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

• ègwinn PC ( n. ) nègwinn PC
  1. Handsaw; égoïne.
• ègzaminin CA ( v.tr. ) ègzanminin PC igzanminin PC
  1. Examine; examiner.
     Doktè-la fini ègzanminen mon. The doctor finished examining me. (PC); Me ye ègzaminen li. Li te tan byen me li te ve pa pale. But they examined him. He heard well but he didn’t want to talk. (CA) See examples
• ègzanp No sources ( n. )
  1. Example; exemple, •par ègzanp
     prep.phr. (CA; PC); par èzanp (PC). For example; par exemple. Kèkcho k e tro lour m me sa an trèno. Par ègzanp... Something that’s too heavy I put in a sled (to transport it). For example... (PC) ♦ Par exemple quand li jété chimise la qui té gagnin jisse ein lamanche fini, frère la, qui té trouvé gagnin chimise la, resté tout so lavie avec ein zéle zozo pou so bras. For example, when he threw away the shirt that had only one sleeve finished, the brother, who ended up having the shirt, remained with a bird wing for an arm the rest of his life. (FO T23) See examples
• ègzisté No sources ( v.intr. )
  1. To exist; exister.
     Personne té jamais dit li encore, que li ‘tait pas là, et li jamais couri l'école pour connais li l'existait pas. No one had ever told him yet that that he wasn’t there, and he had never gone to school to learn that he didn’t exist. (DC) See examples
• Èiti PC ( place n. ) Hété CA Héti CA
  1. Haiti; Haïti.
     I di mon ina en gè la Èiti. Keu Èiti te kontrole par leu Franse. He told me there had been a war in Haiti. That Haiti had been controlled by the French. (PC); Mo paran-ye ye pa ne andan Lafrik. Ye ne dan Heti. My parents weren’t bom in Africa. They were born in Haiti. (CA) See examples
• èksité CA, PC ( v. ) éksité PC
  1. To excite; exciter, être enthousiasmé.
     Moun-ye tou eksite pou lwil-sa-la isi-la. The people here were all excited about the oil. (PC) See examples
• èkskurzyon* No sources ( n. ) èskusyon PC eskusyon PC léskòsyon PC lèkskosyon CA
  1. Excursion, trip; excursion.
     Mèrkredi m ap ale an lèkskosyon-la a CHICAGO. Wednesday I’m going on the trip to Chicago. (CA) See examples
  2. Train ride from New Roads to New Orleans at a reduced price; voyage en train de New Roads jusqu’à la Nouvelle Orléans à prix réduit.
     Kan mo mo te jœn, mo te zanfan, nave sa ye pel dez euskusyon. EXCURSION. Èskusyon. When I was young, when I was a child, there were what they called excursions. (PC) See examples
• èksplozyon BT ( n. )
  1. Explosion; explosion.
     Kan ti tir, la prèchyon de èksplozyon dan la kartouch,l ape sôti. When you shoot, the pressure of the explosion in the cartridge comes out. (BT) ♦ Osi vit, lyon wa en ti boukann, tann enn eksplozyon, e enn a kichoz ki frape cho dan so fron. Just as quickly, the lion saw a little smoke, heard an explosion, and there was something hot which struck him on his forehead. (JR) See examples
• èksplozé CA ( v.intr. )
  1. To explode; exploser.
     Ye voye en bonmb-la dan navir e sa èksploze andan navir-la. They threw the bomb onto the ship and it exploded on the ship. (CA) See examples
• èkspozé CA, PC ( v.tr. ) èspozé PC
  1. To display (a corpse for viewing); exposer (un cadavre).
     Ye èkspoze en nòm mouri. They laid out a dead man (for viewing). (CA) ♦ Nonm ki parye avek li fe habiye li konm en mò, met li dan en sèrkey e espose li dan legliz . The man who bet with him dressed up like a corpse, lay down in a coffin and had himself laid out in church. (JR) See examples
• èksprèsyon PC ( n. )
  1. Expression; expression.
     Lo jou kon mo te isit nou te parle pou la manyenr le moun-ye an lòt kote prònons kèk èksprèsyon. The other day when I was here we were talking about the way people on the other side pronounce certain expressions. (PC) See examples
• èksré PC ( n. )
  1. X-ray; rayon X.
• èkstèrminin CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To kill, exterminate; tuer, exterminer.
