Cloud

There are at least three different Uto-Aztecan roots among the words used for "cloud" in Southern Uto-Aztecan languages: one that can be reconstructed as *mosi or *mausi, attested in Nahuan, Coracholan, Tubar and Eudeve (and Hopi, and Takic); another that can be reconstructed as *(na-)homau, attested in Tarahumara, Tubar and Yaqui (and Hopi); And also one that can be reconstructed for proto-Tepiman as *hikomagi and which is attested in Tepiman languages (and Northern Paiute) and possibly related to a PUA root meaning "gray".

These might three forms might in turn all descend from a proto-form *omawi "cloud", but the developments that could lead from that form to to *hikC-omawi, *nah-omawi and *mausi/*mosi are unclear at present.

*mosi/*mausi

Lionnet (1985#150) reconstructs *mosi for "Sonoran" based on cognates in Opata, Nothern Eudeve and Tubar. Stubbs (2011#502) adds Nahua to the cognate set, and also ties it to cognates in Hopi and the Californian languages (Luiseño, Cupeño and Tübatülabal), reconstructing *mosi for PUA. Hill (2020:MO-07) admits Takic but does not include Hopi or Tübatülabal. However the Nahuan form cited by Stubbs <mixtli> is not the only one found in Nahuan, and the vowel doesn't fit well with the proposed reconstruction.

Lionnet (1985#150) reconstructs:

"Sonoran" *mosi based on:

Tubar mosí-t "cloud"

Eudeve mosí-t "cloud"

Ópata mosi "cloud"

Stubbs (2011#502) extends:

PUA *mosi based on:

Hopi /pamøøsi/ <pamöösi> "fog, mist"

Luiseño més-ma-l "fog, mist"

Cupeño mesmel "fog" (identified by Hill 2020 as a loan word from Luiseño)

Tübatülabal paašuumiši-t "fog", and paašuumišiigim ~ ’aabaašuumiš ‘get cloudy’.

Nahua /mištli/ <mixtli> "cloud"

Since Luiseño /e/ reflects PUA/PNUA *o, this form accords with *mosi, the Tübatülabal forms fit less well, and Stubbs does not propose an explanation for the paašuu- part (paa- could be "water"). But the Luiseño and Hopi forms do strongly suggest that this etymon reconstructs to PNUA and PUA. But the situation in PSUA needs more attention.

However, if we look at variation within Nahuatl, as described by Lastra (1986) we see three different forms, with varying vowels: mi:ʃ- (the mos widespread form), me:ʃ- (found in Morelos, Tlaxcala, parts of Mexico state and Southern and Northern Puebla -i.e. in the Central dialects) and moʃ- (found only in Central Guerrero). Nahuan variation between /i/ and /e/ of this type usually points towards a reconstruction with PUA *u and Corachol-Nahua ɨ. This kind of variation described by Canger and Dakin precisely leads to i forms in the East and e forms in the Center/West. PCN *ɨ sometimes does give Nahua /o/ when standing in a labial environment as here. Therefore if we posit Proto-Nahua *mɨʃ- (from *musi) this would explain the Nahuan vowels, but no other languages in SUA suggest a reconstruction with *u. Now, we have not seen any cognates in Corachol, but in Wixárika we do have 'aɨʃi <'a+xi> "steam, fog", and there are a handful of examples of initial *m being lost in Corachol before central vowels *a and *ɨ - so this could reconstruct as *maɨsi in proto-Corachol.

Pharao Hansen reconstructs for proto-Corachol-Nahuan:

PCN Maɨsi < *mausi and PN *mɨʃ based on:

E.Nah. mi:ʃ- <mix-tli> "cloud /nube"

Guerrero Nah. a moʃ- "cloud"

W.Nah. me:ʃ- <mex-tli> "cloud /nube"

Hch. 'aɨʃi <'a+xi> "vapor, neblina"

The Nahuan forms are compatible with PCN *maɨsi because Nahuan levels all diphthongs, this could give PCN *maɨsi > PN *mɨʃ, o alternatively via pre-Nahua *maíʃ which could give both me:ʃ- and mi:ʃ-(but does not account for Guerrero Nahua moʃ-). For this reason PN *mɨʃ seems preferable. The Guerrero form moʃ- could come directly from PSUA *mosi, but there is no way to explain the more widespread forms in /e/ or /i/ as derived from that form, while moʃ- can be explained as derived from *mɨʃ or *maɨʃ. So in the end this is the better explanation for the Nahua and Corachol forms. It does not however solve the question of how the Corachol-Nahua form is related to the PSUA form *mosi. Either we would have to posit that PCN *maɨsi comes from PSUA *mosi, where the diphthongization of *o to *aɨ does not follow any known development in the family; or we would posit *mausi as the PSUA form with a development of *mausi > *mosi in Tubar/Eudeve/Opata and PNUA. This is also a hard scenario to explain. It seems improbable that the Nahua and Wixárika forms aren't related to the SUA forms in *mosi, but explaining the development maɨsi/mosi will require new knowledge about the sound changes between these groups.

*homau/*na-homau

PSUA *(na-)homau

Hopi oomaw "cloud";

Tarahumara na’oma "become cloudy, erased"

Tubar homé-k "be cloudy"

Yaqui naamu "cloud"

*hikoma

Tepiman: PTEP *hi-koma "cloud(y)" < PUA *kuma "grey"

• hikomagi "cloudy" <*sikomawi

NT ikómaga

ST hikma’

ST hikoom/hikma "cloud, fog"

TO koomhai "mist, fog"

NP kummi-bï "cloud"

According to Stubbs these may relate to *kuma 'gray, dark color' with a prefixed element; see at 'gray’.

Could perhaps also be parsed *hikV-omawi, in which case it could lead back to the same root *omaw as *mausi and *mosi and *nahomawV.

How to cite:
Pharao Hansen, Magnus. 2026. Cloud. In SUALEX: A Southern Uto-Aztecan Etymological Dictionary. https://sualex.cenzontle.org/index.php?title=Cloud (accessed 20 April 2026).

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