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

• donmbo No sources ( n. )
  1. Lover; amant, petit(e) ami(e).
     ♦ Yénavé pas ein prince ki té oulé mamzelle Léonine, aforce compair Lapin té couri paillé partout ké mamzelle Léonine té so Dombo. There was not a prince who wanted to marry Miss Léonine, as Compair Lapin had spoken so much about his being her lover. (FO 1887) See examples
• dontisyon MO 60 ( n. )
  1. Teething; dentition.
     ♦ Pou la dontisyon d en piti , to sèr la malonme blan. For the teething of a child, you use white [malome]. (BI) See examples
• donté CA, PC, ST ( v.tr. ) dont BT
  1. To tame, break (a horse); dompter, dresser, apprivoiser (un cheval).
     Kite li vini apipre diz-wi mwa avan to dont li. To let it [a horse] reach 18 months old before you tame it. (BT); Donte, se kan ye kontrayan. To ka donte ye. ‘To break’ is when they (i.e. the horses) are being difficult. You can break them. (PC); Mo donte so chval. I broke his horse. (ST) See examples
• doné No sources ( v.tr. ) donn PC donè PC dòn CA, MO 60, NE, PC don BT
  1. To give; donner.
     [Ye] donn mwen en tas kafe san dusuk. They gave me a cup of coffee with no sugar. (PC); M a dòn twa en mòso pou to menen che twa. I’ll give you a piece to take home with you. (CA) REM: Basilectal speakers rarely use the long forms of this verb. ♦ Kon keken gen la fyev donn li di te fe avek mongilie. When someone has the fever, give him a tea made from marsh elder. (BI) •donn lamen v.phr. To shake hands; serrer la main. cf. men •donn bwa v.phr. (PC). To give to drink; donner à boire. Nonm-la asi, mo fe kafe, mo donn li bwa. The man was seated, I made coffee and gave him some to drink. (PC) •donnen lalarm v.phr. To give (sound) the alarm; sonner l’alarme, cf. alarm •donne leu sen v.phr. To nurse, breast-feed; nourrir au sein. cf. sen •dòn en pye v.phr. (PC); donn pye (PC). To let a child misbehave without punishment; permettre à un enfant de se mal comporter sans punition. To dòn l en pye. You let him get away with anything. (PC) •dòn houdou v.phr. To practice voodoo; pratiquer le vaudou, cf. voudou •dòn kouraj v.phr. To encourage; donner du courage, encourager, cf. kouraj •dòn malad v.phr. To make, cause to be sick; rendre malade, cf. malad •dòn tète v.phr. To nurse, breast-feed; nourrir au sein. cf. tète •dònè bèk v.phr. (PC). To give back; rendre. Li dònè larjan-la bèk kote mwan. She gave the money back to me. (PC) See examples
• dou CA, PC ( adj. ) dous PC
  1. Sweet; doux.
     Ye pa dou, ye pa eg, ye yenk pa gen gou. They (peaches) are not sweet, they’re not bitter, they simply have no taste. (PC) ♦ Konpè Lapen genyen la bouch si telmon dou ke pèsonn pa kapab refize li aryen. Brer Rabbit was such a sweet talker that no one could refuse him anything. (BO); ‘ doux' (T27) See examples
  2. Tame; dompté, apprivoisé, domestique.
     Se en kana farouch. Li pa en kana ki dou konm nou elev dan lakou. It’s a wild duck. It’s not a tame duck like we raise in the farmyard. (PC); Li dou. Li pa sovaj. He’s tame. He’s not wild. (CA) •kana dou n.phr. Domesticated duck; canard domestique, cf. kanar •vini dou v.phr. (PC). To tame; dompter, apprivoiser. Si to monte on chval-la l pe e jete twa partè me si li WILD, si la pa dou, l a jete twa partè, la a blese twa. Men ka ta a donte li, sa min fe li vini dou. If you mount the horse it won’t throw you on the ground, but if it’s wild, if it’s not tame, it’ll hurt you. But taming it means making it tame. (PC) See examples
  3. Soft; mou.
     Lantan pase latè-a te plou dou s okennfimye. In the past the earth was softer without fertilizer. (PC) See examples
