béégashii
/péːkɑ̀ʃìː/
The Navajo word for cow is béégashii.
béégashii is used to refer to an adult female of the species Bos taurus.
Meaning: adult female of species Bos taurus (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/péːkɑ̀ʃìː/
Did you know?
- The word béégashii is actually a linguistic descendant of the Spanish word 'vacas'.
- Traditional Navajo weaving and jewelry often feature motifs of livestock, reflecting the importance of animals like béégashii in their artistic history.
- Navajo livestock terminology evolved rapidly after the introduction of European cattle, leading to the adoption of Spanish terms like béégashii.
Examples in context
- Kʼad haitʼáo dibéłchíʼigo béégashii, shąʼ?How now, brown cow?This sentence is useful for practicing the word béégashii.
Example conversation
Amanda and Justin are looking at animals in a field.
- AmandaBéégashii bee nááʼááh.A cow is walking over there.
- JustinÁąkóhóóʼdáá béégashii łí ałtso?Is there only one cow over there?
- AmandaÁąkóhóóʼdáá béégashii tʼáá łí.There is only one cow over there.
- JustinHózhǫ́ǫ́ łahai.It is very beautiful.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry béégashii, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries béégashii, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
