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

• briké CA ( n. )
  1. Redhead; roux.
     Boug-sa-la li en brike. Li gen cheve-ye rouj. That guy is a redhead. He has red hair. (CA) See examples
• brin CA, PC ( adj. ) brinn PC
  1. Brown; brun, marron.
     Li manyè bren. Li pa tou blan sa-la. He is somewhat brown (of skin). He’s not totally white. (PC) See examples
• brin CA ( n. )
  1. Strand (of rope, string); brin, toron (d’une corde, d’une ficelle).
     Mo kase jich en bren cheve dan mo latèt. I broke just one strand of hair on my head. (CA) ♦ To pronn en fisel avek nèf bren, to fe wit ne on don li pondon t ape repete jonm, jonm, majonm, jonm, jonm, jiri. You take a string with nine strands, you make eight knots in it while you repeat jaumbe, jaumbe, majaumbe, jaumbe, jaumbe giri. (BI) See examples
  2. Blade (of grass); brin (d’herbe).
     Mo rache jich en bren zèrb. I pulled up just one blade of grass. (CA) ♦ Mo défende li mangé ein brin zèbe en haut la terre pasqué li moqué nous zotes. I forbid him to eat a single blade of grass on this earth, because he made fun of us. (FO T1) See examples
  3. A bit (of), a small amount (of); un peu (de), un brin (de), une petite quantité (de). •en ti bren
     adv.phr. (CA; NE; PC). A little bit (of); un petit peu (de), un petit brin (de). Li en ti bren plu vyè ke mon. He is a little bit older than me. (PC) ♦ Pou endijesyon met en ti ben dolo on la sonn e pi donn en ti ben di ji la donn en kiyè trwa fwa pa jou. For indigestion put a little water on ashes and then give (him) a little juice and give three spoonfuls daily, [‘ein ti ben'] (LA) See examples
• brin CA ( n. )
  1. Cheesecloth; mousseline, toile à beurre.
     Mo mèt dile kaye dan mo bren pou fe CREAM CHEESE . I put curdled milk in my cheesecloth to make cottage cheese. (CA) ♦ To pronn en kiyèr la far in fromon e to deley li don dolo ked. La to mel ye onsonm. To met sa on de bren e to poz li si la fourch lestoma. You take a teaspoon of wheat flour and you dilute it in lukewarm water. Then you mix them together. You put that on cheesecloth and you set it on the sternum. (BI) See examples
• brinm CA, PC ( n. ) brèm NE
  1. Eggplant; aubergine.
     Mo gen en pè pye tomat avèk CROWLEY PEAS , pè jironmon, mo gen kèk pye dèryè la , epi en pè brenm. I have a few tomato plants and a few Crowley peas, a few pumpkins back there, and a few eggplants. (PC); Mo chode mo brenm-ye e mo grate tou andan-la pou kwi mo brenm-ye e chevrèt e lavyann ache. I scalded my eggplants and I scraped everything from inside to cook the eggplant with shrimp and ground beef. (CA) •dan le brenm adjphr. (PC). Crazy, insane; fou, insensé. See examples
• brinn CA ( n. )
  1. Dusk; crépuscule.
     Soley kouche. Se a la brin. Ye fe pa nwa ankòr. The sun has set. It’s dusk. It’s not yet dark out. (CA) See examples
• briyé CA, PC ( v.intr. ) briyè PC
  1. To shine; briller.
     En mòso lenj. To pas sa on to menaj sa òt la pousiyèr e to menaj sòr briye prop. A piece of cloth. You rub that over your furniture, and it gets rid of dust, and your furniture comes out shining clean. (PC); Sole e briyè. The sun is shining. (PC); To bag ap briye. Se de dyamon. Your ring is shining. It’s diamonds. (CA) ♦Zié nomme la té brillé comme quenne chatte dans la nouitte. The man’s eyes shone like those of a cat at night. (FO T20); 'brillé' (T27; T29) See examples
• briyòsh CA ( n. )