  4. Nontoxic (of plants); non-vénéneux (en parlant de plantes).
     ♦ Pou de emòrvid, pronn la tet fonm blon e la flijèr de mezon, e la vou pronn de ekòrch de sinelye dou. Vou bouy sa onsonm e vou bwa trwa tas par jou. For hemorrhoids, take some white-woman’s head (a plant) and some house figwort, and then you take some bark from the sweet hawthorn. Boil that together and drink three cups a day. (BI) See examples
• dou CA ( n. )
  1. Sweets, candy; bonbons, sucreries.
     To lenm pa dou. Mo sur. To p ole vini gra. You don’t like sweets. I’m sure. You don’t want to get fat. (CA) See examples
• doub CA, MO 72, NE, PC ( adj. )
  1. Double; double.
     To mete li doub. You overlap it (the sugar cane). (PC); Li fe lakòrd-ye sone doub. He made the banjo cords ring out twice as loud. (NE) See examples
  2. Great- (in kinship terms); arrière- (dans les termes de parenté).
     Mo vyè doub gran-monmon. My great grandmother. (MO 72) See examples
• doublé BT, CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To double; doubler.
     Se du fil mare double . It's string that’s tied around double. (BT); Li te si dezagreab mo double mo jwèt-a-bèf pou taye li. He was so unpleasant that I doubled my bullwhip to beat him. (CA) See examples
  2. To beat, whip; fouetter, battre.
     ♦ M o trapé mo fouat bef et mo doublé li ein doublé ka koné tchionbo so lapo cocodri cho pou kek zou. I got my bullwhip and I beat him with a beating that will keep his crocodile skin hot for a few days. (T14) See examples
  3. To line (a garment); doubler (un vêtement).
     Li sèrvi en mòlton pou double so lajip. She used heavy cotton to line her skirt. (CA) See examples
• doublœjup BT ( n. ) doublajip BT, CA
  1. Slip, petticoat, underskirt; jupon, combinaison (sous-vêtement).
     Kon je fini je me mon SLIP, mon doublœjup. When I finished (putting on my bra), I put on my slip. (BT) See examples
• doudous CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Candy; bonbon, sucrerie.
     Menn mo plen dœ doudous. Bring me a lot of candy. (PC); Ape mo manj mo dmen, mo pran en doudous, en draje. Sa dòn bon gou dan labouch. After I eat my dinner I have a piece of candy. That puts a good taste in your mouth. (CA) See examples
• doulœ BT, PC ( n. ) doulè CA, PC doulèr CA
  1. Pain; douleur, mal.
     Na dè fwa to wa byen, men sa dòn twa en mal a tet, doulœ dan l zyè. Sometimes you see clearly, but it gives you a headache, pain in the eyes. (PC) ♦ Pou rimatis te pron di sel e met sa don en ti moso lenj e pi frot on doulèr-la. For rhumatism they used to take salt and put that in a piece of cloth and rub it on the pain. (LA) •bon doulè n.phr. (PC). Labor pains; douleurs de l’accouchement. To bon doulè, to doulè pou mennen to piti, to dan LABOR, ye pel sa. Your labor pains, your pains of childbirth. They call that being in labor. (PC) •doulèr akouch n.phr. (CA). Labor pains; douleurs de l’accouchement. Li te gen move doulèr akouch avan bebe-la ne. She had bad labor pains before the baby was bom. (CA) •doulœ frèt n.phr. (BT). «Cold pain», rheumatism, stiffness of joints; «douleur froide», rhumatisme, courbature. Mo te trape en doulœ frèt konm en move rimatis. I caught a cold pain like a bad rheumatism. (BT) See examples