     Ye te gen fizi e ye t ape èseje èkstèrminen li. They had shotguns and they were trying to kill it. (CA) ♦ M a fé mié passé ça, mo comaire; mo olé sterminé li avé tou so famie. I’ll do better than that, ma’am. I want to exterminate him and his entire family. (T6) See examples
• èksèpté CA, NE ( adv. ) èksèp PC sèpté NE, PC
  1. Except; excepté, sauf.
     Mo krwa pa ena sa nul pa dòt, èksèp isit. I don’t think they have that anywhere else but here. (PC); Life tou kichoz èksèpte sa. He does everything but that. (CA) ♦ Mais vous connin carencro gagnin la plime épais cepté en haut yé la téte. But you know the crow has thick feathers except on top of its head. (FO T6) See examples
• èksékité No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To execute; exécuter.
     ♦ Yé ordonin li sré couri en prison en attendan yé té capab trouvé ein bourreau bonne volonté pou exéquité li. They ordered that he be put in prison until they could find an executioner willing to execute him. (FO 1887) See examples
• èl BT, PC ( pron. )
  1. She; elle.
     Èl parl franse. She speaks French. (PC); Èl marche don legliz tou faro èk de talon ho. She walked into church all dressed up in high heels. (BT) REM: This is an acrolectal usage. See examples
• èl* No sources ( n. ) zèl CA, NE lézèyl PC nèl NE lèl NE
  1. Wing; aile.
     Mo gen zèl kase. I have a broken wing. (CA) ♦ Piti zozo La Graisse oua ça, li trempé so zaile dans La Graisse. La Graisse’s little bird saw that, and dipped its wing in the grease. (T29) •don tou (se) zèl prep.phr. (NE). In seventh heaven, in all (his) glory; au comble du bonheur. E Chariot te don tou se zèl. And Charlotte was in seventh heaven. (NE) See examples
• èl-mèm BT ( pron.refl. )
  1. Herself; elle-même.
     Wi, èl kwa èl-mèm. She really thinks highly of herself. (BT) See examples
• èla MO 60 ( int. )
  1. Alas; hélas. REM: This is acrolectal usage.
• èmoraji PC ( n. ) dœmœrajé BT démœrajé BT dèmoraji PC zémòrajé CA
  1. Hemorrhage; hémorragie.
     Li te gen en dèmoraji. Li ♦ en dèmoraji. He had a hemorrhage. (PC); En fòskouch to konmons awar en dœmœraje. To gen pagayar. A miscarriage, you start hemorrhaging, you have your period. (BT); Mo fe rache en dan e mo trape en zemòraje. Li te ape sengnen. I had a tooth pulled and I got a hemorrhage. It was bleeding. (CA) See examples
• ènn CA, MO 60, PC ( art.indef. ) in BT, CA, MO 60, NE, PC èn NE, PC oèn PC œ PC
  1. A, an; un, une.
     En òt boug. Another guy. Èn lim, enn lalim. A file. (PC); En fiy. A daughter. (PC) REM: For those speakers for whom nouns have grammatical gender, forms with final [n] are feminine (or masculine before a vowel). The form èn is rare among basilectal speakers. ♦ ‘un’, ‘in’, ‘ein’, ‘eun’, ‘ain’, ‘eine’, ‘aine’, ‘enne’, ‘eune’ (NE 1987 passim) See examples
• ènn CA, NE, PC ( num.card. )
  1. One; un(e).
     Sètè èn pyas par jou ye te e peye. They were paying one dollar a day. (PC); Se en dan mo gro neve-ye. That’s one of my great-nephews. (PC) ♦ Me sa don en basen en galon ki kouv jis. Put them in a one-gallon bucket that is filled to the brim. (BI) •ènn èr adv.phr. (CA); èn è (PC). One o’clock; une heure. Ka boug-ye kouri da dezè a èn è, bon m e soti dan fon, dan mbwa. When the guys go into the field at one o’clock, well, I’m coming out of the woods. (PC) See examples
