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

• irondèl* No sources ( n. ) zirondèl PC zirandèl CA, PC
  1. Swallow; hirondelle.
     Zirandèl se de ti zwazo nwa ki vyen dan la chimnen, e ye fe tren tou lanwi. Swallows are little black birds that come into the chimney, and they make noise all night long. (PC) 2, Dragonfly; demoiselle, libellule. ( Libellula axillena ). See examples
• is CA, PC ( n. ) lais PC, ST
  1. Leavening agent, especially baking powder; levure, surtout levure chimique.
     Nou me le anddan en gran penn e nòt lais e la nòt sik. We put them (our ingredients) into a big pan with our yeast and our sugar. (PC); Pou fe to gato, si to pa mèt is andan li, li p ap ale leve. To make your cake, if you don’t put in baking powder, it won’t rise. (CA) •is sèk n.phr. (CA). Dry yeast; levain. See examples
• isi gen, MO 60 ( adv. ) isit CA, MO 60, NE, PC
  1. Here; ici.
     Mo moman, popa, tou te rete la isit, se sa ki fe mo isi. My mom and my dad lived here, that’s why I’m here. (PC); No gen trwa o kat labank isit la Vachri. There are three or four banks in Vacherie. (CA) ♦ Sa to vini fe isi? rwa-la mannde li depi li wa li. ‘What are you doing here?’ the king asked as soon as he saw him. (JR) •tou par isi adv.phr. (CA; ST); tou par isit (PC). All around here; partout ici. Tou par isit la se kreyòl, tou kreyòl ye se mèm kreyòl. All around here they speak Creole, they all speak the same Creole. (PC) •isi-la adv. (PC). Here; ici. ♦ M’a parye twa ennaplis lapen ke kokodri isi-la. I bet you there’s more rabbits than alligators here. (JR) •isi e laba adv.phr. (CA; ST); isit e laba (CA; PC). Here and there; çà et là. Di de paròl isit e laba. Say some [Creole] words here and there. (PC); Mo plante de grenn flœr e mo ku war ye ape grosi isi e laba . I planted flower seeds and I can see they’re growing here and there. (ST) See examples
• iskék PC ( n. )
  1. Yeast; levure.
     Gen pou mete iskek andan yefarin. They have to put their yeast in their flour. (PC) See examples
• istwar* No sources ( n. ) listwar CA, NE zistwar NE lèstwar BT
  1. Story; histoire.
     Lès mon rakonte twa listwar d en jwif. Let me tell you a story of a Jewish man. (NE); M ape rakonte en listwar Se en listwar vre. I’m telling a story. It’s a true story. (CA) ♦ Si to crois pas ça, m’a raconter ein nistwa qui va prouver ça mo dit. If you don’t believe that, I’ll tell you a story that will prove what I’m saying. (BD) See examples
  2. Superstition; superstition.
     Ye gen lèstwar ke si se en garson to pwenti; to vant e pwenti, e si se enn fiy to vant e ron. They have the superstition that if it’s a boy your stomach will be pointed, and if it’s a girl your stomach will be round. (BT) See examples
• iti PC ( adj. )
  1. Useful; utile.
     Mo te gen en galenren isi, se en lafè ki iti. I had a plane here, it’s a thing that is useful. (PC) See examples
• itou NE ( adv. )
  1. Also, too; aussi.
     Kon ye va che mòm, mòm parl sa epi mo popa parl sa itou. When they go to mom’s, she speaks [Creole], and my dad also speaks it. (NE) See examples
• ivèr* No sources ( n. ) livèr CA, NE, ST nivér NE livè PC ivè BT
  1. Winter; hiver.
     Narb li ki li fe sa rèste ver tou livèr. The tree that did that for him stayed green all winter. (CA) ♦ Vaut mié travail l'hiver, l'hiver pas fait moun soué. It’s better to work in the winter, the winter does not make people sweat. (T27) •ann ivè adv.phr. (PC); dan livè (PC); livèr (BT); dan livèr (CA; ST). In winter; en hiver, ivran n. (PC). Drunkard; ivrogne, soûlard. GRANT sè tè enn ivran, sa rèste sou. Grant was a drunkard, he stayed drunk. (PC) See examples
• izé CA, NE, PC, ST ( adj. )
  1. Easy; facile.
     To ja fe etoufe? Etoufe se ize pou fe. Have you ever made an etouffee? An etouffee is easy to make. (PC) See examples