• dousman CA, PC, ST ( adv., adj. ) dousmon BT, PC, NE
  1. Low (of volume), softly; doucement, bas.
     Pale dousman. Pa pale fo konm sa. Speak softly. Don’t speak loud like that. (PC) 2, Slowly, gently; lentement, doucement. En zafè a lamen , sa va pli dousmon. A hand tool works more slowly. (PC); T ape grouye en peu dousman. Kofè to pa grouye plu vit ke sa? You’re moving somewhat slowly. Why don’t you move faster than that? (CA) ♦ Safe li pron fouye. Li te pa gen gron grif sa te kou dousmon, e li te prese. So he started digging. He didn’t have big claws so it went slowly, and he was in a hurry, [ ‘doucement’ ] (DU); ‘douceman’ (T4; Tò)1. Slow; lent. La muzik dousmon e la muzik vit, ye te mèle sa. En BLUES, se dousmon. Slow music and fast music, they mixed them together. Blues is slow. (BT) 2. Retarded; attardé, faible d’esprit. Se en piti ki en pe dousmon. He’s a somewhat retarded child. (NE); Mo gen en ti GRANDCHILD ki nèv an asteur-la. Aben piti-sa-a-la, li pa parle avan li te gen katr an e safe ye mèt li andan lekol ke pou piti ke dousman. I’ve got a grandchild who’s nine now. Well, this child didn’t speak before he was four, and that’s why they put him in a school for the retarded. (CA) See examples
• dousœr No sources ( n. ) dousèr CA
  1. Sweetness, softness; douceur, gentillesse.
     Mo lenm pa en ta la dousèr. Mo lenm mo kafe jich tourdi. I don’t like a lot of sweetness. I like my coffee just a little bit sweet. (CA) ♦Li pardonnin moin dé bon cœur et commencin parlé spectacle, puis li dis moin avec douceur, ‘Vous icite! par quel miracle. ‘ He forgave me and started to talk about the show, then he told me sweetly, ‘You here! What a miracle!’ (T38) See examples
  2. Sweets; sucreries, douceurs.
     Si no gen la dousèr, mo di pas mwa plato-la. If we’ve got sweets, I say pass me the dish. (CA) See examples
• doutans No sources ( n. )
  1. Suspicion; soupçon. •'gagnin doutance'
     v.phr. To suspect; se douter, soupçonner. ♦Compair Lapin té gagnin doutance ké yé sré vini rété li pou tou ça li té di, li té parlé si mal en ho lé roi é gouvemément. Brer Rabbit had suspected that they would come to arrest him; he had spoken so badly of the King and the government. (FO 1887) See examples
• douté No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To suspect; se douter de.
     Li di li t ap vini. Li te pa la ankòr. Mo doute li sre tar. He said he was coming. He wasn’t here yet. I suspected he would be late. (CA) ♦ Si Lion connin quichoge, la fait mié couri taqué néléphant avant yé vini soulever li sans li douté arien. If Lion knows something, he would be better off to go and attack the elephants before they come and carry him away without him suspecting anything. (FO T15) See examples
• douz gen, MO 60 ( num.card. )
  1. Twelve; douze.
     Boug-ye lache chiko, ena apre douz nonm on en chiko, ye ich e jouwe. The guys were removing tree stumps, there were about twelve men on a tree stump, they were just playing. (PC) ♦ Ça fait fomme-la donne yé plein manger et li donne so mari douze bouteilles divin pou’ saouler li. So the woman gave them plenty to eat and she gave her husband twelve bottles of wine to get him drunk. (BD) •douz-sèt num.card. Nineteen; dix-neuf. ♦ Pi là gagné douze-sept pié dolo. Then there were nineteen feet of water. (T6) See examples
• douzènn CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Dozen; douzaine.
     Vann ye pou kenz sou la douzenn. To sell them at fifteen cents a dozen. (PC); Mo achte en douzenn krab. I bought a dozen crabs. (CA) ♦ Compair Bouki, mo blié porté dézef mo vié moman. To té doi ben prêté mouen ein douzène. Brer Bouki, I forgot to carry eggs to my old Mama. You should have loaned me a dozen. (T4) See examples
• dra CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Sheet, cloth; drap.
     Li pliye dra-ye. She folded the sheets. (PC); To sèr dible apre to lav to dra-ye ou to chimij-ye pou ye vini pli blan. You use washing blue after you wash your sheets or your shirts so they become whiter. (CA) ♦ Li té gagnin en haut so dos ein belle lévite de drap noir. He had on a beautiful long coat made of black cloth. (T36) See examples
• dragon CA, MO 60 ( n. )
  1. Dragon; dragon.
     Ena du monn ke kra ke euzot vi enn dragon me se pa vre. Se just en imajinasyon. Se pa naturèl. Some people think they saw a dragon, but it’s not true. It’s just imagination. It’s not natural. (CA) See examples
• dragé CA, PC ( v.intr. )
  1. To fish with a dragline; pêcher à l’araignée.
     Drage le swa, va ramase sa landmen maten. (You) hang out the dragline in the evening and go get it the next morning. (PC) See examples
• draiv NE, PC ( v.tr. ) drayv PC
  1. To drive; conduire.
     To drayv to wagon on balans-la, li pez twa, wagon, tou kicho. You drive your wagon onto the scale and it weighs you, wagon and all. (PC) See examples
• drajé CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Chocolate-covered candy with a soft, white, marshmallow filling; dragée.
