Jitì

Méníshè

Etymology

From jì- +‎ ítì.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dʒi˧ti˩/

Noun

jitì (fire class, plural ítìz)

1. transformation, metamorphosis

Creation and Usage Notes

The root ítì means "caterpillar" and is an earth noun; adding the air noun marker changes its form to wítì to make the word "butterfly" (literally an "air-caterpillar!"). As a fan of caterpillars turning into butterflies (I mean, how cool is nature??), I wanted to ensure a word in Méníshè honored that transition, and I chose to use the fire class marker for this noun because transformations often feel unpredictable and intense and uncomfortable. -Jessie Sams 22:09, 22 May 2020 (PDT)