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

• kont No sources ( n. )
  1. Count (title of nobility); comte.
     ♦ Martyrs layé, pi Comte Ory. The martyrs, and also Count Ory. (T1) See examples
• kont CA, NE, PC ( prep. ) kant CA, PC
  1. Against; contre.
     Èskè vou gen kichòw kant sa, ke blan marye e nwa? Do you have something against blacks marrying whites? (PC); No te las e no apiye kont labaryèr-la. We were tired and we leaned against the fence. (CA) ♦ Ça fait pitits-yé qui té cont’ la porte tonnedé li et yé crié: Ga nous icite! Ga nous icitef So the children, who were up against the door, heard him and said, ‘Here we are! Here we are!’ (BD) •kont lalwa prep.exp. Against the law; contre la loi. cf. lwa See examples
  2. In return for; contre, en échange de.
     Bòs-la fourni tou kichò, e twa to fourni to-mèm, kont so-kèn zafè. The boss furnishes everything, and you supply yourself in exchange for his things. (PC) See examples
• kontak No sources ( n. )
  1. Greenbrier, catbrier; espèce de ronces vertes.
     (Smilax ap ). ♦ Pou flou, en nimoni e de doulèr, fe en di te avek larasin kontak e enn avek larasin mamou. Mele ye e bwa sa. For the flu, pneumonia or labor pains, make a tea with greenbrier roots and another with the roots of the coral tree, mix them together and drink that. (BI) See examples
• kontan CA ( adj. ) konton PC, NE kantan PC, ST
  1. Happy; content, heureux.
     Mo kantan pou fe sa pou twa. I’m happy do it for you. (PC); M a byen kontan parske si mon lwe li, mon va gen èspwa achte li. I will be happy because if I rent it, I'll hopefully be able to buy it. (CA) ♦ Mo té ben content tandé ça vou pélé ein radiko. I was really happy to hear what you call a radical. (T 14) See examples
• kontantman CA ( n. ) kontontmon NE
  1. Contentment; contentement.
     Li ri la kontontmon. He laughed from contentment. (NE); Ye te pa gen kontantman. Ye te fe ye lafigir. Ye te pa an tren pou parle. They were not happy. They were making faces and they weren’t feeling like talking. (CA) See examples
• kontanté CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To satisfy, indulge, make happy; contenter.
     La vèrite va toujou kontante twa. Manti pa. The truth will always make you happy. Don’t lie. (CA) ♦ Apré ça, ma di vou ça vou gagnin pou fé. Oui, chère fie, dit Mamrie, ma contanté toi. ‘After that I will tell you what you must do. Yes, dear girl,’ said Mamrie, ‘I will indulge you.’ (ME) See examples
• kontinué BT ( v., v.aux., v.tr., v.intr. ) kontuné BT kontiné NE kontiñé NE kantini CA, PC kontini CA, PC kanntiné PC kantinu PC kontinu PC kantinwé PC kontinouwé PC kontnu PC
  1. To continue; continuer.
     AS le e granndi ye kanntine laboure la. As it (the sugar cane) grows they continue to cultivate it. (PC); L ap chagrinen man. Li kontini repete tou-l-tan la mèm choj. He’s annoying me. He keeps repeating the same thing all the time. (CA) ♦ Ye kontinwe marche e chakenn te resite ye ti bout kreol. They continued walking, and each one recited his little bit of Creole. (JR)To continue; continuer. Si mo f e mo lide, mo va kontini fe sa m ap fe. If I make up my mind, I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing. (CA) ♦ Tit Jean 'merci li et li continié so chimin. Little John thanked him and continued on his way. (BD)To continue, go on; continuer, poursuivre son chemin. Kontinouwe, kontinouwe chka to kouri kote lalve, ka to riv lalve. Go on, go on until you come up to the levee. (PC) See examples
• kontinèlman CA ( adv. )
