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

• détourné No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To cure, remove, get rid of; guérir, enlever, faire passer.
     Mo te gen en ULCER. Ye detourne sa. I had an ulcer. They got rid of it. (CA) ♦ To ouv en poul nwar e to pronn so di son pou détourne en sentir. You cut open a black chicken and you take its blood to get rid of shingles. (BI) See examples
• détrwi PC ( v.tr. ) détri BT, CA, PC détrui PC dètri PC
  1. To destroy, ruin; détruire.
     Le fre a detrwi tou le BUD ki fe de pakann. The cold killed all of the buds that produce pecans. (PC); Vyen detri de gronn zèb don ma ko. Come destroy the tall grass in my yard. (BT) ♦ Si jamais chien vini jappé après moin mo va détruit yé tout. If ever a dog comes and barks at me I’ll destroy them all. (FO T15) See examples
• détènn No sources ( adj. )
  1. Faded; déteint.
     Pal min, li pa FULL COLOR se en koulè moyen detenn. Li pa osi tenn. ‘Pale’ means it doesn’t have its full color, it’s somewhat faded. (PC) See examples
• détènn No sources ( v., v.tr., v.intr. )
  1. To discolor, stain; déteindre.
     Li lèm kafe si fo uchka k li fini bwa kafe dan so tas, le detenn so tas. He likes his coffee so strong that when he’s finished drinking it, it stains his cup. (PC) See examples
  2. To color; colorer.
     ♦Pou la fiéve bouilli ti ben absinth dans dolo jisqu'a li détin ti pé jaune pi la to bois trois ti vers chaque jou, ça coupe la fiéve la. For the fever, boil a little absinth in water until it colors (the water) somewhat yellow, then drink three little glasses each day, that will cut your fever. (LA)To lose color, fade; déteindre. Mo kòrsaj ap detenn kan mo lav li. My blouse loses color when I wash it. (CA) See examples
• détèstab CA, NE ( adj. )
  1. Awful, horrible; affreux, détestable.
     Sa se detèstab mèm! That’s awful! (NE); Li pa bon. Li detèstab. He’s not good. He’s horrible. (CA) See examples
• détèsté No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To hate, detest; haïr, détester.
     Mo detès la sentir. Sa fe soufè. I hate belts. They make you suffer. (CA) ♦ Eine femme blanche et créole, li que les dames de couleur té détesté plus que l'ouvrage. A white Creole woman, the one that the ladies hated more than work. (T37) See examples
• détòrd No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To untwist, untie; détordre, détacher, délier.
     Ena defwa li tòrd lakord-la. Li tou tòrd. Mo gen pou detòrd li. Sometimes he twists the cord. It’s all twisted. I have to untwist it. (CA) ♦Vou tòrtiy panari-la avek en fisel osi sere ke posib. La detorde lafisel e jete li onnaryèr vou do. You tie a string around the whitlow as tightly as possible, then untie the string and throw it behind your back. (BI) See examples
• détòrtiyé No sources ( v.intr. )
  1. To uncoil; se dérouler.
     Sèrpan-la, li te tou tòrtiye e la li detòrtiye. The snake was all coiled up and there he is uncoiled. (CA) See examples
  2. To untwist; détortiller, détordre. (CA)
• dévan No sources ( prep., adv. )
  1. In front of; devant.
     So popa e donn so fiy k[o]te nonm-la. La i rive devan k[o]to lotel. Her father gave his daughter to the man. Then they arrived before the altar. (PC); Pa mennen sa dèvan man. Don’t bring that up in front of me. (CA); To gen en chyen devan lamezon. You’ve got a dog in front of the house. (CA) ♦ Li réponde yé té dans la maison a coté divant qui yé té gagnin ein caillou pas plis grand qué ein piti canique. He answered that they were in the house next door, in front of which there was a stone no bigger than a marble. (FO T22); ‘divan’ (T6); ‘divant’ (T9); ‘devant’ (T30; T34, T40)In front; devant. Ye mèt nwa la devan , dwat dèryè cha-la ki e ale, e blan dèryè. They put blacks in front, right behind the engine, and whites behind. (PC) ♦ Ouzote a galopé ein lacourse dice foi quate narpan; cilà ki sorti divan, m a marié avé li. You all will run a race forty arpents long; the one who comes out ahead, I will marry. (T5) See examples
• dévan No sources ( n., adj. )
