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

• édukasyon* No sources ( n. ) lédikasyon CA lèdikasyon PC lindikasyon PC indikasyon MO 60 indukasyon BT
  1. Education; éducation, instruction.
     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 all those people knew what they were talking about, they had common sense. (PC) See examples
• éduké PC ( adj. ) indiké BT, CA éshiké MO 60
  1. Educated; éduqué, instruit.
     Sè tè en nonm ki eduke. He was an educated man. (PC); Kan tave ale a lekòl e pi fini l katriyenm liv, o, endike fini, byen endike katriyenm liv ; When you went to school and you finished fourth grade, your education was over, oh, you were well-educated after fourth grade. (BT) See examples
• édé CA, NE, PC ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) èdé CA, PC, MO 60 éd PC hèd PC hédé PC idé BT, NE, ST
  1. To help; aider.
     Mo te gen pou mèt enn pilul anba ma lang pou ide mo kœr. I used to have to put a pill under my tongue to help my heart. (BT); Li mèl la cho avè diju. La cho ed koupe latè anndan duju. He puts lime in and mixes it with the juice. The lime helps separate the dirt from the juice. (PC) ♦ Konpè Lapen ele on Konpè Bouki, «Ey, vini ede mwen pyoche. '' Brer Rabbit called Brer Bouki, ‘Hey! Come help me hoe!’ (LA) 2, To help, prevent, keep from; s’empêcher, se défendre de. To pa kapab ede sa. You can’t help that. (PC)To help; aider. Tou moun vini pou ede. Everyone came to help. (PC); Kan mo pòrt en brasle an kwiv, sa èd en pe avèk maladi romatis. When I wear a copper bracelet, it helps a little with arthritis. (CA) See examples
• éfasé CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To erase; effacer.
     No te gen en lardwaz a lekol. Ye te gen sis ou douz kwon. No ekri no lèson desi e apre no efase sa pou ekri dòt. We had a slate at school. They had six or twelve squares. We wrote our lessons on them, and afterwards we erased it to write others. (CA) See examples
• éfréyé No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To scare, frighten; effrayer, faire peur à.
     ♦Am Bouric abillé avec lapo ain Lion, couri proménin é té effréyé tou lé zot zanimo. A donkey dressed in the skin of a lion went for a walk and was scaring all the other animals. (ME 90) See examples
• éfè No sources ( n. )
  1. Things, belongings; effets, possessions, biens.
     ♦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’m going to plant them in the ground to make Bouki think that his animals and his wagon sank in place and that all of his belongings are underground. (T9) See examples
  2. Effect; effet.
     ♦ Parmi costume qui té fait plus l'effet té ein vielle buche et ein gros sabre. Among the costumes that had the most effect were an old log and a big saber. (T40) See examples
• ég PC ( adj. ) hég PC èg CA hèg CA
  1. Sour; aigre.
     To ramase to ramiriz . La to gen to en ti bari. To vide l andan bari-la, è to kite li vini eg. E to mèt disik andan 1. You gather your cherries. Then you empty (your basket of cherries) into the barrel. Then you let it turn sour, and you put your sugar in it. (PC); Mo bouche mo boutey diven pa pou li vini hèg . I corked my bottle of wine so it wouldn’t turn sour. (CA) See examples
• égal BT, CA, MO 60, PC ( adj. )
  1. Even, smooth; égal, lisse.
     En galèr se pou mèt le planch egal. Pas en galèr, sa me li egal. A plane is for smoothing out boards. Pass a plane over it, that smooths it out. (BT); En lekèr gen en ti boutey dolo andan to gade pou mèt egal en moso dibwa. A carpenter’s square has a little bottle of water in it that you look at to make a piece of wood level. (CA) See examples
  2. Flush with, level with; à fleur de, à ras de, au niveau de.
     Zalimo pa gen kro. Zalimo gen tou so dan-ye egal. Cattle don’t have fangs, all of their teeth are of equal length. (PC) •se tegal exp. It doesn’t matter, never mind; peu importe, ça m’est égal. ♦ Cé tégal, m a donne vou laclé mo gran lécurie. It doesn’t matter, I’ll give you the key to my big stable. (T6) See examples
