Protoform: *[h]idV
Meaning: 1 thing 2 what (interrog. pronoun)
Chamalal: ed 2
Tindi: eja 1, e-la 2
Karata: hede-la 1,hed 2
Comments: Cf. also a tabooistic use in Tind. eja 'penis'. The semantic correlation 'thing' - 'what' (interrog. pronoun) is also observed elsewhere, cf. e.g. PN *fu-(n) 'what' - *fu-ma 'thing' etc.
Other Andian languages reflect a similar stem: PA *dan(HV) 'thing' - which may be actually a later contraction < *Hida-nV (with a frequent nasal suffix). Cf. And. dan, Cham. dā̃, Kar. Tok. da (plur. dan-dibi), God. dãji 'thing'.
