thel‑ ‘dwell on a land > farm’
< PLem *sel‑ ‘dwell, stay’, Narten present of
< PIE *sel‑

Cognates

Lat soleō ‘be in the habit of’, Ger Saal ‘hall’

qlàp.

to make tar

Etymology

< NLem qelp‑a
< LMLem, MLem qelp‑yr
< OLem thelp‑
< PLem *selp‑ ‘oil, fat’
< PIE *sélp‑s

Cognates

Eng salve, possibly Gk ἔλπος ‘olive oil, fat’

qrà.

to make animals

Etymology

doublet of snàw.

Cognates

Eng snow, Lat nix ‘snow’

qmà.

to group something-dat into something-acc (see unit 7, Grouping numerals)

qmÌ. a group, (mathematics) a set

qmyhrìk. silicon (symbol: Ψ)

Etymology

< NLem qem‑a
< LMLem, MLem qem‑yr
< OLem them‑
< PLem *sem‑ ‘one, together’
< PIE *sém‑s

Cognates

Eng same, similar (the latter via Lat similis)

qmàxz.

to make sand

Etymology

< NLem qemxz‑a ‘(grain of) sand’
< LMLem, MLem qemxz‑yr, with unexplained d-elision of
< OLem themxdz‑
< PLem *semxdz‑ ‘sand’
< PIE *sémh₂‑dʰ‑os, nominal derivation of
PIE *semh₂‑ ‘scoop up’

doublet of cmàk.

Cognates

Lit semiù ‘scoop’, Eng sand

qkràdj.

to make artichokes (the vegetable) (also the constellation roughly corresponding to Vulpecula; see appendix, Constellations)

qkrèdj. artichoke plant

Etymology

Etymology

< NLem foph‑a
< LMLem, MLem yfophh‑a ‘suck up to’
< Ghe əfopshshⁿ‑a /əɸɔpʃʃa/ ‘be friendly’

See ytxà. for a similar semantic development.

fàps.

to make it midwinter;
(in measurements, else informal) to make 65536⁸ individuals (see appendix, Units of measurement)

djUtfÌps. Neptunian day, the Lemizh equivalent of New Year’s Eve (symbol: È; see appendix, Date)
djUtfÙlps. lit. ‘the [four] purposes of the Neptunian day / of New Year’s Eve’, referring to food, gifts, charity, and the return of the Sun

psrèb fÌpse. Midwinter God (roughly corresponding to Father Christmas, Santa Claus)

filpskà. to make it midsummer

Usage notes

Children generally call the Midwinter God psrèb fÌpse.. His formal (scholarly, religious) name is fOpysrÌf. (as is the name of the planet Neptune in Modern Lemizh).

New Year’s Eve, and the associated festivities, have been called that since Late Middle Lemizh. From Early New Lemizh times onwards, a number of parallels to Father Christmas have sprung up in popular belief – e.g., the Midwinter God is said to find out whether children have been naughty or nice, and brings presents only to the good ones. His sledge, though, is drawn by four porpoises swimming through the air.

Etymology

< NLem fOps‑a
< LMLem fÒpys‑yr ‘Father Midwinter’
< MLem fOOpys‑yr, haplology of
< OLem föpysir‑
< PLem *foɦ‑paser‑, compound of
PLem *foɦ‑ ‘?’, Narten present of
< PIE *h₃eg‑
—and—
PLem *paser‑ ‘father’
< PIE *ph̥₂tér‑s

The first part of the compound is based on a root of unknown meaning.

Cognates

Eng father

fàw.

to make points / an area far (away) from something-nom (see unit 12, Temporal and spatial verbs)

Usage notes

See the connotations section of ràc. for some context on gender change in spatial verbs.

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem fo‑a, inflected form of
< LMLem, MLem afo ‘from’
< OLem afo
< PLem *afo
< PIE *apo

Gender change occurred to avoid homophony with the pronoun fà..