• j PC ( pron. ) sh PC
  1. I; je.
     J e plante de nouvo fige. I planted some new fig trees. (PC); Seul bayou mo ch konnen. The only bayou that I know of. (PC) REM: This is an acrolectal form borrowed from Cajun. The usual Creole word is mo. See examples
• jaboté No sources ( v.intr. )
  1. To chatter, jabber; bavarder, jacasser.
     ♦ Ye asit on bo chimen e ye pron jabote ek len lòt. They sat down at the side of the road and they began chatting with one another. (DU) See examples
• jak MO 60 ( n. )
  1. Buddy, pal; copain, pote.
• jakasé No sources ( v.intr. )
  1. To chatter, jabber; jacasser, bavarder.
     ♦ Anon , assé jacacé comme ça. Come on, stop chattering like that. (ME) See examples
• jakèt CA ( n. )
  1. Jacket; blouson, veston.
     Sa te fe frèch. Sa fe mo mèt mo jakèt . It was cool out. So I put on my jacket. (CA) ♦ Macaque là té gagnin so latéte vloppé dans ein mouchoir bleu. En haut so dos ein vié jaquette, et so kilotte li té plein zyeux. The monkey had his head wrapped in a blue handkerchief, and an old jacket on his back, and his pants were full of holes. (T36) See examples
• jalou CA, PC, ST ( adj. )
  1. Jealous; jaloux.
     Ènan nòm , li jalou jalou fom. There are men, they’re very jealous of a woman. (PC); Kan keken vyen jalou apre twa, li ole sa to gen. When someone gets jealous of you, he wants what you’ve got. (CA) See examples
• jalouzri PC ( n. )
  1. Jealousy; jalousie.
     ♦ Fòm ye di sa se lamour. Mo se pa si se vre, me neg ye di se jalousi. The women say it was love. I don’t know if it’s true, but the men say it was jealousy. (TP) See examples
• jamé BT, NE ( adv. ) jamin CA, MO 60, ST janmin PC zanmè PC jonmin PC jòm PC jémè NE jamé NE
  1. Never; jamais.
     Jichka don trwasyèm liv mo jemè apròn parle longle. Until third grade I had never learned to speak English. (NE); Sa se en manti sa. Mo jamen di sa. That’s a lie. I never said that. (CA) ♦ Ain chien qui té janmain japé. A dog that had never barked. (T27) •jamè si adv. emph. (NE). Never; jamais Mo jamè si wa en chawi don ma vi. I have never seen a raccoon in my life. (NE) See examples
  2. Ever; jamais.
     La pli gron sèrpon ki mo jamè wa. The biggest snake that I’ve ever seen. (NE); Sanm kòm si, dan le jen jan le kichòw e kouri pli mal kè janmen. It seems like among young people, things are going worse than ever. (PC) •jamè si adv. emph. (NE). Ever; jamais. Mo krwa pa mo jamè si konè èn tretœz ki te trete CANCER . I didn’t think I have ever known a folk healer who treated cancer. (NE) See examples
  3. Still not; toujours pas.
     Li jamè wa Lapen. Lapen laba ape dòrmi! She still didn’t see Rabbit. Rabbit was down there sleeping! (NE) See examples
• jan CA ( n. )
  1. Cattail, reed-mace; massette, quenouille. (Typha latifolia, Typha angustifolia L.).
     Tou o lon chemen la ou ena en pe dolo ye gen janbari. All along the road where there’s a bit of water, they’ve got cattails. (CA) See examples
• jan CA ( n. ) jan koupon CA
  1. Saw-grass (
     Cladium jamaicense ), southern wild-grass ( Zizaniopsis miliacea ); espèce d’herbe qui a une forme longue, fine et pointue. Fo pa to march andan jankoupan. Sa gen zèl rèd e sa va koupe to janm-ye. You mustn’t walk in saw-grass. It’s got sharp edges and will cut your legs. (CA) See examples
• jan No sources ( n. )
  1. People, person; personne(s), gens.
     ♦ Primié kisoz mo oua cé ein ti zenne zan ké mo té zamé kontré dépi ein souar patrouil té trapé moué. The first thing I saw was a little man that I had not seen since the evening when the patrol caught me. (T12) •jen jan n.phr. (PC); jèn jan, jenn jan (CA); jœn jon (ST). Young people; jeunes gens, les jeunes. Sanm kòm si, dan le jen jan le kichòw e kouri pli mal kè janmen. It seems like among young people, something is going worse than ever. (PC); Le jœn jon la pleri. The young people of the swamp. (ST) REM: The most typical creole word for people in general is monn. See examples
• Jan No sources ( prop.n. )
  1. John; Jean. •’Jean des Pois Verts’ proper n. Johnny Green Peas (folktale character); Jean Petits Pois (personnage dans les contes).
