Kw’íxw means ‘sap’ or ‘pitch’.
You can also use kwíxw for ‘rubber’, or ‘gum’.
Pronunciation
Kw’íxw sounds like KWEESH, except that:
- The kw at the beginning is ‘popped’, by combining it with a catch in the throat (`glottal stop`).
- Instead of a SH at the end, you say the Halq’eméylem soft-x sound, in this case also with rounded lips (xw).
Audio: Elizabeth Herrling, Elizabeth Phillips
Plural Form
Kw’íxw has a special plural form, which you can use if talking about many or large amounts, like this: kw’ekw’íxw (or kw’ikw’íxw), audio here.
Elders make this type of plural by doubling (`reduplicating`) the first part of the word, sometimes with changes in the vowels.
Related words
Kw’íxw is related to a number of other words, including:
- kw’íxwelhp – pitchwood, pitch tree (the –elph ending marks plants and trees)
- kw’íkw’exwelhp – jack pine, lodgepole pine
- kw’ekw’íxwxel – rubber boots (the –xel ending marks ‘of/on the foot’)
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