  1. Continually; continuellement.
     Lapli ape tonbe kontinèlman. Se en gro lavalas lapli . It’s raining continually. It’s a real downpour. (CA) See examples
• kontrasyon PC ( n. )
  1. Building contractor, construction company; entrepreneur de bâtiments.
     Travay dan Batan Rouj. Kontrasyan, travay pou en kontrasyon. I worked in Baton Rouge for a contractor. (PC) See examples
• kontrayan PC ( adj. ) kontrayè (m.) CA kontrayèz (f.) CA
  1. Difficult, contrary; contrariant, difficile.
     Donte, se kan ye kontrayan. To ka donte ye. ‘To break’ is when they (i.e. the horses) are being difficult. You can break them. (PC); To tro kontrayèz . To parl tro. Si mo di se en kouto, to di se en koute dikann. You’re too contrary. If I say it’s a knife, you say it’s a cane knife. (CA) See examples
• kontrayé BT, PC ( v. )
  1. To argue; se disputer.
     Mo te gen en ta de BOYFRIEND. Mo te bonn danseuz . I te kontraye pou danse èk mon. I had a lot of boyfriends. I was a good dancer, they got in fights over who would dance with me. (BT); Le vyeu lida, sa toujou kontraye pou lagèr. Ka-mèm inave lagèr, lape te signen, me sa toujou kontraye. The old leaders continued on with the war. Even when peace had been signed, they kept the war going. (PC) See examples
  2. To contradict, say the opposite; contredire, dire le contraire.
     M ap di se pa byen. T ap kontraye. To di se byen. I say it’s not good. You say the opposite. You say it’s good. (CA) See examples
• kontrisyon No sources ( n. )
  1. Contrition; contrition. •ak de kontrichyon
     n.phr. Act of contrition; acte de contrition. cf. akt See examples
• kontrol* No sources ( n. ) kantròl PC
  1. Control; contrôle.
     Si vou gen li an kantròl. If you have it under control. (PC) ♦ Dans tout l'état des zoffices yé prend controle. In the whole state there are offices taking control. (T34) See examples
• kontrolé PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To control; contrôler.
     Èiti te kontrole par leu Franse. Haiti was controlled by the French. (PC) See examples
• kontrèr No sources ( n., adv., conj. )
  1. Contrary; contraire, •an kontrè
     adv., conj. on kontrèr (NE).On the contrary; au contraire. ♦ Men lyon-la pa sote on li. An kontrè, nonm-la tann li ronfle konm en chat. But the lion did not jump on him. On the contrary, the man heard him purr like a cat. (JR)Whereas, while; tandis que, en revanche. AUDREY ape travaye onaryèr epi Loul onkontrèr l ape bwa so kafe. Audrey was working out back whereas Louie was drinking her coffee. (NE) See examples
• kontè No sources ( n. )
  1. Person who counts, counter; compteur, personne qui compte.
     ♦ Konman vouzòt te? A wit? Non, kontè-la di. Nou te a set e nou jis a sis astè. E li konte onkò pou montre li. ‘How many of you were there? Eight?’ ‘No,’ said the counter. ‘There were seven of us, and now we are only six.’ And he counted again to show him. (JR) See examples
• konté BT, CA, PC ( v., v.tr. )
  1. To tell, recount; raconter.
     Mo te gen mo gran-mè e mo gran-pè, ye ye te konne kante kant pou Pa Lapen e tou kichò. I had a grandmother and a grandfather, they used to tell stories about Brer Rabbit and all of that. (PC); Lèse mon konte vouzòt kèkchoj. Let me tell you something. (BT); To wa laksidan-la kan li arive? Konte mwa sa to wa. You saw the accident when it happened? Tell me what you saw. (CA) ♦ Alors Bourriquet parti grand galop et quand li rivé coté Lion li dit tout ça Renard té conté li. So the donkey left at a quick gallop and when he arrived at Lion’s place he told him everything that Fox had told him. (FO T15) •konte apre v.phr. (CA). To talk about; médire. Pe. Arèt sa. Mo lenm pa kan t ale konte apre lez-ot. Shut up. Stop that. I don’t like it when you tell tales about others. (CA) See examples
