-GIZ

Navajo

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *ɢətsʼ (“twist, wring”). Compare Carrier nasguz (“wash wet linen”) and Tanacross nachʼegétth (“wash (especially clothes)”).

In Navajo the momentaneous imperfective stem is attested in the doublet: -géés / -gíís. This root is related with -GEEZ (“to be twisted, crooked”).

Root

-GIZ

1. twist, turn

Theme	Category	Bases	Transitive bases (O + ł)
Ø	operative	S twists, turns O iigéés ↳ anéígéés (ná-REV) haigéés néígis (REV) kʼégéés ↳ kʼégéés (+d pass.) nahaigiz
di + Ø	adjectival	S is crooked, twisted digis (neuter impf.)

2. wash

Theme	Category	Bases	Transitive bases (O + ł)
Ø	operative	S washes a permeable O yiyiigis (SEM)
tá + Ø	operative	S washes an impermeable O tánéígis (CONCL) táʼádígis (MOM)

Stem set

Aspect	IMP	PERF	FUT	ITER	OPT
MOM 1	-géés	-giz	-gis	-gis	-géés
MOM 2	-gíís	-gis	-gis	-gis	-gíís
DIST	-giz	-giz	-gis	-gis	-giz
REV	-gis	-giz	-gis	-gis	-gis
SEM	-gis	-gis	-gis	-gis	-gis
CONCL	-gis	-giz	-gis	-gis	-gis
NEUT	-gis	-gis	-	-	-

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Synonyms

to twist, turn:

• -TAAZ
• -DIZ
• -YIZ
• -GEEZ

to be bent, curved:

• -TŁʼIIZH

Derived terms

Navajo terms belonging to the root -GIZ (wash)