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

• Etalyin PC ( n. )
  1. Italian; Italien.
     To ant le de. Meriken, Kreyòl e Dego. Etalyen. You’re in between the two. American, Creole, and Dego. Italian. (PC) See examples
• fab MO 60 ( n. )
  1. Fable; fable.
• fad CA ( adj. )
  1. Bland, tasteless; fade.
     Li pa gen gou. Sa gou fad. It doesn’t have any taste. It tastes bland. (CA) See examples
• faiyté BT ( n. )
  1. Weakness; faiblesse.
     Mo trape la faiyte don me jonm. Se p sa mo grouiy pa tro. I caught a weakness in my legs. That’s why I don’t move around much. (BT) See examples
• faktri No sources ( n. )
  1. Factory; usine.
     Sa fôme apé travailler à la facterie à St. Martin. His wife is working at the factory in St. Martin. (GY) See examples
• fal CA, PC ( n. ) lafal CA, PC, ST
  1. Craw, crop; jabot.
     Lafal se la li me so manje, sa se aou tou so manje va li dijire li. The craw is where he puts his food. That’s where all of his food goes that he digests. (PC); Poul-la so lafal gro e mayi. That chicken’s craw is full of corn. (CA) ♦ Li dit yé qué bijou princesse la dans la fale gros dinde dans la cou, et kè si yé tchié dinde la yé va trouvé diamant là. He told them that the diamond was in the turkey’s craw, and that they would find it, on killing the turkey. (FO 1887) See examples
  2. Wattle; caroncule. (PC)
• fam PC ( n. ) fanm CA, PC fonm BT, CA, PC fom MO 60, NE, PC
  1. Woman; femme.
     So moman sètè en vòyon fam. Her mother was a beautiful woman. (PC); La fonm se vini sèrvi nouzòt en lontch pour nouzòt dine. The woman would come serve us a plate for lunch. (BT) ♦ Li té même oulé zépouser eine femme blanche et créole. He even wanted to marry a white Creole woman. (T37) •gro fonm n.phr. (CA). Famous woman; femme célèbre, •vye fom n.phr. (PC). Unmarried woman, single woman; femme célibataire. Se en fom. En jœn vye fom. She’s a woman, a young ‘old woman’. (PC) See examples
  2. Wife; femme, épouse.
     Inave pa ase d fonm blanch pour ye trouve Chaken enn fonm. There were not enough white women for each of them to find a wife. (BT); Safe en bon mari, e en bon fonm. They make a good husband and wife. (PC) REM: Note that in PC and CA, madanm is the usual term for wife, and fam is often pejorative. ♦ Fé com to olé, Compair Lapin; mouen ma pé porté mo kenne côté mo fame pou fé yé tchi. Do as you like, Brer Rabbit; I’m taking my own to my wife to have them cooked. (T4) •fonm e nonm n.phr. (PC). Man and wife; mari et femme. Ye pal ave ye momon e popa, e ye di ye ye ole mariye, ye ole et fonm e nonm. They talk to their mom and dad, they tell them that they want to get married, that they want to be man and wife. (PC) See examples
  3. Mistress; maîtresse.
     Aben konmon se to f òm mè se te pa madanm? To pa marye? To ve pa sa? Well, how is it that she’s your mistress but not your wife? You’re not married? You don’t want that? (PC) See examples
• fami CA, PC ( n. ) tanmi PC
  1. Sifter, sieve; tamis.
     Pou trape fifole, ye te gen en tami e ye te mèt grenn moutard anba-la. To catch a will-o-the-wisp, they had a sieve and they would put mustard seeds in the bottom of it. (CA) ♦ Li caché cochon la dans garde manger, biscuit yé en bas ein tamis, et nomme la en bas litte. She hid the pig in the larder, the biscuits under a strainer, and the man under the bed. (FO T27) See examples
  2. Drainer (for salad); égouttoir (de salade). (PC)
• familyèr BT ( adj. )
  1. Familiar, acquainted (with); familier (avec).
     Nou wa li konm sa; te pa familyèr avèk. That’s how we saw him; we weren’t familiar with him. (BT) See examples
