Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/m-kul

Etymology

 * Proto-Sino-Tibetan: ?
 * Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *m-kul (Matisoff, STEDT; Mortensen, 2012); *m-kul ⪤ *kun (Matisoff, 2003; Benedict, 1972); *(m-)kul (Weidert, 1987)

In previous reconstructions the root for the number twenty was thought to be connected with a PTB *kun (“all”), but it was later suggested that the two words could indeed come from the same root. Evidence of this double-meaning association can be found in specific pairs of words in some Sino-Tibetan languages. For instance, in Karbi the pair and  is attested. In this example, the two meanings are distinguished by the presence or absence of some nasal element, that could be analyzed as the prefix *m-.

From a semantic point of view, it is possible that the word for twenty and the word for all could in fact be both represented by PTB *(m-)kul ~ *kun, which had a meaning like "such a large number that one has to use all the fingers and toes to count up to it" (Matisoff, STEDT).

Numeral

 * 1) twenty

Adjective

 * 1) all

Descendants

 * Old Chinese:
 * (B-S), (ZS) ("flock, group, all, numerous")
 * (B-S), (ZS) ("swarm (of insects)")
 * Middle Chinese: ;


 * Modern Mandarin
 * Beijing: ;
 * Cantonese: ;
 * Himalayish
 * Tibeto-Kanauri
 * Bodic
 * ("each, all")
 * Kuki-Chin:
 * *kul (VanBik, 2009)
 * Lai: ("twenty") ⪤  ("all")
 * Central Naga:
 * *mu-kju (Bruhn, 2014)
 * Lotha Naga:
 * Angami-Pochuri
 * Angami Naga:
 * Meitei: or  ("twenty")
 * Jingpho-Asakian
 * Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
 * Lolo-Burmese
 * Burmish
 * Burmish