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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filan
CA, ST
(
n.
)
-
Slime; substance visqueuse.
To koup to fevi. To mèt sa dan chodyèr e de lagrès. To touf li byen, zongnon e tou. To gen pou ote filan-la. Kan li tou sòrti, to mèt dolo e la to fe en gonbo fevi. You cut up your okra. You put it in a pot with grease. You smother it well with onions. You have to remove the slime. When it’s all gone, you add water and then you make an okra gumbo. (CA)
See examples
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filozòf
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Philosopher; philosophe.
♦ Si vou contan colomme cila-la, cé ein colomme ki philosophe. If you are happy with that overseer, he is an overseer who is a philosopher. (FO 1887)
See examples
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filé
CA, PC, ST
(
v.,
v.tr.,
v.intr.
)
fil
BT, PC
-
To climb, creep (of a plant); grimper (en parlant d’une plante).
Se enn lèb ki lev anndan la. E la laliyòn-la file apre dekòn-la. That’s a grass that grows in there. The vine grows along the sugar cane stalk. (PC); Mo ranme mo bin-ye file ouchka o bou d baton. Sa se so ranm. I put a stick in for my beans to climb up to the end of the stick. That’s its pole. (CA) 2. To slither; se faufiler. Sèrpan-la file anndan lèb-la. The snake slithered through the grass. (PC) ♦ Di bois la prende descende courant et yé filé raide . The log caught the current and it moved right along. (FO T15) 3. To leave, go away; filer, partir, s’en aller. File. Ale. T ap anbete mon. Go away. Go. You’re bothering me. (CA) ♦ Allons Liétenant Gouvemair, prend la poude d'escampette. Macaque pas né pou zonnair. Filé; - jordi, cé pas to fête. Let’s go, Lieutenant Governor, let’s hit the road; the monkey is not made for honor; leave. Today is not your birthday party. (T32)1. To thread; enfiler. Mo ka file en negwi. I can thread a needle. (PC) 2, To string, make a string of; enfiler. File lay. To string garlic cloves. (PC); Prann dufil-la, file negwi-la. Take some thread and thread the needle. (PC) 4. To sharpen, whet; effiler. Èn mœl pou file kouto. A whetstone for sharpening a knife. (PC); Mo dòn mo frèr en lamèl pou file kouto. I gave my brother a whetstone for sharpening knives. (CA) ♦ Lese mwen kouri file mo kouto pou koupe ye kou. Let me go sharpen my knife to cut their throats. (JR)
See examples
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filé
CA, PC
(
adj.
)
-
Sharp; effilé, tranchant.
Se en kouto file. Li koup tou. It’s a sharp knife. It cuts everything. (CA) ♦ Compair Dahomey sauté droite diboute avè so boulknife ki té filé com razoa. Brer Dahomey jumped right up with his Bowie knife that was as sharp as a razor. (T5)
See examples
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Straight (of hair); droits (en parlant des cheveux).
En milat gen bon cheve, so cheve drwat, so cheve file. A mulatto has good hair, his hair is straight. (PC)
See examples
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filé
CA
(
n.
)
-
Filé powder (crumbled sassafras leaves used to thicken gumbo); filé (feuilles écrasées du sassafras servant à épaissir le gombo).
Sa se bwa-la ki fe file-la, sasafrwa-la. To kas labranch-la e ote le fey-ye apre to tès sa chèse o soley. That is the tree that you make filé powder from, sassafras. You break the branch and remove the leaves and then you let them dry in the sun. (CA)
See examples
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filé
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Drink, gulp, shot; coup, gorgée.
Li bwa en bon file wiski e li te bon. He drank a good shot of whiskey and it was good. (CA) ♦ Li prann en bon file dan enn boutey. He took a big drink from a bottle. (JR)
See examples
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filé
PC
(
n.
)
-
String; ficelle, filet.
Se so labib, konm en nonm gen en moustach. Sa sanm en ti file. That’s his hair, just like a man has a mustache. It looks like string. (PC)
See examples
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Net; filet.
♦ Eh bein, Lion-la t'entrain sorti dans bois et li tommebé trapé dans ein filet. Well, Lion was coming out of the woods and he fell into a net. (BD) •’filet l’araignée’ n.phr. Spider web; toile d’araignée. ♦ Lï couri si vite li tommebé dans ein filet l'araignée ou li crévé. He ran so quickly that he fell into a spider web where he died. (BD)
See examples
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Bit (for horses); mors.