     Ye menen li de draje. They brought him candy. (PC); Ape mo manj mo dmen, mo pran en doudous, en draje. After I eat my dinner I have a piece of candy. (CA) See examples
  2. Licorice candy; bonbons de réglisse. (CA)
• drapo No sources ( n. )
  1. Flag; drapeau.
     ♦ Yonki je fe nou kouri ora, plante drapo l'Unyon. The Yankees had us come around, and they planted the Union flag. [ ' drapeau ‘] (TP) See examples
• dri CA ( adv. )
  1. Thick, heavy; dru.
     Enave en kantite zariko vèr o bou-d-ran. Sete dri avèk zariko me o milye enave pa. There were a lot of snap beans at the headland. It was thick with them but in the middle there weren’t any. (CA) ♦ Dijis là coulé dri et rempli bac lé yé. The juice was flowing thick and filled the tubs. (T27) See examples
• drigay CA, ST ( n. ) drigai PC dirgay CA, PC
  1. Bad person, rogue, scoundrel, good-for-nothing; vaurien, bon-à-rien, canaille, scélérat.
     Vyey drigai. Old trashy woman. (PC); Sete pa du bon monn, sete tou de drigay, du monn ke pa prop du tou. They weren’t good people, they were all low-lifes, people who aren’t clean at all. (CA) See examples
  2. Riffraff, lowlifes; canaille.
     Tout le drigaille et le fatras yé balié, et le pauvre vieux nèg, yé gone le tracasser. They swept out all of the riffraff and the commonfolk, and the poor black men, they’re gone to bother them. (DC) See examples
  3. Junk, trash; camelote, rebuts, objets sans valeur.
     Enave tous èspès drigay andan lakou. Enave de bwat, en ta de papye e tou sa. There was all kinds of trash in the yard. There were boxes, papers and all that. (CA) See examples
• drin PC ( n. ) drinn PC djrinn PC
  1. Drainage ditch (in a field); rigole, fossé d’écoulement (dans un champ).
     To fè en drin, e to mèt li dafose-leu, pou li degoute. Pou li ale dolo-la, ote dolo-l. You make a drainage ditch, and you get it so the water flows into the ditch, to drain the water (out of the field). (PC) See examples
• drin PC ( v.tr. ) drinn PC djrinn PC
  1. To drain; drainer.
     Ye djrin latè pa pou dolo-la reste. They drain the land so the water doesn’t stay on it. (PC) See examples
• drwa CA, MO 60, NE ( n. )
  1. Right, fair claim; droit.
     No tue de betay, de zwazo dan la siprièr. To pa gen l drwa tue sa non pli. We used to kill animals and birds in the swamp. (Now) you don’t have the right to kill that either. (CA); Mè en nèg pa gen l drwa, mèmmon koze pre avèk en fom blon. But a black man didn’t have any rights, not even talking up close to a white woman. (NE) ♦ »Vou koné», li di, «à c’thère tou mounne zégal, vou gain droué pou vauté pareil kom moué.» ‘You know,’ he said, ‘now everyone is equal, you have the right to vote just like I do.’ (T12) See examples
• drwat gen, MO 60 ( adj., adv. ) drwa CA drat CA dra CA dwat PC, ST drèt BT, NE drwèt NE
