Dictionary of Louisiana Creole

The contents of this website remain the intellectual property of the following authors: Albert Valdman, Thomas A. Klingler, Margaret M. Marshall, Kevin J. Rottet

• Warning: There has been no censoring of the data, including offensive language or racial slurs.
• Orthography: Entries use the modern Kouri-Vini Orthography; however, the examples retain their original orthography based on Haitian Creole from the book. There are also several examples written in a French Orthography; these have also been left as is in the book. Additionally, the acute (à) and circumflex (â) when used for stress, preterit, or disambiguation, have not been included separately (i.e., aren't used).
• There are several variants for certain sounds that have not been included in the variants for entries. Please use the variants in quotations in place of the others when searching for words with the following sounds:
  • use "s" for /s/ ← s, ç
  • use "è" for /æ/ ← æ, è
  • use "i" for /ɪ/ ← ì, i
  • use "an" for /ã/ ← an, am, en, em
  • use "on" for /ɔ̃/ ← on, om
  • use "in" for /ɛ̃/ ← in, im
• Parts of Speech abbreviation correspondences:
  • adj. = Adjective
  • adv. = Adverb
  • adv.phr. = Adverbial Phrase
  • art.def. = Definite Article
  • art.indef. = Indefinite Article
  • conj. = Conjunction
  • dem. = Demonstrative
  • det. = Determiner
  • det.poss. = Possessive Determiner
  • f. = Feminine
  • int. = Interjection
  • interr.phr. = Interrogative Phrase
  • m. = Masculine
  • n. = Noun
  • n.phr. = Noun Phrase
  • num.card. = Cardinal Number
  • num.ord. = Ordinal Number
  • onom. = Onomatopoeia
  • pl. = Plural
  • place n. = Place Name
  • prep. = Preposition
  • pron. = Pronoun
  • pron.indef. = Indefinite Pronoun
  • pron.refl. = Reflexive Pronoun
  • pron.rel. = Relative Pronoun
  • prop.n. = Proper Noun
  • ptcl. = Preverbal Particle
  • sg. = Singular
  • v. = Verb
  • v.aux. = Auxiliary Verb
  • v.cop. = Copular Verb
  • v.intr. = Intransitive Verb
  • v.mod. = Modal Verb
  • v.phr. = Verb Phrase
  • v.refl. = Reflexive Verb
  • v.tr. = Transitive Verb
• Sources abbreviation correspondences (post-1960):
  • gen = (BT + CA + NE + PC + ST)
  • AN = Ancelet 1994
  • BT = Bayou Teche, field data
  • CA = Côte des Allemands, field data
  • DC = Clifton 1980
  • DT 77 = Tentchoff 1977
  • GY = Guidry, Richard
  • HW = Hebert Wiltz
  • MO 60 = Morgan 1960
  • MO 69 = Morgan 1969
  • MO 72 = Morgan 1972
  • NE = Neumann 1985
  • PC = Pointe Coupee, field data
  • ST = Saint Tammany, field data
  Sources abbreviation correspondences (pre-1960):
  • BD = Broussard 1942
  • BI = Bienvenu 1933
  • BO = Bourgeois 1927
  • DU = Durand 1930
  • FO T# = Fortier 1895
  • FO 1887 = Fortier 1887
  • GC1 = Cable 1886a
  • GC2 = Cable 1886b
  • JR = Jarreau 1931
  • KB = Krehbiel 1962
  • LA = Lavergne 1930
  • ME = Mercier 1881
  • ME 90 = Mercier 1890
  • ME 91 = Mercier 1891
  • PE = Perret 1933
  • T# = Neumann 1987 Text # (T12–T17 are satirized Creole, use with caution)
  • TM = Marie Augustin
  • TN = Tinker 1935
  • TP = Trappey 1916
  • WO = Marguerite Wogan

Website created by William S. Morales.

5139 entries found

• a NE ( int. )
  1. Ah! Ah!
     A, me y a di twa le fil nagne se pwazon! Ah, they’ll tell you that spider webs are poisonous! (NE) See examples
• a gen, MO 60 ( prep. ) o NE
  1. [Time]. At; à
     . Nou komonch a set-er le maten. We start at seven o’clock in the morning. (NE); A mo-tchen laj. At my age. (NE) ♦ Apepre a midi, nonm-la rive. Around noon, the man arrived. (JR) See examples
  2. [Location]. At, in; a, dans, chez.