Se bè bridon nou pel. Li gen dè file, li va dan ladjèl mile, la li va antòr mile, chak kote. That’s what we call a ‘bit’. It has two moving parts, it goes into the mule’s mouth and surrounds it on both sides. (PC)
See examples
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fin
CA, PC
(
adj.
)
finn
PC
-
Fine; fin.
Se meyœr si ti l pas trwa fwa. Sa moul sa fen. It’s better if you sift it three times. It grinds it up finer. (CA) ♦Pou fe tonbe nobri pron ni gep e chofe ye don stov e la kraze ye, fen konm en lapoud; e la met sa on nobri piti la. To make the umbilical cord fall off, take some wasps’ nests, heat them in the stove and grind them up, make a powder, and put that on the child’s umbilical cord. (LA); ‘ Peigne fin’. A finetooth comb. (T40); ' Souyé fin.’ Fine shoes. (T10)
See examples
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Thin, fine; fin, mince.
Nou gen le pwason ye pèle legwi. Se en zafè li fin andan, li plu lonng, mè li pa gro. We have a fish they call a needle. It’s a thing that’s thin inside, it’s longer but it’s not very big. (PC); Mo koup mo lavyann fen pou kwi li. Li vyen tonn pli vit. I slice my meat thin to cook it. It gets tender faster. (CA)
See examples
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Good-looking; beau.
L en neg fen. He is a good-looking black man. (PC)
See examples
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fin
CA
(
n.
)
-
End; fin.
A la fen lonnen, no gen lafèt Nwèl. At the end of the year, we have Christmas. (CA) ♦A lafin mois-ci là c’est temps pou donne zétrenne. At the end of this month is the time to give (New Year’s) gifts. (T27) •a-la-fen adv. (NE). Finally; enfin. (NE) ♦ Compair Renard voyagé longtemps et a la fin rivé dans pays la ou Compair Lapin té caché. Brer Fox travelled for a long time and finally arrived in the land where Brer Rabbit was hiding out. (FO T15)
See examples
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fin
NE
(
n.
)
-
Hunger; faim. •(gen) fen
v.phr. To be hungry; avoir faim. To te gen fen. To bafre en ta. You were hungry. You ate a lot. (CA); Mo fen. No va a lamezon pou monje. I’m hungry. We’re going home to eat. (NE) ♦ Enn fwa vye Konpè Ratbwa te gen si fen, li te gen pou gen en gamel plakmin. Once Brer Possum was so hungry that he had to eat a bowl of persimmons. (DU)
See examples
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fin-la-smènn
PC
(
n.
)
-
Weekend; week-end.
Petèt t a kouri on la fen-la-smenn-la o petèt m a kouri, lamotche la smenn-la . Maybe you’ll go on the weekend or maybe I’ll go in the middle of the week. (PC)
See examples
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fini
PC
(
adj.
)
-
Worn-out, broken; usé, cassé.
Sètè en bèsez me li ja fini. Se pi bèsez astè. It was a rocking chair, but it’s broken, and it’s no rocking chair any more. (PC)
See examples
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fini
MO 60, NE
(
v.,
v.intr.,
v.tr.,
v.aux.
)
-
To end, be finished; finir, se terminer.