• ènn PC, MO 60, NE ( pron.indef. ) èn NE, PC è PC in PC
  1. One; un(e).
     Mo ja seye wa spèrik. Mo jame wa enn dan mo lavi. I’ve tried to see spirits. I’ve never seen one in my life. (PC) See examples
  2. One, someone; on, quelqu’un.
     ♦ Lekel dan nouzòt ki mank? enn mannde. «Which of us is missing?» someone asked. (OR) See examples
• ènn-a-lòt CA, PC ( pron. ) èn-a-lòt PC ènnòt PC in-a-lòdòt PC in-a-nòt CA ènn-é-lòt CA, MO 60, NE in-a-lòt NE ènn-a-nòt CA
  1. ind.obj. To one another, to each other; l’un à l’autre.
     Ye te prèt zafè èn-a-lòt: They loaned things to each other. (PC); Sa toujou ape bataye me sa fe pa enn-a-lòt dutòr. They’re always fighting but they don’t hurt each other. (CA) ♦ Ye asit on bo chimen e ye pron jabote ek len lòt. They sat down beside the road and began chatting with one another. [' éc l’un l’autre ] (DU) See examples
  2. dir.obj. One another; l’un l’autre.
     Men kan nou kapab nou jwann enn-a-lòt. But we get together when we can. (PC); Piti-ye t ape kache pou pa enn-a-nòt trouve ye. Ye t ape jwe kache-fwèt. The children were hiding so they wouldn’t find each other. They were playing hide and seek. (CA) ♦ Et dé centaines de wagon ta pé suive eine à l’aute en ligne. Hundreds of wagons were following one another in a straight line. (T37) See examples
• èpsann No sources ( n., n.phr. ) dusèl èpsann No sources
  1. Epsom salt; sel d’Epsom, cf. dusèl
• èrni PC ( n. )
  1. Hernia; hernie.
     Li gen enn èmi. He has a hernia. (PC) See examples
• èrop CA ( v.tr. ) èrœ BT èrœp BT
  1. To add; ajouter.
     En gonbo etoufe èròp pa dlo laddan; vou juch SMOTHERED. For smothered gumbos don’t add any water; you just smother it. (BT); To frikase tro epe. To èrop en pè dolo. Your fricassee is too thick. You add a little water. (CA) See examples
• èrvini PC ( v.cop. )
  1. To become again; redevenir.
     Mo veu pa èrvini jenn ankò. M a myeu rèste a mo ye. I don’t want to become young again. I’m better off staying where I am. (PC) See examples
• ès-pa No sources ( interr.phr. )
  1. Isn’t it? (etc.); n’est-ce pas?
     ♦To linmin li toujour, èce pa! You still love her, don’t you? (ME); Essepa cé trisse... Isn’t that a shame... (WO) See examples
• èsans CA ( n. ) lèsans CA, ST lésons PC
  1. Perfume; parfum.
     To san bon. Ki kalite lèsans to gen? You smell good. What kind of perfume do you have on? (CA); Ye kapab met en pe lesans on la ki san bon to konnen. They can put a little perfume on it that smells good, you know. (PC) ♦ Quand ein moune té respiré c’est comme si yé té débouché ein fiole lessence dans ein la chambre. When a person breathed it was as if they’d opened a bottle of perfume in a bedroom. (FO T15) See examples
  2. Flavoring; parfum.
     Mo mèt lesans lavanni dan mo lakrèm, dan mo gato e dan mo labwi. I put vanilla flavoring in my ice cream, in my cake and in my custard. (CA) See examples
• èskalin No sources ( n. )
  1. «Bit», monetary unit worth twelve and a half cents; escalin (ancienne pièce qui valait douze sous et demi).
     ♦ Cé pas avec treize escalins que mo capab acheté gome élastique gros come Miché Kellogg. I can’t buy a rubber band as big as Mr. Kellogg for thirteen bits. (T34) REM: In modem usage, the term ‘èskalen’ occurs only in the expression ‘siz èskalen’. •siz èskalen n.phr. (CA); si èskalen (NE; PC). Six bits, 75 cents; six escalins, 75 sous américains. Ye travaye pou si èskalen par jour. They worked for seventy-five cents a day. (PC); Mo peye siz èskalen pou pake diri-sa-la. I paid seventy-five cents for that packet of rice. (CA) See examples
• èskalyé No sources ( n. ) lèskalyé PC, CA, NE zèskalyé NE èskalyè PC
  1. Stairs, stairway, staircase; escalier.
     Ye te kou va kachye l an grignen o anmba lèskalye. They would go hide it in the attic or under the stairs. (PC) ♦ »Mo te desann mo leskalye yè e mo tonmbe. « «I was going down my stairs yesterday and I fell.» (JR) See examples
• èskizé CA, NE, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To excuse; excuser.