     A ki magazen lantour isit moun-ye se achte lez òt zafè? At what store around here did people used to buy other things? (PC); Se pa move kom sa a Sesilya, me a Pon Bro... It’s not bad like that in Cecilia, but in Breaux Bridge... (NE); Mo jwenn avek li o Fontno e Gidri. I met him at Fontenot’s and Guidry’s place. (NE) ♦Li taché patte desrat-la à soquenne lapatte. He tied the rat’s paw to his own paw. (BD); Com yé va ri quand yé va oi nou à Caddo. How they will laugh when they see us in Caddo. (T32) See examples
  3. [Direction]. To, toward, on; à, vers.
     Li kouri a lekol. He goes to school. (NE); Mo te mene sa laba o chalon. I had brought that down to the boat. (NE) ♦ Et cher ti nange la halé fourmi à ter. And the dear little angel pulled the ant towards land. (T18) See examples
  4. [Origin]. Of, from; de.
     Le gayar a Park. The folks from Parks. (NE); Ye te sorti a la Frons. They had come from France. (NE) See examples
  5. [Beneficiary, Indirect Object]. To; a.
     Mo gen pou mene en SIX-PACK a Msye Brousar. I have to take a six-pack to Mr. Broussard. (NE); Mo di a mo padna. I say to my friend. (NE) ♦ A tou manman li se di a so vyey fanm, ‘ Kofè Bon-dje pran pa mwen! He was always saying to his wife, ‘Why doesn’t the Good Lord take me?’ (JR) See examples
  6. [Possession]. Of; de.
     La mezon a le Gilbo. The Guilbeaus’ house. (NE) ♦Se pou sa tche a Lapen kourt jiska zordi. That is why Rabbit’s tail is short even today. (JR) See examples
  7. [Distribution]. Per, a, every, each; par, le, chaque.
     Si nou travay a deu, se pa osi dur. If both of us work, it’s not as hard. (NE); A di sou l son liv. At ten cents per hundred pounds. (NE); No p ape DRIVE tront-senk mil a ler ondon l BUS. We don’t drive 35 miles an hour by bus. (NE) ♦Nou te a set, e nou jis a sis astè. There were seven of us, and now there are only six of us. (JR) See examples
  8. [Manner, means]. With; avec, à.
     Mo adousi ye a la kòrd e o bosal, mo adousi li byen. I tame them with a rope and a bridle, I tame them well. (BT) ♦ Ye tonbe on li a kou baton. They descended on him with heavy sticks. (JR) See examples
  9. [In adjectival phrases]. For; à.
     La to pran en legwiy a matla. En gron lògwiy lonng kòm sa. Then you take your mattress needle, a big needle this long. (PC); Ye tache li e en lepengn a kouch. They attached it with a diaper pin. (CA) ♦[Pou] di son ho, mele la krenm tart avek di souf, di sel a pirje e di mjel. For high blood pressure, mix cream of tartar with sulfur, purging salt and honey. (BI) See examples
• a No sources ( ptcl. )
  1. cf. va
• a No sources ( v.aux., v.tr. ) a BT, CA, PC é BT, CA, PC
  1. [In compound tenses]. To have; avoir.