  1. Type of sweet donut; espèce de pâtisserie sucrée.
     Kan to fe briyòch , to fe en lapat ti gato , to roul sa mens e to fri sa. Se bon. When you make sweet donuts, you make cookie dough, you roll it thin and you fry it. It’s good. (CA) See examples
• brizé CA, ST ( v., v.intr., v.tr. )
  1. To shatter, break; se briser, se casser.
     Mo lese vaz-la tonbe e li brize. I dropped the vase and it shattered. (CA) ♦ Sir latable té ein pot do l'eau qui tombé en haut mo tête. Li brisé en mille morceaux et baptisé moin mié qué prête. On the table was a pitcher of water which fell on top of my head, it broke in a thousand pieces and baptized me better than a priest could. (T39)To break; briser, casser. Li lese mo po tonbe parté e li brize li. He dropped my pitcher on the floor and he broke it. (CA); Li brize vaz-la. He broke the vase. (ST) See examples
• briñon PC ( n. ) briyòsh PC briyon PC brèñon PC briyòs PC
  1. Nectarine; brugnon, nectarine.
     Se menm zafè mo kwa , briyòch en briyon. Se pa en depech. Men li gen lapo-la ini. Depech-la pa gen sa ini. They’re the same thing, I think, briyòch and briyon , it’s the same thing. That’s not a peach, it has smooth skin. A peach does not have smooth skin. (PC) See examples
• brodé No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To embroider; broder.
     ♦ Li pas mandé déba brodé , li pas mandé soulier prinelle. She doesn’t ask for embroidered hose, she doesn’t want prunella shoes. (GC1) See examples
• brok PC ( adj. )
  1. Broke; sans le sou, fauché.
     Na pa larjan dan sa. Mo brok. There’s no money in there. I’m broke. (PC) See examples
• brokin CA ( n. )
  1. Lace-up ankle boot; brodequin, botte à lacets.
     Li gen de broken delase. Si to lase sa tro sere , safe bobo. She’s got her ankle boots unlaced. If you lace them too tight, it makes a sore. (CA) See examples
• brokét PC ( n. ) brokèt CA, PC
  1. Tack; broquette.
     Pran brokèt-la pou atache larmanak-la. Take a tack to pin up the calendar. (CA) See examples
• bronshit No sources ( n. ) branshu PC
  1. Bronchitis; bronchite.
     ♦ Bronchit, lwil de zwa se bon pou sa. Bronchitis, goose oil is good for that. (BI) See examples
• brosé PC ( v.tr. ) bròs BT bras CA
  1. To brush; brosser.
     Ye te pran ye en labròs , e se brose sa tou pròp an de kote. They would take a brush and brush (the tobacco leaves) clean on both sides. (PC); Mo gen en bros neuf. Li bros mo cheuve-ye myeu parske li en ti peu pli red ke sila ke mo te gen avon. I have a new brush. It brushes my hair better because it’s a little stiffer than the one I had before. (CA) •brose (so) dan-ye v.phr. (PC). To brush one’s teeth; se brosser les dents. Mo brose mo dan-ye. I brushed my teeth. 2. To dust; épousseter. (PC) brounet n.adj. (PC). Brunette; brune, brouyar n. (CA; PC); brouya (CA; PC); bouya, brwiya, bruiya (PC); labrouyar (ST). 1. Fog, mist; brouillard. Li gen en brouya. It’s foggy /There’s a fog. (PC); Ena en ta brouyar bonmaten-la. To pa konen wa a fòrs brouya-la epe. There’s a lot of fog this morning. You can’t see because the fog is so thick. (CA) ♦ Si coque chanté avant jou ya gain brouilla démain. If the cock crows before daylight there will be fog tomorrow. (BD) 2. Drizzle; crachin, bruine, brume. Se en lapli an brouya ki e tonbe fen fen f en. It’s a fine, drizzly rain that’s falling. (PC) See examples
