tsaug

White Hmong

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /t͡ʂau̯˧˩̤/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *N-dzjeiH (“porcupine”).^[1]

Noun

tsaug (classifier: tus)

a porcupine, especially a large long-quilled one
txoj kab tsaug ― porcupine trail

Etymology 2

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “Considered native Hmongic by Ratliff, though no reconstructed proto-form is given.^[2] If the original meaning is "to thank", then perhaps borrowed from Middle Chinese 謝 (MC zjaeH, “to thank, apologize”), with semantic shift "thank" > "acknowledge hard work" > "hard work" > "tiredness"? That said, maybe the "thank" and "weak, tired" meanings are separate, in which case further origins are further obscured.”

Adjective

tsaug

used in ua tsaug (“to thank; thanks”)
weak, feeble, sickly, tired
tsaug tsaug leeg li ― very weak, feeble

Derived terms

tsaug zog (“sleepy”)

Etymology 3

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “Not mentioned by Ratliff at all. Bears a vague resemblance to Chinese 洗 (xǐ, “to wash, rinse”) or 灑／洒 (sǎ, “to sprinkle, splash”), though it doesn't seem like the hypothetical proto-Hmongic form can link to these terms.”

Verb

tsaug

to rinse
to wash by shaking something in water (e.g. vegetables)

References

Heimbach, Ernest E. (1979) White Hmong — English Dictionary‎^[1], SEAP Publications, →ISBN, pages 346-7.

^ Ratliff, Martha (2010) Hmong-Mien language history (Studies in Language Change; 8), Camberra, Australia: Pacific Linguistics, →ISBN, page 284.
^ https://web.archive.org/web/20101031002604/http://wold.livingsources.org/vocabulary/25

[1] Ratliff, Martha (2010) Hmong-Mien language history (Studies in Language Change; 8), Camberra, Australia: Pacific Linguistics, →ISBN, page 284.

[2] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20101031002604/http://wold.livingsources.org/vocabulary/25

[1]

[2]