Dictionary entry
nepe'weeshneg • n • otter (river otter, Lontra canadensis) • Variant nepuyshneg
Lexicon record # 2135 | Source reference(s):
WG(WEM274) R229 JE98
Semantic
domain: miscellaneous medium-sized mammals
Derivation: literally, "fish eater" (nepe'weesh "fish (generic)", nepek' "I eat")
Short recordings (4) | Sentence examples (9)
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Nepe'weeshneg.
Otter.
— Georgiana Trull, Yurok Language Conversation Book, chapter 31: "Animals" (GT3-31, 2003)
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[Hoore'mos hes wee' k'ee nepe'weeshneg?] 'Ee, tee'n tue' mehl hee' nepe'weeshneg. Neekeechue 'we-nepek'.
[Is the otter a hoore'mos?] Yes, that's why he's called otter. He eats anything. — Alice Spott, Ethnobiology (AS1, 1962 or 1963)
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Nepe'weeshneg.
Otters.— Florence Shaughnessy, "Otters" (LA181-2, 1986)
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Noohl 'o ko chuerp'ery, noohl nepe'weeshneg 'ue-'wers 'emehl ma'epoyew kue 'we-'lep.
Then he combed his hair, and then his hair was tied up with an otterskin.— Florence Shaughnessy, "The First Salmon Rite at Wehlkwew" (LA16-8, 1951)
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Kue nepuyohl wonue 'o nekue' kue nepe'weeshneg 'ue-'wers.
The otterskin was put on top of the salmon.— Florence Shaughnessy, "The First Salmon Rite at Wehlkwew" (LA16-8, 1951)
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Noohl now 'o nek' kue nepe'weeshneg 'ue-'wers kue 'ue-keyom weektue' 'o nek'.
Then he put the otterskin away in the basket.— Florence Shaughnessy, "The First Salmon Rite at Wehlkwew" (LA16-8, 1951)
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Tue' wee 'o rek'eeen wenchokws, koleen kue we'yon kue ho nergerykermeen tue' wo'oot neekee 'ue-myah 'o 'erlermerkerhl kue 'ue-kery nows 'o nek' kue nepe'weeshneg 'ue-'wers wonues 'ap nek' kue nepuy 'oyhl.
Two women were sitting there, and one was the girl who was helping, and she jumped up and untied her hair tie, and took off the otterskin and put it on the salmon where it lay.— Florence Shaughnessy, "The First Salmon Rite at Wehlkwew" (LA16-8, 1951)
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Nepe'weeshneg nep' nepuy.
An otter ate a salmon.— Various speakers, Sentences in R. H. Robins's Yurok Language (YL, 1951)