  1. Front; devant.
     Ye kite tou devan pou blan. They left the whole front section for whites. (PC)Front; de devant. Ye mèt nwa dan kabouch devan-la. They put blacks in the front caboose. (PC) ♦ Rété ein pé, laissé moi accroupi moin et mette mo dé pié dévant dans la boue. Stop a bit, let me crouch down and put my two front paws in the mud. (FO T1) See examples
• dévinin No sources ( v., v.tr., v.intr. )
  1. To guess; deviner.
     Devinen konmyen dezèf mo gen? Guess how many eggs I have. (CA) ♦ Ti mait prend so fisi, et moin mo prend... jiss dévinain ça mo soizi ... un gros papa bâton assez pou tchoué ein lours. My little master took his gun, and I took...just guess what I chose...a big old stick, enough to kill a bear. (T23); ' déviné’ (T33); ‘divinain’ (T7)To predict, foretell the future; prédire l’avenir. ♦ En jou lœ rwa jwonn nonm-sa-la e li mannde li si li te konnen devinen ben konm li te di. One day the king met that man, and he asked him if he could foretell the future as well as he claimed. (JA) See examples
• dévinn No sources ( n. )
  1. Riddle; devinette.
     ♦ ’Des dévines’ Riddles. (DU) See examples
• dévinè No sources ( adj. )
  1. Fortune telling, clairvoyant; divinateur.
     ♦ En karankro devinè. A clairvoyant crow. (JR) See examples
• dévinè No sources ( n. )
  1. Fortune teller; devin, diseur de bonne aventure.
     ♦ Lœ devinè di rwa-la pou kouri tchwe so pli gro denn e li se trouve so labag. The fortune teller told the king to go kill his biggest turkey and he would find his ring. (JR) See examples
• dévisé CA, PC ( v.tr. ) dévisi PC dévis BT
  1. To unscrew; dévisser.
     Kan i va vini gouf ti devis e pi ti menn o BLACKSMITH. When [the plowshare] becomes dull, you unscrew it and take it to the blacksmith. (BT); Kan mo tiyo dolo bòs, mo te gen pou devise boulon. When my water pipe broke, I had to unscrew the nut. (CA) See examples
• dévlopé MO 50, PC, ST ( v., v.intr., v.tr. ) dèvlopé NE
  1. To uncoil; se dérouler, se développer.
     Sèrpan devlope. The snake uncoiled. (PC)1. To untie, undo, unwrap; détacher, défaire, délier. Kon l arive laba, li dèvlope so papye pou seye so patalon. When he got back, he unwrapped the paper to try on his new pants. (NE) 2. To wrap; emballer, envelopper. (MO 60) cf. anvlòpe 3. To hull; décortiquer. Kan t ole devlope diri to gen pou pile li. When you want to hull rice, you have to grind it. (CA) See examples
• dévoré PC ( v.tr. ) dévoré PC
  1. To devour; dévorer.
     Kòm to dòn mwen ti bout gato-la, aben, mo mèt li tou dan mo labouch, mo devorè li. (It’s) like you give me a little piece of cake. Well, I put it all in my mouth, I devour it. (PC) See examples
• dévwa PC ( n. )
  1. Duty; devoir.
• dévyin MO 72, NE ( v. ) dèvyin MO 60
  1. To be from, come from; venir de.
     Mo devyen la Louzyòn. I corne from Louisiana. (NE); Ou vou dèvyen? Where do you come from? (MO 60) See examples
• déyòr No sources ( adv., prep. )
  1. Outside, outdoors; dehors.
     To se ich ranje mo mo lasyèt deyò, kòm en chyen. You would just set me up a plate outside, like a dog. (PC); To anbete man andan lamezon. Va joue deyò. You’re bothering me in the house. Go play outside. (CA) ♦ Fait fret déyor, entrez, et vini boi café. It’s cold outside; come in, and drink some coffee. (T27) See examples