Kon bal-la fini, n a partaje Iarjon-la! When the dance is over we’ll split the money. (NE) ♦ Yé di l'hiver fini quand to oi feilles pacane. They say that winter is over when you see the pecan leaves. (T27)1. To finish, complete; finir, achever. Mo bezwen travaye dur pou fini louvraj-la. I have to work hard to finish this job. (NE) ♦Lapin commencé fait so pont qui té vite fini. Rabbit began to make his bridge that was soon finished. (FO T15) 2. To ruin; abîmer, gâter. Mo pa dòn twa ye pou to donse tou la journe pou fini ye kòm to t ape donse. I didn’t give them to you so you could dance around all day and wear them out like you’re doing. (NE)1. To finish; finir de. O wè, mète l an liv-la, o bout lanen t a peye, ka t a fini rantre to rekòt. Oh yes, they put it in the ledger, and at the end of the year you’ll pay, when you finish bringing in your harvest. (PC) ♦ Tan yé fini manzé, vié nomme sorti ein caçambo dan so posse. When they finished eating, the old man drew a pipe from his pocket. (T6) •fini fè adj.phr. (PC); fini fe (PC). Done, finished, completed; fini, terminé. La li fini f e la. (The sugar) is done now. (PC) 2. To have already (done sth.); avoir déjà (fait qch). Me li li te fini mouri! But he was already dead! (NE) ♦ Kon boyo gra te fini kwi Lapen monze li. When the tripe was through cooking, Rabbit ate it. (LA) 3. To end up, finally (do sth.); finir par (faire qch). Se vyè boug mo di vou ki fini trete mon. It’s the old man I already told you about who ended up treating me. (PC) ♦A la fin yé fini par contré, mais Compair Lapin té pas reconnaite so vié padna. Finally they ended up meeting, but Brer Rabbit did not recognize his old friend. (FO T15) • fini par v.phr. (CA; PC). To end up, finally (do sth); finir par. Li fini par degobiye sa li te ole. He finally spat out what he wanted. (PC); Mo fini par di sa mo t ole di. I ended up saying what I wanted to say. (CA) ♦ Li fini pa tchwe li don pleri la. He ended up killing him in the prairie. (DU) •ka t a fini konnè v.phr. (PC). Before you know it, all of a sudden; en moins de rien, tout d’un coup. To gen plen larjan te e gaspiye to larjan. Ka t a fini konnè to pa gen larjan ditou, to gaspiye li tou to jète li dan en bòrd dan en lòt. You’ve got lots of money, you’re wasting your money. Before you know it you don’t have any money at all, you’ve wasted it all, you’ve thrown it away here and there. (PC)
See examples
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finn
BT
(
n.
)
-
Fender, bumper; pare-chocs.
Yèr kan t e parti, t e toune tro kour, me to kobi fin disu ton char. Yesterday when you drove off, you cut it too short and you dented the fender of your car. (BT)
See examples
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finèt
No sources
(
n.
)
lafinèt
CA, PC, ST
lafnéit
PC
lafunét
PC
lafinét
PC
lafnét
PC
fnèt
PC
fenèt
ST
-
Window; fenêtre.
Li gade par lafneit. He looked through the window. (PC); Lafòrs divan kase mo lafinèt. The force of the wind broke my window. (CA); Kouri bese feunèt. Go lower the window. (ST) ♦ Ye frenmen tou fnet-ye e pòt-ye avan ye va kouche pou peche marongwan-ye rantre dan kabann-la. They shut all the windows and doors before going to bed to keep the mosquitoes from coming inside. (JR) •oèn fnèt an bwa n. phr. (PC). Wooden casement window (a shutter-like board in place of a pane, which hangs on hinges and is opened and closed to the side); fenêtre en bois. (PC)
See examples
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firyé
CA
(
adj.
)
-
Furious; furieux.
Sa fe mo firye, sa mo wa la. Sete pa byen . That makes me furious. What I see there. It wasn’t good. (CA) ♦ Kre sakre tonnè! Sherif-la te firye . ‘Damn it!’ The sheriff was furious. (JR)
See examples
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fis
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Son; fils. (NE).
♦ Fi léroi té limmin La Graisse. The king’s son loved La Graisse. (T29)
See examples
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prop.n. Son (of God); Fils (de Dieu).
Non dou Pè e dou Fis e dou Sent Espri ennsi swa-t-il. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen. (PC)
See examples
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fishé
No sources
(
v.tr.,
v.phr.
)
fish a lapòrt
No sources
-
To throw s.o. out; mettre à la porte.
♦ Yé fiche li à laporte. They threw him out. (T34) •’fiche pa mal' v.phr. To not care about, not give a damn; s’en foutre. ♦ Mo fiche pas mal ça yé va croi. I don’t give a dam what people think. (TN) •fiche (so) chan v.phr. To leave, beat it; foutre le camp, partir. ♦ Mo té croi macaque la crévé, ou que li té fiché so champ. I thought the monkey would have died or moved away. (T36)
See examples
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fiy
CA, MO 60, NE, PC, ST
(
n.
)
-
Daughter; fille.
Ye monn momon e popa la pèrmisyon pou mariye e ye fiy. They asked the mom and dad permission to marry their daughter. (PC) ♦ Lœ rwa ole fe mwen marye avek so fiy ; e mo pa ole. The king wants to make me marry his daughter, and I don’t want to. (JR) •ti-fiy n. Granddaughter; petite-fille, cf. tit-fiy
See examples
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Girl, woman; (jeune) fille, femme.