• brouyasé PC ( adj. ) bwiyasé PC
  1. Foggy, hazy; brumeux, brouillardeux.
     Na de fwa, ka le e tanbe le e tanbe en brouyar, en lapli ki fen fen fen. Li brouyase. Tan-la brouyase jòdi-la. Sometimes when it’s raining the rain is falling in a fine mist, a very fine rain. It’s drizzling, the weather is drizzling today. (PC) See examples
  2. Fuzzy, blurry; brumeux, flou, estompé.
     Se bourbe mwayen, brwiya, bwiyase. It’s fuzzy, blurry. (PC) See examples
• brouyé CA ( adj. )
  1. Foggy, hazy; brumeux, brouillardeux.
     Tan-la brouye. Li reste brouye tou la journen. The weather is foggy. It stayed foggy all day. (CA) See examples
  2. Blurry, fuzzy; flou, estompé.
     Mo pa kapab wa ye. Se jis en tach devan mo. Se tou brouye. I can’t see them. It’s just a spot in front of me, it’s all blurry. (CA) See examples
• brouyé No sources ( v.tr., v.intr. )
  1. To trouble; troubler (PE).To be mad at; être fâché contre.
• brul-soléy ST ( n. )
  1. Sunburn; coup de soleil.
     Mo gen en brul-soley. I have a sunburn. (ST) See examples
• brulir PC ( n. ) brûlé PC brilé CA
  1. Burn; brûlure.
     Li gen en movè brulir. He got a bad bum. (PC); Difè-la brile twa. To gen en brile. The fire burned you. You’ve got a bum. (CA) ♦ [Pou] brilir, pronn de porun de tèr e rape ye avek en kouto. La vlope ye si to brilir. For a burn, take potatoes and grate them with a knife. Then, tie them around your burn. (BI) See examples
• brulman No sources ( n. )
  1. Burning; brûlement, •brulman d èstoma
     n.phr. (PC; ST); brilman lèstoma (CA). Heartburn; brûlures d’estomac. Mo gen brulman d èstoma. I have heartburn. (PC); Mo manje patat dous. Sa dòn man brilman lèstoma. I ate sweet potatoes. They give me heartburn. (CA) ♦ [Pou] brilmon e stoma f mache de fey chenn e valé diji-la . For heartburn, grind up some oak leaves and drink their juice. [ ‘brilmenl estomac’] (BI) See examples
• brulé BT, NE, PC ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) brilé CA, MO 60, NE, PC bril PC blilé NE blulé NE
  1. To burn; brûler.
     Piti-la touche stov-la, e li brile so lamen. The child touched the stove and he burned his hand. (PC); To koup dibwa frèn pou brile dan fouye pou livè. You cut ash wood to burn in the fireplace in the winter. (CA) ♦ Compair Bouki couri dan diboi ramassé ein gro ta branchaille sec li limé di fé, et pi li couri charché Compair Lapin pour bourlé li. Brer Bouki went into the woods to get a big pile of dry branches and he lit a fire, then he went to get Brer Rabbit to bum him. (T2)1. To bum; brûler. To gen kantinwe STIR li AROUND to konen, pou peche li brule. You have to keep stirring it around, you know, to keep it from burning. (PC) ♦ Parait qué pendant la barrière t'apé brulé ein pompier passé et ouar ça. It seems that when the fence was burning a fireman came by and saw that. (T40) 2. To burn, sting (of wound); cuire, être cuisant (en parlant d’une plaie). Ye mèt kolòy, e ye te met tèrbantin on koupe-la. Sa te brul. They would put kerosene and turpentine on the wound. That burned. (PC) See examples
• brut NE ( adj., adv. ) brit CA, NE
  1. Coarse, rough; rude, fruste.
     Se te pa le moun lèd, se te pa le nèg brut. Those weren’t the ugly black folks, they weren’t the coarse ones. (NE)Harshly, roughly; sévèrement, avec rudesse. Kan to jenn, to va brit. When you’re young, you proceed roughly. (CA) ♦Vié mait kan li té ben facé li zamé trété mouen brit kom nome cila. My old master, when he was mad, never treated me rough like that man. (T14) See examples