• konté BT, CA, PC ( v., v.tr., v.intr., v.aux. ) kanté CA, PC kont CA, PC
  1. To count; compter.
     Piti-la konen konte ichka ven. The child knows how to count up to twenty. (CA) ♦ [Pou] poro, to kont ye e to tourn to pous on menm ton. For warts, you count them and you tum your thumb at the same time. (BI)1. To count; compter. Mo di mo apronn konte kreyòl pou mo ka vole to larjan. I said, ' I learned to count in Creole so I could steal your money.’ (PC) ♦ Kanman vouzòt te? A wit? Non, kontè-la di. Nou te a set e nou jis a sis astè. E li konte onkò pou montre li. ‘How many of you were there? Eight?’ ‘No,’ said the counter. ‘There were seven of us, and now we are only six.’ And he counted again to show him. (JR) 2. To count, matter; importer, être important, compter. Mo pa konen ou sa ye astèr-la. Sa kont pi. I don’t know where it (the stone) is any more. It no longer matters. (CA); Si ti te kouri dan le klòb ton non te pa konte. If you went to clubs you had a bad reputation (lit. your name would not count). (PC)To intend to; compter, avoir l’intention de. ♦ C’est ben, couté alors: Néléphant conté vini taqué Lion chez li Okay, listen: Elephant intended to come and attack Lion at his home. (FO T15) •konte su v.phr. To count on; compter sur. ♦ Adieu, Mamrie; vou connin, mo conté su vou pou couché moin dan mo cercueil . Goodbye, Mamrie; you know I’m counting on you to lay me in my coffin. (ME) See examples
• konvnab CA, PC ( adj. ) konvinab PC
  1. Proper, respectable; comme il faut, convenable.
     To konvnab. You are respectable. (PC) See examples
  2. Comfortable; confortable, à l’aise.
     Mo pa konvnab asit la. I'm not comfortable sitting here. (CA) See examples
• konvèrs PC ( v.intr. )
  1. To converse; converser.
     On konvèrs tou-l-tan. We converse all the time. (PC) See examples
• konvèrsasyon CA ( n. ) konvèsasyon PC konvèsasyan PC konvasasyon PC kouvèsasyon PC kanvèsasyon PC konvèrzasyon NE
  1. Conversation; conversation.
     E n a kontine parle nou konvèrzasyon, n a parle don kreòl. And we went on having our conversation, we were speaking Creole. (NE); To kwa mo anbet e tou moun-y, dòn ye konvèsasyon konm m e dòn twa ? Man anmbet pa e moun-ye. Do you think I bother with those people, that I give them conversation like I’m giving you? I don’t bother with those people. (PC); No te gen en bon konvèrsasyon, man e mo zami-ye. No t ape bavarde. We had a good conversation, me and my friends. We were chatting. (CA) ♦ Li kanmanse enn konvèrsasyon avek kokodri. He started a conversation with Alligator. (JR) •tchobo la konvèrsasyon n.phr. (CA); tchobo la konvasasyon (PC); tchanmbo en konvèsasyan (PC); retim en konvèrsasyon (CA). To hold a conversation; tenir une conversation. N e tchobo lakonvasasyon. We are holding a conversation. (PC); Koman to kapab retini en konvèrsasyon ? To malad. How can you hold a conversation? You’re sick. (CA) See examples
• konvèrti CA ( n. )
  1. Convert; converti.
     Li en meyè katolik ke nouzòt. Li en konvèrti. Li te pa elve katolik. He’s a better Catholic than the rest. He’s a convert. He wasn’t brought up Catholic. (CA) See examples
• konvèrti CA ( v. )
  1. To convert; convertir.
     Li te konvèrti katolik. Li te pa elve katolik. He was converted to Catholicism. He wasn’t raised Catholic. (CA) See examples