     T a rankontre de nwar ki parl kreol? Have you met any blacks who speak Creole? (PC); En swar, mo frèr e mo t ap fume, la pip a tonbe partèr. One evening my brother and I were smoking. The pipe fell to the ground. (BT); En lablèt a rantre dan to poulaye tchwe to poul-ye e sise ye disan. A mink went in your henhouse to kill your chickens and suck their blood. (CA)[Possession]. To have; avoir. Pay a enn vyey tonn-la, kont la mezon, pou trape d lo pou bwar. Paille has an old cistern there, against the house, for collecting rainwater. (BT) ♦Mais tou té n'a l'air si rebel qué mo tremblé com en Décembre. But it all seemed so rebellious that I trembled as if it were December. (T37) Conjug: a) ♦ u (CA; NE; PC); i (CA; MO 60; NE; PC); yi (NE); yu (CA). 1) past Had; avais, -ait, etc. Mo se kouri yèr o Chmen Neuf, si mo se ♦ l tan. I would have gone to New Roads yesterday if I had had the time. (PC); Katreu-ven-oèn mo pandan fèvrye THE NINTH. I turned eighty-one on February ninth. (PC); Li i en ti bebe, en ti garson. She had a baby, a little boy. (CA) ♦Kon Jon Sot tonde sa, li pron tronmble, li i pli pè onkò. When Foolish John heard that, he began to tremble, he became more afraid. (DU) 2) v.mod. To have to; devoir. Mo i pou bwa deu TYLENOL pou mon mal de tèt. I had to take two Tylenol for my headache. (BT) 3) v.aux. [In compound tenses]. To have; avoir, être. Cliff di mwen ye miri mwa-sa-la, mwa d julyet. BUT mo di kòm sa kœ sa som kòm si ye ja ♦miri. Cliff told me that they ripen this month, in July. But I said that they looked like they had already ripened. (PC) b) awar infinitive (BT). To have; avoir. En fòskouch, to konmons awar en dœmœraje, to gen pagayar. A miscarriage, you hemorrhage and you have a period. (BT); Li té plus intéressé ayou s'en aller, n'importe éyoù pour avoir la paix. He was more interested in where to go, anywhere to be left alone. (DC) See examples
• a-ba No sources ( int. )
  1. Bah! Bah!
     ♦Pou dormi mo pincé mo zyeux. Mais, ah bah , c’était pas lapeine. In order to sleep I pinched my eyes. But, bah! it wasn’t worth it. (T39) See examples
• abat MO 60 ( v.tr. )
  1. To discourage, depress; abattre, déprimer.
     Sè sa ki abat li. That’s what depressed him. (MO 60) See examples
• abatwa PC ( n. ) labatwa CA
  1. Slaughterhouse; abattoir.
     Ye menen bèf-ye pou tchwe ye dan labatwa. They took the bulls to slaughter them in the slaughterhouse. (CA) See examples
• abitan BT, PC ( n. ) labitan CA, PC
  1. Farmer; fermier, agriculteur, cultivateur.
     Mon konmons achte du gonbo e de patat su l chmen, e mon te ape achte sa avèk lez abitan o klo. I’m starting to buy okra and sweet potatoes on the road, and I used to buy that from farmers in the field. (BT) ♦ Compair Bouki avé Compair Lapin trouvé vini fé lamou à eine fié gro zabitan. Brer Bouki and Brer Rabbit ended up courting the daughter of a well-to-do farmer. (T3) See examples
• abitasyon BT, PC ( n. ) bétasyon PC bitasyon PC labitasyon CA, PC
  1. Plantation, farm; plantation, ferme.
     Lez abitasyon sè te divize parèy kòm sa. Sè te louwe a le nwar, èn èrpan, deuz èrpan. Plantations were divided like that. They rented them out to blacks, one acre, two acres. (PC) ♦Nalé coupé di cane , nalé mangé sirop , vié neg l’habitation ca janmain gaingnain trop. We must go cut cane, we’ll eat syrup, an old plantation negro can never have too much. (T27) See examples
• abitud No sources ( n. ) abichid NE abichud NE labichid NE abitid NE labitud PC
  1. Habit, custom; habitude, coutume.
     Kan nou ansanm, nou pal pa langle. Nou pal zus kreyòl. Se labitud e nou lenm pale franse. When we are together we don’t speak English. We speak only Creole. That’s our custom and we like speaking French. (PC) ♦ Mo va dit toi , c'est nhabitude dans famille Madame Compair Lapin gagnin piti qui noir. I’ll tell you, it’s customary in Mrs. Brer Rabbit’s family to have black offspring. (FO T15) • dabitid adv. (MO 60); labitid (CA). Usually; d’habitude. Kòm li tetè la dabitid. Since he was usually there. (MO 60); Mo wa li mwens ke labitid. I see him less than usual. (CA) See examples
• abitud PC, BT ( v.aux. ) labitid CA, PC abichid CA, NE abichud CA, NE labichid CA, NE abitid CA, NE abityé CA, NE abiché CA, NE labitud PC
  1. To be used to, accustomed to; avoir l’habitude de.
     Ye pa abitchud tande moun parle kreyol. They are not used to hearing people speak Creole. (CA) See examples
  2. [Past habitual]. Used to; (verbe à l’imparfait).