• brutalizé PC ( v.tr. ) britalizé CA
  1. To beat, strike; frapper, battre, brutaliser.
     Britalize, se kan to fe mal a keken pli chetif ke twa. Li t ape britalize piti-ye. To brutalize is when you beat someone weaker than you. He was beating the children. (CA) See examples
• bruyan No sources ( n. )
  1. Noisy, loud; bruyant.
     ♦Ça to bruyant icite; et musiciens la yé t apé gueulé et fou coups pieds à tort et à travers. It’s too noisy here, and the musicians are yelling and kicking every which way. (T40) See examples
• brèshshinn PC ( n. ) brèshtéinn PC brèshtinn PC brèshchènn PC
  1. Breastchain (of harness); poitrinière (d’un harnais).
     En brèchtchin se sa to me an la flech ton wagon, e to HOOK li on to mule. A breastchain is what you put on the tongue of your wagon and you hook it to your mule. (PC) See examples
• brèshtinin PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To harness, hitch; atteler, harnacher.
     Lòt mule-la brèchtinen osi. The other mule is hitched up too. (PC) See examples
• bréf No sources ( adv. )
  1. Briefly; bref, brièvement.
     ♦Compair Lapin réponde li bréf. Mo fout ben ça to capab di, vié Macaque. Brer Rabbit answered briefly: ‘T don’t care a damn for anything you say, old Monkey!» (FO 1887) See examples
• bréshé CA ( adj. )
  1. Dull; émoussé.
     Mo kouto breche. Mo gen pou file li. My knife is dull. I have to sharpen it. (CA) See examples
• brétèl PC, CA ( n. ) brètèl PC bèrtèl PC bèrtél PC
  1. Suspenders; bretelles.
     Ou mo bretèl-ye? Where are my suspenders? (PC); To mèt bretèl kan to kilot tro gro pou tchonmbon li anlè. You wear suspenders when your pants are too big to stay up. (CA) See examples
• bréz CA ( n. )
  1. Ember(s), burning coal(s); braise(s).
     Enave de gro brez dife la. There were big burning coals there. (CA) ♦ Li couri dans la quisine , li prend ein grand ferblanc plein la braise et la cende chaud. He went into the kitchen and took a big tin full of burning coals and hot ashes. (FO T6); 'brèze' (T12) See examples
• bròs CA, PC ( n. ) labròs CA, PC bros CA
  1. Brush; brosse.
     Ye te pran ye en labròs, e se brose sa tou pròp an de kote. They would get themselves a brush and brush (the tobacco leaves) clean on both sides. (PC); To kapab frote to planche e labròs. You can scrub your floor with a brush. (CA) •bròs a chve n.phr. (CA). Hairbrush; brosse à cheveux, •bròs a lenj n.phr. (CA). Clothes brush; brosse à habits. Mo gen en bròs a lenj pou ote dive apre mo lenj. I’ve got a clothes brush to take lint off my clothes, •bròs a souye n.phr. Shoebrush; brosse à chaussures. ♦ Michié Sommelair voté ein Blie Souflémentair pou astè venne-cin sang boate di noua et sang saintkante-vin broce à souyé. Mr. Sommelair voted for a supplementary bill to buy 2500 boxes of walnuts and 170 shoebrushes. (T16) See examples
  2. Toothbrush; brosse à dents.
     Eou to labròs pou to dan-ye? Va brose to dan-ye. Where’s your toothbrush? Go brush your teeth. (CA) See examples
  3. Paintbrush; pinceau, brosse.
     No te gen en bròs. En gro vye bròs plat. E no te pentire no lamezon tou blan. We had a brush, a big old flat brush, and we painted our house all white. (PC) See examples
• bultin No sources ( n. )
