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

• bwazé CA, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To reinforce (a levee) with wood; renforcer (une levée) avec du bois.
     M e bwaze li pou tchombo dolo-la ndan flev-la. I reinforce it with wood to keep the water in the river. (PC) See examples
  2. To afforest, plant with timber; boiser.
     Annaryèr-la se tou bwaze e dibwa . In back there, it’s all wooded with trees. (CA) See examples
• bwiwar PC ( n. ) bwiwa PC bouiwa PC
  1. Sugar boiler; bouilloire (dans une sucrerie).
     Ye sèrv bagay-ye pou brule dan bwiwar , pou chofe pou fe STEAM. They use the bagasse to heat in the sugar boiler to make steam. (PC) See examples
• byin gen ( adv., adj. ) bin MO 60, PC
  1. Well; bien.
     Ena en ta le piti ki pa kone byen parle longle AT ALL. There are a lot of kids who don’t know how to speak English well at all. (NE); Mo konnen tou moun-sa-ye byen. I know all those people well. (PC); To gen pou èt debout on li pou life li byen. You have to stand over him for him to do it right. (CA) ♦ Zafair couri assé ben dan comanceman. Things went rather well in the beginning. (T6): Tant ta comporté bien ma va protégé toi. As long as you behave well I will protect you. (FO T15) 2. Very; très. Mo mo te byen malad kan mo te en ti piti. I was very sick when I was a child. (PC); En miraini se kèken kiy byen klèr avèk enn tèt blan ou ben enn tèt rouj. A [miraini] is someone with very light skin and blond or red hair. (BT); To byen fre kan to gen frisan. T ap tranble. You’re very cold when you have the chills. You’re shivering. (CA) ♦ Pa Lapen te en betay ben piti e feb. Brer Rabbit was a very small and weak animal. (JR)1. Good, right; correct, bien, bon. To to dezagreaby to p ole fe sa ki ben. You’re bad, you don’t want to do what’s right. (PC) •fe ben n.phr. (PC). To behave, act right; faire bien, se comporter bien. 2. (To be) right, correct; (avoir) raison. To mal, to pa ben. You’re wrong, you’re not right. (PC) •vini byen n.phr. (PC). To get well, heal; guérir. Ye ote en kidni, ye ote li. M e fe li FINE astè-la, mo ja e vini byen. They took out one of my kidneys. I’m doing fine now, I’m already getting better. (PC) See examples
• byin No sources ( int. ) abin NE, PC ò bin PC ébin NE bin NE
  1. Well; eh bien.
     Mo gen senkont-set-ont ebent don no-tchén ton tou kekén te parle kreol don Pon Bro. I’m 57 years old, well, in our youth everyone spoke Creole in Breaux Bridge. (NE) ♦ Eben! cé vrai. Well! It’s true. (ME); Eh ben , eh bien, et ben. Well, well, well! (NE 1987 passim) See examples
• byin CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Good; bien. •fe di byen
     v.phr. (CA; PC); fe byen (PC); fe du byen (CA). To do good; faire du bien. Bon wiski fe to di byen. Good whiskey does you some good. (PC); Chanje mo dra, pran en ben , sa fe du byen. Changing my sheets and taking a bath does one good. (CA) ♦ Li prann en bon file dan enn boutey e li di, 'safe si fre, mo kwa sa va fe mwen di byen .’ He took a long drink from a bottle and said, ‘That’s so cool, I think it will do me some good.’ (JR) See examples
  2. Property; propriété.
     Li gen en ta dibyen, en ta latèr. Li en gro chyen. He’s got a lot of property, a lot of land. He’s a big shot. (CA) See examples
• byènnèz No sources ( adj. )
  1. Happy; content, heureux.
     ♦ Plisse qué bien aise quan yé gaignin la daube le Dimanche. They’re more than happy when they get a roast to eat on Sundays. (WO) See examples
• byèr No sources ( n. ) la byèr CA, ST la byè PC
  1. Beer; bière.
     Lontan pase , ye te fe labyè osit. Y achte en siro , leu mèm siro sa ye sèrv pou fe dipen. Ena leu leuven andan la. A long time ago we used to make beer too. I would buy a syrup, the same syrup they use to make bread. There is yeast in it. (CA) ♦...Deux barriques la bierre Créole... Two barrels of Creole beer. (T40) See examples
• byèr No sources ( n. )
  1. Coffin, casket; cercueil, bière.
     ♦ Nous pas dans la bière , nous pas dans cimetière. We’re not in our coffin, we’re not in the cemetery. (FO T16) See examples
• byòk PC ( n. )
  1. American bittern; butor d’Amérique, couac. (Botaurus lentiginosus).
• bè No sources ( onom. )
  1. Baa [Sound made by sheep]; bê [cri du mouton et de la brebis].
     ♦ Li couri pran so mouton ki té apé jigoté dan sac, apé crié bê! bê! He ran to get his sheep which was thrashing around in the sack crying Baa! Baa! (T6) See examples
• bèk BT, CA, MO 60, NE, PC ( adv. )
  1. (Verbal prefix which indicates the repetition or the undoing of an action). Back, ré-; ré- [préfixe verbale].
