npauj npaim

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

White Hmong

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]
This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “Considered native Hmongic by Ratliff (under the form npuj npaim), though no reconstructed proto-form is given.[1] "Npaim" is only cited (in https://www.hmongvocabulary.com/search.php, and not literature) as having a meaning of "to ramble", which doesn't seem to directly contribute to the meaning of "npauj npaim", so it's probably a reduplication of npauj (moth).”

Pronunciation

[edit]
  • IPA(key): /ᵐbau̯˥˧.ᵐbai̯˩̰/

Noun

[edit]

npauj npaim (classifier: tus)

  1. butterfly

References

[edit]
  • Heimbach, Ernest E. (1979) White Hmong — English Dictionary[1], SEAP Publications, →ISBN, page 161.