  1. Bulletin, report; bulletin.
     ♦Hier même mo ouar dans Bull’tin quelque chose qui té bien bête. Yesterday I saw something really stupid in the bulletin. (T38) See examples
• bush* No sources ( n. ) bish PC, ST
  1. Log; bûche.
     Se en blòk e la ye fann li pou fe de bich. It’s a block, and they split it to make logs. (PC) ♦ Parmi costume qui té fait plus l'effet té ein vielle buche et ein gros sabre. Among the costumes that made the biggest impression were an old log and a big sword. (T40) See examples
• bushé PC ( v.tr. ) bishé NE, PC bush BT
  1. To chop, cut; couper, faire (du bois).
     Li buche plen dibwa pou chofe ondon liver e li met sa ondonfwayè. He chopped a lot of wood to heat during the winter and he put it in his fireplace. (NE) ♦ Compair Lapin, qui té porté so la hache, biché ein gros nabe. Brer Rabbit, who was carrying his axe, chopped down a big tree. (FO T3); ' biché' (T27) See examples
  2. To beat, strike; frapper, battre.
     Ina zan de paran, ye buch ye; ye tay ye, me mo BELIEVE pa dan taye. There are a lot of parents who beat their kids, but I don’t believe in that. (BT) See examples
• bushé* No sources ( n. ) bishé CA
  1. Woodcutter, lumberjack; bûcheron.
     Moun-ye k ap hale dibwa, ye pèl ye biche. People who haul wood are called woodcutters. (CA) See examples
• buti BT ( v.intr. )
  1. To lag (a marble) to determine who will shoot first in the game; jeter (une bille) vers une ligne pour décider qui jouera en premier.
     Ti buti onkor la ling. Sila k arive primye, mo plu pre la lign, se sila k a tire leu primye. You lag at the line again. The one who arrives first, who is closest to the line, that’s the one who will get to shoot next. (BT) See examples
• butin PC ( n. ) bitin BT, CA, PC
  1. All of the things in a house, belongings, possessions; ensemble de choses dans une maison, possessions.
     ♦ Et quand li tapé fait ein pu pou cherché apré so bitin, Lapin tapé rivé côté li corn ein gros riche. And when he was digging a well looking for his things, Rabbit went by like a rich man. (T9); (FO T15; T31; T40) See examples
  2. Furniture; mobilier, meubles.
     Mo pousyère la biten jourdi. I dusted the furniture today. (BT) •moso d buten n.phr. (PC). Piece of furniture; meuble. Tu jus vini demènajeu. Dènyè moso d buten ye ote l a senk-œr. They just finished moving. They took out the last piece of furniture at five o’clock. (PC) See examples
  3. Thing; chose.
     E, mo pè buten-sa-ye, wa ya yay! Oh, I’m afraid of those things! (PC); Apre dmen, ye sèrv tou kalite biten dou. After dinner they serve all kinds of sweet things. (CA) ♦ Chapeau, quilottes, linettes, n’habit michié la, tout so butin tombe par terre, et l’amouré la tournin taureau dans la salle a manger. The hat, pants, glasses, the man’s suit, all of his things fell to the ground, and the boy-friend turned into a bull in the dining room. (FO T2). See examples
  4. Booty, plunder; butin.
     ♦ Té révini dans bois é yé trouvé compair Bouki apé volé yé bitin. They came back in the woods, and they found Compair Bouki who was stealing their goods. (FO 1887) See examples
• bwa gen, MO 60 ( n. ) dibwa CA, MO 60, NE, PC bwò PC la bwa PC dibwò PC dubwè PC dubwa PC, ST dyibwa MO 72 danmbwa PC