     Va paye le fey deyòr to tou ratonne, va paye sa bèk pour sa sèch ke mo pe brule ye. Go scatter the leaves you’ve raked up, go scatter them back again so they can dry and I can burn them. (BT); ‘Vyen è mon, m a mennen twa bèk, e t a manje e peye twa ben .’ ‘Come with me, I’ll take you back, and you will eat well and be paid well.’ (PC); Ki sila ki bèk ansanm? Who are the ones that are back together? (PC) •dònè bèk v.phr. To give back; rendre, cf. done •lache bèk v.phr. To finish, be out (of school); finir (en parlant de l’école), cf. lache •marye bèk v.phr. To re-marry; remarier, •plase bèk v.phr. To put back; remettre, reposer, cf. plase •tournen bèk v.intr. To return, go back; retourner, cf. reutournè •vini See examples
• bèk No sources ( v.phr. )
  1. To return, come back; revenir, cf. vini 2. Again; de nouveau, encore.
     Li signen bèk ouska li fini pou sòti pou DRAW ponsyon. Li signen ave larmenpou rèste dan larmen. He signed up again until he finished and could draw his pension. He signed up to stay in the army. (PC) See examples
• bèk PC ( n. ) bék NE, PC
  1. Spout (of a kettle); bec (d’une bouilloire).
     Se lœ bèk dœ la grèg. That’s the spout of the coffeepot. (PC) See examples
  2. Hook, hooked point of a sugar cane knife; crochet, pointe crochue d’un couteau de canne.
     Men wè se en bek an kouto dekann. Yes, that’s the point of a sugar cane knife. (PC) See examples
  3. Beak, bill; bec.
     Na de lwazo la pakonn-la chap andan ye bek, li tanm kote baryè. There are some birds the pecan drops from their beak and falls next to the fence. (PC) ♦Yé fait ein litte avec feille, et lendemin, quand yé té zozo encore chaquenne prend ein boutte litte avec yé bec et yé voltigé avec yé sére loin dans lotte pays. They made a nest of leaves, and the next day when they were birds again each one took an end of the bed with their beak and they flew away with their sister into a faraway land. (FO T23) See examples
  4. Kiss; baiser, bécot, bise.
     Bo mon! Don mwa en ti bek! Kiss me! Give me a little kiss! (NE) See examples
• bèk PC ( v.intr. )
  1. To back up, step back; reculer, faire marche arrière.
     Mile-la pati anvon chval-la, paski chval-la petèt a bèk, si wagon a pa MOVE . The mule starts off before the horse, because the horse might back up if the wagon isn’t moving. (PC) See examples
• bèk-fin PC ( n. )
  1. Kind of fish; espèce de poisson.
     En bèk-fen ave en GARFISH sa sam, t wa. A ‘bec-fin’ and a ‘garfish’ look alike. (PC) See examples
  2. Finicky eater; quelqu’un qui est difficile pour la nourriture. (PC)
• bèk-si No sources ( n., n.phr. ) kana bèk-si No sources
  1. American merganser, saw-bill; bec-scie.
     (Mergus americanus). cf. kanar See examples
• bèl CA, MO 60, NE ( n. ) bél PC béll PC
  1. Girlfriend; copine, petite amie, belle.
     La fiy ki li vini avek se sa bèl. The girl he came with is his girlfriend. (NE); La to pa gen en bel to gen marye avek? Don’t you have a girlfriend you’re going to marry? (PC); Se so bèl. Li sra so madam en jour. That’s his girlfriend. She’ll be his wife someday. (CA) ♦ Mo di vou zot tou clair et net, mo belle, oui, c'est Dénise. I’ll tell you all plainly, my sweetheart is Denise. (T11) See examples
• bèl CA, MO 60, NE ( adj. )