Ye te krwa sete de nenpòt-konmon fiy. They believed it was easy girls who wore that stuff. (BT); Se en fiy ki basét. Li pa gran. She’s a short girl. She’s not tall. (CA) ♦ Mo té coutime dansé avec ti filles layé. I used to dance with those girls. (T27) •ti fiy n.phr. (CA; PC). Baby girl; petite fille. Se en ti fiy. It’s a girl! (PC); Ye t ole en ti garson me ye i en ti fiy. They wanted a boy but they had a baby girl. (CA)
See examples
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Virgin; vierge.
Tou piti-ye mo gen a se pou li. Li marye e man mo te fiy! Katolik! All of the children I have are by him. When he married me I was a virgin. Catholic! (PC) •fiy ki janme kase n.phr. (PC). Virgin; vierge. •vyey fiy n.phr. (CA; NE); vyè fiy (PC). Spinster, old maid; vieille fille.
See examples
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fiy-d-onèr
PC
(
n.
)
fiy-d-onnè
PC
fiy-d-onè
PC
fiy-d-ònè
PC
fiy-d-onin
CA
-
Maid of honor; demoiselle d’honneur.
Gason-d-onè ave fiy-d-onèr, se sa y ki vyen dèryè la maryaj. The best man and the maid of honor are the ones who follow the bride and groom. (PC)
See examples
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fiyo
CA, PC
(
n.
)
filò
CA
-
Godson; filleul.
Mo batize mo fiyo tèl-e-tèl tan. I baptized my godson at such and such a time. (CA)
See examples
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fiyèl
CA
(
n.
)
fiyez
PC
-
Goddaughter; filleule.
-
fié
No sources
(
v.tr.
)
-
To trust; se fier à.
♦. Apprende pas fié moune to pas connin. Learn not to trust people you don’t know. (FO T10)
See examples
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flakon
CA
(
n.
)
flakan
PC
-
Small bottle; flacon.
En ti flakon kòm sa eusot van sa dè pyas. A little bottle like that, they sell for two dollars. (CA) ♦ Va vidé ladan ain flacon plin dolo cologne. Go and empty a bottle of cologne into it. (ME)
See examples
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flan
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Flank, side; flanc.
♦ Li batte so flan avé so la tchié. He beat his sides with his tail. (FO 1887)
See examples
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flannèl
CA
(
n.
)
-
(Piece of) flannel; (morceau de) flannel.
Ye fe le ti gabrièl pou en ti bebe e flannèl. They make nightgowns for a little baby with flannel. (CA) ♦ La to pronn en flanel e to bib li byen avek di swif mouton. Then you take a piece of flannel and you soak it well in sheep fat. (BI)
See examples
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flaté
CA
(
v.tr.
)
-
To flatter; flatter.
Y ap flate mon pou mo dòn ye sa y ole. They are flattering me so I give them what they want. (CA) ♦ Jéne nomme la té si flatté belle fille la té lainmain li qué li vini amouré aussite et li marié fille la. The young man was so flattered that the beautiful girl loved him that he fell in love also and married her. (FO T22)
See examples
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flatœr
PC
(
n.
)
-
Flatterer; flatteur.
Li sè en flatœr. He’s a flatterer. (PC) ♦ Fo to appronne tout moune qui flattè en train vive en ça-yé qui ‘couté li. You must learn that all flatterers live at the expense of those who listen to them. (BD)
See examples
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flavœr
PC
(
n.
)
-
Flavor; saveur, goût.
La vanis set enn chòj kœ ti me, donn to en flavœr. Vanilla is one thing that you can put in to add flavor to your cake. (PC)
See examples
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flev
PC
(
n.
)
flév
PC
flèv
CA, PC
-
River; fleuve.
M e bwaze li pou tchombo dolo-la ndanflev-la. I'm reinforcing it with wood to keep the water in the river. (PC) ♦ Fleuve pa loin. The river is not far. (ME)
See examples
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The Mississippi River; le fleuve Mississippi.
Vou frape leu fleuv lalve an en kote. When you arrive at the River the levee is on one side. (PC)
See examples
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flijè
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Lesser celandine, figwort; ficaire.
