axe

noun physical_artefact_tool

Proto-Siouan-Catawba *sį́pe

Proto-Siouan *-sepe

Proto-Crow-Hidatsa

Crow baáččipi ‘axe, hatchet’ GG:22, RGG:66

Proto-Mississipi-Valley *-spe

Proto-Dakota *-spé

Lakota nazų́spe RTC

Dakota oŋspe , †ųspé ‘axe’ WM:12b , †mazų́spe ‘axe’ WM:12b

Proto-Hoocąk-Chiwere

Chiwere į́θwe W:236a

Proto-Dhegiha *-spe

Omaha-Ponca moⁿçe pe , †mą́spe MAS

Kanza/Kaw mą́hįspe RR

Osage moⁿ´hiⁿçpe , †mą́hįspe LF:98b

Quapaw į́spe RR

Proto-Southeastern *-sé•pi

Proto-Biloxi-Ofo *ąhsé•pi

Biloxi aⁿseep, aⁿsépi, aⁿséwi , †ąsé•pi D&S:253a

Ofo aⁿfhépi D&S:322b

Proto-Tutelo-Saponi

Tutelo nisēp; hisēpi, hisép, hisēp’; hicēp’ N, H, JOD

Proto-Catawba

Catawba sįpé ‘knife’ FGS , sępaʔ MS

General comment

Cf. ‘sharp (1)’. The Kanza/Kaw and Osage forms are compounds with *wą•hi ‘blade, edged tool’ q.v. The southeastern forms might well derive from *wą•h-sepi also. OVS *hs cluster accounts for some of the Ofo fh that Swanton wrote so frequently. Crow reflects earlier *wa•hsepi. Dakota †mazų́spe ‘axe’ contains máza ‘metal’ and ųspé. Dorsey (1896) commented in “Omaha dwellings, furniture”, etc. p.278. Omaha maⁿze-pe ‘sharp iron’ “But the Kansa have the ancient name, maⁿ´hispe, answering to the Dakota, waⁿhíspe, ‘sharp flint’”. Omaha -ppe could be ‘sharp’ as h is lost V_V; *ppahí > *ppaí > ppe when unstressed in a compound.

Language Cognate Phonetic Siouan Meaning Comment Sources