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
Information on contents and orthography:
(see more)
- 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
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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
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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
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disan
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Blood; sang. cf. san
-
disontri
CA
(
n.
)
-
Dysentery; dysenterie.
♦ Pou la disontri-kon de ti bebe ape pèrse ye don, vou pron de mòv e vou bouyi li don en kwòrt dolo. For dysentery, when babies are cutting teeth, you take some mallow and you boil it in a quart of water. [‘dysenterie’] (BI)
See examples
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disoud
CA
(
v.tr.
)
dèzolé
PC
-
To dissolve; dissoudre.
I gen dè gro palet ki tourn ndon, pou DISSOLVE li, dèzole li pou fe li vini klè. (The vat) has paddles which turn to dissolve it, to turn it a lighter color. (PC); To kapab pran en kilirie disèl a pirje pou disoud dan la limonad. To dele sa. You can take a teaspoon of purging salt to dissolve in lemonade. You water it down. (CA) ♦ [Pou] foulir, to pronn di vineg e la kre. to disoud la kre-la don vineg-la. For a sprain, you take vinegar and some chalk. You dissolve the chalk in the vinegar. (BI)
See examples
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disparèt
CA, NE, PC
(
v.intr.
)
disparé
PC, ST
-
To disappear; disparaître.
Fifole-ye te e konnen vini e li te gen en ti lalimyè, vou te wa e dèn, li te dispare. Ka li disparèt to konnen fifole-la te vini la pou fe to soti. Will-o’-the-wisps would come out, and they had a little light that you would see and then they would disappear. When they disappeared you knew the will-o’-the-wisps had come to get you to come outside. (PC) ♦ Jean té bien content, et dézoi diparaite [sic] méme manière qué ti poulet yé. John was quite happy, and the goose disappeared just like the chickens. (FO T26); disparet (JR); ‘ disparaite’ (T40; FO T4)
See examples
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dispit
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Dispute, argument; dispute.
♦ Yé to trouvé yé tou rassemblé pou tendé dispite Doctair Macaque avé Michié Rénard. They had all assembled to hear the dispute of Dr. Monkey and Mr. Fox. (FO 1887)
See examples
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dispité
CA, PC
(
v.intr.
)
-
To argue; se disputer.
Ye t ape dispite e la batay pran plas. They were arguing and the fight took place. (CA) ♦ Si t olé dispité pas couri côté jige, pasque y a oté toi jis qu’a to vié chimige. If you want to argue don’t go before the judge, because he’ll take from you even your old shirt. (T24)
See examples
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distans
CA
(
n.
)
distons
PC, BT
diston
PC
-
Distance; distance.
Si vou kou en distons, enen en chmen kote gòch. If you go a certain distance, there’s a road on the lefthand side. (PC) ♦ Kon Bouki pati, li fe en sèten distons, apopre en mil. When Bouki left, he went a little ways, about a mile. [ ' distance ‘ ] (DU)
See examples
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distingé
PC
(
v.
)
-
To distinguish; distinguer.
Se mèm dekann-lan, men li di sa, se pou distenge, èna èn ki plu vye kè lòt. It’s the same sugar cane, but he says that to distinguish, since one is older than the other. (PC) ♦ 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)
See examples
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distraksyon
MO 60
(
n.
)
-
Entertainment, amusement; amusement, divertissement. (MO 60) 2, Distraction; distraction.
T ape parle pou kèkchoz e keken ye vyen avèk en not choz e to bliye sa to t ape dispite. Sa se en distraksyon. You’re talking about something and someone comes with another thing and you forgot what you were arguing about. That’s a distraction. (CA)
See examples
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diswif
MO 60, NE
(
n.
)
-
Tallow, suet; suif.
Ye te pran diswif bef ye te fe en graton. They used to take beef tallow and make cracklings. (PC) ♦ Pou mal de tet pron di swif met sa on le fey refòr e mare tou sa dèryè to latet. For headaches take some tallow, put it on horseradish leaves and tie that around your head. (LA)
See examples
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disèl
CA, MO 60, NE
(
n.