♦ Fou de emòrvid, pronn la tet fonm blon e la flijè de mezon, e la vou pronn de ekòrch de sinelye dou. Vou bouy sa onsonm. For hemorrhoids, take some ‘white woman’s head (a plant)’ and some house figwort, and then take some bark of the sweet hawthorn. You boil all that together. (BI)
See examples
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fliksyon
CA
(
n.
)
infliksyon
CA
-
Pneumonia; pneumonie.
Li kouche tro lontan an so do. Li trape enfliksyon. Se so pomon ke travay pa byen. He’s been lying down too long on his back. He caught pneumonia. It’s his lungs that aren’t working well. (CA) •fliksyon pwatrin n.phr. Pneumonia; pneumonie. ♦[Pou] fliksyon pwatrin, to pronn la grenn mamou e fe en di te avek li pou pèrsonn la bwa. For pneumonia, you take some coral tree seeds and make a tea that the sick person will drink. (BI) REM: Reflexes of fluxion have crossed with frisson .
See examples
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floté
CA, PC
(
v.intr.
)
flòt
CA
-
To float; flotter.
LOG-la te e flote an dolo. The log was floating in the water. (PC); En pirog flòt e en laplòt va flote. A pirogue floats and a ball will float. (CA) ♦ Bouki roule don en kenn lagrès pou li te kapa flote. Bouki rolled around in a can of grease so that he could float. (LA)
See examples
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flou
PC
(
n.
)
-
Flue; tuyau de cheminée.
To lavyòn no te boukonn sa. Mo popa te fe en flou. Wi, tan li te tchouwe kochon, li te fe en flou. We used to smoke our meat. My father made a chimney flue. When he killed a pig he would make a chimney flue. (PC)
See examples
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flou
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Influenza, flu; grippe.
♦ Pou flou, nimoni e de doulèr,fe en di te avek la rasin kontak e enn avek la rasin mamou. For the flu, pneumonia and labor pains, make a tea with green briar roots and another with the roots of the coral tree. (BI)
See examples
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flouk
BT
(
n.
)
-
Middlebuster, lister, plow with a double moldboard; charrue double, charrue à deux oreilles.
Ina deu, enn chari e pi na en flouk. Kont i rant dan latèr li tir latè le deu bòr. There are two (different ones), a plow and a middle-buster. When it goes into the earth it throws dirt to both sides. (BT)
See examples
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flout
PC
(
n.
)
flou
PC
laflit
CA
-
Flute; flûte.
Flout-la, e gita-la. La y te fe ye benn e sa. The flute and the guitar, they made a band out of that. (PC) ♦ Fé n'avait deux banjo, deux paires rakatcha, ein rara et ein laflute en canne maronne. They had two banjos, two pairs of spurs, a rattle and a wild cane flute. (T40) 2. harmonica; harmonica.
See examples
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flès
PC
(
n.
)
flèsh
CA
-
Bottle, flask; bouteille, flacon.
Li t ape bwa anmèm de flèch wiski-la. He was drinking right out of the whiskey flask. (CA) ♦ Li te gen de flès wiski. He had two bottles of whiskey. (JR)
See examples
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flèsh
PC
(
n.
)
laflésh
PC
laflèsh
BT
-
Arrow; flèche.
♦En laflech pèrse so chapo. Li lese so chapo tonbe konm si laflech-la te tchwe li. An arrow pierced his hat. He let his hat fall as if the arrow had killed him. (JR)
See examples
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Shaft, tongue (of a wagon or carriage); flèche, brancard (d’un chariot ou d’une charrette).
Palonyè-la apre wagon-la, epi ye gen en laflech dan milye. Li ka tournen konm sa kan mile la tournen, paki ye brèchtin li apre bwa kolye-l, pou tchombo laflech-la drwat: The swing-bar is attached to the wagon, and then there is the shaft in the middle (i.e. between the mules). It can turn when the mules turn, because it is attached to the collar to keep the tongue straight. (PC)
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fléri
PC
(
v.intr.
)
flèri
CA, PC
-
To flower, bloom; fleurir.
Sa to pel le flèr-ye, le flèr jonn-ye, y ape konmonse flèri astè? What do you call the yellow flowers that are blooming right now? (PC); Li flèri. Li an flè. L ap pou flèri. It’s in bloom. It’s flowering. It’s about to flower. (CA)
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flòmon
CA
(
n.
)
-
A kind of blackbird; une espèce de merle.