  1. Right (as opposed to left); droit, de droite.
     Mo gen sèrvi jis ave mo men drwat pou ekri. I can only use my right hand to write. (PC); Chari-la kapot an kote drwat e li gen pou chanje BLADE-la pou voye tatè an kote goch. The plow spills dirt to the right and he has to change the blade to throw the dirt to the left. (CA) ♦ Compair Lapin lévé so pié dréte. Brer Rabbit lifted his right foot. (T2) 2. Strict; sévère. Li dòn pa li lachans pou sòrti. Li tro drwat anvèr li. He didn’t give her a chance to go out. He’s too strict on her. (CA) 3. Honest, direct, fair; honnête, juste. Li toujou di mon la verite. Li drwat avèk mon. He has always told me the truth. He’s honest with me. (CA) 4. Straight, upright; droit. Li te tanmbe partè, mè mo mèt li drwat. (The statue of the saint) had fallen over, but I set it back up. (PC) 5. Straight (of hair, road, etc.); droit. To wa, Vye Djab gen chemen kroch, Bondyeu gen chemen drwat. You see, the Devil has crooked roads, but God has straight roads. (NE); Chèveu krote, sa min kè se en chèvè ki pa drwat kòm vou-tchèn. Curly hair, that means it’s hair that isn’t straight like yours. (PC) ♦ Asteur négues jaun, blanc ou noir, faut yé marché la ligne draite. Nowadays yellow, white and black guys all have to walk a straight line. (T38) 6. Right, correct; correct. ♦ Oh , toi, to trop piti . Oh, toi, to la bouche trop grand. Enfin chacunne té gaingnin quichoge qui té pas dréte. ‘Oh, you, you’re too small. Oh, you, your mouth is too big.’ Well, each one had something that wasn’t right. (FO T16)1. Straight, directly, right; directement. Dwat dèryè cha-la. Right behind that train car. (PC); Dròt ora li. Right up (close) to him. (BT); Chariot kouri drwèt o paradi. Charlotte went straight to heaven. (NE); Dwat astœr. Right now. (ST) ♦ La li monte tou drwat don syel. Then it rose straight up in the sky. (LA); ‘droite’ (T17) •drwat la adv.phr. (CA; MO 60; NE); drèt la (CA; PC; NE); dret la, drit la-la (PC); drwèt la, dròt la (NE). 1) Right there; à cet endroit-là. Sa se en fige drit la-la. That is a fig tree right there. (PC); To te gen pour rèste kanpe drèt la. You had to stay standing right there. (BT); Ye monte en tit-ekol drwèt la-la, apepre èn mil e dmi d isi. They put up a little school right there, about a mile and a half from here. (NE) ♦ Nonm-la te si pè li tonmbe mò dret la. The man was so afraid he fell dead right there. (JR) 2) Right then; là, à ce moment-là. Bal fini drwèt la. The dance ended right there (right then). (NE) 2. Straight, in a straight line; tout droit, en ligne droite. Mile-a te marche drwat. The mule was walking straight. (PC) See examples
• drwat CA, PC ( n. ) dròt BT
  1. Right (as opposed to left); droite.
     Vou tourn a drwat. You turn right. (PC); Sa se enn chari dròtye. Dròtye, paskœ li kapòt latè a la dròt. That’s a right-sided plow. Right-sided, because it spills the earth to the right. (BT) ♦ Plis loin, encore plis loin, passé a droite, passé a gauche. Further, still a little further, go to the right, go to the left. (FO T3) See examples
• drwati CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To straighten; redresser.
     Li drwati poto-la ke te kroch. He straightened the pole that was crooked. (CA) See examples
• drwatyé CA ( adj. ) dròtyé BT
  1. Right-sided; droitier.
     Sa se enn chari dròtye. Dròtye, paskœ li kapòt la tè a la dròt. That’s a right-sided plow. Right-sided, because it throws the earth to the right. (BT) See examples
• drésé No sources ( v.tr. ) drèsé CA, PC, CA
  1. To straighten; redresser.
     Li drese poto-ò te kroch. He straightened out the bent pole. (PC) ; En chwèt sa hèl en kri ke fe drèse to chfe-ye desi to latèt. Si fòr pou en ti zozo. A screech owl lets out a cry that makes your hair stand up. So loud for a little bird. (CA) ♦ Compair Lapin, ki té tou cagou, dressé so zoreil. Brer Rabbit, who was sad, perked his ears. (T2) •drese so chfe-ye exp.v. (CA). To make one’s hair stand on end; faire dresser les cheveux sur la tête. See examples
  2. To train; dresser.
     ♦ Dan Rice pran vingt et un ans pou dressé ein Bourriquet. Dan Rice took twenty one years to train a donkey. (FO 1887) REM: Fortier 1887: 122 notes: «Never was a man more popular with the Negroes and the children than DAN RICE, and allusions to his circus are frequent in Louisiana.» See examples
• dròg No sources ( n. )