  3. Equal; égal.
     Tou moun egal. Everyone is equal. (CA) ♦ Neg et milate yé tou zégal; na jiche blan yé ki pa zégal avé nou zot. Blacks and mulattoes are all equal; it’s just whites who are not equal with us. (T13) égal 2 n. Equal; égal. ♦ Jour qu'ein seul milate va croi que nous, nègues, cé yé l’égal, jour là, to va tournin choal. On the day that a single mulatto will believe that we blacks are their equals, on that day you will turn into a horse. (T35) See examples
• égalité MO 60 ( n. )
  1. Equality; égalité.
     ♦ Pas dit nous projet aucun milate, yé pas l’ainmain nous l’égalité. Don’t speak of our plans to any mulatto, they don’t like our equality (with them). (T33) See examples
• égaré CA ( adj. )
  1. Out of one’s mind, crazy; insensé, fou.
     Li en posede avèk vye djab. Li égare. He is a person possessed by the devil. He’s out of his mind. (CA) See examples
• égliz PC ( n. ) légliz gen
  1. Church; église.
     Tou sèz-la ki katolik re di ale a legliz le dimonch. All of those who were Catholic had to go to church every Sunday. (NE); Ye vonn ti PLOT latè-la kote moun baptis-ye, ye mète en legliz la. They sold that little patch of ground to the Baptist folks to put a church there. (PC); Kan mo arive legliz ye te an plen lamès. Lamès deja komanse. When I got to church they were in the middle of mass. Mass had already begun. (CA) ♦ Piti, couri l’église, couri limain vo cierge! Children, go to church, go and light your votive candles ! (T27) See examples
• égri CA, PC ( v., v.intr., v.tr. ) ègri PC
  1. To ferment; fermenter.
     Tiyo a pase anndan en DRUM dolo. Ka li tonmbe dan lòt-la, se wiski. To GOT mete li, kite egri. The pipe passes through a barrel of water. When the water falls into the other (barrel), it is whiskey. You have to let it turn sour. (PC)To curdle, ferment; faire cailler, faire fermenter. Pou fe du kaye, to egri dile. To make clabber, you curdle milk. (CA) See examples
• égrènné CA ( v., v.intr., v.tr. ) grènné PC grènin PC ingrènné CA grènnin CA, PC
  1. To sprinkle, drizzle; crachiner, bruiner.
     Le grennen. It’s drizzling. (PC)To shell (beans, peas, com); égrener. M ape grennen zariko. I am shelling beans. (PC) See examples
• égwiy* No sources ( n. ) négwi PC, NE, CA négwiy CA négwiy PC zégwiy PC légwiy PC légwi PC lègwiy PC
  1. Needle; aiguille.
     Sa se en de, to mèt sa an to pous, pèchè negwi-la kou dan to dwa. That is a thimble, you put it on your thumb to prevent the needle from going into your finger. (PC); Mo wa pi klèr pou trangnen mo negwiy. I can’t see well to thread my needle any more. (CA) ♦ Papa ti bebe-la li ponse petet en fifole te gen vini, sa fe jou-la li met de legwiy e li krwase ye e met ye don la pòt . The little baby’s father thought that perhaps a will-o’the-wisp would come, so that day he crossed needles and put them on the door. (LA) •legwiy a matla n.phr. (PC); negwi matla (CA). Mattress needle; aiguille à matelas. E 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) See examples
  2. A kind of fish; une espèce de poisson.
     Nou gen le pwason ye pèle legwi. Se en zafè li fin andan, li plu lonng, mè li pa gro. We have some fish they call ‘needle fish’. They’re slender and longer, but they’re not very big. (PC) See examples
• ékay* No sources ( n. ) lékay CA, PC zékay CA, PC zékal PC lèkay PC ékal PC, ST
  1. Scale (of fish); écaille.
     En kap se en boflo. Se en zafè gen gro zekay. A carp is a buffalo fish. It’s a thing with big scales. (PC); Mo grate mo patasa pou ote zekay. I scaled my perch to take the scales off. (CA) See examples
  2. Shell; coquillage, coquille. (PC)
     ♦ Et pis pou pas vou cré qué moin c'est ain canaille, m apé donne vou chacaine ain joli ti lécaille. And then, so you don’t think that I’m a rascal, I’m giving each of you a pretty little shell. (T24) See examples
  3. Shell; carapace.
     Lekay tòrti. Turtle shell. (CA) See examples
• ékimin CA ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) kimin ST krémin CA