)
dusèl
PC
disèl
PC
-
Salt; sel.
Mo manj pa SALTINES me mo manj sila ke pa gen disèl. I don’t eat Saltines, but I eat the salt-free ones. (CA) •Pi la li pron di pwav e di sel e li met on lapo. Then he took some pepper and some salt and he put it on the skin. (LA) •disèl gro gren n.phr. (CA); dusèl a gro gren (CA). Coarse-grained salt; sel à gros grains. To me dusèl a gro gren andan laglas pou fe lakrèm. You put coarse-grained salt in the ice to make ice cream. (CA) ♦ Met en pense di sel a gro gren, e lave zye-ye avek sa. Put in a pinch of large-grained salt, and wash your eyes out with that. (BI) •dusèl de klo n.phr. Salt used as fertilizer for cotton; sel utilisé comme engrais pour le coton. Dusèl de klo sète en sèl keu tu pran pou sème kòm en FERTILIZE[R]. Field salt is a salt that you sow, like fertilizer. (BT) •disèl a pirje n.phr. (CA; PC); disèl a pije (PC). Epsom salt, purging salt; sel d’Epsom, sel à purger. Ye fe en demi vèr dolo e disèl a pirje pou la konstipasyon. They make a half glass of water with purging salt for constipation. (CA) •dusèl èpsann n.phr. (PC); disèl lòpsòn, disèl èpsan (PC). Epsom salt; sel d’Epsom. Dusèl èpsann. Apre lwil. To pran lwil jodi, e, peu pre de jou to pran disel-la. Epsom salt, after oil. You take oil nowadays, and then a couple days later you take Epsom salt (to purge). (PC) ♦ En ti kirelye di sel opsonm. A teaspoonful of Epsom salt. (BI) •disèl latab n.phr. (CA). Table salt; sel de table.
See examples
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dité
CA, MO 60, NE, PC
(
n.
)
dyté
CA, ST
té
BT
-
Tea; thé.
Ranje vou en ti tode, en ti te cho kòm en te. Fix a little herbal tea for yourself, a little hot tea. (BT); My mother used to make hot tea. (PC); Mo fre. M ape fe mwa en tas dute pou chofe man. I’m cold. I’m making myself a cupo of tea to warm me up. (CA) ♦ [Pou] lafyèv ; fe en di te avek mongilye. For fever, make a tea with some marsh elder. (BI) •dite mouton n.phr. (PC). Sheep tea, medicinal tea used against a fever; thé de mouton. Mo krwa dite mouton, se kek kalte dite ti gen de lefey mwòyen blan, mo kwa. I think that sheep tea is a kind of tea that has whitish leaves, I think. (PC)
See examples
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divin
CA, NE, PC
(
n.
)
duvin
PC
-
Wine; vin.
Mo fe diven mo-mèm evèk de mir, de rezen e de soko e d lamèriz. I make wine myself, with blueberries, grapes, and muscadine grapes and cherries. (CA); En bon diven. A good wine. (NE) ♦ Mo mangé bin mo boir’ du vin, ça pas coûté arien. I eat well, I drink some wine, it doesn’t cost me anything. (T11)
See examples
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divizé
CA, PC
(
v.tr.
)
diviz
PC
-
To divide, separate; diviser, séparer.
La mayè ye diviz le milat e le neg, se le chfeu. The way they distinguish mulattoes from blacks is the hair. (PC) ♦ En jou Pa Lapen te travaye avek Pa Bouki dan dezè. Ye te fe rekòt ansam lannen-sa-la. Ye te ranje pou divize egal o bout lannen. One day Brer Rabbit was working with Brer Bouki in the field. They were doing the harvest together that year. They agreed to divide everything equally at the end of the year. (JR)
See examples
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divèn
CA, PC
(
v.tr.