  2. Out; dehors, hors.
     ♦ Fran Koken pase so lamen danfnet-la ale dra-la e la bag deyò. Franc Coquin stuck his hand through the window to pull the sheets and the ring out. (JR); ‘déyor’ (T7; T27); ‘diyòr’ (T3;T8); ‘dehors’ (T34); ‘dihors’ (T4); ‘ dyior’(T3)Out of; hors de. Li gen de rive pou tchobo l andan la. E la, li sòr an deyò lamonch apre kòm sa. (The blade of a sugar cane knife) has rivets to fix it (to the handle). And it comes out of the handle about like that. (PC) See examples
• dézabitwé CA ( v.intr. )
  1. To not be used to; ne pas avoir l’habitude de.
     Mo te dezabitwe labouchri. I wasn’t used to pork meat. (CA) See examples
• dézaf No sources ( n. )
  1. Cold sores; plaies dans la bouche, herpès.
     ♦[Pou] de of don la bouch, pronn de fey chevr-fey, fe sa bouyi e met en ti pe lalen on don li. Lav to la bouch avek. For cold sores, take some honeysuckle leaves, boil them and put a little alum on them. Wash your mouth with that. (BI) ; dezaf (BI) See examples
• dézagréab CA, PC ( adj. )
  1. Unpleasant, bad; désagréable, mauvais.
     To to dezagreab, to p ole f e sa ki ben. You’re bad, you don’t want to do what’s right. (PC); 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
• dézalmann CA ( n. )
  1. Almond; amande.
     Enave denwa, dezalmann, deglann, de zortej nèg osi . There were walnuts, almonds, acorns, Brazil nuts too. (CA) See examples
• dézanflé No sources ( v.refl. )
  1. To go down (of swelling); se désenfler, se dégonfler.
     Mo janm te anfle me la li dezanfle. My leg was swollen but now the swelling went down. (CA) ♦ [Pou] onflamasyon, bouyi de rasin siro e pi la met en ti morso salpet don en kwart dolo. Bwa sa pou dezonfle vou. For an inflammation, boil some elderberry roots and then put in a little piece of salt-peter in a quart of water. Drink that to reduce your bloatedness (swelling). (BI) See examples
• dézannwiyé CA ( v.tr. ) dézanniyé MO 60, PC
  1. To cheer up; désennuyer.
     Pètèt sa va dezanniye mwen. Perhaps that will cheer me up. (MO 60); Mo dòn li en prezan pou dezannwiye li. I gave him a present to cheer him up. (CA) See examples
• dézapwinté CA, PC ( adj. )
  1. Disappointed; déçu.
     Mo te gen pou ale o Mardi Gra. Mo te pa kapab ale e mo te dezapwente. I was supposed to go to Mardi Gras. I couldn’t go and I was disappointed. (CA) ♦ Bouki te tris, ben dezapwonte, e las. Bouki was sad, disappointed and tired. (JR) See examples
• dézarmin MO 60 ( v.tr. )
  1. To disarm; désarmer.
     Li dezarmen li. He disarmed him. (PC) See examples
  2. To unload (a gun); décharger, enlever la charge (d’une arme à feu).
     Li te gen en fizi e t ap pwante sa e polis vini e dezarmen fizi-la. He had a shotgun and was pointing it, and the police came and unloaded it. (CA) See examples
• dézo CA, PC ( n. ) zo NE lézo PC zòs CA nòs CA dézo (pl.) CA
  1. Bone; os.
     Dan to do to gen en dezo. To pele sa to ren. In your back you have a bone, you call that a backbone. (PC) ♦ La plie commencé tommeber et yé té mouillés jisqu ‘à yé dézos. It began to rain, and they got soaked to their bones. (BD); ‘dézo’ (T19; T30); ‘dizo’ (T4) See examples
• dézolé No sources ( adj. ) dèzolé PC dèzolo PC
  1. Sad, upset, sorry; désolé, triste, bouleversé.
     Li kriye tou la nwit, swa - la, e kan mo kite, li te dèzolo. She cried all night long, and when I left she was very upset. (PC) ♦ Zeine sarpantié té apé désolé. The young carpenter was very sad. (T7) See examples
• dézolé No sources ( v.intr. )
  1. To be hysterical; avoir une violente crise de nerfs.
     Sa fonm-la li mouri. Li t ap dezole, kriye. His wife died. He was hysterical, crying. (CA) See examples
• dézosé CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To bone; désosser.