  1. Drug; drug.
     ♦ Li mette aussi plein baille dolo avec ein drogue qui té connin endormi tout souite. He also put out a lot of tubs of water with a drug that puts one to sleep right away. (FO T15) See examples
  2. Spell, hex, potion; charme, sort, potion.
     ♦ Dipis jour la li jamais tracassé Jean Malin qui té gagnin ein meillaire drogue qué li. From that day on he never bothered Jean Malin, who had a more powerful spell than he did. (FO T2) See examples
• dròl CA ( adj., adv. ) dròl PC
  1. Funny, odd, strange; drôle.
     Ye pa abitchud tande moun parle kreyol. Ye trouv sa drol sa nouzot n ape di. They’re not used to hearing people speak Creole. They find what we’re saying funny. (CA); En dròl zafè. A funny thing. (PC) ♦ Yé na quichoge qui ben drole, qué mo pas comprende. There’s something odd that I don’t understand. (FO T2); ' drôle' (T35); ' drole ' (T10; T30; FO TI3) See examples
  2. Funny, amusing; comique, drôle, amusant.
     Ye te toujou anbet mon konm sa. Mo pa trouv se dròl pou sa. Se toujou konm sa ye apre mon. They’re always bothering me like that. I don’t think it’s funny. They’re always after me like that. (PC); Sa gard dròl. Se sa fe to t ap ri. It looks funny. That’s why you were laughing. (CA) ♦ Et ça qué y’en a dé pli drôle, li té même oulé zépouser eine femme blanche et créole. And the funniest part was that he wanted to marry a white Creole woman. (T37)Funny, strangely; drôlement. Li garde mwen dròl. Li loure so zyè apre mon. He gave me a fumny look. He rolled his eyes at me. (PC) See examples
• duplan CA ( n. ) diplan CA diplon PC
  1. Seedling; plant, semis, sauvageon.
     Diplan tomat, to ka gen diplan zonyon. A tomato plant, you can have an onion plant. (PC) See examples
  2. Sugar cane that has been planted for the first time (first plant cane); canne à sucre qu’on a plantée pour la première fois.
     Mè diplon sa min, li pòkò toumen en chiko se prenmyè lonnen, se prèmyè lonnen l e kultivè. [diplon] means it hasn’t turned to stubble yet, this is the first year that it has been cultivated. (PC) See examples
• dur NE ( adj., adv. ) di PC du PC dir dyur CA, NE, PC, CA
  1. Hard; dur.
     Tann ichka to prechke pare, pou TURN to gòmbo OFF anvon to met to chevret anndan pase to kònen t a kwi ye a fe ye tro di. Wait until you’re almost ready to turn the gumbo off before you put in your shrimp, because if you cook them too long you’ll make them hard. (PC) ♦ Labou-la te epe e dir. The mud was thick and hard. (JR) •di pou tannde adj.phr. Hard of hearing; dur d’oreille, cf. tande See examples
  2. Hard, difficult; dur, difficile.
     Se di pou grosi ye isit astè. Pa ka grosi depech, ye vyen pa gro. It’s hard to grow them here now. You can’t grow peaches, they don’t get very big. (PC)Hard; dur. Mo bezwen travaye dur pou fini louvraj-la. I have to work hard to finish this job. (NE); Mo ja travay di, mo lavi. I’ve worked hard in my life. (PC) ♦ Roi Bangon gratté so latête. So zié-yé t'apé soti so latéte. Li pensé si dir li té presse bosse. King Bongon scratched his head. His eyes were popping out of his head. He was thinking so hard he nearly burst. (BD); 'dir' (T14; TI6) See examples
• durant PC ( prep. )
  1. During; pendant.
     I dòrmi durant lekòl. He slept during school. (PC) ♦ Favè ye te pa bon avon lagè, ye te pa bon diron lagè, e ye pa bon apre. The Favets were no good before the war, they were no good during the war, and they’re no good after. (DU) See examples
• durouj CA, PC, ST ( n. ) dirouj PC dourouj PC gro rouj PC
  1. Solution of crushed red brick and water, used for cleaning and waterproofing; solution de brique broyée, utilisée à nettoyer et à rendre étanche.