)
-
To devein (shrimp); enlever l’intestin (d’une crevette).
To divèn ye. You devein them. (PC)
See examples
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divòrs
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Divorce; divorce.
Ye te mariye diz an e ye ale wa pou en divòrs. They were married ten years and they went to see about a divorce. (CA) ♦ Ah bah, dit lé Roi, to pas connin arien, to bien marié devant léglise, mo pas capabe donnin toi divorce. ‘Bah,’ said the king, ‘you know nothing, you were married before the church, I can’t grant you a divorce.’ (FO T15)
See examples
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divòrsé
NE
(
v.tr.
)
-
To divorce; divorcer (d’avec).
Enave en garson, mo moman di man li va divòrse twa kòm so papa. There was a boy my mother told me, he’ll divorce you like his dad. (CA)
See examples
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diz-nèf
NE, PC
(
num.card.
)
diz-ne
PC
-
Nineteen; dix-neuf.
Mo ne diz-nèf san trez . Fèvriye leu vèn-trwa. I was bom in 1913. February 23. (PC)
See examples
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diz-uit
PC
(
num.card.
)
diz-wi
BT
diz-wit
NE
-
Eighteen; dix-huit.
Li gen diz-uit an. He’s eighteen years old. (PC); Kite li vini apœpre diz-wi mwa avan to dont li. To let it [a horse] reach 18 months old before you tame it. (BT)
See examples
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dizel
BT
(
n.
)
-
Diesel fuel; gasoil.
Se nòt gazolin pi dizeul pou mèt sa dan le machin. That is our gasoline and diesel to put in the engines. (BT)
See examples
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diñ
No sources
(
adj.
)
-
Worthy; digne.
♦ Yé di mo pas digne rempli fonction là que mo rempli jusqu' a c’theure avec in dignité qui embété yé. They said I wasn’t worthy to fill the position that I have been filling up till now with a worthiness that irritates them. (T34)
See examples
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diñité
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Worthiness, dignity; dignité.
♦ Avec in dignité. With a worthiness. (T34)
See examples
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dja
PC
(
n.
)
-
Canning jar; boîte de conserve, pot.
Mo gran-momon te me sa dan kenn, sa ste pou dan livè. Nou se gen ouvè en dja e manje, nou te toujou gen nou fri. My grandmother used to put (apples) in cans, that was for winter. We’d just open a jar and eat some, we always had our fruit. (PC) cf. jar
See examples
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djab
NE
(
n.
)
-
The Devil; le diable.
Djab osi fo kè Bondjè astè. The Devil is as strong as God now. (PC) ♦ Enho chimin ein moune oua djab et dit li: - Donne moin mo cravate, et mo col, ça mo té prété toi. On the road, a person saw the devil and said, ‘Give me my tie and the collar that I lent you.’ (FO T19); ‘ diable’(T5;T40); ‘djab’’djiabe’ (T6); ‘djabe’ (T13; T25) •’comme djab’ adv.phr. (As X) as the devil; (aussi X) que le diable. ♦ Ye méné moin au calaboosse, où yé fermé moin pou lanuit dans ein lachambre noir com diable. They took me to jail where they shut me up for the night in a room as black as the devil. (T39) REM: Occurs in numerous expressions such as ‘noir comme djab ’, ‘ri comme djab’, ‘per comme djab’ (NE 1987 passim), •’d’jab t’emporte’ exp. May the devil take you, Go to hell! Que le diable t’emporte! Au diable! ♦Tout moun parti colère et dit li djab t’emporte . Everyone left in anger and told him, The devil take you! (T27) •’couri diable’ exp. Go to hell; Au diable! ♦ Mo bo parlé né gues, yé réponde moin: couri diable . It doesn’t do me any good to talk to the blacks, they tell me ‘Go to hell’. (T34) •vye djab n.phr. (CA; PC); vyœ djab (PC). The Devil; le diable, cf. djab
See examples
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int. The devil; le diable.