     Ondon le ton-la nou t abitchud kouri peche. In those days we used to go fishing. (NE); Mo t abitchid fime me mo fe pi sa. I used to smoke but I don’t do that anymore. (NE) REM: With the preverbal marker ‘te’, this indicates past habitual. See examples
• abitudmon BT ( adv. ) habitudman BT bitudmon BT bitudman BT
  1. Usually; d’habitude.
     Abitudmon le vyey fonm lonton pase te bouyi de chavrèt. Usually, old women long ago would boil shrimp. (BT); Bitudman , leu lanm a enn pyòch e drwòt konm sa. Usually, the blade of a hoe is straight like that. (BT) See examples
• abitué CA ( v.intr. ) abitwé CA, PC abityé NE abiché NE abitiyé MO 60 abitouwé PC abichwé PC
  1. To get used to, be used to, be accustomed to; s’habituer à, avoir l’habitude de.
     Ye pa kap konprann. Mo pans ye pito abitue e langle. They can’t understand. I think they are more used to English. (CA) ♦Vous doit éte ein bitaco pur qui pas zabitué à laville. You must be a complete hick who is not used to the city. (T38) See examples
• abiyé gen ( v., v.refl., v.intr. )
  1. To dress, get dressed; s’habiller, mettre ses vêtements.
     M ape abiye man. I’m getting dressed. (CA) ♦ Compair Dahomey habillé li ben avé so la po mouton et coucé au ra la porte. Brer Dahomey dressed up in the sheep skin and lay down beside the door. (T6)To dress, get dressed; s’habiller, mettre ses vêtements. Abiye , se kon to me to lenj on twa, to chonje twa pou kouri kek-plas. Getting dressed, that’s when you put on your clothes to go somewhere. (PC); Sa sonm en prèt, la monyèr li abiye. He looks like a priest, the way he’s dressed. (BT); Sèt en bèl dam. Li te byen abiye. She’s a beautiful woman. She was well-dressed. (CA) ♦ Li billé ben faro. He got all dressed up. (T3) • tou abiye adj. (PC). (All) dressed up; bien habillé. Ye tou abiye. Si mo vini la a pran vou pou kou kèk-plas, vou vini pran mon, e mo tou abiye... They’re all dressed up. If I come to get you to go somewhere, (or) you come to get me, and I’m all dressed up... (PC) See examples
• abizé CA, NE ( v.tr. )
  1. To abuse, take advantage of; abuser de, profiter de.
     Ye t ap abize sa bonte. They were taking advantage of his goodness. (NE); Abize se kòm si t ape abize kekenn e fou d li pou kichòzy se sa sa min an kreyòl. Abuse, that’s like if you’re abusing someone you’re making fun of him, that’s what that means in Creole. (CA) See examples
• abouti CA, PC ( v.intr. ) abouté PC
  1. To come to a head (of a sore); aboutir, venir à suppuration.
     En lòt kichò ye te kònen sèrvi si to te ge en ple ki te e abouti pou vini myeu, ye te me en rave on sa. Another thing they used to use if you had a sore that was coming to a head while healing, they would put a roach on it. (PC); Kan ple-la se abouti , se kan lapostim ape soti. When the wound comes to a head, that is when pus is coming out. (CA) See examples
  2. To end, come to an end; finir, se terminer.
     Mè la si to te gaspiye tou to STAMP onvon mwa aboute to te pa ka gen. But if you wasted all your stamps before the month ended, you couldn’t have (any more). (PC) See examples