En flòmon, se en gro zozo nwa. Pou boukannen, safe en bon gonbo. A blackbird is a big black bird. You smoke it; it makes a good gumbo. (CA)
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flœr
BT
(
n.
)
flè
BT, CA, PC
flèr
NE, CA
léflè
PC
-
Flower; fleur.
Pye patat-ye te gran e plen avek de flè. The potato plants were big with a lot of flowers. (BT); Flè-le e fe bouton. The flower is producing buds. (PC); Ye plante boujon flè dan chan tou lez an. They plant flower shoots in the field every year. (CA) ♦ Li fait ein corbeille evec plis belle flère layé li té capabe trouvé dans so jardin. She made a basket with the prettiest flowers she could find in her garden. (FO T25) •'en flére’ adj.phr. Flowering; in bloom; en fleur. ♦ Zoranger té en flére tout Vannée; yavé flére et piti zorange. The orange trees were in bloom all year long; there were flowers and little oranges. (FO T20) •fe flè v.phr. (CA; PC). To flower; fleurir, faire des fleurs. Dibwa-sa-la e fe flè. This tree is flowering. (PC); Mo rozye ap fe flè. My rosebush is flowering. (CA) •flè fevi n.phr. (CA). Okra flower; fleur de gombo. Kan piti-ye te gen en deklou, mete savonn jón e dimyèl e mete flè fevi anlèr la e landmen te bòs. When kids had a boil, they put yellow soap and honey and okra flowers on it and the next day it would break open. (CA) •flè rozye n.phr. (PC). Rosebush; rosier, •laflè siro n.phr. (PC). Elderberry blossom; fleur de sureau. Dite laflè siro te ban pou frison. Elder flower tea was good for chills. (PC) •flè soley n.phr. (CA). Sunflower; tournesol. Fié soley, li ron e li jón. Li gen grenn andan-la. Ye manj grenn flè soley. A sunflower is round and yellow. It’s got seeds in it. People eat sunflower seeds. (CA) •flè souf n.phr. Flowers of sulfur; fleur de soufre. ♦ Pronn en demi liv la krenm tart, en demi liv flè souf, mele ye onsonm. Take a half pound of cream of tartar, a half pound of flowers of sulfur, and mix them together. (BI) •pye d flœr n.phr. Flowering bush or plant; buisson ou plante à fleurs, cf. pye
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fo
No sources
(
adj.
)
fo (m.)
NE
fòs (f.)
NE
fos
CA
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Wrong, false; faux.
Li gen de fos dan dan so labouch. He’s got false teeth in his mouth. (CA) REM: Neumann notes that the fern, form fòs is rare and appears only in fixed expressions, e.g.fòskouch ‘miscarriage’ and Fòs Rivyèr ‘False River’. •Fòs Rivyè place n. (PC); Fois Rivyè (PC). False River; la Fausse Rivière. La se la Fòs Rivyè, se la nou tou ne e elve. That is False River. That’s where all of us were bom and raised. (PC)
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fo
BT
(
n.
)
-
Miscarriage; fausse couche.
Èl fe en fo. She had a miscarriage. (BT)
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fo
PC
(
n.
)
-
Scythe; faux.
Sa se èn fo. Ye koup duri ave sa. That is a scythe. They cut rice with that. (PC)
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fo
MO 60, NE
(
v.aux.
)
i fo
CA, MO 60, NE, PC
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It is necessary to, to have to, must; falloir.
I f o li vivon. It has to be alive. (PC); To tro fronte avèk to moman. Ifo pa to parl kòm sa e to moman. You’re too sassy with your mama. You mustn’t talk like that to your mama. (CA) ♦ Si to bité, faut rétounain to chimin, sans ça Va gain badde loque. If you stumble over something [in the road], you have to go back and start the journey over, otherwise you’ll have bad luck. (BD) •fo pa conj. (BT). So that ... not, in order that... not; pour que... ne pas. To genp dekrase onmba te bra fo pa to son la mus. One must wash under one’s armpits so that one doesn’t have body odor. (BT) Conjug: a) i fale v. imperfect (PC; NE); il fale, foti (PC); fale (NE). It was necessary to; il fallait. Kan mo kouri lekòl, i fale ye komans mantre mo langle avan ye te kapab mantre mo dan lekòl. When I went to school they had to teach me English before they could teach me in school. (PC) b) fodre v.cond. (NE). It would be necessary to; il faudrait. •ifo mje v.phr. Had better; faire mieux, avoir intérêt à. cf. vo
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fofilé
CA
(
v.tr.