• famiy CA, MO 60, NE, PC ( n. ) fanmi PC fanmiy PC fòmiy PC léfanmiy PC
  1. Family; famille.
     Fanmi-sa-a viv dan la vil vent an anvon li dèmnaje isi. That family lived in New Orleans twenty years before they moved here. (PC); Mo konè sa famiy. I know his family. (NE) ♦ Apre sa li marye avek prensès-la e elve enn grann famiy. After that he married the princess and raised a big family. (JR) •an famiy adj.phr. (CA; ST); an fonmiy (PC); on famiy (NE). Pregnant; enceinte. Li on fonmiy. She’s pregnant. (PC) See examples
• fanal No sources ( n. )
  1. Lantern; fanal, lanterne.
     ♦ En haut boute ein poteau fanal li té gagnin so catafalque. His catafalque was atop a lamppost. (T37) See examples
• fanfaran PC ( adj. )
  1. Cocky; fanfaron, effronté, suffisant.
• fanfélish CA ( n. ) fèrfòlish PC
  1. Frill, gewgaw; fanfreluche.
     Li chanje. Li krwa li gen la fanfelich. Li krwa li byen vayan. He’s dressed up. He thinks he’s got fancy clothes. He thinks he’s quite handsome. (CA) See examples
• fanmé PC ( adj. )
  1. Wonderful, fine; fameux.
     Mo pa san tro fanme. I don’t feel great. (PC) ♦ Tou mamzels yé conain coman to famé misichien. All the young ladies know how you are a fine musician. (T3) See examples
• fann PC ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) fonn BT, CA fan CA
  1. To split, crack; fendre.
     To fann jiromon-la, t e ote tou kè-la, to gen pliche li. You split the pumpkin and you remove the insides, you have to peel it. (PC); En lamas, sa gen en lamanch kòm en lahach. To sèr sa pou fan kikchoj. A sledgehammer has a handle like a hatchet. You use it to split something in two. (CA) ♦ Li prann en kwan e li fann enn grann krak tou la longè dibwa-la. He took a wedge and he split a crack the entire length of the log. (JR) See examples
  2. To slit, cut open; couper.
     Fann an milye. To split (a pig) down the middle. (PC); Fann vou patat an de. Cut your potatoes in two. (PC) •fonn (so) lagòrj v.phr. (BT). To slit the throat of; couper la gorge à. Ye te konye li don lasèrvèl pou fou li partèr ou ye pe fonn so lagòrj. They hit him in the head to knock him to the ground, where they could cut his throat. (BT)To split, crack; se fendre. Lapòrt-la fonn an de. The door split in two. (CA) See examples
• fannin CA, PC ( v. ) fanmin PC
  1. To wilt; faner.
     Bouke-ye ape fannen. The flowers are wilting. (PC); Flè-ye ap fannen parskè ye bèzonn èt roze. The flowers are wilting because they need to be watered. (CA) ♦ Ye te konnen pronn de fey de chou e ye te fonnen ye apre sa ye te met en longon ye te pele bazilikon. They used to take cabbage leaves and wilt them, and after that they would take a salve they called basilicon. [fonm’] (LA) See examples
• fant PC ( n. )
  1. Notch, groove, slot (in a piece of wood being chopped); entaille (dans une bûche qu’on coupe).
     Dan mèm fant. In the same crack. (PC) See examples
  2. Crack (of a door that is ajar); fente (d’une porte entrouverte).
     ♦ Li couché par terre divant cabane la et li oua dans lafente laporte tout ça yé fait dans cabane la. He lay down on the ground in front of the house and he saw through the crack in the door everything happening inside the house. (FO T27) See examples
• far BT, CA, ST ( n. ) fa BT
  1. Stuffing, dressing; farce.
     Ti pœ fe far, ti pœ jij etoufe ansanm, ti pœ mèt dan lavyonn. You can make a stuffing, you can just stew them together, you can put in your meat. (BT); M ap boure mo kana pou THANKSGIVING. Mo mèt diri e fwa e jijie pou fe en far. I’m stuffing my duck for Thanksgiving. I put rice, liver and gizzards to make a stuffing. (CA) See examples
  2. Rice dressing, dirty rice (a stuffing made of rice and bits of meat); riz épicé et préparé avec des petits morceaux de viande, des oignons, etc.