     ♦ Li te si ont li te tou mizerab. Safe li eskize li-menm tout swit e li parti. He was so ashamed that he was miserable. So he excused himself right away and left. (JR); ‘esquisez’ (T25) •èskize mon exp. (CA; NE; PC). Excuse me; Excusez-moi. Èskize mon. Mo marche an to pye. Excuse me. I stepped on your foot. (CA) ♦ Konpè Lonpen reponn, men Konpè Bouki, mo te pa konnen se te to chwal, tchèn to chwal, eskize mwen. Brer Rabbit replied, «But Brer Bouki, I didn’t know it was your horse, hère is your horse, I’m sorry.» [‘esquisé moin ’] (DU) See examples
• èsklav NE, PC ( n. ) lèsklav CA
  1. Slave; esclave.
     Le gro misyeu vini isi avèk lœr èsklav, de nwar. The wealthy men came here with their black slaves. (PC) ♦ C’est comme ça nouzottes vini nesclaves dans Namérique. That’s how we became slaves in America. (FO T20) See examples
• èsklavaj PC ( n. ) lèsklavaj CA, NE, PC lèsklavay PC, CA
  1. Slavery; esclavage.
     Kont mon mo vini gron, aben, le SLAVE te fini, lèsklavaj te fini. When I became an adult, slavery was over. (NE); Me ka ye achte twa to te pè en FREE MAN. To anba lesklavaj, to te gen fe sa ye di twa. But when they bought you you weren’t a free man. You were in slavery, you had to do what they told you. (PC) See examples
• èskous BT ( n. )
  1. Shake; secousse.
     ♦ Tou stipéfait mo pas répond; alors yé fou moin ein secousse. Dumbfounded, I did not answer; so they gave me a good shake. (T39) •tou-d-èn-èskous adv.phr. (NE). Suddenly, all of a sudden; tout d’un coup. Tou- d-èn-èskous Bouki komonse: «Dum, dum, dum... « All of a sudden Bouki began, ‘Dum, dum, dum...’ (NE) See examples
  2. Shock; choc.
     Mo te gen de move nouvèl ki fou mon enn èskous. I had some bad news that gave me a shock. (BT) See examples
• èskè CA, MO 60 ( int. ) ésk [+vowel] PC aske PC iskè PC èské NE
  1. (Interrogative marker placed at the beginning of a sentence);Est-ce que.
     Èskè vou gen kichòw kant sa, ke blan marye e nwa? Do you have something against that, whites marrying blacks? (PC); Èskè to ale a legliz bon maten? Did you go to church this morning? (CA) REM: NE calls this form ‘rare’. ♦ Ki ci ça? dit Mamrie, s ‘adressant à Cerbère;... cofair tapé gro gnin ? êceque to oulé empéché moin pranne piti cila? ‘What is this?’ said Mamrie, addressing Cerberus. ‘Why are you growling? Do you want to keep me from taking the child?’ (ME) See examples
• èspliké CA, NE, PC ( v., v.refl., v.tr. ) èsplik CA lésplik PC
  1. To express oneself, make oneself clear; s’exprimer.
     Ena ki parl kreyòl avek plen rèspri. Ki èksplik ye-mèm mye ke lòt. There are others who speak Creole intelligently, who express themselves better than other people. (PC); Mo pa konè komon èsplike mo-mèm. I don’t know how to express myself. (NE)To explain; expliquer. ♦ Ye mennen li dan lofis, e li esplike so misyon. They took him into the office, and he explained his mission. (JR) •fe èsplike v.phr. (PC). To explain; expliquer. Ye asit ye fe èsplike nouzòt konman ye te pase la mizè dan SLAVERY. They were sitting down and telling us about the misery they had known during slavery. (PC) See examples