• absint No sources ( n. ) labsint CA
  1. Absinth; absinthe.
     Labsent, se en likid vèr avèk ye fe en HIGHBALL. Sa gout kòm lonni. Absinth is a green liquid with which they make highballs. It tastes like anise. (CA) ♦Pou la fyev bouyi ti ben absent don dolo jiska li deten ti pe jonn. For fever, boil a little absinth in water until the water turns somewhat yellow. (LA); 'l' absinthe [labsent]’ (BI) See examples
• absoluman PC ( adv. )
  1. Absolutely; absolument.
     Nan, pa absoluman, pa segre. No, it’s not absolutely secret. (PC) See examples
• absé No sources ( n. ) apsé PC
  1. Abcess; abcès.
     Li gen enn apse. He has an abcess. (PC) ♦ La mo gargaliz avek sa. Sa òt tou blon-la e sa pas de abse si enna. Then I gargle with that. That removes all the white, and it makes abcesses go away if there are any. [ ‘ abscès’ ] See examples
• administré CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To anoint; oindre.
     Prèt-la vini administre twa to anba-to-pye, to labouch , to zye e to fron. The priest came to anoint you, your feet, your mouth, your eyes, and your forehead. (CA) See examples
• admirab CA ( adj. )
  1. Admirable; admirable.
     Kan to wa en bwa depech joli, se bo. Se admirab. When you see a pretty peach tree, it’s beautiful. It’s admirable. (CA) See examples
• admiré CA, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To admire; admirer.
     Nom-la vayan e tou moun admire li. The man is handsome and everyone admires him. (CA) ♦ Mo oulé fé Emma é Caroline bel tou plin dimin, si tan bel tou moune a admiré yé. I want to make Emma and Caroline all beautiful tomorrow, so beautiful that everybody will admire them. (ME); mire (PE) See examples
• adopté PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To adopt; adopter.
     Se Roy, garson a Roy. Li te adopte. That’s Roy’s son. He’s adopted. (PC) See examples
• adousi BT, PC, ST ( v.tr. )
  1. To sweeten; sucrer.
     T ole kwi kekichoz t ole adousi tel tel kichò e disik o kek lòt choz andan sa-a. You want to cook something, you want to sweeten it with sugar or something else in there. (PC); Mo te adousi di kafe. I had sweetened the coffee. (ST) See examples
  2. To soothe, calm, relieve; soulager, calmer.
     ♦Kon li vyen sek met lwil la. Sa va adousi li. When they dry up, put oil on it. That will soothe it. (BI) See examples
  3. To tame; dompter, apprivoiser.
     La mànyèr mwa mo konmons, mo bròs ye, mo adousi ye a la kòrd e o bosal, mo adousi li byen. The way I begin, I brush them, I tame them with a rope and a bridle, I tame them well. (BT); Sèl kichò moun kone adousi, se en chval. The only thing people tame is a horse. (PC); Li adousi mo chval. He tamed my horse. (ST) See examples
• adrésé CA, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To address; adresser la parole à.
     Prezidan-la adrese le monn jòrdi. The president addressed the people today. (PC); Prezidan-la adrese pei-leu jordi. The president addressed the country today. (PC) • adrese la parol v.phr. To deliver a speech; adresser la parole, faire un discours, ci. paròl See examples
• adye CA ( int. )
  1. Goodbye; au revoir, adieu.
     Life so adyeu parskè li va pi wa li. He’s saying goodbye because he’s not going to see him again. (CA) ♦M apé dit vous adjé, m apé fou camp dans bois. I’m telling you goodbye, I’m fleeing for the woods. (T22); Adieu, Mamrie; vou connin, mo conté su vou pou couché moin dan mo cercueil. Goodbye, Mamrie; you know I’m counting on you to lay me in my coffin. (ME); ‘adjié’ (T17); ‘adié’ (T40) See examples
• afishé No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To announce; annoncer.