     Dzi fa-lœ va gate o stov si to me pa sa karemon don frijidè-lœ. The rice dressing will spoil on top of the stove if you don’t immediately put it in the refrigerator. (BT) See examples
• farinin CA ( adj. )
  1. Powdery, fine; poudreux, fin.
     Kan to gen latèr dir, to gen pou mèt disab pou li vini farinen. When you have hard earth, you have to put in some sand so it will become powdery. (CA) See examples
• farinn BT, MO 60, NE, PC ( n. ) lafarinn CA, PC, ST flarinn PC
  1. Flour, meal; farine.
     Mo monmon te fe nouzòt de chimij avèk de sak d farin. My mother made us shirts out of flour sacks. (BT); To wa en rou, tou la to fe se farin e to jonni li. Farin-la to joni farin-la. You see, (to make) a roux all you do is brown the flour. The flour, you brown the flour. (PC); Pou fe to gato, to kapab mèt tou. To mèt to lafarin e tou. To make a cake, you can put in everything. You put in your flour and all. (CA) ♦ Kon en piti gen deronjmon to deli la farin fromon don dolo e pi to don li sa trwa jwa pa jou. When a child has diarrhea you mix wheat flour in water and give him that three times a day. (LA) •farin fronse n.phr. Wheat flour; farine de blé. ♦ Mele en jonn deze avek la farin fronse. Mix an egg yolk with wheat flour. [ 'farine français’] (BI) •afarin mayi n.phr. (PC; ST); lafarin mai (MO 60). Corn flour; farine de maïs. Mo-kèn gran-momon li te gen so OWN MILL pou GRIND so lafarin mayi e digri. My grandmother had her own mill to grind her corn flour and her grits. (PC); Nou sèrvi lafarin mayi pou fe dipen mayi. We use corn meal to make cornbread. (ST) See examples
• farmasi* No sources ( n. ) fòrmasi PC, CA
  1. Pharmacy; pharmacie.
     Èn fòrmasi. A pharmacy. (PC) See examples
• farmasyin PC ( n. ) farmasinn PC fòrmasyin CA
  1. Pharmacist, druggist; pharmacien.
     Mo bezonn medikaman. Fòrmasyen-la te p ole don man sa san preskrisyon. I need medecine. The pharmacist didn’t want to give it to me without a prescription. (CA) See examples
• farmyé NE, PC ( n. ) farmyè PC
  1. Farmer; fermier, agriculteur, cultivateur.
     Jòrdwi, n a pu dè farmyè kè piti. Se tou de gro farmye. Nowadays there are no more small farmers. They are all big farmers. (PC) See examples
• faro BT, CA, NE, PC ( adj. )
  1. Well-dressed, sporty, spiffy; bien habillé.
     Li te byen faro kòm enn keu d vach. (Creole idiom) He was as well-dressed as a cow’s tail. (PC); Èl marche don legliz tou faro èk de talon ho. She walked into church all dressed up in high heels. (BT); Kan to byen chanje, kan to vayan, ye di to faro. When you’re well dressed, when you’re good-looking, they say you’re spiffy. (CA) ♦ Li révini bien faraud comme anvant. He came back as well-dressed as before. (T19) See examples
• faroush CA, NE, PC, ST ( adj. )
  1. Wild, untamed; farouche, sauvage, inapprivoisé.
     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); Chyen farouch. Wild dog. (CA); Chat farouch. Wild cat. (CA); Denn farouch. Wild turkey. (ST) See examples
  2. Upset; bouleversé, troublé.
     Sa to wa, pou gen to farouch kom sa? What did you see, that got you upset like that? (PC) See examples
• farousé No sources ( v.intr. )
  1. To be scared off; s’effaroucher.
     ♦ Zafair couri assé ben dan comanceman; bambail zibié tou faroucé et parti dan lot péhie. Things went rather well at first; by and by the game all got scared off and left for other lands. (T6) See examples
• fars NE ( adj. ) fas PC
  1. Funny; drôle, amusant, marrant.
• fars CA ( n. ) fas PC
  1. Fun, amusement; divertissement.
     ♦ Jean Malin té pensé en li méme: Jordi na oua la farce, pasqué li té connin qui paroles li té doit dit pou fait michié l'amouré la vini taureau encore. Jean Malin said to himself: ‘Today we will see some fun’, because he knew what words to say to make the lover become a bull again. (FO T2) See examples