  1. Pretty, beautiful, fine; beau, joli.
     En bèl journen. A beautiful day. (MO 60); Li te gen en bèl rob . She had a beautiful dress. (NE); Sèt en bèl dam. Li te byen abiye. She’s a beautiful woman. She was well-dressed. (CA) REM: This is a feminine variant of bo. ♦Ein cordonnier dans ein piti la ville té gagnin ein belle fille. A shoemaker in a small town had a beautiful daughter. (FO T21) See examples
• bèl-danm PC ( n. ) bél-dòm PC bé-dòm PC
  1. Paddlefish, spoonbill; espèce de poisson-chat. (Polyodon spathula).
     Ye gen tou kalite pwason, ye gen kap, ye gen bel-dòm. They’ve got all kinds of fish, they’ve got carp, they’ve got spoonbill catfish. (PC) See examples
• bèl-dè-nwit PC ( n. )
  1. Chamber pot; pot de chambre.
• bèl-fiy PC ( n. )
  1. Daughter-in-law; belle-fille.
     Se mo bèl-fiy. That’s my daughter-in-law. (PC) See examples
• bèl-mèr MO 60 ( n. ) bél-mè PC
  1. Mother-in-law; belle-mère.
     Sa se mo monm on, e sa se mo popa, e sa se mo bel-mè. This is my mom, and that’s my dad, and that’s my mother-in-law. (PC) ♦Jéne fille conté ça so belle-mère té fait li. The young girl told what her mother-in-law had done to her. (FO T23) See examples
• bèl-mò PC ( n. ) bè-mò PC binl-mò PC bon lamòr PC
  1. Natural death; belle mort.
     Si se pa so bè-mò kèkenn tchwe li. If he didn’t die of natural causes, someone killed him. (PC) See examples
• bèl-sœr PC ( n. ) bèl-sè CA, PC
  1. Sister-in-law; belle-soeur.
     Pale ma bèl-sœr. Sa parl franse. Talk to my sister-in-law. She speaks French. (PC); Apre mo sòrti la mès, mo vini isi, mo kwi mo dinen e apre sa mo gonn kote mo bèl-sè. After I got out of mass, I came here, I cooked my lunch, and then I went to my sister-in-law’s house. (CA) See examples
• bèngkròp PC ( adj. )
  1. Bankrupt; failli, qui a fait faillite.
     Plen andan ye vini bèngkròp, ye te gen vann tou machin ye vonn latè e tou. A lot of them went bankrupt, they had to sell all their machines and their land and everything. (PC) See examples
• bènn CA, PC ( n. )
  1. (Musical) band; orchestre, groupe (musical).
     Ye te konnen gen benn ye jwe mo konnen, mo te va pa. They used to have their band, I knew they were playing, (but) I didn’t go. (PC); Enave en benn ki t ap jwe lamizik pou en dans. There was a band that was playing music for a dance. (CA) ♦ La pa lé gaignin bande misique... deu prête... Choual couver... tou ki chose. She’s going to have a band... two priests... covered horses... everything. (WO) See examples
• bènn No sources ( n. ) labonn PC
  1. Wedding ring, wedding band; alliance.
• bènndjo PC ( n. ) bindjo PC bandjo CA
  1. Banjo; banjo.
     Te konnen jwe en benndjo. They used to play the banjo. (PC) ♦ Yé n'avait deux banjo, deux paires rakatcha, ein rara et ein laflute en canne maronne. There were two banjos, two pairs of spurs, a rattle and a wild cane flute. (T40); ‘banjo' (T14; T32) See examples
• bèr PC ( n. ) bè PC
  1. Mosquito netting; moustiquaire.
     En syèl-lit, to me sa on lit-la. La to mete en bèr kon èna marangwon. A canopy, you put that on the bed. Then you put on mosquito netting when there are mosquitoes. (PC) ♦ Li leve bèr lit la. He lifted up the mosquito netting on the bed. [‘bère'] (JR) See examples
• bèrdasé No sources ( v.intr. )
  1. To stroll, wander; flâner.
     ♦Lapin la cou coucher, et pis sauter, danser, et berdasser longtemps. Rabbit went to lie down, then to jump, and dance, and stroll a long while. (T26) See examples
• bèrjé No sources ( n. )
  1. Shepherd; berger, pâtre.
     ♦ Li tendé ein berger apé vini avec so troupeau. He heard a shepherd approaching with his flock. (FO T26) See examples
• bèrnin CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To soil, smear (with); salir, barbouiller (de).
