Proto-Altaic: *ńằjla ( ~ -o)
Meaning: shoot, sprout; teeth, gills
Russian meaning: росток, побег; зубы, жабры
Comments: Дыбо 1995b (Mong.-Tung.). The semantic interchange between 'teeth' and 'sprouts' is quite common, so in this respect the etymology seems plausible. In Jpn. one has to suppose a suffixed form *ma(i) < *ńằjl(a)-gV; medial *-j- is reconstructed to account for the loss of resonant in Kor. The root seems to be unattested in Turkic, but cf. Tur. dial. jalama 'white spot on horse's head from forehead down to the lower lip' (ЭСТЯ 4, 91) - cf. the semantic development in TM.