  2. Joke; plaisanterie, blague.
     Tou monti-sa-ye te fas, yè jich e monti pou fas pou fe to ri. All of those lies were a joke, they were just lying to make you laugh. (PC); Mo bo-pèr te di de fars. My father-in-law told jokes. (CA) •fe fars v.phr. (CA; PC). To joke, kid; plaisanter. Ben lalèv se mèyè paròl, la lalèv. Mo popa te kònen di babin, men, li te juch e fe fòn, fe fas. Well, [lèv] is a better word (for lip). My father used to use the word [babin], but when he did he was only joking. (PC); Mo pa vini kolèr parskè mo konen li t ap fe fars. I didn’t get angry because I knew he was only joking. (CA) ♦ Nonm-sa-la te en vantrilòg, e li te lenmen fe fars tou tan. That man was a ventriloquist, and he liked to play jokes all the time. (JR) See examples
  3. Practical joke, trick; mauvais tour. •jwe en fars (on)
     v.phr. (CA). To play a joke, trick (on); jouer un tour (à). Jwe en fars, se kan se prèmye avri e mo di twa kèken ap pele twa me mo manti. Mo jwe en fars an twa. To play a trick, that’s when it’s April first and I tell you someone is calling you but I lied. I played a trick on you. (CA) ♦ Ye parle la lontan avan Lapen deside pou jwe en fas on Misye Kokodri. They spoke for quite a while before Rabbit decided to play a trick on Mr. Crocodile. (JR) See examples
• farsi No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To stuff; farcir.
     ♦ Mo gain vagnan ti koson dan pak; si to vini oua nou zot pou bal 4 juliete, mo famme di kom ça la farcit li avé douri. I have a nice little pig in the pen. If you come see us on the Fourth of July my wife says she will stuff it with rice. (T12) See examples
• fas No sources ( n., v.phr. ) fèr fas MO 60
  1. To face, cope (with); faire face (à).
• fashé CA, PC ( adj. )
  1. Mad, angry, upset; en colère, fâché.
     Mo te fache to pa pele mon . I was angry you didn’t call me. (CA) ♦ Mo té kré zens di Nor té pa koné ziré, mè mo répone vou, mo vié kompèr ; vié mait kan li té ben facé li zamé trété mouen brit kom nome cila. I thought people from the North didn’t know how to swear, but let me tell you, my old pal, when my old master got mad he never treated me rough like this man does. (T14) •fache apre v.phr. (CA; PC). To be mad at; être fâché contre. Kan nou ansanm, nou pal pa langle. Nou pal zus kreyòl. E to wa moun vyen fache apre nouzòt paskeu ye di n e pale on ye. When we’re together we don’t speak English, we speak only Creole. And then you see, people get mad at us, because they think we’re talking about them. (PC); Mo fache apre li parskè li manti on mon. I’m angry with him because he lied to me. (CA) •fe fache v.phr. (CA; PC). To anger, irritate; fâcher, vexer. Ti garson-sa-a kònè fe mo fache. That little boy used to irritate me. (PC); To fe mo fache, parskè t ap di kèkchoj pou manti. You’re making me angry because you’re saying something as a lie. (CA) See examples
  2. Sorry, troubled; fâché, troublé.
     ♦ Mo ben fâcé, Compair Bouki; mo pa capa idé toi. I’ m very sorry, Brer Bouki, I can’t help you. (T3) See examples
• fasil NE ( adj., adv. )
  1. Easy; facile.
     Se pa fasil pou to trap en kokodri a la kours. It is not easy to catch a crocodile that is running. (BT)Easily; facilement. Mo gen en ti degan fe an LAMB kòm en mouton e mo pouste avèk li. Mon kapab pouste fasil. I have a little glove made out of lambskin and I dust the furniture with it. I can dust easily. (CA) ♦ Kriket te ben kontan pou chape fasil konm sa. Cricket was happy to escape so easily. (JR) See examples
• fason No sources ( n. )
  1. Kind, type, sort; espèce, sorte, type.
     ♦ Y é tous parti couri dans tous façons chimins, dans bois. They all took off running, on every kind of road and into the woods. (T25) See examples
• fatig CA ( n. )