     Yé té gain une course. Il té gain ça dans gazette. Il té affiché tout le monde. They had a race. They announced it in the newspapers. They announced it to everyone. (AN T102) See examples
• aflijé CA ( adj. )
  1. Paralyzed, crippled; paralysé, estropié.
     Li tou aflije. Li pa kapab sèrvi so lamen. Li pa kapab leve. Aryen travay pa. He is completely paralyzed. He can’t use his hands. He can’t stand up. Nothing works. (CA); Mo okipe apre mo pèr. Li aflije. I take care of my dad. He’s crippled. (CA) See examples
• Afrikin PC ( n. ) Afrik CA
  1. African, African-American; Africain, Afro-Américain.
     Ina de moun ki vle to pèl ye enn Afriken. There are some people who want you to call them ‘African.’ (PC); Ye travèr se lamèr. Ye mene lez Afrik bòr isit e ye vann ye. They crossed the sea. They brought Africans here and they sold them. (CA) See examples
• afron MO 50 ( n. ) afran PC
  1. Snub, slight; affront, rebuffade. • fe enn afron
     n.phr. (CA); fe en afran (PC). To snub, slight; faire un affront à. Life mo enn afran. He snubbed me. (PC); Mo fe pa enn afron a pèrsonn. I don’t insult anyone. (CA) ♦ Li te pa ole fe ni enn ni lòt enn afron. She didn’t want to insult either one of them. (JR) See examples
• afèr BT, CA, MO 60 ( n. ) zafèr CA, NE lafèr NE, PC nafèr MO 60, CA, NE zafè PC nafè PC lafè PC
  1. Affair, matter; affaire.
     Si to jou en lòt, zafèr bon. If you play another [dance], the matter is settled. (NE) ♦ C’ est pou raconter vous ein zaffaire qué Compair Lapin té gagnin avec ver de terre. It is to tell you about a dealing that Brer Rabbit had with the earthworm. (FO T3) • en nafèr dè prep.phr. (MO 60). About, approximately, around; environ, a peu près. En nafèr d en senkantèn. Approximately fifty. (MO 60) • pa grant afèr n.phr. (BT). Not very much; pas beaucoup. Dez ekòl isit, le metrès te vini, i konnèse pa grant afèr pour parle mèr iken. Some schools around here, the teachers came and they did not know very much about speaking English. (BT) See examples
  2. Bargain, deal; bonne affaire.
     A, se pè en nafè mo me e di. Oh, that’s not a good situation (a bargain), let me tell you. (PC) ♦ Asteur, dit Compair Lapin, pas blié moin quand ta marié avec fille lé roi, voyé chercher moin et na fait bon zaffaire. Now, said Brer Rabbit, don’t forget me when you marry the king’s daughter, send for me and we’ll strike up a deal. (FO T18) See examples
  3. Thing; chose, true.
     A ki magazen lantour isit moun-ye se achte lez òt zafè, flarin, e zafè kòm sa? At what store around here did people used to buy other things, flour and things like that? (PC); M ap di de zafèr pa vre. I’m saying things that aren’t true. (CA) ♦Ouaouaron-la trouvé so zaffaire tout souite. The bullfrog found just the thing he needed right away. (BD) • tou lafèr n.phr. (PC). Everything; tout. See examples
  4. Business; les affaires.
     ♦Papa Florimond té fait zaffaire avec négue qui vive loin dans bois. Papa Florimond was doing business with a black man who lived far in the woods. (FO T20) • pa gen afèr v.phr. (BT). To have no business (doing sth.); ne pas être l’affaire de. En prèt pa gen afèr bo. Gen p SHAKE HAND ou li pœ HUG twa, me i pœ pa bo twa. A priest has no business giving kisses. He can shake hands or he can hug you, but he can’t kiss you. (BT) ♦ Yé té pa gaignin à faire pou sorti san mo té connin. They had no business going out without me knowing it. (WO) See examples
• afékté CA ( adj. )
  1. Infected; infecté.
     Kan mo te gen trant-dez an, mo f e ote me zamida. Li te afekte. Li te gen pou ote sa par morso. When I was thirty-two I had my tonsils out. It was infected. It had to be taken out in pieces. (CA) See examples
• agasé PC ( v.tr. ) agas PC angasé MO 60 angas CA, MO 60
  1. To irritate, bother; agacer, fâcher, énerver.
     Garson-sa-la agas mon. That boy irritates me. (PC); Sa angas mwen. That distresses me. (MO 60); Kan t ap fe kichoz e to pa konen gen li konm t ole, sa angas. When you’re doing something and you can’t get it like you want, it’s aggravating. (CA) See examples