• konèkté PC ( v.tr. ) konnèkté PC konnèk PC
  1. To connect; relier, réunir, joindre.
     Se larivyè ki konnèk enn-a-lòt. It’s the Mississippi River that connects the two ends (of False River) to each other. (PC) See examples
  2. To connect, plug in; brancher.
     Li galope on lèstrisite e li konnèkte on lèstrisite. It (the drill) runs on electricity and it is plugged in on electricity. (PC) See examples
• koné NE, PC ( v.tr., v.aux. ) konin CA, NE, ST konnin PC konèt PC kònin PC
  1. To know; savoir.
     Mo pa kone si li mouri astèr. I don’t know if he’s dead now. (NE); 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); Mo te fen kon mo te pa konne ki. I was hungry like I didn’t know what. (BT) ♦Mo té si peur mo commencé couri sans connin ou mo té pé allé. I was so afraid that I started to run without knowing where I was going. (T34) •ka t a fini konnè v.phr. Before you know it; en moins de rien, tout d’un coup. cf. fini •kone mye v.phr. (PC). To know better; ne pas être dupe. Nounoun kone mye ke sa ... Te pe peye l ditou , te gen taye li, te gen kongnen li. Nounoune knew better than that, either he wouldn’t get paid at all, or they would beat him up. (PC) •pa konnen mye v.phr. (PC). Not to know (any) better; être ignorant. Te pa konnen mye, ye viv kòm sa. They didn’t know any better, they lived that way. •kone pa en fout v.phr. (NE). Not to know a damn thing; ne pas être fichu de savoir. •vini kone v.phr. To realize, find out; se rendre compte, découvrir, réaliser, cf. vini 2. To know, be acquainted with; connaître. Mo kone sa famiy. I know his family. (NE) ♦ Oh! cher', vous pas connait miché Garry I Oh! dear, you don’t know Mr. Gary! (T1) •fe kone v.phr. (PC). To introduce; présenter. Men mentnan sete mo kouzen ki f e li kone mwen. Now it was my cousin who introduced him to me. (PC)1. [Habitual]. Moun te pa konnen malad do konm ye malad astèr-la. People didn’t get sick like they do now though. (PC); Mo te konne trape le kriz kon mo te piti. I used to have seizures when I was small. (BT) ♦ Vye moun ye te konnen bouyi lèb poupye pi bwa sa pou lafyev. Old timers used to boil purslane and drink that for a fever. (LA) 2. To be able to, can; pouvoir. To konen dòn mo li kòm t ole, di pyas par mwa. You can give it to me as you want, ten bucks a month. (CA); Moun-sa-la pa konen wa. Ye aveg. Those people can’t see. They’re blind. (CA) ♦ Banane vini, Michié té pas oulé, li dit la connin pourri trop vite. Banana came, but the gentleman didn’t want her, he said she would rot too fast. (T29) 3. To know how to; savoir. Ye pa kone parle kreol. They don’t know how to speak Creole. (NE) ♦ Gardé sécret c'est ein bêtise qui mo pas connin fait. Keeping a secret is a foolishness that I don’t know how to do. (T11) See examples
• kopal CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Sweet gum tree; copal. (Liquidambar styraciflua).
     Nou te kònen koupe kopal-ye dan, pou fe FIREWOOD . We used to cut down some sweet gum trees to make firewood. (PC); En kopal se en vayan dibwa. Li mayèr kòm larjan. Li briy. Li gen ti boul ke gen pikon. A sweet gum is a pretty tree. It’s kind of silver. It shines. It’s got little balls with stickers. (CA) ♦ [Pou] demonjezon, fe bouyi lamous kopal. For the itch, boil some sweet gum moss, [‘copal’] (BI) See examples
• kopi No sources ( n. )
  1. Copy ; copie.
     ♦ Quand mo sorti pitit lachambe la, mo fé tiré mo photographie; et mo gagnin l’honneur voyé vous in copie. When I came out of the little room, I had my picture taken, and I have the honor of sending you a copy. (T34) See examples
• kopo CA, PC, ST ( n. ) zékopo CA
  1. Wood shaving; copeau (de bois).
     No te va ramase kopo la ou ye te koupe dibwa pou limen stov. We would go collect wood shavings from where they cut wood to light the stove. (CA); Mo frèr te f e en ti lamezon joujou avèk kopo ki no te ramase apre ye koupe dubwa. My brother would make a toy house with the wood shavings we would collect after they cut wood. (ST) ♦ Piti, sa fe frèt o swa. Zo ramase kopo pou fe en bon dife. Children, it’s cold tonight. You collect wood shavings to make a good fire. (TP) See examples
• kordé CA, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To cord (logs); corder (des bûches).
