GLOSSARY OF CHEROKEE WORDS
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Mooney, James
udaʻlĭ—“(it is) married”; the mistletoe, so called on account of its parasitic habit.
U′dăwagûñ′ta—“Bald.” A bald mountain of the Great Smoky range, in Yancey county, North Carolina, not far from Mount Mitchell. See number 51.
Udsi′skală—a masculine name.
uga′sĭtă—sour.
ûñgidă′—“thy two elder brothers” (male speaking). See notes to number 63.
ûñgili′sĭ (plural, tsûñgili′sĭ)—“my daughter’s child.” See note to number 66, and cf. ûñgini′sĭ.
ûñgini′lĭ—“my elder brother” (female speaking). See notes to number 63.
ûñgini′sĭ (plural tsûñgini′sĭ)—“my son’s child.” See note to number 66, and cf. ûñgili′sĭ.
u′giskă′—“he is swallowing it”; from tsĭkiû′, “I am eating.” See number 8 and notes.
u′guku′—the hooting or barred owl (Syrnium nebulosum); the name is an onomatope. See also tskĭlĭ′ and wa′ʻhuhu′.
ugûñste′lĭ (ugûñste′lû in dialectic form)—the hornyhead fish (Campostoma, stone roller). The name is said, on doubtful authority, to refer to its having horns. See number 59.
Ugŭñ′yĭ—Tallulah falls, on the river of that name, northeast from Clarkesville, in Habersham county, Georgia; the meaning of the name is lost. See number 84.
Uilata—See Uʻtlûñ′tă.
uk-ku′sûñtsûtĕtĭ′—“it will twist up one’s arm.” See number 115.
Uk-ku′sûñtsûtĭ—“Bent-bow-shape”; a comic masculine name. Cf. gûltsû′tĭ, bow. See number 115.
uk-kwûnăgi′stĭ—“it will draw down one’s eye.” See number 115.
Uk-kwûnăgi′ta—“Eye-drawn-down”; a comic masculine name. See number 115.
uksu′hĭ—the mountain blacksnake or black racer (Coluber obsoletus); the name seems to refer to some peculiarity of the eye, aktă′; uksuhă′, “he has something lodged in his eye.” See number 53 and notes.
Ukte′na—“Keen-eyed (?)” from aktă′, eye, akta′tĭ, to examine closely. A mythic great horned serpent, with a talismanic diadem. See number 50 and notes.
Ukte′na-tsuganûñ′tatsûñ′yĭ—“Where the Uktena got fastened.” A spot on Tuckasegee river, about two miles above Bryson City, in Swain county, North Carolina. See number 122.
Uktena-utansi′nastûñ′yĭ—“Where the Uktena crawled.” A rock on the north bank of Tuckasegee river, about four miles above Bryson City, in Swain county, North Carolina. See number 122.
Ukwû′nû (or Ukwû′nĭ)—a former Cherokee settlement, commonly known to the whites as Oconee, on Seneca creek, near the present Walhalla, in Oconee county, South Carolina.
Ulaʻgû′—the mythic original of the yellow-jacket tribe. See number 13. The word signifies “leader,” “boss,” or “principal one,” and is applied to the first yellow-jacket (dʻska′ĭ) seen in the spring, to a queen bee and to the leader of a working squad.
uʻlănă′wă—the soft-shell turtle; the etymology of the word is uncertain. See also săligu′gĭ and tûksĭ′.
ulasu′la—moccasin, shoe.
ûlĕ′—and; ûlĕ-ʻnû′, and also.
Ûñli′ta—“(He is) long-winded,” an archaic form for the regular word, gûñli′ta; an old masculine name. A chief about the year 1790, known to the whites as “The Breath.”
ûlskwûlte′gĭ—a “pound-mill,” a self-acting water-mill used in the Cherokee mountains. The name signifies that “it butts with its head” (uskă′, head), in allusion to the way in which the pestle works in the mortar. The generic word for mill is dista′stĭ.
ulstĭtlû′—literally, “it is on his head.” The diamond crest on the head of the mythic Uktena serpent. When detached it becomes the Ulûñsû′tĭ.
Ultiwâ′ĭ—a former Cherokee settlement about the present Ooltewah, on the creek of the same name, in James county, Tennessee. The name has the locative form (ĭ suffix), but cannot be translated.
ulûñni′ta—domesticated, tame; may be used for persons as well as animals, but not for plants; for cultivated or domesticated plants the adjective is gûnutlûñ′ĭ (or gûnusûñ′ĭ).
Ulûñsû′tĭ—“Transparent”; the great talismanic crystal of the Cherokee. Spelled Oolunsade by Hagar. See number 50 and notes.
ulûñ′ta—“it has climbed,” from tsilahĭ′, “I am climbing”; the poison oak (Rhus radicans). See number 126.
Uʻlûñ′yĭ—“Tuber place,” from Uʻlĭ′, a variety of edible tuber, and yĭ, locative. A former settlement upon Turniptown (for Uʻlûñ′yĭ) creek, above Ellijay, in Gilmer county, Georgia.
Unacala—see Une′gădihĭ′.
U′nadanti′yĭ—“Place where they conjured,” the name of a gap about three miles east of Webster, in Jackson county, North Carolina, and now transferred to the town itself. See number 122.
unăde′na—woolly, downy (in speaking of animals); uwă′nû, wool, down, fine fur (detached from the animal).
u′năhŭ′—see unăhwĭ′.
unăhwĭ′—heart; in Middle and Lower dialects, unăhŭ′. See page 187.
Unaka—see une′gă and Unicoi.