     ♦ Ein vié négue yé té pélé Jean des Pois Verts té vive dans ein cabane coté palais lé roi. An old black man they called Johnny Green Peas lived in a house by the king’s palace. (FO T26) •Jan Malen proper n. Clever John (folktale character); Jean Malin (personnage dans les contes). ♦ Quand Jean Malin té piti li té norphelin et li té pas connin ou couri ou ça pou fait. When Clever John was little he was an orphan and he did not know where to go or what to do. (FO T2) •Jan Sot proper n. Foolish John (folktale character); Jean Sotte (personnage dans les contes). ♦ Jean Sotte gardé yé, li taté yé, li té proche envie mordé ladans. Foolish John looked at them, he felt them, he almost wanted to bite into them. (FO T18) See examples
• janbèt No sources ( n., v.phr. ) fout uné jambétté’ No sources
  1. To trip; faire trébucher qn, faire un croc-en-jambe à qn.
     Li fout vieux blanc une jambette, vieux n-homme-là tombé par terre. He tripped the old white man, the old man fell down. (ANT102) See examples
• janikék CA, PC, ST ( n. ) jònikék PC djènikék BT
  1. L Johnnycake, comcake; galette de farine de maïs.
     Jònikek dou . Sweet johnnycake. Jònikèk fri. Fried johnnycake. (PC); En janikek se en gato plat ke to fri ou ke to me andan OVEN pou kwi. A johnnycake is a flat cake that you fry or put in the oven to cook. (CA) ♦ Tan Madame rRanhoutanivé', Compair Dahomey té dijà boa so kafé, manzé so janicake... When Mrs. Orangutan arrived, Brer Dahomey had already drunk his coffee, eaten his johnnycakes... (T6) 2. Stage plank, kind of gingerbread; espèce de pain d’épices. El genn figur plat konm en djènikek. She has a face as flat as a stage plank. (BT) See examples
• janm BT, CA, PC ( n. ) jòm MO 60, NE lajanm CA
  1. Leg; jambe.
     Mo monke kase ma jòm . I almost broke my leg. (NE); 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) ♦ [Pou] kronp don to jonm ou don to lamen , met de lano on kwiv don to dwa-ye ou otour to jonm-ye avek de fisel. For cramps in your leg or your hand, put copper rings on your fingers or around your legs with some string. (BI) •gen ti janm kòm en ti titis v.phr. (CA). To have legs as small as a bird; avoir de petites jambes minces. See examples
  2. Lower half of leg (between the knee and the foot); partie inférieure de la jambe (entre le genou et le pied).
     Janm se iska kote to jœnou. The leg goes from the ankle to the knee. (PC) •janm an bwa fig. (CA). Peg leg, wooden leg; jambe de bois. •janm an lyèj n.phr. (BT; CA). Peg leg, wooden leg; jambe de bois. Li sèr pa beki. Li gen en janm e en janm an lyèj e li march pa parey ke nouzot. He doesn’t use crutches. He has one leg and one wooden leg, and he doesn’t walk the same as we do. (CA) •janm krapo n.phr. (PC). Frogs’ legs; cuisses de grenouille. Janm krapo , o non mo monj pa sa. Frogs’ legs, oh no, I don’t eat that. (PC) See examples
• janmbalaya CA ( n. ) jòmbalaya NE
  1. Jambalaya; jambalaya.
     Li bon , l jòmbalaya! It is good, the jambalaya! (NE); Kan to fe en janmbalaya , to me to zepi e to touf en pe to lavyann e to me diri. Se kofèr ye pèl sa janmbalaya. To gen tou sa melanje ansanm. When you make a jambalaya, you put your onions and garlic mixture and you smother your meat a bit and you put in rice. That’s why they call that jambalaya. You’ ve got everything all mixed together. (CA) ♦ Api pré midi , Compair Bouki passé au ra cabanne Compair Lapin , et ouâ li apé manzé gombo Saoui avé zambalaya. Around noon, Brer Bouki went near Brer Rabbit’s house, and saw that he was eating raccoon gumbo with jambalaya. (T3) •janmbalaya defèv n.phr. (CA). Rice and field pea jambalaya; jambalaya fait de riz et de fèves, riz aux fèves. See examples