•Où djab n’homme là sorti? et qui ça l apé dit? Where the devil did that man come from? And what is he saying? (T27) •ke djab! int. The devil! Que diable! • Ke djab! li di, konman to f e rive isi avan mwen? ‘The devil!’ he said, ‘How did you manage to get here before me?’ (JR)
See examples
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djab-bouyi
BT
(
adv.
)
-
Far away; loin d’ici.
Ye o djab-bouyi. They are far away from here. (BT)
See examples
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djabay
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Devil; diable.
♦ Coman va fé, vaillan djabaille, vou ki linmin valsé', kan blan layé, wa donnin bal vou pa capab alé. What will you do, you handsome devil, you who like to waltz so much, when the whites give a dance and you can’t go? (WO)
See examples
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djablès
CA
(
n.
)
-
Devil woman; diablesse.
Li te si maskarade li te sanble en vje djablès. She was so disguised she looked like an old devil woman. (CA) •Li kouri wa Madanm Djab e li mannde djables-la kanman li se charje li pou fe li vini gro konm en chevrey. He went to see Mrs. Devil and he asked the demoness how much she would charge to make him turn as big as a deer. (JR)
See examples
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djaboun
PC
(
n.
)
-
Ghost; revenant, fantôme, esprit.
Nouzòt nou se kònè pel sa de djaboun. We used to call those ghosts. (PC)
See examples
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djaré
PC
(
n.
)
-
Diarrhea; diarrhée.
Mo gen la djare. I have diarrhea. (PC)
See examples
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djinnkèlmèn
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Gentleman; monsieur.
♦ Là li çorti aine ki té samblé kom si li té pacé avé ein fair yé arpacé chimige djinkel-maine. Then he brought out one that looked like it had been gone over with an iron like they used to iron a gentleman’s shirts. (T17)
See examples
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djob
BT, CA, MO 60, PC
(
n.
)
djab
CA
-
Job; emploi, poste.
Mon biznis se en lèstoron. Mon djob se en COOK . My business is a restaurant, and my job is a cook. (BT); Mo gen en bon djab. Mo ete angaje yè. I’ve got a good job. I was hired yesterday. (CA); Ena enn fwa nou kou on djòb... One time we went on a job... (PC) •Mo commencé ain ti job pou Madame Tibau... I’ve started a little job for Madame Thibault. (WO) • fe en bon djob v.phr. (PC). To do a good job; bien faire l’affaire. Vou ka pase sa kote-la, sa a kase la krout, tou sa fe en bon djob chak kote. You can pass the little plow over the ground, it breaks the outer layer, that does a good job on both sides. (PC)
See examples
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djompa
PC
(
n.
)
djonmpa
PC
djanpa
CA
-
Two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle, jumper (usually for one person); voiture à deux roues (qui sert à transporter une personne).
En djanpa se pou en pèrsòn. Se tire par en chval. A jumper is for one person. It’s pulled by a horse. (CA)
See examples
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djounya
PC
(
n.
)
-
Cultivator, Jack harrow; cultivateur.
Men chwini-la, li pas patè li ramas tou lèb-la. Si vou gen djounya-la, vou e kiltive lèb-la. But the small harrow, it passes over the ground and pulls up all the grass. If you have a ‘Junior’ you’re growing grass. (PC)
See examples
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djyaman
CA
(
n.
)
djiyamon
PC
-
Diamond; diamant.
Nou kache djiyamon-la anmba matla-la. We hid the diamonds under the mattress. (PC); Li gen en ta djyaman an so dwa. She’s got a lot of diamonds on her finger. (CA) •Voilà tout plein joli kichoge ki sorti dan dézef layé: diamant, l'or, bel voiture, belle larobe. There are all of the pretty things that came out of the eggs: diamonds, gold, beautiful cars, beautiful dresses. (T30); ‘diamant’ (T27); ‘djiaman’ (T7)
See examples
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djòg
CA, PC
(
n.