     Deyò, an laplanch-la, nou te met dirouj. Kase labrik-la,fen fen fen, mouye li, e mète dirouj an li ave en labròs. Sa fe dolo pa kapab ontre. Outside, on the boards, we would put a solution of crushed bricks. Grind up some bricks really fine, wet (the powder), and put that on the planks with a brush. That stopped water from coming in. (PC) See examples
• dursi CA, PC ( v.intr. ) dirsi CA
  1. To harden; s’endurcir.
     Son jwa a dursi. His liver hardened. (PC); Vyann-la tro vye. Li dursi. The meat is too old. It has hardened. (CA) See examples
• duré BT, CA ( v.intr. ) diré CA, PC, NE
  1. To last; durer.
     Nou te tchwe kochon, nou te gen lagres pou dire nouzò tou lannen. We killed hogs, we had fat to last us all year. (PC); Si to pa mèt tou kikchoj pou fe la baryèr-la, l ap ale rouye e l ap ale kase. Li se pa dire. If you don’t put everything in to make the fence, it’s going to rust and it’s going to break. It won’t last. (CA) •Nous té tous si heureux qué nous té pas connin qui fait. Ma nous bonheur pas duré longtemps. We were so happy that we didn’t know what to do. But our happiness didn’t last long. (T40) See examples
  2. To keep, last (of perishable food); se conserver.
     Si li pran tro jòn li p e dire plen jou pasi l a pouri. But if the banana is too yellow it won’t last very many days because it will start to rot. (PC) See examples
• duvé PC ( n. ) divé CA, PC douvé PC
  1. Down; duvet.
     Kan mo touche kanar-sa-a-la sete mou. So dive te dou. When I touched that duck, it was soft. His down was soft. (CA) See examples
  2. Fur, coat; robe, duvet.
     Li gen dè joli dive. It has a nice coat. (PC) See examples
  3. Body hair; poil.
     Ta cheuveu on vou latet pa duve-la. The pile of hair on your head is not called [dyve]. (PC); So bra-ye, so janm-ye te plen dive. Li raz pa ye. Her arms and her legs were full of hair. She doesn’t shave them. (CA) See examples
  4. Lint; peluches (sur les vêtements).
     Mo gen en bròs a lenj pou ote dive apre mo lenj. I’ve got a clothes brush to take lint off my clothes. (CA) See examples
• dwa BT, CA, NE, PC ( n. )
  1. Finger; doigt.
     Mo gen kat dwa pi en pous. I have four fingers and a thumb. (BT); To gen en vayan bag an to dwa. You’ve got a pretty ring on your finger. (CA) • Neg lé yé fait difé en bas larampe quéquefois, pou cou limain yé pipes et pou chauffé yé doigts. The black men make a fire under the ramp sometimes to light their pipes and warm their fingers. (T27) •dwa chyen n.phr. (CA; PC). 1) Little finger; petit doigt. Mo trape mo dwa chyen andan lapòrt. I caught my little finger in the door. (CA) 2) Index finger; doigt indexe. Ora pous-la se dwa chyen. Next to the thumb is the index finger. (PC) •dwa milyeu n.phr. (ST). Middle finger; médius, doigt du milieu, •gen dwa lon v.phr. (CA). To be a thief, have sticky fingers; être voleur, •ti dwa n.phr. (PC). Little finger; petit doigt. See examples
  2. Small quantity (of a drink); doigt, petite quantité (d’une boisson).
     Dòn mon trwa dwa anndan en vè. Give me three thimblefuls of whiskey in a glass. (PC) ♦ [Pou] demonjezon, met si dwa vineg e de dwa di sel don en boutey. Lav to demonjezon avek sa. For the itch, put six thimblefuls of vinegar and one thimbleful of salt in a bottle. Wash your itch with that. (BI) See examples
• dwa MO 60 ( v.aux. ) dwat MO 60, NE, PC drwat PC dwatèt NE dévèt NE dwèt NE [in sense 2:] devé CA dwazèt CA dwat gin CA dwa èt PC
  1. Should, ought to; devoir, avoir à.
     To gen en gro pozisyon dèn. To en gro chyen. To dwat gen plen larjan, en? You have an important position, then. You’re a big shot. You must have a lot of money, eh? (PC) ♦ To té doi ben prêté mouen ein douzène. You should have loaned me a dozen. (T4) See examples
  2. [Hypothesis]. Must; devoir.
