なべら : nabera | define meaning

Cognate with Kikai (Shiomichi) なぱらやー naparayaa; Amami (Yuwan) なべェーらー nabëëraa; Amami なびーら nabiira; Okinoerabu なびらん nabiran; Yoron なべーら nabeera; Kunigami (Oku) なべーらー nabeeraa; Okinawan なーべらー naaberaa and なーべーらー naabeeraa; Miyako (Ikema, Irabu, Shimoji: Minaai) なびゃーら nabyaara; Yaeyama (Hatoma) なべーら nabeera; Yaeyama (Kohama) なべら nabera; Yaeyama (Taketomi) でェべれェ dëberë; Yaeyama (Hateruma) なーびら naabira "luffa".

Likely cognate with Japanese なべあらい【鍋洗い】 nabe arai "pot scrubber, dish scrubber, dish brush", from a compound of なべ【鍋】 nabe "pot" and あらい【洗い】 arai "wash, scrub" , owing to the fact that luffas were used to wash pots.

Discussion:

• The Ryukyuan forms may have a fused diminutive suffix, *-(y)a, which would explain why the final vowel is *-(a)a instead of *-ee.