     To bèrnen richte tou partou. You are smeared all over with vomit. (CA); Piti-la li bèrnen kaka. Li gen deranjman. The child is soiled with poop. He has loose bowels. (CA) See examples
• bèrso PC ( n. )
  1. Cradle, crib; berceau.
     Li bèrse leu ti beube dan son bèrso. She rocked the baby in its cradle. (PC) See examples
• bèrsèz CA ( n. ) bèséz PC bèrséz PC
  1. Rocking chair; fauteuil à bascule, berceuse.
     Sètè en bèsez me li ja fini, se pi bèsez astè. It was a rocking chair, but it’s messed up now. That’s no rocking chair anymore. (PC); Si to asit an en bèrsèz, t ap bèrse. If you’re sitting in a rocking chair, you’re rocking. (CA) ♦Ye met Konpè Lapen asit don en bèsèz. They sat Brer Rabbit down in a rocking chair, [‘bèsèz'] (LA) See examples
  2. Crib, cradle; berceau.
     Li mèt ti bebe-la kouche dan bèrsèz-la. She laid the baby down in its crib. (PC) See examples
• bèrsé CA ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) bèsé PC bèrs CA
  1. To rock; bercer.
     Li bèrse ti bebe-la dan bèrsèz-la. She rocked the baby in its cradle. (PC); To bèrs li pou li dòrmi. You rock him so he’ll sleep. (CA) ♦ ‘bècer' (PE)To rock (e.g. in a rocking chair); se balancer (p.ex. dans un fauteuil à bascule). Si to asit an en bèrsèz, t ap bèrse. If you’re sitting in a rocking chair, you’re rocking. (CA) ♦ Li té fé Blanche fé tou l'ouvrage, p endan ké Rose té assite apé bercé. She would compel Blanche to do all the work, while Rose was sitting rocking. (T30) See examples
• bèt CA ( adj., adv. ) bét PC
  1. Dumb, stupid; bête, stupide, idiot.
     Li di piti-ye oti dan la tet dechou. E nouzòt te si bet e nou kou wa. He said that children came from heads of cabbage. And we were so stupid we went to see. (PC); To fouti enbesil. To pli bèt k en bosal. You damned fool. You’re more stupid than a bossai. (CA) ♦Faut to bien bête pour croi ça! You have to be really dumb to believe that! (T35)Stupidly, idiotically; bêtement, stupidement. Ena ki parl kreyòl bet, ena ki parl kreyòl avek plen rèspri. There are some people who speak Creole stupidly, there are others who speak it with a lot of wit. (PC) See examples
• bèt BT, CA, MO 60, NE, ST ( n. ) bèk MO 60 bét PC
  1. Animal; bête, animal.
     La mèyèr ras dè bèt The best race of animals. (MO 60); Onho leu kou la bèt to pe fe de dòb, swa to pe fe sa nou pèl de NECKCHOP. You can make roasts out of the animal’s neck, or you can make what we call neckchops. (BT) ♦ To oua, dit Bouki, c’est dé plis gros bétes qué yé na dans moune et c’est yé qui plis fort que les otes zanimaux. ‘You see’, said Bouki, ‘they’re the biggest animals that there are in the world, and they are stronger than the other animals.’ (FO TI) •’bête sauvage’ n.phr. Wild animal; béte farouche, sauvage. ♦Tigue la té pair comme dyabe, et dépi temps la chien jamin béte sauvage. Tiger was as scared as the devil, and since that time the dog has never been a wild animal. (FO T12) •bet a kon nphr. (PC); bet a konn (CA; PC). Horned animal (e.g. cows, goats); bête a corne (p.ex. vaches, chèvres). Mo te konnen galope bet a kon; mo te uch lache ye. I used to let the homed livestock run; I simply let them loose. (PC); En chevrey, en kabri, en lavach gen konn. Se en bèt a konn. A deer, a goat, a cow have horns. It’s a horned animal. (CA) •bèt-a-mil-pat n.phr. (ST). Centipede; mille-pattes, scolopendre. Bèt-a-mil-pat-le move. Centipedes are bad. (ST) •pòv bèt nphr. (NE), Poor thing; pauvre petit, pauvre bête. ci. pòv See examples
  2. Cow, cattle; vache(s), bétail.
     En kochon sa pran dlo cho pour grate l kochon, e la bèt i fo kòrche sa. A pig, you need hot water to scrape its hide, and a cow, you have to skin that. (BT) See examples
• bèt-piyant ST ( n. ) bèk-piyant MO 60
  1. Skunk; mouffette, putois.
• bé PC, ST ( n. )
  1. Bay; baie.
     ♦Dans la nouit là mo mait nèvini la baie. That night my master came back from the bay. ( T27 ) •la Grann Be place n. (PC). Grand Bay; la Grande Baie. Dèryè la be, se Koto. La Grann Be. Behind La Baie is Coteau. The Grande Baie. (PC) See examples
• bébèl CA ( n. )
