Xepá:ltel is the word for a ‘wood carving knife’.
Pronunciation
Xepá:ltel sounds hih PALL till, except that instead of an /h/ the first sound is the Halq’eméylem soft-x. You make the soft-x by touching your tongue lightly to the roof of your mouth.
Audio: Elizabeth Phillips
Related words
Xepá:ltel comes from the root xíp.
Xíp does not appear as a word by itself, but it and related form appear in many words related to carving and planing, including:
- xípet – plane it, trim it, taper it (of wood)
- xepólst – peel it (you use this to talk about peeling round fruits and vegetables; the -ols ending is used with round objects)
- xepqst – sharpen it (the -qs ending refers to a point or a nose)
The –tel ending in xepá:ltel marks tools and devices.
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