NEWCOM:The stem looks like a derivative (deverbal noun) from *ǝkǝ(-) 'to burn', but a regular nominal affix must have had preserved a regular uvular consonant in the auslaut position. As is evidenced by Naukan and Inupik data, the uvular, on the contrary, is actually "dropped". We can therefore suggest a secondary reinterpretation of the root as a former derivative with the suffix -nǝʁ.