Cognates

Eng of, off, Lat ab ‘from’; unrelated to Eng far, even in non-rhotic dialects

fàs.

to kiss someone-dat

Etymology

< NLem fOs‑a
< LMLem fÒs‑a, verbalisation of
< MLem fOOs‑yr ‘mouth’
< OLem fös‑
< PLem *fōs‑
< PIE *h₃óh₁s

Cognates

Lat ōs ‘mouth’, Hit ais ‘mouth’

fàst.

to peck at something-dat

fùst. beak

Etymology

< NLem fOst‑a
< LMLem fÒsotk‑yr ‘beak’
< MLem fOOs‑otk‑yr, compound of
MLem fOOs‑yr ‘mouth’
< OLem fös‑
< PLem *fōs‑
< PIE *h₃óh₁s
—and—
MLem otk‑yr ‘chicken’
< Ghe otq‑ə̄ /ɔtqɯː/, an onomatopoeia like axʱ‑ə̄ /aɴɯː/ ‘cat’ and oxfˇ‑ə̄ /ɔʁβɯː/ ‘dog’

Cognates

Lat ōs ‘mouth’

fafurà.

to make banknotes

Etymology

< Eth fafũra
< PWald *pháphūr‑as ‘papyrus’
< SHell *pápūr‑os ‘papyrus (Cyperus papyrus)’, of unknown origin

Cognates

Eng paper, papyrus (via Lat papȳrus)

fisà.

to make pears

fisè. pear tree
fisÌ. pear

Etymology

< NLem fis‑a
< LMLem, MLem fis‑yr
< OLem fis‑
< PLem *afis‑
< PIE *h̥́₂pis‑om, probably from a Mediterranean substrate language

No poststem was formed — expected would be ModLem **fàs. — likely for rhythmic analogy with xalà. ‘make apples’.

Cognates

Eng pear

fokàj.

to make seals (also the constellation corresponding roughly to Octans and Hydrus; see appendix, Constellations)

Etymology

Etymology

shortened form, academic loan of
< Koi φράγμα ‘dam, barrier’
Koi φράσσω ‘fence in, fortify’, of unknown origin

Most electric units use the electricity is water metaphor, which relates electric resistance to a water barrier, such as a dam.

Cognates

Eng dia‑phragm

fràdj.

to make/produce a sensory stimulus;
to seem to someone-dat (to be) somehow / like someone-qualnom;
dat: to perceive something-nom

frùdj. sensory organ

Etymology

< NLem frodj‑a
< LMLem fràtj‑a
< MLem fraatj‑a
< PCelt *φrā́ty‑ū, i̯e-causative of
< PIE *pret‑ ‘realize’

doublet of frodjà.

Cognates

Lit prantù ‘understand, grasp’

fràj.

to make clouds

frymjedÌ. cirrocumulus cloud
frymjcnÌzd. cirrus cloud

Usage notes

Meaning ‘cumulus, cumulonimbus cloud’ in NLem, this word has since been generalised to denote all clouds that neither rain nor snow – for which wzèc. and snèw. are used, respectively. It is also used when talking of clouds in general, without regard to rain or snow.

Etymology

< NLem frUn‑a
< LMLem frìn‑a ‘boil, churn’
< MLem friin‑a
< OLem frīn‑
< PLem *frīn‑, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *h₃rei̯H‑

Cognates

Eng run, Gk ὀρῑ́νω ‘stir up, churn’

fràc.

to heat, warm up something (a house, a room)-dat with a stove, a heating

frùc. stove, heater, heating

friclùj. central heating (⇐ ⇔ fràc lÌji. ‘heat up the house’)
frucxùf. hot-water radiator (frucxùf. ⇐ xÌf frùcU. ⇔ frùc xÙfu. ‘stove benefitting from water’)

Usage notes

fràxk.

to make/produce fruit, to fruit

frèxk. fruiting plant, flowering plant

Usage notes

Fruit, especially strawberries, have been a highly valued food since Old Lemizh times. fràRxk. or fròRxk. ‘the time of producing fruit [i.e. strawberries]’ refers to early summer, especially its colours and smells (whereas xalàR. and xalòR. refer to the end of summer).