  1. To skim; écumer.
     Kan lekim te fòrmen anlèr lasoup-la, no te gen pou ekimen li pou pa se debòrde. When foam formed on top of the soup, we had to skim it off so it wouldn’t overflow. (CA); To kremen to lagrès apre to frikase. You skim off the fat from your fricassee. (CA); Kan mo te fe lajle, mo te gen pou kimen li. When I would make jelly, I had to skim it. (ST)To foam (up); baver, écumer. Kochon-ye kan ye vini kolèr, ye kimen chak kote ladjèl. When pigs get angry, they foam on each side of their mouth. (CA) See examples
• ékiri MO 60 ( n. ) lékiri BT, CA, PC lèkiri PC
  1. Stable; écurie.
     Mo mèt mo chval dan lèkiri. I put my horse in the stable. (PC); Ye fou dife dan lekiri mile. They set fire to the mule bam. (CA) ♦ Couri vite frémé mo vié choual dan kirie. Go quickly and shut my horse in the stable. (T3) See examples
  2. Stall (in a stable); stalle, écurie.
     Le chval te rèste dan lekiri e leu magazen se ou nou te garde so mai e leu jwen. The horse lived in a stall, and a ‘barn’ is what we called the place we kept his corn and hay. (BT) See examples
• ékla* No sources ( n. ) zékla PC nékla CA lékla ST
  1. Kindling; petit bois, bois d’allumage.
     Mo rache nekla-sa-la pou fe en difè. I tore up kindling to make a fire. (CA) See examples
• éklaté MO 60 ( v.tr., v.intr. )
  1. To burst; éclater.
     ♦ ’dater’ (PE) See examples
• éklo CA ( v.intr. )
  1. To hatch; éclore.
     Ti poule-la eklo. The little chicken hatched. (CA) ♦ Enn ef bouyi pe pa eklo. A boiled egg cannot hatch. (JR) See examples
• éklèr* No sources ( n. ) léklè PC zéklè CA, PC zéklèr BT, CA léklèr ST
  1. Lightning; éclair.
     Panm beni; mèt sa dan la mezon. E kan se move tan, priye en ti morso panm pou pèche tonnèr e zeklèr, ye te di. Blessed palm branches, you put that in the house, and when the weather was bad you would pray with a piece of palm to keep thunder and lightning from the house, they used to say. (BT); Ye te gen paratònèr pou trape tònèr e zeklèr pou peche lamezon brile ou magazen mayi. They used to have lightning rods to catch the thunder and lightning to prevent the house or corn crib from burning. (CA) ♦ Vite comme ain l’éclair li chapé dans ain trou. As quick as lightning he disappeared into a hole. (T23) •fe zeklè v.phr. (CA; PC). 1) To run fast; courir vite. Nou fe zeklè. We ran like lightning. (PC) 2) To lightning; faire des éclairs, éclairer. (CA) See examples
• ékouté No sources ( v.tr. ) kouté gen kout CA, PC ékout PC èkouté PC
  1. To listen, hear; écouter.
     [Mo] jame pale kreyòl e ye, me mo te la koute ye, to tann? Mo apran tou sa, e rès e ye, e koute ye pale li. No, I never spoke Creole with them, but I would listen to them, you hear? I learned all of that by living with them and listening to them speak it. (PC); Mo koute redyo. I listen to the radio. (ST) ♦ Coûté moin, mo zamis, pas jouez avec big-bock, pasqué y a griffé toi et porté toi bad lock. Listen to me, my friends, don’t play with bigwigs, because they will scratch you and bring you bad luck. (T25) •koute lekòl v.phr. To go to school; aller à l’école, cf. ekòl See examples
  2. To listen to, obey, mind; obéir.
     En bon piti, li koute twa ben. He is a good child, he minds you well. (PC); Mo bo parle li. Li kout pa mon. There’s no use talking to him. He doesn’t listen to me. (CA) REM: The forms ekout , èkoute are very unusual among basilectal speakers. See examples