     T ap ote lavyann apre en dezo. T ap dezose li. You’re taking the meat off the bone. You’re boning it. (CA) See examples
• dézèr NE, ST ( n. ) dézé PC
  1. Field, field cleared for planting; champ, terre défrichée.
     Bangou se si to gen en dezè, èna tou kalite bangou. Weeds are if you have a field, there are all kinds of weeds in it. (PC) ♦ Bouki e Lapen marche dan dezè pou wa ye patat. Bouki and Rabbit walked through the field to see their potatoes. (JR) See examples
• dézèspéré No sources ( v.intr. )
  1. To despair; désespérer.
     ♦ Li resté trois jou sans vini, é Doctair Macaque é Bourriquet té comancé desespéré. He remained three days without returning, and Dr. Monkey and Bourriquet were beginning to despair. (FO 1887) See examples
• dézònòré No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To dishonor, shame; déshonorer.
     ♦Ah! maite, vou pa juste; mo mérité la mor, é vapé désonoré moin. Non, maite, pa fé ça; pa fé taillé moin comme ça divan tou moune, comme ain voleuse. Ah! master, you’re not fair; I deserve death, and you’re going to dishonor me. No, master, don’t do that; don’t have me whipped like that in front of everyone, like a thief. (ME) See examples
  2. To disown; désavouer, renier.
     Mo, m ap dezònòre piti-sa-a-la. Se pa pou mon. I’m disowning that child. He’s not mine. (CA) See examples
• dézòrd CA, ST ( adj. ) dézòd PC
  1. Wild, terrible, naughty; sauvage, fougueux.
     To dezòd, ta a fe nenpòt-ki kichòw, YOU DON ' T STAY STILL, to dezòd. You are wild, you do anything. You don’t stay still, you’re wild. (PC); Li fe tou kikchoj ke li pa dwat fe. Li plen dezòrd. He does everything he shouldn’t. He’s very naughty. (CA) See examples
• dézòrd CA, MO 60 ( n. )
  1. Mess, disorder; gâchis, désordre.
     Kan li fe dezòrd, mo babiye li. When he makes a mess, I scold him. (CA) See examples
• dézœf PC ( n. ) dézèf CA, MO 60, PC, MO 60, PC déze CA, MO 60, PC, MO 60, PC dézéf PC zéf PC néf PC nœf PC lézœf PC lézéf PC zé CA, NE lézèf CA zèf CA
  1. Egg; oeuf.
     Dezœf-la gen boul pou senk minit. The egg has to boil for five minutes. (PC); Mo lenm dezèf me ye gen pou èt byen kwi. I like eggs but they have to be well cooked. (CA) ♦ Si mo te met ef-sa-la a kouve li se donnen mwen poule. Poule-sa-la se grosi e li se ponn dezef. If I had put this egg to be incubated it would have given me a chicken. The chicken would have grown and laid eggs. (JR); ‘ dézef ‘ (T4; T27; T30); ‘nef’ (T5) •deze dir n.phr. Hard-boiled egg; oeuf dur. ♦ Glas e en deze dir e met li si so kou. Sa va pase mal o kèr. Freeze a hard-boiled egg and put it under the patient’s neck. That will make a stomach ache go away. (BI) •dezœf lakou n.phr. (PC). Yard eggs; oeufs de la basse cour. YARD EGG ye pèl sa. Ye pèl dezœf lakou-ye, ye meye a ke sa ye ka achte dan boutik. They call those ‘yard eggs’, they’re better than the eggs you can buy at the store. (PC) •dezèf melanje n.phr. (CA). Scrambled eggs; oeufs brouillés, •dezen mole n.phr. (CA), Soft-boiled egg; oeuf mollet. Dezeu mole pa dir. Pou mwa, ye kri. Soft-boiled eggs aren’t hard. As far as I’m concerned, they’re raw. (CA) See examples
• dòbl-èfèk PC ( n. )
  1. Double effect evaporator (in sugar factory); évaporateur à double effet (dans une raffinerie).
• dòminik CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Rhode Island red rooster; espèce de coq rouge, cf. kòk •poul dòminik
     n.phr. Dominique (a breed of chicken); dominique (une espèce de poulet), cf. poul See examples
• dòrmi PC ( n. )