• janmbon CA ( n. ) janbon CA jonbon NE
  1. Ham; jambon.
     Nave jonbon , la vyòn... There was ham, and meat... (NE); M ap pran dupen e m ap pran mwen en SLICE janmbon. I'm taking bread and I'm getting me a slice of ham. (CA) See examples
• janmbé CA ( v.tr. ) janmb CA
  1. To walk over; enjamber.
     Ye se di si en moun janmbe twa to va jamen profite. They used to say that if a person stepped over you, you would never grow. (CA) ♦ Si to jambe en piti on plonche li pe jamen grondi onkor. If you walk over a child on the floor he won’t grow anymore. (LA) See examples
• jann CA, PC ( n. ) jan PC
  1. Son-in-law; gendre, beau-fils.
     Mo jan, li li pran pa disik ditou. My son-in-law, he doesn’t take sugar at all. (PC); Mo marye mo fiy e sa se mo jann. I married my daughter off and that’s my son-in-law. (CA) See examples
• jansiv CA, PC ( n. ) zonsiv PC jansif CA
  1. Gum (of mouth); gencive.
     Te jansiv. Your gums. (PC); Mo gen en depo apre mo jansif. Li fe mo mal. I’ve got an abcess by my gum and it hurts me. (CA) ♦ Pou jonsiv gonfle pron en rasin refò e to chik sa konm la gonm. For swollen gums, take a horseradish root and chew that like chewing gum. [‘gencives’] (LA) See examples
• janti No sources ( adj. )
  1. Nice; gentil, sympathique.
     Li janti. He is nice. (HW) See examples
• janvyé CA, PC ( n. ) jonvyé PC
  1. January; janvier.
     Dan janvye. In January. (PC); Prèmye deu janvye to va swate bonjour bon lannen. On the first of January you go wish Happy New Year. (CA) See examples
• Japon PC ( prop.n. )
  1. Japan; Japon.
• japé BT, CA, PC, ST ( v.intr. )
  1. To bark; japper, aboyer.
     En tayo ti pa bizwenn montre jape. A hound dog, you don’t have to teach him to bark. (BT); Ena en chyen k ap jape a onz-è la e mo pa kapab dòrmi. There’s a dog who’s barking at eleven o’clock and I can’t sleep. (CA); Chen ape jape. The dog is barking. (ST) ♦ Ain chien qui té janmain japé. A dog that had never barked. (T27) See examples
• jar PC ( n. ) ja PC dija PC
  1. Canning jar; boîte de conserve, pot.
     Te gen en gran jar. She had a big jar. (PC) ♦ Djabe té gagnin pou tournin chercher ein la jarre dolo pou taingnin di fé. The Devil had to go back to get a jar of water to put out the fire. (FO T19) See examples
• jarbyé CA ( n. )
  1. Haystack; meule de foin.
     Jarbye di fwon fe fouraj pou zanimo dan livèr. A haystack is food for animals in the winter. (CA) See examples
• jardin CA, PC ( n. ) jadin PC shardin PC
  1. Garden; jardin.
     Mo mèt en ti bònom fe a lapay andan mo jarden . I put a scarecrow (made of straw) in my garden. (CA); E na te fe en jaden è tou kalte zariko, rouj-ye, blon-ye. And then he planted a garden with every kind of beans, red ones, white ones. (PC) ♦ Mais panga flève. Si li cassé lalvée, adjé maïs, adjé dicane, adjé fossé, barrière, jardin et pis cabane! But beware of the river! If it breaks through the levee, goodbye com, goodbye sugar cane, goodbye drainage ditches, fences, garden and house! (T27) •fe jarden v.phr. (PC). To do gardening; faire du jardinage. Elve poul, kochon, lavach, fe jarden. [We used to] raise chickens, pigs, cows, and do some gardening. (PC) ♦ Li te konnen fe nouzòt fe jarden. He would make us do the gardening. (JR) See examples
• jardinaj CA, PC ( n. ) zèdinaj PC zèrdinaj PC
  1. Vegetables; légumes, végétaux.
     Nou se plante le patat e le jardinaj, e nou se manje sa. We planted potatoes and vegetables, and we ate that. (PC); Mo mèt si tèlman en ta diferan jardinaj andan mo frikase sa toumen an galimatcha. I put so many different vegetables into my fricassee that it turned into a hodge-podge. (CA) See examples
