Proto-Basque: *(ema)-ste
Meaning: 1 woman 2 married woman, wife 3 fianceĢe
Bizkaian: ema-zte 2, ema-zte-gei 3
Gipuzkoan: ema-zte 2, ema-zte-gai 3
High Navarrese: ema-zte 2, ema-zte-gai 3
Low Navarrese: ema-zte 2, ema-zte-gai 3
Salazarese: ema-zte 1
Lapurdian: ema-zte 2, ema-zte-gai 3
Aezkoan: ema-zte 1
Zuberoan: ema-zte 2, ema-zte-gei 3
Roncalese: ema-zte 1, ema-zte-gei 3
Comments: For the first element see *ema- 'female'. According to Trask (1997: 271) emazte means 'woman' in three Pyrenean dialects (RNC, AZK, SAL), 'wife' elsewhere. A traditional etymology (since Schuchardt) derives *emaste from *ema- + *gaste 'young', though the actual Bsq meanings do not support the idea of 'young'.