     [Kòrde] wi pye lonng e kat pye la otè. La to gen en kòd. [To cord wood] eight feet long and four feet high. Then you’ve got a cord of wood. (PC); Kan Pap te gen pou kòrde dibwa, no mete en pike la pou pèche dibwa-la deboule. When Dad would cord wood, we put a stake there to keep the wood from tumbling. (CA) See examples
• korish CA ( n. ) kòrish CA
  1. Rooster, cock; coq.
     Mo fiy te gen en gro kòrich pou mèt avèk poul-ye. My daughter had a big rooster to put in with the hens. (CA) See examples
• korèk NE ( adj. ) korèk CA
  1. Correct; correct.
     Et de jour-ça-là à ça icit, tout quichoge-là passé bien correc’. And from that day until this one, everything has gone quite right. (DC); To ekri man en lèt e ti te korèk. You wrote me a letter and it was correct. (CA) See examples
  2. Agreed, okay; d’accord, entendu.
     O.K, se korèk. Okay, it’s agreed. (NE); Mo wa twa demen ? Se korèk. Will I see you tomorrow? Okay. (CA) See examples
• koréyi DT ( adj. )
  1. Rude, ill-mannered; malpoli, mal élevé. REM: Used by Cajuns to refer derogatorily to white Creole speakers. This is a ‘fighting word’ which may be responded to with blows if used in face to face interactions. (DT 1977: 116).
• koshon CA, PC ( adj., adv. )
  1. Dirty, sloppy; sale.
     Men to kochon, wè! My, but you’re dirty! (PC); To labouch tou sal. To tro kochon . To manj kochon. Your mouth is all dirty. You’re too sloppy. You eat too sloppily. (CA) See examples
• koshon CA, PC, ST ( n. ) koshonn PC
  1. Pig; cochon.
     Se parey konm si se de kochonn ki dèriyè lò. It’s as if there were pigs back there. (PC); Kan to tchou en kochon. When you kill a pig. (CA); Mo kouzen elve en ta kochon. Li angrèse ye pou vann pou krismis. My cousin raised a lot of pigs. He fattened them to sell for Christmas. (ST) ♦ Pou fe en piti koupe so don pon trwa kro kochon don so kou. To make a child cut teeth hang three pig’s fangs around his neck. (LA) •kochon farouch n.phr. (PC). Wild boar; sanglier. M e kou lachach kochon farouch. I’m going wild boar hunting. (PC) •kochon maron n.phr. (CA). Wild boar; sanglier. ♦ Cochon marron connin où yé frotté. The wild hog knows on what tree he must rub himself. (FO 1887) See examples
  2. Whore; putain.
     Sa se vye kochon de fonm. Koke se tou li fe. She’s a whore. All she does is fuck. (CA) See examples
• koshonnri BT ( n. ) koshondri PC koshandri PC lakoshandri CA
  1. Junk, trash; camelote, rebuts, objets sans valeur.
     Èl achte ich la kochonnri èk so lajon. She bought just junk with her money. (BT) See examples
  2. Mess; gâchis, désordre.
     T ap nètwaye me t ape fe aryen dòt ke la kochandri. Frote pli prop. You’re cleaning but all you’re doing is making a mess. Scrub it cleaner. (CA) See examples
  3. Woman of low morals, slut, easy woman; salope, saligaude, cochonne.
     Se en kochandri sa. She’s a slut. (PC) See examples
• koshonyin CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Hog pen, pigsty; porcherie.
