810 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 40 



is not at all unlike that of a verb. Initial and secondary stems com- 

 bine in the same kind of way; link-stems also fall in line; and the 

 element to indicate the notion of a specifier is a sort of designating 

 suffix that is susceptible of a comprehensive application. The suffix, 

 in turn, ends with one or the other of the pronominal signs to show 

 which gender the word is — a for the animate, and i for the inanimate. 

 Often there is no designative suffix at all, but merely a pronominal 

 termination to mark the end of the word, and leaving the idea of a 

 substantive to be inferred from the context. In the illustrations of 

 noun-composition, only the absolute form of the nominative is given, 

 and under the component parts of secondary stems and suffixes. 



§ 23. SECONDARY STEMS 



-(Vhw- has been met with before in another connection, meaning 

 MASS, usually in linear dimension, and referring to wood, tree. 

 It conveys much the same meaning in the noun. 



me'ciwa^'kw" dead fallen tree (meci- large [initial]) 

 mA'gsb'kwa^'Jc^ tree of large girth {lUAg- large [ initial]) 

 ma'c^iya'kwf ^* red stem (the name of a medicinal plant) (mdclcw- 



blood or red [ for mecl'm-]) 

 2^e'wi/a'kwr* collar-bone (pemi- spacial notion of side, by, lat- 

 eral [§ 16]) 



-otd- is probably akin to the same form met with in the verb, and 

 denoting to crawl. It has no such specific meaning in the 

 noun, but refers in a general way to human interests, espe- 

 cially in an objective relation. 



me'go't&we^n^ dress (of a woman) {meg- cover [ initial]) 

 me'sota^w* rain, wind, rumor, news, the whole world (mes- 



totality [initial]; -w' [§ 28]) 

 u'tbia^m^ or uto'i'^mA^n'' his eldest brother, his guardian, his 



master, his clan tutelary, his giver of supernatural power (u — 



mATii [§ 45]) 

 o'taweV* town probably belongs to this class 

 -nak- refers to the spacial notion of top, crest, apex. 



Jid' wat a' n&\iV^ brittle-top (the name of a medicinal plant) (Jcciw- 



roughness, asperity) 

 mdcliWA'nsiW^ red-top (the name of a plant used for medicine) 



imdckw- red) 

 §23 