  1. Tiredness, fatigue; fatigue.
     To travay tro. To gen la fatig. You work too much. You’re tired. (CA) ♦ Mais c ’est pas arien ça, gardé moin qui forcé autant qué vous, mo pas senti la fatigue. But that is nothing, look at me straining as hard as you, and I don’t feel tired. (FO T4) See examples
• fatigé NE ( adj. )
  1. Tired; fatigué.
• fatigé NE ( v.intr. )
  1. To tire, grow tired; devenir fatigué. M
     ape fatige koute sa. I’m getting tired of hearing that. (NE) See examples
• fatra No sources ( n. )
  1. Jumble, hodgepodge; fatras, mélangé.
     Tout ces fils-putain Frenchmen té Red Red Red. Salé fatras clochards c'té tous des Frenchmen. All of those French sons of bitches were red red red. Dirty hodgepodge bums, they were all Frenchmen. (DC) See examples
• favèr CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Favor; petit service.
     Li di li vini mande mwen en favèr. He said he came to ask me for a favor. (PC) ; Mo fe kèken en favèr yèr. Li te pa konen sa pou fe e mo montre li. I did someone a favor yesterday. He didn’t know what to do and I showed him. (CA) See examples
• fe NE ( n. ) difé CA, NE, PC dufé PC fé NE difè CA, MO 60
  1. Fire; feu.
     Vou mèt li on stov-la, vou limen dife anba. You put it on the stove and light a fire under it. (PC); Mo netway mo poul padon mo rou ape fe griye onho en ti feu. I clean my chickens while my roux is grilling over a little fire. (NE); Li mèt en zalimèt dan gaz e sa fe dife. He put a match in gas and it made a fire. (CA) ♦ Et dans cabane ça bon assise côté di fé avec tous nos pitis quand napé boi café. And in the house it is good to sit by the fire with all of our children when we are drinking coffee. (T27) See examples
• feraiy BT ( n. ) féraiy BT
  1. Junk, trash; camelote, rebuts, objets sans valeur.
     Dat kolèk en ta de feraiy. Dot collects a lot of junk. (BT) See examples
• fi-d-gars NE ( n. ) fi-d-gas PC
  1. Son of a bitch; fils de garce.
     Vilen fi-d-gas. An ugly son of a bitch. (PC) See examples
• fi-d-putin BT ( n. ) fi-d-pitin NE
  1. Son of a bitch; fils de putain.
     Kon ton choke... Mon fi-d-puten. When you’re angry, (you say) son of a bitch! (BT); Tout ces fils-putain Frenchmen té Red Red Red. All of those French sons of bitches were red red red. (DC); C’tait ein lucky fils-fils-tain! He was a lucky son-of-a-bitch! (DC) See examples
• fid BT, PC ( n. )
  1. (Animal) feed; pâture, nourriture (pour les animaux).
     Ina du moun ki sèrv dufid dou e mo mo sèrv du mai ekraze e deu lavwenn ekrase e pi fid, mo mèl le trwa ansanm. There are some people who use sweet feed, and I use ground corn and ground oats and feed, I mix the three together. (BT); Ye e fe mil pou fid zalimo. They make meal for animal feed. (PC) See examples
• fifolé CA, NE, PC ( n. )
  1. Will-o’-the-wisp; feu follet.
     Fifole-ye te e konnen vini e li te gen en ti lalimyè, vou te wa e dèn, li te dispare. Will-o’-the-wisps would come out, and they had a little light that you would see and then they would disappear. (PC); Pou trape fifole, ye te gen en tami e ye te mèt grenn moutard anba-la e li te konte tou piti gren-la avon li te sòrti. To catch a will-o-the-wisp, they would get a sieve and they would put mustard seeds on the bottom of it, and he would count all the little seeds before he would get out. (CA) ♦ Enn fwa enn ave en vye neg ki te konnen toumen li-menm an fifole. Once there was an old black man who knew how to turn himself into a will-o’-the-wisp. (JR) See examples
• figiré CA ( v.intr. )
  1. To figure, imagine; s’imaginer, se figurer.
     Mo pa konen kofèr ye figire mo te pa konen sa mo t ape parle pou. I don’t know why they figured I didn’t know what I was talking about. (CA) See examples
• figur BT, NE, PC ( n. ) figir CA, NE, PC figi PC lafigi PC lafigir CA lafigur ST