)
jòg
PC
-
Jug, bottle; cruche.
Moun-ye e bwa ye gro djòg wiski, la bwason e fe gonmbo. The people were drinking their big jugs of whiskey, drinking and making gumbo. (PC); Mo te fe diven demir andan djòg-la. I made blackberry wine in the jug. (CA) •Lapen parti kote djòg-la e bwa li en bon file. Rabbit went to get the jug, and he took a long swig. (JR); jug ‘ (FO T5)
See examples
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djœl
BT
(
n.
)
ladjèl
CA, PC
ladjél
PC
ladjéyl
PC
djèl
CA, MO 60, NE
lagèl
MO 60
-
Mouth, face; bouche, gueule, visage.
Mo di chè, tape bavarde ta djœl, ben, mo di vyen. I said, ‘Cher! You’re rattling on and on, I said come on!’ (BT); Mo bimen so ladjèl byen. I hit his mouth well. (CA) ♦ Compair Toyot si tan colair, li mordi latché Compair Zoâ ki pati volé en 1ère et lessé so latché dan djole Compair Tayot. Brer Hound was so mad, he bit Brer Goose’s tail, and the latter took flight and left his tail in Brer Hound’s mouth. (T3); ‘lageole’ (T20); ‘lagueule’ (T33); ‘ladjôle’ (T2; T8); ‘ladjole’, ‘ladjeole’, ‘ladgeole’ (T18-27) •gro ladjèl n.phr. (CA). Bigmouth, loudmouth; gueulard, • pe to ladjel! Shut your mouth! Ferme ta gueule! cf. pe
See examples
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Opening of a sack; ouverture d’un sac. (PC)
•Konm de fet Djab garde an ba, e konm li tonbe dan sak-la, Katafo mare ladjel-la. Just as the Devil looked down and fell into the sack, Catafo tied its opening shut. (JR)
See examples
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Mouth (of a bottle); embouchure.
A, mo wa djòg-la. Te gen en bouchon e ki rant anndan ladjeyl-la. Oh yes, I saw the jug. It had a cork in its mouth. (PC)
See examples
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do
NE
(
int.
)
-
[Used for emphasis]. Though, you know; pourtant, tu sais.
Ye parl pa kreol isi, do. They don’t speak Creole here, though. (NE)
See examples
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do
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Back; dos.
Mo do demonch. My back itches. (PC); Li tou kroch. So do bosi bosi. He’s all deformed. His back is very hunchbacked. (CA) •Si to oulé, mo poté toi on mo do moké chimin. If you want, I’ll carry you on my back half the way. (T3); ‘dos’ (T25; T30; T36); ‘do’ (T6; ME) •do bosi n.phr. (PC). Hunchback; bossu. Li gen en do bosi. He’s a humpback. (PC) •do d lamen n.phr. (CA; PC). Back of the hand; dos de la main. Sa se l do d lamen. That’s the back of the hand. (PC); Mo va pase to en tap antèr do lamen. I’m going to slap you on the back of the hand. (CA) •do lavaz n.phr. (PC). Mossback fish; espèce de poisson. •do si do adv.phr. (CA). Back to back; dos à dos. Mo lamezon avèk mo lanyès, no te do si do. My house was back to back with my niece’s. (CA)
See examples
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dob
CA
(
n.
)
dòb
BT
ladob
CA
-
Roast; rôti.
Vyen pase la journe dimanch. M ale kwi en gro dòb. Come over and spend the day on Sunday. I’m going to cook a big roast. (BT) •Yé pa mangé ça ché moin, mêmé. Plisse qué bien aise quan yé gaignin la daube le Dimanche. They don’t eat that at my place. They’re more than happy when they get a roast to eat on Sundays. (WO) •dob glase n.phr. Meat cooked in fat which forms a gel around it; viande cuite dans de la graisse, autour de laquelle une gelée se forme.