• jargònin CA ( v.intr. ) jargòné CA
  1. To chatter, jabber, babble (e.g. of a baby); babiller, jacasser, bavarder.
     Mo pa kapab konpran sa li di. Li jich ap jargònen. Parl en pe pli fòr. I can’t understand what he’s saying. He’s just chattering. Speak a little louder. (CA) ♦ Kan li fini, lot Brada monté dan so plasse, et li jargoné com ça... When he finished, the other monk took his place, and he began to babble like this... (T 16) See examples
• Jaro PC ( place n. )
  1. Jarreau (a town on False River in Pointe Coupee Parish).
     Ena Jaro, Jaro se dann bout-la. There is Jarreau, Jarreau is all the way at the end. (PC) See examples
• jaré ST ( n. )
  1. Calf (of leg); mollet, jarret.
• jasmin CA, PC, ST ( n. ) jasèmin PC zasmin PC
  1. Jasmine; jasmin.
     Jasmen se en bwa ke gen gran flèr. Jasmine is a shrub that has big flowers. (CA) ♦ [Li] fé ein gran laboucanne ki té santi larose, zasmin avé violette. [He] made a big smoke cloud which smelled of roses, jasmine and violets. (T7) •jasmen franse n.phr. (CA; ST). Night jasmine; jasmin de nuit. Mo jamen wa en jasmen franse ki bleu. I’ve never seen a blue night jasmine. (ST); En jasmen franse le swa sa san bon. Night jasmine smells good at night. (CA) See examples
• je CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Game; jeu.
     Lantan pase nou te konnen tou kalite jeu. Long ago we knew all sorts of games. (PC) See examples
• jedi CA ( n. ) jèdi PC jédi PC
  1. Thursday; jeudi.
     Jeudi sen sete deryen soupe a no Sègnèr Jezi Kri. Holy Thursday was the Last Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ. (CA) ♦ Sa va rive don la smenn kat jedi. That will happen in the week of four Thursdays. [jédi(s)'] (DU) See examples
• jibyé CA ( n. )
  1. Game; gibier.
     Li te gen diferan jibye andan so karnasyè. He had different kinds of game in his game bag. (CA) ♦ Zafair couri assé ben dan comanceman; bambail zibié tou faroucé et parti dans lot péhie. Things went rather well at the start; by and by the game all got scared off and fled to other lands. (T6) •bo jibye n.phr. (CA). Hunk, fine specimen, hot number (male or female) ; bon parti (homme ou femme). Li byen vayan. Se en bo jibye. Li byen devlope. He’s very good looking. He is a fine specimen. He is well developed. (CA) See examples
• jig PC, ST ( n. )
  1. Leg; jambe.
     Li gen so gro jig-ye. He has his big legs. (PC) ♦ Compair Tigue apé tramblé on so jigues et pa konné parlé . Brer Tiger was shaking on his legs and couldn't speak. (T8) See examples
  2. Lower part of a hog’s leg; gigue, partie inférieure de la jambe du cochon, jarret de porc. (ST)
• jigo CA ( n. )
  1. Leg (of animal); jambe (d’animal).
     Jigo-la se lameyèr morso andan lavolay. Mo lenm pa lèstoma-la. The leg is the best part of the chicken. I don’t like the breast. (CA) See examples
• jigoté No sources ( v., v.intr. )
  1. To wiggle about; gigoter.
     ♦ Li couri pran so mouton ki té apé jigoté dan sac, apé crié: bê! bê! He ran to get his sheep that was kicking about in the sack crying «baa! baa!» (T6) See examples
• jilé CA, PC ( n. ) jilyé ST
  1. Vest; gilet.
     Ye te van pa kapo e kilot san jile lontan pase. San jile en nom te pa byen chanje. They didn’t sell jackets and pants without a vest long ago. Without a vest, a man wasn’t properly dressed. (CA); Mo frèr chak fwa li abiye, li gen pou mèt so jilye pou li ka mèt so lamant dan so poch. Every time my brother gets dressed, he has to put on his vest so he can put his watch in his pocket. (ST) See examples
• jinga CA ( adj. )
  1. Spotted, speckled; tacheté, •poul jengan
     n.phr. Barred-rock chicken; espèce de poulet gris. cf. poul •kòk jenga n.phr. Young speckled rooster; jeune coq tacheté, cf. kòk See examples
• jinga CA, ST ( n. )
  1. Gingham; guingan, cotonnade à carreaux, (toile de) vichy.
     No te fe rob avèk letòf jenga. We used to make dresses with gingham. (CA); Mo te gen en rob jenga ke mo lenmen tan kan mo te jenn. Se en vayan letof. I had a gingham dress which I loved when I was young. It’s a pretty material. (ST) ♦ Négresse acheter tignon, et pi chimise ginga pou piti négrillon. The girls bought scarves, and gingham shirts for the little black boys. (T27) See examples