Chokkilissa

A Chickasaw word meaning "be quiet," but with a much more interesting etymology. When Hernando de Soto came to America, he asked the Apalachee who lived in a certain village, and they said "Chikashsha," which means "abandoned town" in their language. Apparently the Chickasaw thought this was funny, as they weren't gone, so they decided to go by that name. "Chokkilissa," however, is a translation of "Chikashsha" into the Chickasaw language. Chokkilissa can be broken down a few ways, but they generally mean the same thing. CHOKKA'+ILLA+ISSA, "only quit the house" or CHOKKA'+ILISSA, "we quit the house." "Quitting the house" can be seen as "abandoning the village," as the two seem to be close in meaning. As an abandoned village is quiet, it can be seen why this word would be defined in this way. This is only a theory, so it could be false.

Chokkilissa, chishki'at anompoli! (Be quiet, your mother is talking!)