Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/s-nak

This Proto-Sino-Tibetan entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Sino-Tibetan

Etymology

• Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *nək ⪤ Cnək, *nes ~ nyes (Coblin, 1986)
  • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *s-nak (Matisoff, STEDT; LaPolla, 1987)

May be a descendant of *s-maŋ ~ s-mak (“black, dark, ink”), from assimilation of the root initial (in place of articulation) by the prefix *s-.

Adjective

*s-nak

1. black
2. evil

Descendants

• Old Chinese: 匿 (*nrək (B-S); *nɯg (ZS), “to hide”); 慝 (*n̥ˁək (B-S); *n̥ɯːg (ZS), “evil”)
  • Middle Chinese: 匿 /ɳɨk/, 慝 (tè) /tʰək/
    • Modern Mandarin
      • Beijing: 匿 (nì) /ni⁵¹/), 慝 (tè) /tʰɤ⁵¹/
• Himalayish
  • Tibeto-Kanauri
    • Bodic
      • Tibetan
        • Written Tibetan: ནག་པོ (nag po, “black”), སྣག (snag), སྣག་ཚ (snag tsha, “ink, Chinese ink”)
• Tangut-Qiang
  • rGyalrongic
    • Situ: (kə)neʔk (“black”)
• Proto-Lolo-Burmese: *s-nakᴴ (“black”)
  • Burmish
    • Maruic
      • Pela: naʔ³¹ (“black”)
      • Lhao Vo: no (“black”)
    • Burmic
      • Written Burmese: နက် (nak, “black”)
  • Proto-Loloish: *C-nakᴴ (“black”)
    • Northern Loloish
      • Yi: ꆈ (nuo)
    • Central Loloish
      • Lolopo: neix (“black”)
• Naic:
  • Naish:
    • Naxi: naq (“black”)