Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *ƛăj
Meaning: navel, centre
Tibetan: lte navel; centre.
Burmese: laj centre, middle.
Kachin: šǝdai1 navel.
Lushai: lai centre, middle, navel, KC *M?-ltai (?).
Lepcha: la the middle, the midst of
Comments: Garo ste abdomen; Newari te; Miju blai liver, Tujia li.1 khu.1 li.1 'heart'. Sh. 159, 408; Ben. 65, 66. STEDT 159-169 distinguishes between *[m/s]-la(:)y and *s-tay, which is not quite certain, because Tibetan and Jingpaw forms can actually reflect *ƛ-. (we are not sure about Naga tāy, Mru dai, Tamang pe-te, Karen de; note, however, Lakher tlai, Kham tǝli etc. - these forms could signify that we actually deal with *T-lăj; for Garo ste cf. Bodo bi-klǝʔ, Dimasa ba-tla 'liver'). For forms meaning 'self' see also under *tă- (*tǝ̆-). Attributing here OC 臍 *ʒ́ǝ̄j "navel" (STEDT ibid.) seems extremely dubious, see another match under *ʒ́ǝ̄l.