     En kochonyen se en pak kochon. A pigsty is a hog pen. (CA) See examples
• koshé CA ( n. )
  1. Coachman; cocher.
     Sete en gro koche ke t ap galope BUS-la. It was a big coachman who was running the bus. (CA) ♦ Mouché Préval té capitaine bal, so cocher Louis té maite cérémoni. Mr. Préval was captain of the ball, and his coachman Louis was the master of ceremonies. (T10) See examples
• kosyon No sources ( n. )
  1. Surety, guarantee; caution.
     ♦ Parait qu’en haut ein jour d'élection li té oulé volé labouete, blancs poignin li, et pou caution yé fou li plin dé cent coups de fouette. It seems that on an election day he wanted to steal the box, The whites seized him, and as a surety they gave him 200 lashes with the whip. (T38) See examples
• Kot-déz-Alman CA ( place n. )
  1. German Coast; Côté des Allemands.
• koton CA, NE, PC ( n. )
  1. Cotton; coton.
     Kan to plant koton to plann lagrenn-ye tou dilon. When you plant cotton you plant it all along. (PC) ♦ Tout moun conain qué c'est disique et pis coton qui fé yé vive. Everyone knows that it’s sugar and cotton that keep them alive. (T27) cf. bal koton, baton koton, bouchon koton, difil koton (atfil), gòs koton, lagrenn koton (at grèn), plòt koton •koton pluche n.phr. (PC). Cotton; coton. •koton jòn n.phr. (PC). Yellow cotton; coton jaune. See examples
• kotonñin PC ( n. ) kòtinñin PC kotonyè PC kòtonñin CA
  1. Sycamore; sycomore, faux platane. (Platanus occidentalis).
     Lache chiko kòtengnen gro konm sa, sa pran ye deu smenn pou ote li dan latè . They were removing a sycamore stump that high, it took them two weeks to uproot it. (PC) See examples
  2. Southern cottonwood; liard, peuplier de Virginie. (Populus deltoides virgiana).
     Dibwa-sa-a se en kotongnen. That tree is a cotton tree. (PC) See examples
• koté BT, CA, PC ( n. ) koté PC
  1. Side; côté.
     Enn chari, li gen en kote konm sa-leu, pi enn orey. A plow has a side that looks like that, and a mold-board. (BT); Kan to plant to frèz-ye, to me en plastik chak kote pa pou ye touche latèr-la pa pou li sali ye. When you plant your strawberries you put plastic on each side so they don’t touch the dirt, so it doesn’t get them dirty. (CA) ♦ Li kilé ein ti brin, et pi galopé et cogné ti Tigue dan so côté: bip! He backed up a little bit, and then ran and struck little Tiger in his side: bop! (T8); Grant té toujours de nous coté tant qué li té besoin nous votes. Grant was always on our side as long as he needed our votes. (T38) •a kote adv.phr. (CA). 1) Nearby; près d’ici. Ena en ki res dan pwarye-la a kote. There’s one [a cardinal] that lives in the pear tree nearby. (CA) 2) On the side; sur le côté. En mol kas-tèt. Anlèr se en marto, anba se en kas-tèt e a kote ena en ti kroch e la to kapab rache en deklou avèk sa. A sledgehammer. On top it’s a hammer, on the bottom it’s a hatchet, and on the side, there’s a little hook you can pull nails out with. (CA) •d en kote adv.phr. (PC). On one hand; d’un côté. Se bon, se mye kè sète. Wi, se mye d en kote. That’s okay, it’s better than it was. Yes, on the one hand it’s better. (PC) •de kote adv.phr. (CA). Aside; de côté. Mo gen en dra dechire. Mo va mèt li de kote pou fe torchon. I’ve got a tom sheet. I’m going to put it aside to make rags. (CA) •kote gòch adv.phr. On the left side; a gauche, cf. gòch •kòte pou kòte adv.phr. (PC). From side to side; d’un côté à l’autre. Li te sou, li te kouri kote pou kote. The drunken man was tottering from side to side. (PC) •kote-si kote-la adv.phr. Here and there; çà et là. ♦ Li pati mâché, mè so jié apé cléré côté-ci, côté-là, divan, darié. He started walking, but his eyes kept moving here and there, back and forth. (T3) •lòt kote n.phr. (PC). The other side of the Atlantic, in Europe; l'autre côté de l’Atlantique, l’Europe. Repoubliken voye tou larjan l an lòt kote. Republicans ship all of the money abroad. (PC) See examples