See examples
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Stew (with roasted meat in it); ragoût, daube (qui contient de la viande rôtie).
Mo te gen en bon lapen pou fe en ladob. Se bon. I had a nice rabbit to make a stew. It’s good. (CA)
See examples
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dodo
CA
(
v.intr.
)
-
To sleep; dormir.
M ap ale fe twa dodo. To fatige. I’m going to put you to sleep. You’re tired. (CA) •Jamais après mo repas mo té va dodo sur lachaise. Never after a meal would I take a nap in the chair. (T39)
See examples
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dofin
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Dolphin; dauphin.
•Batiman chaviré; tou moune apé nager, macac oucite. Ain dofin oua li, é comme li té cré que cété ain nomme, li soulevé li pou porter li coté la terre. The boat capsized; everyone was swimming, the monkey too. A dolphin saw it, and since he thought it was a man, he lifted it up to carry it to land. (ME 90)
See examples
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doktœr
BT, ST
(
n.
)
doktèr
CA, MO 60, NE
doktè
PC
dòktè
PC
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Doctor; docteur, médecin.
E leu doktœr di mwa pa trakase, paski se pa ryen ke sra tro move. The doctor tells me not to worry, he says it’s nothing too serious. (BT); Nave pa doktèr pou le moun koulœr. There was no doctor for colored people. (NE) •Kan li rive li trouve so de frè-ye te fini lekòl. Ni enn ni lòt te fe larjan. Doktè-la te pa gen pratik e avoka-la pase so tan a lir. When he got back he found that his two brothers had finished school, but neither one was making any money., The doctor had no clients and the lawyer spent his time reading. (JR); ‘doctair’ (T4); ‘docter’ (T19) •doktè pou dezo n.phr. (PC). Osteopath; ostéopathe. Se en doktè sa pou dezo. He’s an osteopath. (PC) •doktèr dè betay n.phr. (MO 60). Veterinarian; vétérinaire. Lé gran doktèr dè betay. The great veterinarian. (MO 60)
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dolo
CA, MO 60, NE, PC
(
n.
)
dilo
MO 60, NE, NE, PC
dlo
MO 60, NE, NE, PC
lo
BT, CA, NE
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Water; eau.
Dolo-sa-la e galope anndan larivyè laba. This water runs into the river down there. (PC); Mo vini ondon dolo apepre sèz o ven pye de profondèr. I got into the water at a depth of about sixteen or twenty feet. (NE) •Eune jour li voyé Blanche coté pi cherché dolo dans eune baquet One day he sent Blanche to the well to get water in a bucket. (T30); ' dolo ‘ (NE 1987 passim); ‘dol’eau’ (TI8; T27; T39) •dolo troub n.phr. (PC). Troubled waters; eau trouble. •dolo ho n.phr. (CA; PC; ST); dolo wo (PC). Flood, high water; inondation. Nou te ramas lamous NINETEEN vennt-set, kan dolo ho-lò vini. A mizi dolo-a te e bèk, nouzòt te e vonse on li, e te ramas lamous. We were gathering moss in 1927 when the big flood came. As the water receded, we advanced on it, gathering moss. (PC) •fe dolo v.phr. (CA). To pee, take a pee; faire pipi. Norin te reveye man pou ale fe dolo dan chanm a Mam. Norinne would wake me up to make peepee in Mom’s room. (CA) •lo béni n.phr. (BT; CA); dolo béni (CA; NE). Holy water; eau bénite. Lo beni? To peu roze sa dan ta mezon avan to va kouche. Sa id twa. Sa beni ta mezon. Holy water? You can sprinkle that in your house before you go to bed. That helps you. It blesses your house. (BT) •lo d kòlogn n.phr. (CA). Cologne; eau de Cologne. Mo mo sèr lo d kòlogn parske sa pay lodèr. I use Cologne because it covers up odors. (CA) ♦ Couri cherché dolo tchiède dan ain gran bakié. Va vidé ladan ain flacon plin dolo cologne, épi va lavé vou piti Chant-d’Oisel, comme vou té fé dan tan lé zot foi. Go get a bucket of lukewarm water. Empty a bottle of cologne in it, and then wash your little Birdsong, just as you did in the old days. (ME)
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Body of water; espace d’eau.