)
-
To baste; faufiler.
M ap fofile mo rob so hourle. Apre mo fofile li, m ap koud li. E la mo fini. I’m basting the hem of my dress. After I baste it, I sew it. And I’m finished. (CA)
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fon
No sources
(
adj.,
adv.
)
fan
CA, PC, CA
fonn
PC
fo
PC
-
Deep; profond.
Li pike trou-la pa ase fon. He didn’t dig the hole deep enough. (CA) ♦A la fin yé rivé au bord ein la rivière qui té boucou fond. Finally they reached a very deep river. (FO T15) •pa fon adj.phr. (PC). Shallow; peu profond. Dolo ki pa fon. Shallow water (lit. water that is not deep). (PC)
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Steep; à pic.
Bit-sa-a se fon. That hill is steep. (PC)Deeply; profondément. Djounya, a koup li, a dechire la tè plu fon, l a kour plu fon k en chwini. A Junior will cut into the ground deeper, it will go in deeper than a small harrow. (PC)
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fon
CA, NE, PC, ST
(
n.
)
-
The depths, the far stretches; le tréfonds, le fin fond.
Ka boug-ye kouri da dezè a èn è, bon m e soti dan fon, dan bwa. When the guys went into the field at one o’clock, well, I came out of the depths, out of the woods. (PC); Mo sòr dan fon sipriyèr. I’m coming out from the depths of the swamp. (CA) ♦ Fois-ça-la, yé sé mainnain pitits-yé plis loin dans fond bois. This time they would lead the children further into the depths of the woods. (BD)
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Bottom, end, back; fond.
Kouri don fon laba dèryè la. We went all the way to the end back there. (PC); Pyèr-la tonbe dan fon-la. The stone fell to the bottom. (CA); Kan piti-le sòrti par ye fon ou ye pye, to pele sa en ne-doub. When babies come out by their bottoms or their feet, you call that a breech birth. (ST) ♦ Ye met Konpè Bouki asit don en la chez ki te pa gen fon. They sat Brer Bouki down in a chair with no bottom. (LA) •fon kulot n.phr. The seat of one’s pants; fond de pantalon. Ça, combiné avec le fait que Tchoupoule, li té s'en allé. Ça veut dire li té halé so font-culotte au ras ailleur. That, combined with the fact that Tchoupoule had gone away. That means that he had hauled the seat of his pants elsewhere. (DC) •fon lachèz n.phr. (CA). Chair seat, bottom; le siège (de la chaise). Fon lachèj-la tou kase. To pa kapab asit an lachèj-la. The seat of the chair is all broken. You can’t sit on the chair. (CA) •o fon prep.phr. (PC). To/at the bottom; au fond. Pran en syo dolo troub, vou mèt li asi, tou latè-l a kou o fon si vou ich kite li. Take a bucket of muddy water, you set it down, all the dirt will sink to the bottom if you just leave it be. (PC) ♦ Lé roi contré Jean, et Jean dit li li té trouvé mouton yé et lor la au fond larivière. The king listened to John, and John said he had found sheep and gold at the bottom of the river. (FO T26) fòn n. (PC); fonn (PC). Fun; amusement, divertissement. Sète fonn. It was fun. (PC) •fe fòn v.phr. (PC). To have fun, joke around; s’amuser. Ben lalèv se mèyè paròl, la lalèv. Mo popa te kònen di babin, men, li te juch e fe fòn,fe fas. ‘Lip’ is a better word. My dad used to say [babin], but he was just joking. (PC) •gen fòn (vèk) v.phr. To have fun (with s.o., at s.o.’s expense); s’amuser (au dépens de qn). ♦ Li té si couillon gros roi Bongon vauyé chécher li pou' gain fonne ‘vec li. He was so stupid that King Bangon sent for him to have fun with him. (BD)
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fondasyon
CA
(
n.
)
fòndasyon
PC
-
Foundation, concrete slab; fondation.
Trwa ou katr an pase mo fe fòndasyon-la pou li. Three or four years ago I laid the foundation for him. (PC) ; M ap fe en fondasyon pou mèt mo bato. I'm making a concrete slab to put my boat on. (CA)
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