Etymology

< NLem frOnk‑a
< LMLem, MLem frenk‑a
< OLem frenk‑
< PLem *pfrenk‑, Narten present of
< PIE *bʰrenk‑ ‘swell’

Cognates

ON bringa ‘breast, chest’, PSl bręče ‘swelled’

fràs.

to make an uncle or aunt of someone-nom (related by blood)

frès. nephew, niece of someone-acc

Etymology

< NLem frOs‑a
< LMLem frès‑yr ‘uncle (father’s brother)’
< MLem frees‑yr, haplology of
< OLem frēsir‑
< PLem *pfrāser‑ ‘nephew, grandson (?)’
< PIE *bʰréh₂ter‑s ‘brother’

Cognates

Eng brother

frekràf.

to make the god or the planet Mars/Ares (symbol: Ä)

Usage notes

See djeipysràd. for some information on Lemizh polytheism, and fràg. for the weekday associated with this god.

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem frekur‑a, academic loan of
< OLem frēkur‑ ‘Brother (in) War’
< PLem *pfrā‑kor‑, compound of
PLem *pfrā‑ ‘brother’, suffixless from of
< PIE *bʰréh₂ter‑s
—and—
PLem *kor‑ ‘war’
< PIE *kór‑os

Cognates

Eng brother; Ger Heer ‘army’

frodjà.

dat: to witness (perceive, observe) something-nom

frodjì. a witness (e.g. at a wedding or the signing of a document)

Usage notes

A witness on the sense of someone testifying, e.g. at court, is called xudjès..

Etymology

< NLem frodj‑a ‘perceive’
< LMLem fràtj‑a
< MLem fraatj‑a
< PCelt *φrā́ty‑ū, i̯e-causative of
< PIE *pret‑ ‘realise’

doublet of fràdj.

Cognates

Lit prantù ‘understand, grasp’

fnà.

to try (to do) something-acc

fnÌ., fnÙl. manage to do something-acc, succeed in doing something-acc

Etymology

gender change of
< NLem fing‑a
< LMLem, MLem fifing‑a ‘desire’
< OLem fifing‑
< PLem *fifing‑, i-reduplicated athematic present of
< PIE *h₃ei̯g̑ʰ‑

Cognates

Gk ἰχανάω ‘crave, yearn’

fnàwb.

fkrà.

to shoot arrows at something-dat, to do archery

fkrè. archer (also the constellation Sagittarius; see appendix, Constellations)
fkrÌ. arrow
fkrù. bow

Etymology

< NLem fkur‑a ‘shoot arrows’
< LMLem pkùr‑a
< MLem pkueru‑a
< OLem pkueru‑ ‘arrow’
< PLem *pk‑ueru‑, contraction, compound of
PLem *pk‑ ‘reach (out)’, sk̑-present of
< PIE *peth₂‑ ‘spread (one’s wings), fly (up)’
—and—
PLem *gweru‑ ‘skewer, spear’
< PIE *gʷéru

The PLem word for an arrow is literally ‘[far] reaching spear’.

Cognates

Eng feather; Ir bior ‘spike, tip’

fkràj.

to make tortoises, turtles (also the constellation Monoceros; see appendix, Constellations)

fkrÌj skrìjy. to shoot oneself in the foot (lit. ‘a tortoise being stung’)

Etymology

< NLem fkrongj‑a
< LMLem, MLem repkongj‑ar
< OLem rep‑konggh‑, compound of
OLem rep‑ ‘creep’
< PLem *ref‑, root present of
< PIE *reh₁p‑
—and—
OLem konggh‑ ‘shell, mussel’
< PLem *konggh‑
< PIE *kóngʰ‑eh₂

The name of this irritating animal literally means ‘shell(ed) creeper’.