En lil annt dè dolo. An island is between two bodies of water. (PC)
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Tear; larme.
Li t ape pleure. Li te gen dolo tou partou an so figir. He was crying. He had tears all over his face. (CA)
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domaj
CA, NE
(
n.
)
domaj
CA, PC
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Shame, pity ; dommage.
Se domaj to pa kapab marche. It’s a pity you can’t walk. (CA) ♦ Dommage yé pas capab après yé tous sortis, rentré, si fret vini, comme ti latéte torti. Too bad they can’t go back inside, if it turns cold again, just like the turtle’s head. (T27)
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Damage; dommages, dégâts.
Enave en ta divan e sa fe domaj dan mo lamezon. There was a lot of wind and it did damage in my house. (CA); Parey konm to monte en lamezon e lamezon-la pa byen, li gen domaj an-o la, to pa gen li byen ranje. Just like if you build a house and the house isn’t right, it has damage to it, you don’t have it fixed properly. (PC)
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domajé
ST
(
v.tr.
)
damajé
PC
demajé
CA
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To damage; endommager.
Lamezon te tou deumaje apre loragon. The house was all damaged after the hurricane. (CA)
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domijàn
No sources
(
n.
)
danmijan
CA
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Demijohn; dame-jeanne.
Dan tan lachechrès, no te va chèrche dolo dan pi artezyen e no mèt gro danmijan sen galon anlèr treno e no trennen li jichka lamezon. In periods of drought we would go get water in the Artesian well. We would put a big five gallon jug on the land sled and we dragged it to the house. (CA) ♦ En jis vye met te vwaye mo gron-pe pòrte en domijan diven so vwazen don lòt bitasyon. A just old master had sent my grandfather to carry a demijohn of wine to his neighbor on another plantation. (TP)
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domino
CA
(
n.
)
-
Domino; domino.
Kan mo va o CENTER, no jou domino e pokino. When I go to the Center we play dominoes and pokino. (CA)
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Domino, hooded cape, cowl; cagoule, domino.
♦ Alors mo tante qui té fait beaucoup de dépenses pou masques, dominos et tout bitin la yé. So my aunt, who had spent a lot of money on masques, dominoes and all sorts of things. (T40)
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domèstik
CA, PC
(
n.
)
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Servant; domestique.
Dan tan-sa-la, blan-ye te gen domèstik. Ye te fe louvraj lamezon. A long time ago whites had servants. They did the housework. (CA); Li te domèstik pou ye lonton. She was their servant for a long time. (PC) ♦ Soupé fini, Compair Lapin voyé ein domestic poté ein laciete gombo pou so vié choual. After supper was over, Brer Rabbit sent a servant to take a plate of gumbo to his old horse. (T3) ; ‘domestique ‘ (T29); ‘[domestikf (BO)
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don
NE
(
int.
)
donk
MO 60
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So, well; eh bien, donc.
Fe don sa pou mon! So do that for me! (NE) ♦ Pé don! pa parlé comme ça, interrompit la bonne négresse. 'Be quiet already! Don’t talk like that,’ the good black woman interrupted. (ME); don (JR); ‘donc’ (T40)
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don
No sources
(
pron.rel.
)
-
Of which; dont.
♦ Mo pas connin comment yé pélé Low Hell en Français à moins qué ça soit Pays Bas la yé dont journaux parlé quéque fois. I don’t know what they call Low Hell in French unless it’s this Netherlands they talk about in the paper sometimes. (T40)
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