• ékrazé BT ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) krazé CA, PC
  1. To crush, smash; écraser, broyer.
     Ina du moun ki sèrv du fid dou e mo mo sèrv du mai ekraze e deu lavwenn ekrase epi fid, mo mèl le trwa ansanm. There are some people who use sweet feed, but I use crushed com, crushed oats, and feed. I mix the three together. (BT); Ka divan vyen, l a jètel on kabann-la, kraze kabann-la. When a wind comes, it will throw it [the branch] onto the cabin, and it will crush the cabin. (PC) ♦ Pou fe tonbe nobri pron ni gep e chofe ye don stov e la kraze ye, fen konm en lapoud, e la met sa on nobri piti-la. To make the umbilical cord fall off, take wasp nests and heat them in the stove, cmsh them into a fine powder and put that on the child’s belly button. (LA) See examples
  2. To grind, cmsh (sugar cane); écraser, broyer (la canne à sucre).
     Se dekann-la ye kraze, se bagay. That's the cane that they've ground, that's bagasse. (PC)To lie flat; se coucher à plat, se tapir. ♦ Compair Lapin crasé a force li té pair. Compair Lapin flattened on the ground, as if crushed, because he was afraid. (FO 1887) See examples
• ékri CA, NE, PC ( v.tr. ) ékrir ST
  1. To write; écrire.
     Ena plen de plas to se achte kèkchoj laba ye se ekri sa on laliv-la. There were a lot of places where you could buy something (on credit) and they would write it down in their book. (PC); Mo te si malad mo pa i lachans pou ekri mo lord. I was so sick that I didn’t have a chance to write up my order. (CA) ♦ M o done pikayon piti gasson mo fie ki kouri lékol, pou li hékri pou so granpopa. I gave a coin to my daughter’s son who goes to school, so he could write on behalf of his grandfather. (T13) See examples
• ékritur CA ( n. ) lékritur PC lékritir CA
  1. Writing, handwriting; écriture.
     Mo t ape dikte pou li parskè l ole prann sa ann ekritur. I was dictating for him because he wants to take it in writing. (CA); To konpron pa to-tchèn lekritur. You can’t read your own writing. (PC) See examples
• éksilé No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To exile; exiler.
     ♦ Ça yé ki té exilé aussi li permette yé vini encor. And he allowed those who were exiled to return. (FO 1887) See examples
• ékspré PC ( adv. ) èspré CA, ST éspré NE, PC
  1. On purpose; exprès. (CA; NE) •fe espre
     v.phr. (PC); fé ekspre (PC). To do sth. on purpose; faire qch. exprès. Se kekœn ki fe espre lache gro bef dan chamen kan moun te e sòti legliz . Petèt kekenn fe èspre lache li, pou fe moun pè. Someone has purposely let a bull loose in the road when people were coming out of church. Maybe someone let him out on purpose, to scare people. (PC); Sete en laksidan. Mo pa fe sa èspre. It was an accident. I didn’t do it on purpose. (CA) ♦ Tout bitin la yé qué li té fait vini exprès de Carolton pou la procession... All those things that she had sent for especially from Carollton Street for the parade... (T40) •’par exprès’ adv.phr. On purpose; exprès. ♦ Bonjoo, compair Lapin, mo mandé vou ben pardon si mo dérangé vou, mé mo pa fé par exprès. Good morning, Brer Rabbit, I ask your pardon if I disturb you, but I don’t do it on purpose. (FO 1887) See examples
  2. Specifically, especially; spécialement.
     Sa a proteje to lamezon. Paski li beni ye se espre pou ka move tan. It will protect your house. Because he blessed it especially for you, in case of bad weather. (PC); Ye gen remèd èspre pou maladi-sa-la. They’ve got a cure specifically for that illness. (CA) See examples
• ékèr PC ( n. ) lékèr CA
  1. Carpenter’s square; équerre.
     En lekèr gen en ti boutey dolo andan to gade pou mèt egal en moso dibwa. A carpenter’s square has a little bottle of water in it that you look at to make a piece of wood level. (CA) See examples
• ékòl PC ( n. ) lékol CA lékòl NE, PC lèz-ékòl (pl.) NE lœrkol PC rékòl PC
  1. School; école.
     Dez ekòl isit, le metrès te vini, i konnèse pa grant afèr pour parle mèriken. Some schools around here, the teachers came and they did not know very much about speaking English. (BT); No te blije monke lekòl pou travaye don klo. We had to miss school in order to work in the field. (NE) ♦ Kan li kité lékol li té dijà là où makak là té monté on diboi dan so liv ki gaigné poltre. When he left school he was already at the place that the monkeys had reached in the tree in his big picture book. (T17) See examples