• ai PC ( v.tr. ) hai NE, ST
  1. To hate, detest; hair, détester.
     Mo ai li iska dan mon kœr. I hate him even in my heart. (PC); Mo hai ale che Jan parskè li ensilte man chak jwa mo ale che li. I hate to go to John’s place because he insults me every time I go there. (ST) ♦ Mo connin vou haï compair Lapin, é moin aussite, pasqué li gaté mo nom. I know that you hate Compair Lapin, and I also, because he has sullied my name. (FO 1887) See examples
• aj CA, MO 60, NE ( n. ) laj CA, NE, PC, ST raj PC
  1. Age; âge.
     A laj ki mo ye. At my age. (PC); Son e wit an e l ape pike de koutdepwent, a so laj-la. A hundred and eight years old, and she’s making quilts, at her age. (CA); Mo te nèv-on, la vyey aj nèv-on. I was the ripe old age of nine. (NE) ♦ Li mandé Jean Malin qui l'age li té gagnin. She asked Clever John how old he was. (FO T2) • bon laj n.phr. (CA; PC; ST). Advanced age; âge avancé. Li gen en bon laj astè-la. He is old now. (PC); Li rondu en bon laj. He reached a ripe old age. (ST) • gen laj v.phr. (BT; CA; ST). To be aged, be old; avoir de l’âge. To jenn, kan-menm to gen laj, si to gayar, si to pa malad, me kan to malad to pa jenn. You’re young, even if you’re somewhat aged, as long as you’re in good health, but when you’re sick you’re not young. (BT) • Ki laj to gen? exp. (PC). How old are you? Quel âge as-tu (avez-vous)? (PC) • Laj pas vit exp. (PC). We grow old quickly; L’âge passé vite. See examples
• aji No sources ( v.intr. )
  1. To act; agir.
     ♦ Cé agi en gentleman ça? Is that acting like a gentleman? (T34) See examples
• ajin CA ( adj. )
  1. Fasting; à jeun.
     Mo ajen depi bon maten. Mo pa manje jodi. I’ve been fasting since this morning. I haven’t eaten today. (CA) ♦Pou kroup, si li jame wa so papa— li jis gen pou soufle don la bouch si la ki gen kroup-la. Me li gen pou et a jen. For croupe, if he has never seen his father, the father only has to breathe into the mouth of the one who has croupe. But he has to be fasting. (BI) See examples
• ajounou PC ( v., v.intr., v.refl. ) ajenou PC ajnou CA
  1. To kneel; s’agenouiller.
     Mo ajnou. I’m kneeling. (CA); Ye di mon sa fil on latè, to blije gen ajònou pou ramase zafè-sa-ye. They tell me that (i.e. strawberries) grow on the ground, you have to get on your knees to pick them. (PC)To kneel; s’agenouiller. Mo ajounou mon, e mo paye mai-la. I knelt and I spread the corn. (PC) See examples
• ajout MO 60 ( v.tr. )
  1. To add; ajouter.
     ♦ To fe en di te avek la morel, la to ajout di swif mouton. You make a tea with morels, and then you add sheep fat. (BI) See examples
• ak PC ( n. ) zak NE, PC
  1. Acre; acre.
     Mo gen jich en zak de tèr. I’ve only got one acre of land. (PC) See examples
• akazou No sources ( n. )
  1. Mahogany; acajou.
     ♦ Ah! tchère bizou d’acazou, mo laimein ou comme cochon laimein la bou. Oh! dear jewel of mahogany, I love you as the hog loves mud. (GC2) See examples
• aklé CA, PC, ST ( v., v.tr., v.refl. ) anklé PC
  1. To lock; fermer à clé.
     Mo ankle la pòt-la. I lock the door. (PC); Mo toujour akle lapòrt avan mon gonn kouche. I always lock the door before I go to bed. (ST) ♦Tou le swa li te konnen akle so la mezon pou peche fifole vini pou vole lajan. Every evening she would lock her house to prevent will-o’-the-wisps from coming to steal her money. (DU)To lock oneself up; s’enfermer. Mo akle mon jodi. Mo p ole wa pèrsòn. I locked myself in today. I don’t want to see anyone. (CA) See examples
• akoushé CA, ST ( v.intr. )