• èspri PC ( n. ) rèspri PC léspri PC, CA lèspri gen
  1. Spirit; esprit. •Sent Espri proper n. (PC). Holy Spirit; le Saint Esprit.
     Nan dou Pè e dou Fis e dou Sent Èspri ennsi swat il. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen. (PC) 2. Ghost; fantôme, revenant. Se dannen, te dannen dan la mezon-1. To lèspri te pa dan en plas. Lèspri te yich e navige. It was haunted in that house. Your spirit wasn’t in place. (Your) spirit was just moving about. (PC); Ena en lèspri isi dan lamezon. Mo pa konen dòrmi le swar. There’s a ghost in the house. I can’t sleep at night. (CA) 3. Intelligence, mind; esprit, intelligence. Èna ki parl kreyòl bet, ena ki parl kreyòl avek plen rèspri, ki èksplik ye-mèm mye ke lòt. There are some who speak Creole poorly, and there are others who speak it with a lot of wit, who express themselves better than others. (PC) ♦ Comme madame la oua qué li té ein joli ti garçon et li té gagnin boucou l'esprit li mandé Jean Malin qui l'age li té gagnin. Since the woman saw that he was a young boy and that he was very bright, she asked Clever John how old he was. (FO T2) •gen lèspri v.phr. To be intelligent; être intelligent. Li gain lespri. He is intelligent. (HW) ♦Popa Tito té ain nomme distingué; li té gagnin lespri plice passé boucou moune ki fé yé vantair. Tito’s father was a distinguished man; he had more intelligence than many people who boast. (ME 91) • pèrd (so) lespri v.phr. (CA); pèd (so) lespri (PC). To lose one’s mind, lose one’s head, go crazy; perdre la raison, perdre la tête, s’affoler. A pèd to latet, pèd to lespri. You’re losing your mind. (PC); To pèrd to lèspri twa. To fou. You’re losing your mind. You’re crazy. (CA) 4. Sense; sens. •Sa fe pa lèspri. exp. (NE). That doesn’t make sense; Ça ne fait pas de sens. •bon lèspri n.phr. (CA); bon rèspli (PC). Common sense; sens commun. Ye te pa gen lèdikasyon, mè tou moun-sa-ye te konnen sa ye te e di ye te gen bon rèspli, COMMON SENSE. They had no education, but those people knew what they were talking about, they had a lot of common sense. (PC); Piti-sa-la ne e bon lèspri. Li smart. That child was bom with common sense. He’s smart. (CA) ♦ Torti fou net, Chevrey di an partan kote li. Men li te pa fou, li te gen bon lespri. ‘The Turtle is crazy,’ Deer said on his way home. But he wasn’t crazy, he had good sense. (JR) See examples
• èspwa CA, MO 60 ( n. )
  1. Hope; espoir.
     M a byen kontan parske si mon lwe li, mon va gen èspwa achte li. I will be happy because if I rent it, I’ll hopefully be able to buy it. (CA) ♦ Faut yé marché laligne draite, pasqué yé plus gagnin l'espoir qué yé va jamais zéte maite. They have to walk a straight line because they no longer have hopes of ever being the master. (T38) See examples
• èspès CA, PC, ST ( n. ) spès NE néspès NE léspès PC nèspès PC
  1. Kind, type, sort; espèce, sorte, type.
     Tchoris se en nespès sosis . Chorizo is a kind of sausage. (NE); Èn èspès siro. A kind of syrup. (PC); Enn espès betay. A species of animal. (ST) Enave tous èspès drigay andan lakou. There was all kinds of trash in the yard. (CA) REM: NE indicates that this term is very rare among basilectal speakers. ♦ Lapin t apé rivé côté li com in gros riche, avé charrette, milés, et tout zespèces provisions. Rabbit came by like a rich man with a wagon, and mules, and all kinds of possessions. (T9) •tout spès d n.phr. (NE). All kinds, all sorts of; toutes sortes de. Tout spès d mizèr All kinds of tortures. (NE) See examples
• èspéré NE, PC ( v.intr. ) èspèr CA, PC spè PC, NE spéré PC èspèrè PC spèré BT èspèré CA
