Editing Cherokee language (section)

=== Word creation ===
The polysynthetic nature of the Cherokee language enables the language to develop new descriptive words in Cherokee to reflect or express new concepts. Some good examples are {{lang|chr|ᏗᏘᏲᎯᎯ}} (''{{transliteration|chr|ditiyohihi}}'', 'he argues repeatedly and on purpose with a purpose') corresponding to 'attorney' and {{lang|chr|ᏗᏓᏂᏱᏍᎩ}} (''{{transliteration|chr|didaniyisgi}}'', 'the final catcher' or 'he catches them finally and conclusively') for 'policeman'.<ref name="begin">Holmes and Smith, p. vi</ref>

Other words have been adopted from another language such as the English word ''gasoline'', which in Cherokee is {{lang|chr|ᎦᏐᎵᏁ}} (''{{transliteration|chr|gasoline}}''). Other words were adopted from the languages of tribes who settled in Oklahoma in the early 1900s.  One interesting and humorous example is the name of [[Nowata, Oklahoma]], deriving from {{lang|chr-Latn|nowata}}, a Delaware word for 'welcome' (more precisely the Delaware word is {{lang|del|nuwita}} which can mean 'welcome' or 'friend' in the [[Delaware languages]]). The white settlers of the area used the name {{lang|chr-Latn|Nowata}} for the township, and local Cherokee, being unaware that the word had its origins in the Delaware language, called the town {{lang|chr|ᎠᎹᏗᎧᏂᎬᎾᎬᎾ}} (''{{transliteration|chr|Amadikanigvnagvna}}'') which means 'the water is all gone gone from here'&nbsp;— i.e. 'no water'.<ref name="Holmes and Smith, p. vii">Holmes and Smith, p. vii</ref>

Other examples of adopted words are {{lang|chr|ᎧᏫ}} (''{{transliteration|chr|kawi}}'') for 'coffee' and {{lang|chr|ᏩᏥ}} (''{{transliteration|chr|watsi}}'') for 'watch'; which led to {{lang|chr|ᎤᏔᎾ ᏩᏥ}} ({{lang|chr-Latn|utana watsi}}, 'big watch') for ''clock''.<ref name="Holmes and Smith, p. vii" />

Meaning expansion can be illustrated by the words for 'warm' and 'cold', which can be also extended to mean 'south' and 'north'.  Around the time of the [[American Civil War]], they were further extended to US party labels, [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], respectively.<ref name="Holmes and Smith, p. 43">Holmes and Smith, p. 43</ref>