Translation
nail (metal)
Word origin
A Germanic borrowing, from German Nagel, and the same word as English nail. Zamenhof's roots are mostly Romance, so the Germanic ones stand out once you start noticing them.
- Origin
- German
- Root
- Nagel
- English cognates
- nail
Examples
.
He knocked the nail into the wood with a heavy stone.
.
Only one old nail was left in the wall.
.
The nails are too short for that plank.
English "nail" is two words; keeps them apart. is the metal one you hammer into ligno. The one on the end of your finger is , an unrelated root from Latin unguis. Nothing in Esperanto lets you use one for the other, and a learner translating word-for-word from English will reach for the wrong one about half the time.
A false seam. cannot be taken apart. There is no root naj- and no suffix -l-. The suffix a learner is half-remembering here is --, the tool suffix, which is genuinely everywhere: tondi plus -- gives , scissors, elsewhere in this same chapter. But -- needs a verb to build on, and there is no verb naji. - is one Germanic root, whole.
The derivations run the other way instead. Najli is to nail, alnajli to nail something on, elnajli to prise a nail out, and najlokapo is the head of one. The hammer you do it with is a , and the two words together ( ) are the standard pair.
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueEsperanto · Free printables
najlo: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "najlo" (nail (metal)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 39.