Probably from Proto-Athabaskan *čʷ’ə̓tɬ’ (“to shrivel”), with multiple extended meanings.
Cognate roots found in Ahtna naʼugheltsʼetlʼ (“it shrank”), yiłtsʼetlʼ (“he scorched it”), neltsʼetlʼ (“he has his eyes closed”), deltsʼetlʼ (“fire pops”), Koyukon tsʼetł (“shrubs, small willows”), Gwich'in diltrʼal (“fire crackled”), niltrʼal (“he had his eyes closed”), trʼał (“brush, undergrowth”).
-CHʼIL
| Theme | Category | Bases | Transitive bases (O + ł) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| l | adjectival |
S is curly
|
|||||
| l | motion |
S curls, peels off
|
S curls O
|
||||
| ∅ | conversive |
S is undercooked
|
S undercooks O, shrivels O by heat
|
||||
| ni + l | successive |
|
| Theme | Category | Bases | Transitive bases (O + ł) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| di + l | ? | burning wood crackles
|
|||||
| ʼa + di + l | ? |
lightning strikes
|
3. plant
| Theme | Category | Bases | Transitive bases (O + ł) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| di + ł | adjectival |
|
| Aspect | IMP | PERF | FUT | ITER | OPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOM | -chʼííł | -chʼil | -chʼił | -chʼił | -chʼííł |
| TRANS | -chʼííł | -chʼiil | -chʼił | -chʼił | -chʼííł |
| CON | -chʼiił | -chʼil | -chʼił | -chʼił | -chʼiił |
| CONT / CONCL | -chʼil | -chʼil | -chʼił | -chʼił | -chʼil |
| REP | -chʼił | - | - | - | - |
| SEM | -chʼił | -chʼił | -chʼił | -chʼił | -chʼił |
| NEUTER | - | -chʼil | - | - | - |
See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.
Navajo terms belonging to the root -CHʼIL (curl)