  1. Toy; jouet. (CA)
  2. Nicknack; bibelot.
     Mo gen en ta bebèl an mo latwalèt. I’ve got a lot of nicknacks on my dressing table. (CA) See examples
• bébé gen ( n. ) bebé PC bèbè PC
  1. Baby; bébé.
     Li bèrse leu ti beube dan son bèrso. She rocked the baby in its cradle. (PC); M ap ale batize mo ti bebe dimanch. I’m going to baptize my baby on Sunday. (CA); Ye te gen bebe ki te pa kapab bwar dule lavach. There were babies who couldn’t drink cow’s milk. (ST) ♦ I nave enn fwa enn fonm te gen en ti bebe e nave en vye fonm ki tonn di nave en ti bebe ki te jis ne. There was once a woman who had had a baby, and there was an old woman who heard that there was a newborn baby. (LA) •bebe tou nesan n.phr. (BT). Newborn; nouveau-né. •bebe nouvo-ne exp.n. (ST). Newborn; nouveau-né. •gen ti bebe v.phr. (PC); gen en bebe (ST). To have a baby; accoucher d’un enfant. Ka moun te gen ti bebe, jodi ye galope kote lopital. When people had a baby, nowadays they go to the hospital. (PC) •trouve en bebe v.phr. (BT); trouvè en bebe, trouve piti (PC); trouve en piti (BT). To have a baby; accoucher d’un enfant. So fonm a nonm-sa-la gen pou trouve en ti bebe, byen gros. That man’s wife is going to have a baby, she is really big. (BT) •mennen bèbè v.phr. To have a baby; accoucher d’un enfant, cf. mène See examples
• béglé CA, PC, ST ( v.intr. ) bœrglé CA
  1. To bellow, bray; beugler, braire.
     Li gen en gro lavwa, koute so gro ladjel-la, le e begle kòm en lavach-la. He has a big voice. Listen to his big mouth,he’s bellowing like a cow. (PC); Vach-ye ape beglé parskè tan-la pase pou tre ye. The cows are bellowing because it’s past time to milk them. (CA); Mo latrip ape bœrgle. My guts are bellowing. (ST) ♦Dans méme moment la li tendé Compair Taureau apé béglé et gratté la terre et voyé la poussière en haut so dos. At the same time, he heard Brer Bull bellowing and scraping the ground and throwing dust up onto his back. (FO T2); (FO T15); ‘bégler’ (PE) See examples
• bégéyé CA, PC ( v.intr. )
  1. To stutter; bégayer.
     Sèle en lekòl pou begeye. It was a school for stuttering. (PC) See examples
• békas PC ( n. ) bèkas PC békak PC
  1. Woodcock; bécasse.
     (Philohela minor), •bekas de nwi n.phr. (CA; PC). Woodcock; bécasse. ( Philohela minor). See examples
• béki CA ( n. )
  1. Crutch; béquille.
     Li sèr pa beki. Li gen enjanm e en janm an lyèj. Me li march pa parey ke nouzot. He doesn’t use crutches. He has a real leg and a wooden leg. But he doesn’t walk like us. (CA) See examples
• békinn No sources ( n. ) bèkinn PC, NE
  1. Bacon; bacon.
• békròsh CA, PC ( n. ) bèkròsh CA
  1. Spanish curlew, white ibis; bec-croche, ibis blanc. (Guara alba L.).
     Tue le bèkròch, se kont la lwa. Killing the white ibis is against the law. (CA) See examples
• béké CA ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) békté PC béké PC
  1. To peck (at), pick at, nibble; becqueter, donner des coups de bec (à), grignoter.
     En zozo beke so manje. A bird pecks at its food. (CA)To kiss, neck; s’embrasser, se bécoter. ♦ Yé caressé et béké com pizon kapé fé roucoutoucou. They were caressing each other and kissing like cooing doves. (T7); ‘ béqué ’ (T11) ♦Dezefs apé béqueté dans n'arbe, dans poulaillé. Eggs are being pecked in the trees and the henhouses. (T27) See examples
• bélyé PC ( n. ) bèlyé PC
  1. Ram, billy goat; bélier, boue.
     Sa se en mal kabri, to pel li en bèlye. That’s a male goat, you call it a billy goat. (PC) See examples
• bélé CA ( v.intr. )
  1. To bleat; bêler.
     Mouton-la ap bele. Li pa konen trouve so moman. The sheep is bleating. It can’t find its mother. (CA) See examples