     Dwat gen en paròl pou li, men mo pa kònen sa li te. There must be a word for that, but I don’t know what it was. (PC); Li dwatèt kouri ondon vilaj. He must have gone into town. (NE); Se dwa-zèt garson Sovenn mo wa deyò. It must be Savannah’s son I see outside. (BT) ♦ Vous doit éte ein bitaco pur qui pas zabitué à laville. You must be a complete rustic who is not used to the city. (T38) •se du v.phr. (PC); se di, re di (NE); se dzi (BT). Should (have), ought to (have); devr(ais), aur(ais) dû. To se di pa monje sa. You shouldn’t have eaten that. (NE); Mo mo kwa keu ye se pa du bat. Ye se du aranje sa. I think they shouldn’t have fought, they should have made up. (PC); To se dzi wa li fe la payas èk li-mèm . You should have seen him make a fool of himself. (BT) See examples
• dwa CA, NE, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To owe; devoir (p.ex. de l’argent).
     Nou peye sa nou te dwa, a la sa ki reste, larjonn, li dòn nouzòt li. We paid what we owed, and the money that was left over, he gave to us. (PC); Mo prèt di pyas avèk trwa pyas. Sa dòn trèz pyas to dwa mon. I’m lending ten dollars with three dollars. That makes thirteen dollars you owe me. (CA) ♦ Mo gain dix gourdes bosse té doit moin et li vauyé moin. I have two dollars that the boss owed me and that he sent me. (BD) See examples
• dyabèt CA ( n. )
  1. Diabetes; diabète.
     Dòktèr-la mèt man anlèr en rejim. Mo gen la dyabèt. The doctor put me on a diet. I’ve got diabetes. (CA) See examples
• Dye No sources ( n. ) Bondye NE, ST Djè CA, MO 60, PC Bondjè CA, MO 60, PC Bondyé CA, PC Bondje CA, PC Bondye CA, PC
  1. God; Dieu.
     To wa, Vye Djab gen chemen kròch, Bondyeu gen chemen drwat. You see, the Devil has crooked roads and God has straight roads. (NE); Kroua an Djè. To believe in God. (MO 60) ♦ Tout chien té trouvé yé sort té malheureux, alors yé voyé ein délégation, ein bande chien pou mandé Bon Djé pou li méliorer yé condition. All of the dogs found their fate unhappy, so they sent a delegation, a pack of dogs to ask God to improve their condition. (FO T15) REM: The form djeu rarely occurs by itself. •Bondyeu Sènjœr! exp. (NE); Bondjè Senyè (CA; PC). Good Lord, Dear Lord! Mon Dieu ! ♦ Oh! non, mo pas capab vive comme ça, qui ça ma fait Bon Djé, Seigneur. Oh! I can’t live like that, what will I do, dear Lord? (FO T3); ‘Bon Djié Seigné!’ (T3) • man Dje int. (PC). My God; Mon Dieu, •mèsi Bondje int. (PC). Thank God; merci à Dieu. ♦ To capab dit merci Bon Djé to sauvé to latête. You can say thank God that you saved your skin. (T19) •Bondye beni vou exp. (CA). God bless you; que Dieu vous bénisse. M a van ouzot li pou bon marche. Kat-ven pyas. Msyeu Jòrj, Bondye beni vou. I'll sell it to you cheap, eighty dollars. Mr. George, God bless you. (CA) •Si Bondyeu ole. exp. (ST); Si Bondyeu veu (NE); Si Bondjeu veu (CA; PC). God willing; Si Dieu le veut. See examples
• dyèt BT ( n. )
  1. Diet; régime.
     Li gen l suk, l suk dan so duson. En dyèt ina vent an. She has diabetes. She has sugar in her blood. She’s been on a diet for twenty years. (BT) See examples
• dègrè PC ( n. )
  1. Degree; degré.
     Trannt-trwa dègrè. Thirty three degrees. (PC); Le lo dan l chodjyè-la ka li gen en sèrten dègrè cho vou pòmp li. When the water in the kettle reaches a certain temperature you pump it out. (PC) See examples
• dèmokrat PC ( adj., n. )
  1. Democrat; démocrate.
     DOWN SOUTH ye dèmokrat, astè ye e toumen, èna plen ki e toumen repoubliken. Down South they’re Democrats, but now they’re changing, there are a lot who have become Republicans. (PC) See examples