  1. To wait; attendre.
     Vou èspere ska li vini janni You have to wait until it turns yellow. (PC); Èl spère tro ta pu fe wete se pyè. She waited too long to have her gallstones removed. (BT) ♦ Li espere la jiska lœ vye konplentè rive. He waited there until the old complainer arrived. (JR) See examples
  2. To wait for; attendre.
     Gen gro lofis ao ye spè pou doktè. There is a big office where they wait for the doctor. (PC) REM: The object of this verb is sometimes, but not always, preceded by the preposition pou. ♦ Lœ kriminel rantre kote li. Enn ave en polismenn ki te ape espere pou li e li mennen li kote la prizon . The criminal went back home. There was a policeman waiting for him, and he took him to jail. (JR) See examples
• èstoma BT ( n. ) lèstoma CA, PC léstoma PC lostoma CA
  1. Stomach; estomac.
     En ilsen, li Mès lèstoma life en trou anho la. Èna de moun sa tonm konsè dan vou lèstoma. An ulcer, it wounds your stomach and makes a hole in it. There are some people for whom it turns cancerous. (PC); To di a kèkenn mo gen du mal dan monn èstoma. You tell someone, ‘I have a stomachache.' (BT) ♦ Yé té gagnin einfois ein fame qui té coutime dit li té pove et li té pas gagnin arien pou manger, Tous les jou so mari té couri travaille et souvent so lestomac té vide. There was once a woman who used to say she was poor and had nothing to eat. Every day her husband went to work, often with an empty stomach. (FO T27) •a lèstoma plen adv.phr, (PC). Until full; en se rassasiant, à satiété. Sa fe li griyante i pa manje a lèstoma plen, So he nibbled on it, that means he didn’t fill up his stomach. (PC) •(So) lèstoma fe mal. exp. (PC). To have a stomach ache, an upset stomach; avoir mal a l’estomac, au ventre. (PC) •lèstoma milat n.phr. (CA). Stage plank, kind of gingerbread; espèce de pain d’épices. Mo fe ti lamezon e lèstoma milat pou Nwèl. I make little gingerbread houses for Christmas. (CA) ♦ Clarisse apalé vende pin patate, estoma milate et la colle pacane. Clarisse is going to sell sweet potato bread, gingerbread and pralines. (WO) See examples
  2. Chest; poitrine.
     Li te pran en RAG e l te chofe diswif cho-la, e l te met sa on no lèstoma. She used to take a rag and heat up some tallow, and put some of it on our chest. (PC); Mo friksyonnen li avèk SALVE kan li gen en rim an so lèstoma. Li t ap touse tou la nwit. I rub salve on him when he’s got a chest cold. He was coughing all night. (CA) • la fourch lestoma n.phr. Part of the chest below the sternum; creux de l’estomac, partie de la poitrine au-dessous du sternum. cf. fourch •kre lèstoma n.phr. Part of the chest below the sternum; creux de l’estomac, partie de la poitrine au-dessous du sternum, cf. kreu See examples
  3. Breast (of chicken, etc.); poitrine (de poulet, etc.).
     Mo manj jich en morso dan poul e se lostoma-la. I eat only one part of the chicken and that’s the breast. (CA) See examples
• èstravagé CA ( adj. )
  1. Crazy, out of one’s mind; fou, insensé.
     Life lougarou tou la nwit. Li pa gen so bon lèspri. Li èstravage. He wandered around all night. He’s not sane. He’s crazy. (CA) See examples
• èstropyé CA, ST ( adj. ) stropyé NE
  1. Crippled; estropié.
     Li trouve stropye par en chval. He was crippled by a horse. (NE); Li gen en gro janm e en ti janm. Li èstropye. He has one big leg and one small leg. He’s crippled. (CA) See examples
• èstropyé ST ( v.tr. )
  1. To cripple; estropier.
     Chval èstropye li. The horse crippled him. (ST) See examples
• èt CA, MO 60, NE, PC, MO 60 ( v.cop. ) dèt CA, MO 60, NE é CA, NE, PC été CA, NE ité NE, PC ét PC pou èté PC