  1. Sleep; sommeil.
     Li wa sa dan so dòrmi. She saw that in her sleep. (PC) •marche dan so dòrmi v.phr. (CA; ST). To walk in one’s sleep, be a sleepwalker; dormir en se promenant, être somnambule. See examples
• dòrmi CA, PC, ST ( v.intr. ) dromi NE, MO 60 dourmi PC dòr PC
  1. To sleep; dormir.
     No, li pe e dòrmi, le è benyè. No, he isn’t sleeping, he’s taking a bath. (PC); Ven d lamèriz, sa va dòn twa anvi dòrmi osit. Cherry wine will make you feel like sleeping also. (CA); Mo janm ape dòrmi. Mo gen en lakranmp andan mo lajanm e se lour. My leg is asleep. I’ve got a cramp in my leg and it’s heavy. (CA) ♦ Ye alonje ye-menm partèr-la, kwayan konmanse dromi ben vit pas ke ye te si las. They stretched out on the ground, thinking they would go to sleep right away because they were so tired. (JR) •dòrmi dan (so) marche v.phr. (PC). To walk in one’s sleep, be a sleepwalker; dormir en se promenant, être somnambule. Li kònen dòrmi dan so marche. She’s a sleepwalker. (PC) Conjug: an dòrman part.pres. While sleeping; en dormant. Li march an dòrman. She’s a sleepwalker. (PC) See examples
  2. To fall asleep, go to sleep; s’endormir. (NE) cf. andòrmi •pran dòrmi v.phr. (CA). To fall asleep; s’endormir.
     Mo pran dòrmi pandan mo garde tivi. I fall asleep while watching television. (CA) See examples
• dòrmétik CA ( n. )
  1. Sleepiness, tiredness; fatigue, sommeil.
     Li te gen si tèlman la dòrmetik. Li t ape marche dan so dòrmi e pou reveye li mo pran en pent dolo e mo voye pent dolo-la dan so lafigir. She was so sleepy. She was sleepwalking and to wake her up, I got a tin cup of water and I threw the cup of water in her face. (CA) See examples
• dòrur CA ( n. )
  1. Gold jewelry; bijouterie en or.
     Li te gen en ta dòrur, tro dòrur, desi li. She had a lot of gold jewelry, too much gold jewelry on her. (CA) See examples
• dòré CA ( adj. )
  1. Gilded, golden; doré.
     Li mèt so dipen danfoumo me li te pa dòre. Li te pa lèse li ase lontan andan foumo. He put the bread in the oven but it wasn’t golden brown. He didn’t leave it long enough in the oven. (CA) ♦ Epi si vou té connin comme mo bonne coiffeuse é bonne couturière! ma rangé si bien cheveu doré laïé! And if you only knew what a good hairdresser and seamstress I am! I will really fix up that golden hair nice! (ME) See examples
• dòz CA, PC, ST ( n. ) dos ladòz PC, CA
  1. Venereal disease; maladie vénérienne.
     Ye pel sa en dòz, vou te trap sa ave le fanm ki te sal. They used to call that a dose, you’d catch that with unclean women. (PC); Sa se en lamezon piten. Va pa la. To va trape move maladi, ladòz . That’s a whorehouse. Don’t go there. You’ll catch syphilis. (CA) See examples
• dòz No sources ( n. )
  1. Dose; dose.
     ♦La to donn trwa tas konm jòrdi, la to donn li en bon dòz louil. So you give him three cups like today, and you give him a good dose of oil. (BI) See examples
• dœy PC ( n. ) déy CA
  1. Mourning; demi.
     •an dœy adj.phr. (CA). In mourning; en deuil. Li an dœy. She’s in mourning. (PC); Li an dey pou so paran ke mòr. She’s in mourning for her relative who died. (CA) •pote dey v.phr. (CA). To mourn; être en deuil. •Fo jonmen pote dey onvon defen don sèkey: You must never mourn until the deceased is in his coffin. (BD) See examples
• Edga PC ( place n. )
  1. Edgard.
• Endyin No sources ( n. ) Zindyin CA, NE Léz Endyin PC
  1. Native American, Indian; Indien américain.
     Otour-isit se te jich le Zendyen. Around here it was just Indians. (NE) See examples