  1. Wood; bois.
     Ye te koupe dibwa pou chofe don ye fwaye. They cut wood to heat in their fireplace. (NE); Ti poure sèrvi plusieuz afèr pou taye leu bwò. You could use several different things to cut wood. (BT); Mo koupe en gro blòk dibwa jodi. I cut a large piece of wood today. (CA) ♦ C'été pou aidé moin, donne moin ein coup de main pou charrier di bois pou bati mo cabane. It was to help me, to give me a hand hauling wood to build my house. (FO T3) •biche dibwa v.phr. (PC). To chop wood; fendre, couper le bois. •on bwa adj.phr. (BT); a bwa (PC). Wooden; en bois. Laflèch on bwa ète pœtèt lonng konm sa, pour le mile. The wooden tongue was about so long, for the mules. (BT); En lamezon a bwa. A wooden house. (PC) ♦ Li prend ein dézef, li cassé dézef la. In gros barrière en dibois poussé. He took an egg, he broke the egg. A big wooden fence sprang up. (FO T19) •kana dibwa n.phr. Wood duck; canard des bois, canard branchu. ( Aix sponsa ). cf. kanar See examples
  2. Piece of wood, stick; morceau de bois, petite branche.
     En diboua ki tonbe. Apiece of wood that fell. (MO 60) See examples
  3. Tree, shrub; arbre, arbuste.
     Dibwa-sa-la sa se en peche. That tree is a peach tree. (PC); Pisans divan fe tonbe bwa-la. The force of the wind knocked over the tree. (CA) ♦ Li rivé au ras ein gros di bois sec qui té tombé dans dolo. He came to a big dry tree that had fallen in the water. (FO TI5); ‘ diboi’ (NE 1987 passim) •dibwa depech n.phr. Peach tree; pêcher, cf. pech •pye dibwa n.phr. (PC). Tree; arbre. See examples
  4. Woods, forest; bois, forêt.
     Li kouri o bòr dyibwa. He ran to the edge of the woods. (MO 72); Mitròz, se sa ki nan dibwa-la e kèkchò. Crape myrtle is what you find in the woods and all. (PC); Mo sòrti dan fon bwa. I came out from the deep woods. (CA); M ale dan bwa pou ramase pomèt. I went into the woods to pick may haws. (ST) ♦ Colombe, ain jour, en haut ain n'harbe dans bois t apé jonglé l'amour. The dove, one day atop a tree in the woods was thinking about love. (TI8) See examples
  5. Stalk, stem; tige. •dibwa dekonn
     n.phr. The stalk of the sugar cane; tige de la canne à sucre. Ena plen le fwa, dibwa dekonn-lan pa gen chikro. There are a lot of times, the sugar cane stalk has no sugar in it. (PC) See examples
  6. Forest, swamp, wetland; forêt, marécage.
     Dan danmbwa-sa-la li epe epe. Inside that forest it’s very thick. (PC); En gro danbwa. Big swamp. (PC) ♦ Ta fait comme moin, et ta blié dans bois. Come on, you’ll see, and you’ll forget about the swamps. (T22) See examples
• bwa CA, MO 60, NE, PC ( v., v.intr., v.tr. ) bwar MO 60
  1. To drink; boire.
     Dan tan-sa-la, ye te pa gen de RUNNING dolo. To te gen mèt en BRIDLE onn vyeu chwal-la e kouri kote la rivyè, fe li bwa. In those days they didn’t have running water. You had to put a bridle on the horse and take it to the river and make it drink. (PC) ♦ Dans ein coin li té rangin ein place pou boire. In a corner he set up a place for drinking. (T40)To drink; boire. Na pa aryen pou bwa isi aswar-la. There’s nothing to drink here tonight. (NE); Apre li byen dòrmi, li lèv debout e li bwa so kafe. After he has slept well, he gets up and drinks his coffee. (CA) ♦ Vye moun ye te konnen bouy i lèb poupye pi bwa sa pou lafyev. Old timers used to boil purslane and drink that for a fever. (LA) •bwa anmèm v.phr. to drink right out of; boire a même. Li t ap bwa anmèm de flech wiski-la . He was drinking right out of the whisky flask. •’boâ ein kou' v.phr. To drink a shot, take a drink; boire un coup. cf. kou See examples
• bwa-gra CA ( n. )