  1. To give birth; accoucher.
     L akouche jodi, li i en ti bebe, en ti garson. She gave birth today. She had a baby, a little boy. (CA) ♦Jean Sotte réponde li té apé biche l'écorche chéne pou fait la tisane pou so popa qui té malade, li té accouché la veille, so popa té fait dé jumeaux. Foolish John answered that he was chopping off some oak bark to make an herbal tea for his sick father who had given birth to twins the night before. (FO T18) See examples
• akoz CA, NE ( conj. ) akòz PC
  1. Because, because of; parce que.
     Va pa otour tal dibwa-la, akoz na petet en serpon la. Don’t go near that grove of trees, because there might be a snake in it. (NE) ♦ So moman té p'olé laissé li fait ça à cause li té si piti et si chétif. His mama didn’t want to let him do that because he was so small and weak. (BD) See examples
• akoz CA, NE ( prep. ) akòz PC
  1. Because of; a cause de.
     Se akoz la plwi mo sor pa deor. It’s because of the rain that I’m not going outside. (NE) ♦Compair Lapin té ben malade a cause do l'eau et soleil . Brer Rabbit was very sick because of the water and the sun. (FO T4) See examples
• akroupi NE, PC, ST ( v.intr. )
  1. To crouch (down); s’accroupir.
     Li akroupi la, li t ape vonte. He crouched down, he was fanning himself. (NE); Akroupi partè, konm to asi. Crouched down, like you’re sitting. (PC) ♦Rété ein pé, laissé moi accroupi moin et mette mo dé pié dévant dans la boue. Stop a moment, let me crouch down and put my two feet in the mud. (FO T1) See examples
• akrwa No sources ( v., v.phr. ) fé akrwa CA, NE, PC fé akwa PC fé dé zakwa BT fé akrwar ST
  1. To make s.o. believe sth; faire accroire qch à qn.
     Mo t ap fe akrwa mo t ale che mon. I used to make him believe I was going home. (NE); Ye t ap fe èl de zakwa e ye te pa lenme èl. They were making her believe they did, but they didn’t like her. (BT); Mo t ap fe li akrwa mo t ap ale an en piknik. I was making him believe I was going on a picnic. (CA); Li fe akrwar li plen kouraj me li pœr: He pretends he’s full of courage but he’s afraid. (ST) ♦M a coupé latcheu milé yé et yé zoreils et mo va planté yé dans later pou fait Bouki acroi qué zanimaux-yé et charrette-là calé en place et que tous so zeffets-yé en bas later. I’ll cut off the mules’ tails and ears, and I’ll plant them in the dirt to make Bouki believe his animals and cart sank in place and that all his possessions are underground. (T9) See examples
• aksidan PC ( n. ) aksodan PC aksidon PC laksidan CA
  1. Accident; accident.
     Mo te blèse andan en aksidon. I got hurt in an accident. (PC); Enave en laksidan dan chèmen-la la-ba-la-la. Enave de moun blese. There was an accident on the road over there. Some people were hurt. (CA) See examples
• aksyon CA ( n. )
  1. Bowel movement; selle.
     Mo te gen enn aksyon bonn. Mo pa gen pran remèd MILK OF MAGNESIA. I had a good bowel movement. I don’t need to take Milk of Magnesia. (CA) ♦[Pou] deronjmon, to pil la miskad e la kanel e to me sa bouyi onsonm don siro-la. La to me en de la ribarb ondon la. La to koul sa e to pronn sa a chak aksyon to fe jiska to mye. For diarrhea, you grind up nutmeg and cinnamon and you boil that in syrup. Then you put in some rhubarb. Pour it out and drink some at each bowel movement until you’re better. (BI) See examples
• aksépté CA, PC ( v.tr. ) asépté PC asèpté PC
  1. To accept; accepter.
     Li mànde mo si mo asèpte li pou mariye e li ankò. He asked me if I would accept him again in marriage. (PC) ♦ Compair Lapin présenté li et dit lé roi qué Renard té ein so bon zamis et li sré content si Roi té accepté li et yé dé sré rende bande services. Brer Rabbit introduced him and told the king that Fox was one of his good friends, and he would be happy if the king accepted him, and the two of them would render him a lot of services. (FO T15) See examples