  2. Schooling, education; école, instruction.
     Tou lòt frè-ye, ye te gen en pè lekòl andan ye, ye te ka lir ave ekri. All the other brothers had a little education, they could read and write. (PC) •kouri lekòl v.phr. (PC); kouri a lekòl (NE); kou lekòl (PC). To go to school; aller à l'école. M a kouri lekòl dan Batan Rouj, SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY. I’m going to go to school in Baton Rouge, to Southern University. (PC) ♦ Mo done pikayon piti gasson mo fie ki kouri lékol, pou li hékri pou so granpopa. I gave a coin to my daughter’s son who goes to school, so he could write on behalf of his grandfather. (T13) •koute lekòl v.phr. (PC). To go to school; aller à l’école. Nou koute lekòl, e tou kichò ansanm. We went to school and all together. (PC) •fini lekòl v.phr. (CA); fini rekòl (PC). To finish school; terminer ses études. Li fini lekol me li pa gen travay. He finished school but he hasn’t got a job. (CA) ♦ Kan li rive li trouve so de frè-ye te fini lekòl. When he got back he found that his two brothers had finished school. See examples
• ékòlyé MO 60 ( n. ) zékolyé CA
  1. Pupil; écolier, élève.
     Tou zekolye ap monte dan BUS-la pou ale lekol. All the pupils are getting on the bus to go to school. (CA) See examples
• élastik No sources ( n., adj. ) astik PC ashtik PC lastik BT, CA, PC
  1. Elastic; élastique.
     Lontan pase ye te pa gen de ba avèk dez astik. A long time ago they didn’t have stockings with elastic. (PC); Mo te si antandi ke mo pa i la chans pou mèt mo lastik andan mo manch -ye . I was so busy I didn’t have the chance to put the elastic in my sleeves. (CA) See examples
  2. Rubber; caoutchouc. •ann achtik
     adj.phr. (PC). Made of rubber; en caoutchouc. See examples
  3. Rubber band; élastique.
     Mo ote lastik pou mèt otòr mo lanvlop. I took off the rubber band to put it around my énvelope. (CA)Elastic; élastique. •gòm elastik n.phr. Rubber band; élastique, cf. gòm See examples
• élvé CA, MO 60, NE, PC, ST ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) èlvé BT, MO 60, NE, PC, ST rév PC révé PC élév PC élèv NE
  1. To raise (a child); élever (un enfant).
     Mo ète ne e èlve ici a Sesilya. I was born and raised here in Cecilia. (BT) ♦ Yé té bein pauv’ et yé té gain tracas élever yé pitits. They were very poor and they had trouble raising their children. (BD) •èlvè on v.phr. èlve ann (PC). To be raised on (sth.); être élevé (sur, avec). Mo èlvè on la vyann. I was raised on meat. (PC) •byen èlve adj.phr. (PC); byen èlve (ST). Well-mannered; bien élevé. Sa se de moun ye byen èlve sa. Those are well-mannered people. (PC); Li byen elve e li polit. He’s well-mannered and he’s polite. (ST) 2. To raise (animals); élever (des animaux). Li pa en dezwa dou, li elve den en dezè ou den en flev ki lwen isi. It’s not a tame goose, it’s raised in a field or on a river that’s far away from here. (PC) ♦ Li te koutim leve cochon pou fe so lagrès e so provizyon livèr. He used to raise hogs for fat and winter supplies. (TP) 3. To grow, raise (a crop); cultiver. Ye èlve tou zafè-sa-ye, ena dible, lavwenn, tou sa ye elev sa dan la no. They raise all those things, there’s wheat, oats, all that, they raise it in the North. (PC)1. To rise, get up, come out; se lever. Li te kònè di fifole-ye te kònè èlve dan le swa-la. He used to say that will-o’-the-wisps came out at night. (PC) 2. To breed; se reproduire. N a manje le lapen jus l ivèr. Done ye la chans pou ye èlve. We would only eat rabbits in the winter, to give them a chance to breed. (BT) See examples