  1. To be; être.
     Mokenn kouri laba-la pou èt ave so-kenn. Mine (my mother) went down there to be with hers. (PC); To gen pou èt debout on li pou li fe li byen. You have to be standing over him for him to do it right. (CA); M ole to dèt la jour-la, dimonch. I want you to be there that Sunday. (NE); Le piti sipoze èt deor. The children are supposed to be outside. (NE) ♦ Sa se et enteresan. It would be interesting. (JR); zèt (T38); ‘n’étre’ (T38); ' être’ (T40) Conjug: a) e v. present e, ye (CA; NE; PC); yè, et, a (PC). Is, are, ete.; est, sont, etc. Mo pa kònen komon vyè vou yè. I don’t know how old you are. (PC) ; Mo pi konen ou mo ye. I don’t know where I am anymore. (CA) REM: The form 'e’ is used only by acrolectal speakers, and is their usual form of the particle ‘ye’. (NE p. 250). ♦ Li trape Lapen par so de zorey-ye e ale on ye jiska ye vini gran konm ye e zordi. She seized Rabbit by his two ears and pulled on them until they were as long as they are today. (JR) b) ètè past part. (CA; PC); èt (CA); et (PC). Been; été. Mo te jame et pret dan Chemen Nef. I have never been a priest in New Roads. (PC) e) dèt v.imperative (CA; NE); èt (CA; NE). Be! Sois, soyez! Dèt pa bèt! Don’t be stupid! (NE); Pa èt ta! Don’t be late! (PC) d) e v.aux. (Used to form passé composé). Mo ch èse jongle aò nonm-la e soti. I’m trying to think of where that man came from. (PC) e) ete imperfect te, ète (CA; PC); ite (rare) (NE). Was, were; étais, était, etc.. Mo pa kònè ki moun li te, li te gen en mas an so figi. I didn’t know who she was, she had a mask on her face. (PC) f) swa pres, subjunctive Be; sois, soit, etc. I fok sa soua en bon chodjèr. It has to be a good kettle. (MO 60) ♦ Enfin, volonté du ciel soit faite! Well, may heaven’s will be done. (T34) g) sre cond. Would be; serais (-ait, etc.) cf. se h) sra fut. Will be; serai (etc.) cf. sa 2. To become, get; devenir. Li malad, mèmmon kon l ape gete tivi, li dèt las. He’s sick, even when he’s watching TV he gets tired. (NE) 2. [Copula used in passives]. To get; se faire, être. Mo te kone dèt buche par ma momon. I used to get beaten by my mother. (NE); Tou sa e rantre o bout lannen. All of that (the harvest) is brought in at the end of the year. (PC) REM: The use of ète as a passive auxiliary is not at all typical of the Creole speech of PC. Neumann notes that ite (d)èt and ete are variants used by acrolectal speakers as past passive marker; det and ite are not attested in the old texts or in other Creoles. ♦ Li te konnen fe nouzòt fe jarden e sila ki se pa reisi se et fwate. He would make us do the gardening and the one who didn’t succeed would get whipped. (JR) See examples
• é gen, CA, PC ( conj. ) épi BT, NE épwi PC
  1. And; et.
     Li tanmbe dòrmi, è mo te pa ha reveye li. He fell asleep, and I couldn’t wake him. (PC); Epi, osi As well as. (NE); Mo t ap galope e mo vini tou epouvante. I was running and I got all out of breath. (CA) ♦ Nelefan e Lours desann dan bayou-la. Elephant and Bear went down to the bayou. (JR); ‘épi' (T34); ‘etpi', ‘etpis', ‘hé', ‘et', ‘èt pi' (NE 1987 passim) See examples
  2. Then, and then; (et) alors, puis.
     Vou kite li epwi vou tchake li. You leave it and then you check it. (PC) See examples
• é CA, PC ( prep. )
  1. With; avec.
     Mo rete e ye ouchka ye mouri. I lived with them until they died. (PC); Ye tache li e en lepengn a kouch. They attached it with a diaper pin. (CA) See examples
• édlènn PC ( n. ) hèdlin CA
  1. Headland at end of row; chaintre, tournière.
     E i gen trwa pye prunye on edlenn-la laba-la. And he had three prune trees on the headland over there. (PC) See examples