  1. L Face; figure, visage.
     Mo pa kòn ki moun li te, li te gen en mas an so figi. I didn’t know who she was, she had a mask on her face. (PC); To bòs en bouton antèr to lafigir You broke open a pimple on your face. (CA); Li fe en vilen lafigur. He made an ugly face. (ST) ♦Lï volé dans bois coté michié la, si batte so zaile dans so figuire . It flew into the woods to the man’s house and beat its wings in his face. (T29) 2. Face, expression; mine, visage. Mo wa sa a so lafigir. I see that in his face. (CA) •fe figi (apre) v.phr. (PC); fe en lafigi (CA). To make a face (at); faire des grimaces (à). Mo fe li en lafigi. Mo pa kontan. I made a face at him. I’m not happy. (CA) See examples
• figyé MO 60, PC ( n. ) figé PC
  1. Fig tree; figuier.
     Ga fige-la, safe defig. Look at that fig tree, it produces figs. (PC) ♦ Plonte li onmba en fige. Plant it under a fig tree. (BI) See examples
• fiktis CA, ST ( n., adj. ) fistish CA, ST
  1. Imitation, artificial object used for a decoration; imitation, objet factice utilisé comme décoration.
     A prezan ye gen chimnen me se jich puo en fïstich. La boukann sòr pa. Nowadays they have a fireplace but it’s just a decoration. Smoke doesn’t come out of it. (CA)Fake, imitation; faux. Dezef fiktis. Fake eggs. (CA) See examples
• fil BT, CA, MO 60, PC ( n. ) dufil PC difil PC
  1. Wire; fil en fer.
     To gen de ti bar apre kòm sa, di ti bar fil, debout. To ga apre kat ti ba d fil. (To play croquet), you have little wire bars about so high, standing upright. You have about four little wire bars. (PC) REM: In PC it is more common to use waya (q.v.). •fil a kroche n.phr. (PC). Barbed wire; fil de fer barbelé. Ma chmij kroche an WIRE, fil a kroche. My shirt got caught on the barbed wire. (PC) •fil de fè n.phr. (CA). Barbed wire; fil de fer barbelé. To fe en baryè evèk fil de fè pou peche lavach-ye sòrti. You make a barbed wire fence to keep the cows from getting out. (CA) 2. Tendril, vine (of bean plant); filet, vrille, liane (d’un haricot). Fè fil lalyòn, fil. The plant produces vines. (PC) •fil-d-amour n.phr. Love vine, dadder; fil d’amour (une espèce de liane). ( Cuscuta specie). ♦ [Pou] la jonis, pronn de fil damour e bouyi ye. La to les ye refredi e to pron en ti tas a kafe trwa jwa par jou. For jaundice, you take some love vine and you boil it. Then you let it cool off and you have a little coffee cup three times a day. (BI) 3, Telephone; téléphone. (PC) 2. String, thread; fil, ficelle. Se du fil mare double. Se jus en kòrdon pour mèt otour twa konm sa. It’s string that’s tied around twice. It’s just a piece of string to put around you like that. (BT); En bout difil. A piece of string. (PC) •difil koton n.phr. (CA). Cotton thread; fil de coton. Mo fe tou mo lenj e difil koton. Se difil ki pli fòr ke difil laswa. I make all my clothes with cotton thread. It’s thread that’s stronger than silk thread. (CA) •difil laswa n.phr. (PC). Silk thread; fil de soie. To pran en bout difil, en bout difil laswa. To mare li sère sère. You take a piece of silk thread and tie it really tight. (PC) •dufil matla n.phr. (PC). Mattress thread; fil à matelas. Dufil matla-la te epe. To te me sa dan negwiy matla-la. The mattress thread was thick. You would put it into the mattress needle. (PC) •fil nagne n. (NE); fil zaryen (CA). Spider web; toile d’araignée. Kon nou te koupe nouzòt, nou te kour trape en fil nagne. When we cut ourselves, we went to get a spider web. (NE); Gro zaryen dan bwa, li fe en gro fil zaryen ron. A big spider in the woods, he makes a big round spider web. (CA) ♦ '[fil narenyen] ' (BI) See examples
• filan PC ( adj. ) filon PC
  1. Sharp; effilé, tranchant.
     Ye te pran en kouto filon, e koupe ye, par ti bout kòm sa. They would take a sharp knife and cut them in little pieces like that. (PC) See examples