Sargaĺk Vocabulary: Hand Anatomy

Before the actual conlanging content of this post, I need to share a really strongly heartfelt hate with you all. Anatomy is not a thing I am very good at, at all. Like, I know my vocabulary as far as anatomy goes in my non-native languages are beyond incomplete. However, my true cause of shame is my vague knowledge of anatomical terminology even in my native language. The body just didn't interest me enough when I was younger, and now I have to look things up.

Of course, internet has helped a lot, but it's still kind of hard to google for some particular thingy-like thing next to the thingy-like thing on the foot, or whatever. Sure, trivial things are easy - fingers, toes, nose, eyes, the obvious stuff. But e.g. shoulder blades - sure, convenient at times.  For a while, my favoured term for the scapula was 'vientikahva' - 'leading handle'. This was a term my lindy hop dance instructor had used, (although he did mention 'lapaluu' at the time), because at least it related to some 'relevant' experience of the world. Beyond that, man, the body is full of parts whose names I very seldom care to know.

Now, looking for detailed terminology about the palm's and hand's different parts, all I find online is superstitious nonsense about the astrological significance of this or that part of the palm, or which part of it I should massage if I want to alleviate pain in my blood sugar. Or pain in my chest pain.Or pain in impotence, or pain in nocturnal incontinence. Fuck you, superstitious pseudoscientific new age parts of the internet. Also, please fucking learn to make your headings fit your content. Now, on to the hand terminology in Sargaĺk, the English terminology of which, alas, ended up somewhat unclear on account of superstitious assholes.

Beyond the basic words for hand and arm in Sargaĺk, there's some more detailed terminology in existence. The fingers, first of all, have names – much like in pretty much every language.

rok (m) - thumb, from *rokt

This term also is used for a variety of clinches and the like.

roxe (m) - middle finger

The term is a historical diminutive of 'thumb'. Both the thumb and the index finger are considered 'supporting fingers' for the index finger.

laba (f) - index finger.

This is cognate with the verb labəj, 'to touch, to manipulate'.

marak (m), ring finger
marxe (m), little finger

The two final fingers are not considered to be per se very important. Telling someone they're a marak or a marxe is essentially saying they're useless, at the very least on their own.

The four non-thumb fingers and the section of the palm closest to these fingers can be referred to as bilon (f), which seems to be a primitive morpheme - not derived from anything. The complete palm is salp (m), which also is the term for the blade of an oar.

Fingers in general are k'uris (f), nails are impik (m). The back of the hand is gari (f).