Cognates

Eng reptile (via Lat rēpō ‘creep’); Eng, Lat cochlea

ftàx.

to play (child-like, without fixed rules), to engage in recreational activity

ftÌx., ftìx. toy (the latter typically for dolls and stuffed toys)

simplification, compound of
ModLem fxàc. ‘dragon’
< NLem fxurm‑a
< LMLem, MLem fxurm‑yr
< OLem fxurm‑
< PLem *fxurm‑, of unknown origin; related to PIE *u̯ŕ̥mi‑s ‘worm’?
—and—
ModLem crà. ‘1/4’, gender change of
< NLem crumbw‑a ‘2/6’
< LMLem crumbw‑yr, contamination of
< MLem srumbw‑yr ‘few, little’
< OLem srumbw‑
< PLem *tsrumbw‑ ‘of little worth’, u-stem adjective of
< PIE *dʰreu̯bʰ‑ ‘break’ [intr.], crumble’
—with—
< MLem cambr‑yr ‘negligible’
< OLem zhambr‑
< PLem *dzambr‑ ‘few, little’, r-stem adjective of
< PIE *dʰebʰ‑ ‘reduce’

Okay, this is just a simplification of a modern compound with epenthetic ext, meaning ‘little dragon’.

	1	2	3		4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
1	H																		He
2	Li	Be												B	C	N	O	F	Ne
3	Na	Mg												Al	Si	P	S	Cl	Ar
4	K	Ca	Sc		Ti	V	Cr	Mn	Fe	Co	Ni	Cu	Zn	Ga	Ge	As	Se	Br	Kr
5	Rb	Sr	Y		Zr	Nb	Mo	Tc	Ru	Rh	Pd	Ag	Cd	In	Sn	Sb	Te	I	Xe
6	Cs	Ba	La	*	Hf	Ta	W	Re	Os	Ir	Pt	Au	Hg	Tl	Pb	Bi	Po	At	Rn
7	Fr	Ra	Ac	†	Rf	Db	Sg	Bh	Hs	Mt	Ds	Rg	Cn	Nh	Fl	Mc	Lv	Ts	Og

	1	2	3		4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
1	H																		He
2	Li	Be												B	C	N	O	F	Ne
3	Na	Mg												Al	Si	P	S	Cl	Ar
4	K	Ca	Sc		Ti	V	Cr	Mn	Fe	Co	Ni	Cu	Zn	Ga	Ge	As	Se	Br	Kr
5	Rb	Sr	Y		Zr	Nb	Mo	Tc	Ru	Rh	Pd	Ag	Cd	In	Sn	Sb	Te	I	Xe
6	Cs	Ba	La	*	Hf	Ta	W	Re	Os	Ir	Pt	Au	Hg	Tl	Pb	Bi	Po	At	Rn
7	Fr	Ra	Ac	†	Rf	Db	Sg	Bh	Hs	Mt	Ds	Rg	Cn	Nh	Fl	Mc	Lv	Ts	Og

	1	2	3		4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
1	H																		He
2	Li	Be												B	C	N	O	F	Ne
3	Na	Mg												Al	Si	P	S	Cl	Ar
4	K	Ca	Sc		Ti	V	Cr	Mn	Fe	Co	Ni	Cu	Zn	Ga	Ge	As	Se	Br	Kr
5	Rb	Sr	Y		Zr	Nb	Mo	Tc	Ru	Rh	Pd	Ag	Cd	In	Sn	Sb	Te	I	Xe
6	Cs	Ba	La	*	Hf	Ta	W	Re	Os	Ir	Pt	Au	Hg	Tl	Pb	Bi	Po	At	Rn
7	Fr	Ra	Ac	†	Rf	Db	Sg	Bh	Hs	Mt	Ds	Rg	Cn	Nh	Fl	Mc	Lv	Ts	Og