Sacred Syllable

[Rankin, Robert L]

> In this particular term though, I think probably <ku> is
> the standard root
> for 'make a hollow sound' that is found in 'drum, box,
> cucurbit, etc. Kind
> of makes sense that the earth might rumble when coughing up
> rocks. Winnebago
> should have /ko-/ for that root.

...as indeed it does. Miner (1984) has kook 'box, barrel', kookox 'be
noisy', koox 'make noise' and various derivatives. And there is k?oo
'thunder' with glottalization. I think if Ardis is right about equating
those Omaha/Winnebago forms, that sound symbolism would be the thing to
appeal to here.

bob