• élèktrik* No sources ( adj., adv. ) lèktrik PC
  1. Electric, (nin) on electricity; électrique, (qui marche) à l’électricité.
     Sa va lèktrik sa o de batri? Does that run on electricity or batteries? (PC) See examples
• élèktrisité* No sources ( n. ) résisté BT lèskrisité PC lèstrishité PC èlèktrisité PC lèstrisité CA, PC
  1. Electricity; électricité.
     T èna pa lèskrisite dan tan la lanp. Gen en lalanp pou lumen. There was no electricity in the days of the lamp. You used a lamp for light. (PC); Tivi-lœ arète. Ye dwat koupe resiste-lœ. The TV shut off. They must have cut the electricity. (BT) •de fil resiste n.phr. Electric power line; fil électrique, ligne à haute tension, cf. fil elèv n. (BT). 1. Animal being raised by a breeder; élève. Lez elèv, se la bas-kour. Domestic animals, that’s the barnyard. (BT) 2. Pupil; élève. ♦ Mo pense to tein élève Maite Rénard, to gagnin pou payé ça cher, va! I think you are a pupil of Master Fox, you will have to pay for it. (FO 1887) elvaj n. (MO 60). Breeding, raising (of cattle); élevage. See examples
• éléksyon PC ( n. ) èlèksyon PC lélèksyon CA nélèksyon CA
  1. Election; élection.
     Sa fe, ye fè èlèksyon pou vote, pou ote wiski. So they organized a poil, to vote to get rid of whiskey. (PC); Ye gen en nelèksyon. Ye ape galope pou cherif They’re having an election. They’re running for sheriff. (CA) ♦ Parait qu'en haut ein jour drélection, li té oulé volé la bouete. It seems that on an election day he wanted to steal the box. (T38) See examples
• élékté CA, NE ( v.tr. )
  1. To elect; élire.
     M ap ale vote pou CLINTON. M ap ale elèkte li. I’m going to vote for Clinton. I’m going to elect him. (CA) See examples
• émòrvid No sources ( n. ) zémòrvil CA
  1. Hemorrhoids; hémorrhoïdes.
     Mo trap move zemòrvil. Mo pa kapab ale dan kòmòd. Safe tro mal. I’ve got bad hemorrhoids. I can’t go to the bathroom, it hurts too much. (CA) ♦ Pou de emòrvid, to fonn kòrnar don lagres frech (kochon). La to gres ple-la byen. For hemorrhoids, you melt jimson weed into fresh hog fat. Then you grease up the sores really well. (BI) See examples
• épi-mai BT, PC ( n. ) épi-mayi CA, PC népi-mayi CA, PC népi-mai CA zépi-mai CA
  1. Ear of com; épi de maïs.
     Kan ti derobe enn epi-mai. When you shucked an ear of com. (BT); Se enn epi-mayi. La enn epi la gen en koton mayi an-o lè. Sa se la la grenn mayi-la, an koton mayi. That’s an ear of corn. An ear of corn has a corn cob on it. That’s where the grains of corn are, on the corn cob. (PC) ♦ Vou pronn de rob den n epi mayi e vou bouy ye don dolo. You take some corn shucks and you boil them in water. (BI) See examples
• épina CA ( n. ) zépina PC, CA
  1. Spinach; épinards.
     En lef ey zepina. A spinach leaf. (PC); Li plont nave, epina e fevi an mas. He grows turnip, spinach and lots of okra. (CA) See examples
• épinglèt BT ( n. ) népinglèt CA népin-alè CA
  1. Brooch, pin; broche.
     Ye pèl sa en krotch, me se konm enn epenglèt to tach apre twa. They call that a [krotch], but it’s like a brooch that you attach (to your blouse). (BT); Mam mete so nepenglèt kòrèl òranj pou ale legliz . Mom wore her orange coral pin to go to church. (CA) See examples
• épinñ PC ( n. ) néping CA léz épinñ (pl.) PC lépènng PC népèng NE zépèng NE lépinñ CA népinñ CA, ST
