Proto-Kui-Kuwi : *līmb-
Meaning : white ant
Kui : ḍīmbu
Kuwi (Fitzgerald) : limbu "ant's earthwork"
Kuwi (Schulze) : līmpu
Sunkarametta Kuwi : līmbu
Parja Kuwi : lēmpu
Dongriya Kuwi : lēmpu
Notes : Kuwi_D and Kuwi_P probably reflect an earlier variant of this bisyllabic root, namely, *elimbu. This is quite understandable for Kuwi_D - an extremely archaic dialect which has preserved old bisyllabic roots in a much better state than others, but unexplainable for Kuwi_P; we may suggest dialectal interaction. Inlaut -mp- in some dialects is not quite clear as well.
Number in DED : 837
