Mo'at means "Dreamcatcher"

[Ashen Key]

Originally Posted by Mi'niri

I can't remember where I heard this from, but I heard that Mo'at means "dreamcatcher" in Na'vi. Then I started thinking of how it was Mo'at who was the first to suggest (at least enthusiasticaly) that jake join the clan. I thought it was interesting how thedreamcatcher was the one who caught thedreamwalker I wonder if they did that on purpose. But I thought that was kool.

what are your thoughts

p.s. I know "Neytiri" means "gives Life" wich is kind of perfect. But does anyone know what the other names mean?

"Neytiri" actually means "Wants Life" - which I actually think is more perfect, given her choices in canon and how I view her.

As for the others, I'll just copy from my own notes what I've worked out and conjectured (I've been working on a number of original names and things for stories, as well as poking at the names mentioned):

Neytiri: neu (want)-tirey (life): Wants Life

Peyral: pey (wait/ wait for) - ral (meaning)”: she who is meant to wait/ Waits for Meaning/ Patience (????)

Ninat: nin (look at) – at (possibly catcher/catching): connotations of “eye-catching”/ “attention-grabbing”

Tsu'Tey: tsteu (brave): Brave

Sylwanin: syl/sil (“good”, derived from sìltsan) – wä (against) - nin (look, look at) : “good despite her looks” / inner worth (????)

Mo'at, according to the original script, means "dream catcher" - so I'm assuming here that both 'mo' and 'unil' mean dream (maybe 'mo' is more of a dialectal word that universal Na'vi), that 'at' can mean 'catch' and 'catching' without needing to have a 'yu' on the end. Which I admit is conjecture, but ah well.

Eytukan's name...I have no idea. In pure sound, it alludes to eyktan, leader, but when I break it down, I get the following:

ey (from eyk, leader) – tu (derivative) – kan (aim)

So, could have connotations of "first aim", "leads the arrow", or something like that - like Ninat, I don't think it's a name that has a literal meaning in English.

Possibly - I fully admit that I've done all of the above myself, so, you known, YMMV.

[tm20]

Originally Posted by Ashen Key

"Neytiri" actually means "Wants Life" - which I actually think is more perfect, given her choices in canon and how I view her.

As for the others, I'll just copy from my own notes what I've worked out and conjectured (I've been working on a number of original names and things for stories, as well as poking at the names mentioned):



Mo'at, according to the original script, means "dream catcher" - so I'm assuming here that both 'mo' and 'unil' mean dream (maybe 'mo' is more of a dialectal word that universal Na'vi), that 'at' can mean 'catch' and 'catching' without needing to have a 'yu' on the end. Which I admit is conjecture, but ah well.

Eytukan's name...I have no idea. In pure sound, it alludes to eyktan, leader, but when I break it down, I get the following:



So, could have connotations of "first aim", "leads the arrow", or something like that - like Ninat, I don't think it's a name that has a literal meaning in English.

Possibly - I fully admit that I've done all of the above myself, so, you known, YMMV.

O_o holy shiit you have a pHD in xenolinguistics or something?

[Ashen Key]

Originally Posted by tm20

O_o holy shiit you have a pHD in xenolinguistics or something?

Heeeeee, nope! Just a few Na'vi dictionaries, and a passion for working out how things work. I've been poking at name books and how names are formed for years, so I just apply that feel to the Na'vi names. They are FUN to make up, by the way, once you get the feel for them.

[Ni'Alu]

I think I remember reading somewhere (maybe on a LearnNavi.org forum?) that Neytiri's name meant "she who calls the spirits" or something. Etymologically speaking, I'm not sure how this works out, but it made sense to me at the time since Neytiri is slotted to be the next Tsahik.

One never really knows with some names. In many tribal cultures, if you look at the language and the correlation of names closely, you notice sometimes the meanings of names don't always follow directly along with the original terms. They can hint at the original meanings like "blue" and "flute" or "dream" and "life" but then deviate somewhat as they become an abbreviated amalgamation that is easier to say...something pleasant on the tongue perhaps.

Wow I wrote a whole lot more than I originally intended! hahah oops
Sorry for the schpeel guys, I just got so excited. :p

[Ashen Key]

Originally Posted by Ni'Alu

I think I remember reading somewhere (maybe on a LearnNavi.org forum?) that Neytiri's name meant "she who calls the spirits" or something. Etymologically speaking, I'm not sure how this works out, but it made sense to me at the time since Neytiri is slotted to be the next Tsahik.

Etymologically, it makes close to zero sense, sadly. Her name is 'Wants Life', which actually suits her really, really well.

Originally Posted by Ni'Alu

One never really knows with some names. In many tribal cultures, if you look at the language and the correlation of names closely, you notice sometimes the meanings of names don't always follow directly along with the original terms. They can hint at the original meanings like "blue" and "flute" or "dream" and "life" but then deviate somewhat as they become an abbreviated amalgamation that is easier to say...something pleasant on the tongue perhaps.

Actually, a lot of names are like that, no matter the culture. It makes them so very, very fun.