  1. Straight pin; épingle.
     I te gen en ti norye pou mèt lœrz epenng e lèz egwiy. She had a little pillow for their needles and pins. (PC) ♦ Li oua quichoge qui té rouge dans so dent dévant, li prend in épingle en or, et li oté ça. He saw something that was red in his front teeth, he took a golden pin and removed it. (FO T16) •lepengn a kouch n.phr. (CA); nepengn kouch (ST); nepengn a lanj (PC). Diaper pin; épingle de nourrice. Mo i pou mèt de lepengn a kouch pou tyen so kouch. I had to put two diaper pins to hold his diaper. (CA) •nepengn a lenj n.phr. (CA; PC); nepengn lenj (ST). Clothespin; pince a linge. • nepeng a twalèt n.phr. (CA). Straight pin; épingle. Mo sèr mo nepeng a twalèt pou tache mo houle rob. I use my straight pins to attach my dress hem. (CA) •nepenng abit n.phr. (PC). Clothespin; pince à linge. •nepengn chapo n.phr. (ST). Hat pin; épingle à chapeau. See examples
  2. Needle, shot; aiguille, piqûre.
     Gen gro lofis ao ye spè pou doktè o pou pas to en lepenng-la. There’s a big office where people wait to see the doctor or to get a shot. (PC) See examples
• épol* No sources ( n. ) népòl PC, NE lépòl PC, ST népal PC zépòl PC zépol CA lépol ST
  1. Shoulder; épaule.
     Na èn bòs k ape sòrti on mo nepòl. There’s a blister coming out on my shoulder. (NE); Wa so nepòl te gonfle, e l e bwate. I saw that his shoulder was swollen and that he was limping. (PC); Kofèr to march bosi kòm sa avèk zepol-ye anlèr? Why do you walk hunchbacked like that with your shoulders up? (CA); Li konye mo lepòl e li gonfle. He hit my shoulder and it swelled. (ST) ♦ Eli trape Ròklò, mare li dan en sak, met li on so lepòl, e parti avek li kote flev. And he grabbed Roclos, tied him in a sack, put him on his back and left for the river. (JR) See examples
• époustwar ST ( n. )
  1. Duster, dust rag, feather duster; plumeau, chiffon à épousseter.
• épouvanté CA ( adj. )
  1. Out of breath; hors d’haleine, essoufflé.
     Mo t ap galope e mo vini tou epouvante. I was running and I got all out of breath. (CA) See examples
• épouvanté CA, PC ( v., v.intr., v.tr. )
  1. To brag, be vain; être fat, se vanter.
     Li tro epouvante. He’s too conceited. (PC)To frighten; effarer, effrayer. Mo te asi dan lèskalye e li tonbe e mo vini tou epouvante. I sat down in the stairs and he fell and I got scared. (CA) See examples
• épwizé CA ( adj. )
  1. Exhausted, worn-out; épuisé, surmené.
     Ena defwa mo te si las, si fatige, si epwize, mo te pa kapab dòrmir. There were times when I was so tired, so exhausted, so worn-out that I couldn’t sleep. (CA) See examples
• épèsœr* No sources ( n. ) lépèsœr PC
  1. Thickness; épaisseur.
     Mo koupe li lepèsœr mo t ole. I cut it the thickness that I wanted it. (PC) ♦ Pou keken ki tous, to sèr kotonnye rouj. To bouy trwa ti morso de trwa pous de lon e den demi pous depesèr, e to redui li don en galon dolo. For someone who is coughing, you use the red cotton tree. You boil three pieces two or three inches long and a half inch thick, and then you reduce it in a gallon of water. (BI) See examples
• épé CA, NE, PC ( adj. )
  1. Thick; épais.
     Ye ka bwi zafè-sa-a, l a vini si dou, l a vini kòm en siro, siro epe epe epe. They can boil that stuff, and it gets so sweet, it gets like a very thick syrup. (PC); Ena en ta brouyar bon maten-la. Li epe. To pa konen wa a fòrs brouyar-la epe. There’s a lot of fog in the early morning. It’s thick, you can’t see because it’s so thick. (CA) ♦ Kraze lardwaz don vineg. Met li en pe epe. La frote sa si dart-la. Grind slate in vinegar. Make it somewhat thick. Then rub that on your skin rash. (BI) See examples
• épési CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To thicken; épaissir.
     Si t ap fe labwi, to mèt dot lafarin pou epesi li. If you’re making custard, you put more flour to thicken it. (CA) ♦ Kon se byen fri to koul li e to epesi li avek di souf. When it’s well fried you pour it out and you thicken it with sulfur. (BI) See examples
• érité CA, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To inherit; hériter.
     Mo erite sa par popa. I inherited that from daddy. (PC); Li pa erite so bote a so moman. She didn’t inherit her beauty from her mother. (CA) See examples