  1. Pine wood; bois de pin.
     To gen lwil dan dibwa gra e TERMITES manj dibwa-la. You’ve got oil in pine wood, and termites eat the wood. (CA) ♦ En haut chaque poteau so labarrière li té metté ein paquet de bois gras. Atop each fencepost he put a bundle of pine wood. (T40) See examples
• bwa-kolyé PC ( n. )
  1. Wooden collar (of a harness); collier en bois (d’un harnais).
     Palonyè-la apre wagon-la, epi ye gen en laflech dan milye. Ye brèchtin li apre bwa-kolye-1, pou tchombo laflech-la drwat. The singletree is attached to the wagon, and the tongue is in the middle. You attach that to the wooden collar, to keep the tongue straight. (PC) See examples
• bwa-maré PC ( n. ) dibwa-maré CA
  1. Button-bush; bois de marais. (Çephalantus occidentalis).
     Dibwa-mare, se la ou gro-bèk e zegre fe ye nik. In button-bush is where American bitterns and egrets make their nests. (CA) ♦ Pou lafyèv, pronn de lekòrch lyar e de rasin di bwa mare, e fe en di te avek. For fever, take some ivy bark and some button-bush roots, and make a tea with it. (BI) See examples
• bwason PC ( n. ) labwason CA
  1. (Alcoholic) drink; boisson (alcoolisée).
     Ye e bwa, ye gen wiski, ye gen la bwason. They were drinking, they had whiskey, they had alcohol. (PC) See examples
• bwat CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Box; boîte.
     Mo te gen en bwat siga boug-ye te donn mon. I had a box of cigars that those guys had given me. (PC); Mo achte en bwat bal pou sèrvi dan mo pistole. I bought a box of bullets to use in my pistol. (CA) ♦ M o déposé treize escalins dans la Banque Miché Van Norden, dans in boéte en fer blanc. I deposited thirteen escalins in Mr. Van Norden’s bank, in a tin box. (T34); ‘ boëte' (T8); ‘labouete’ (T34); ‘boate ’, ‘laboate’ (T6) See examples
  2. Mailbox; boîte aux lettres.
     Mo te gen en let anndan mo bwat. I had a letter in my mailbox. (PC) •bwat lamal n.phr. (CA). Mailbox; boîte aux lettres. Mo te pa gen lamal jodi dan mo bwat lamal. I didn’t get any mail today in my mailbox. (CA) bwat-cha n. (PC). Open flatcar (on which sugar cane is transported); wagon plat sans côtés (utilisé dans le transport de la canne à sucre). Anvan ye te gen trèkta te lod sa ave la men, e mile a ale li, kou kote derik e bwat cha-l. Before they had tractors they loaded it by hand, and the mule pulled it to the derrick with the flatcar. (PC) See examples
• bwate PC ( n., adj. )
  1. Lame, limping; boiteux.
     ♦ Derrière nous té ein nhomme déguisé en diable boiteux. Behind us was a man disguised as a lame devil. (T40)Lame person; boiteux. Bòs marye avek en bwateu. Boss was married to a woman who limped. (PC) See examples
• bwaté ST ( n. )
  1. Limp; boitement.
     Li gen en bwate. He has a limp. (ST) See examples
• bwaté CA, MO 60, PC, ST ( v.intr. ) bwété PC anmbwat PC bwat PC
  1. To limp; boiter.
     So nepòl te gonfle, e l e bwate. Its shoulder was swollen and it was limping. (PC); Mo te gen en pikan anba mo pat. Mo t ap bwate. I got a thorn on the sole of my foot. I was limping. (CA); Li t ape bwate dan cheumen. He was limping down the road. (ST) ♦ Alors li prend boité en haut trois pattes. Then he started limping on three paws. (FO T1) See examples
• bwayé CA, ST ( v.intr. )
  1. To bark, howl; aboyer.
     Chyen ap bwaye. The dog is howling. (ST) ♦ Ça to oir la ç’ain ti lamarque collier quand mo mail maré moin lessoirs pou mo boyer. What you see there is a little collar mark from when my master tied me up at night because of my barking. (T22) See examples