• koté CA, NE, PC ( prep., pron.rel. ) akoté NE okoté NE onkoté NE koté PC
  1. On the side of (when speaking of the family); du côté de.
     Tou moun kote mo popa se isi. All of my family on my father’s side is here. (PC); L enkèt pa tro so paran kote so pèr. Li prefèr so paran kote so mèr. He doesn’t care much for his relatives on his father’s side. He prefers his relatives on his mother’s side. (CA) 2. Beside, next to; à côté de. Onkote lamezon ina en pakonye. Beside the house there is a pecan tree. (NE) ♦ Ma assite à cotê de li. I sat down beside him. (T38); 'A coté de' (T40) 3. Near; près de. Li rès kote Poche BRIDGE. He lives near Poché Bridge. (NE); Enave en gro batay dan MAGNOLIA kote Chmen Flèv. There was a big battle in Magnolia near River Road. (CA) ♦ Li oua ein nomme qui té cache dans lachambe sorti et vini chauffer coté difé. He saw a man who was hiding in the room come out and warm himself by the fire. (FO T27) 4. In, at, into; dans, à. Kofè m ole monje siton kote rèstoran ò blan ve pa mwen? Why do I want so much to eat in a restaurant where the whites don’t want me? (PC); Kote latab. At the table. (PC) ♦ Pli lwon ye rantre kote enn òt boutik. A little further on, they went into another store. (JR) 5. To; à. Fe lalezan se koupe dikann-le. Y a voye li kote moulen-la. Doing the sugar harvest is cutting the cane. Then they send it to the mill. (PC) 6. Around, about, approximately; vers, autour de. Lonmen maten avon jour, kote siz - èr, Konpèr Lapen vini ondon l BUS. The next morning before dawn, around 6:00, Brer Rabbit got onto the bus. (NE) ♦ Côté dix hères. Around six o'clock. (T6) 7. At the home of; chez. Mo gonn kote mo bèl-sè. I went to my sister-in-law’s house. (CA) ♦ Ye parti kote ye, ben anmize apre labetasri, maigre la riches, de sèrten moun. They left for home, quite amused by the foolishness of some people, in spite of their wealth. (JR)Where; où. ♦ Pa kété, Compair Bouki; mo tou tan trivé place koté torti pondi dézef. Don’t worry, Brer Bouki; I always find the place where the turtle lays its eggs. (T4) kòtèl n. (CA). Cocktail; cocktail. T ole en kòtèl djin ou en kòtèl wiski? Do you want a gin cocktail or a whiskey cocktail? (CA) ♦ Li méné moué dan ein lagrosri hé là li fé moué boa sa Méritchiens yé pélé kottel. He took me into a grocery store and there he made me drink what Americans call a cocktail. (T12) koto n. (CA; PC). 1. Hill; coteau, colline. Dibwa-sala sa se en peche. Pa ti dibwa-sa-la, sa-la ki gen monyè jòn-lan kote gro koto-la laba-la. That tree is a peach tree. Not this little one here, but the one that is yellowish next to that big hill over there. (PC); Sete rar mo te va o magazen koto. Sete lwen. It was rare for me to go to the store on the hill. It was far. (CA) 2. place n. Coteau. Ye pel plas-sa-la Koto. They call that place Coteau. (PC) koton mayi n. (PC); koton mayi (CA). Corncob; épi de maïs (dont on a enlevé les grains). Ye se pran en bout koton mayi pou bouche lajòg pou pèche dez ensèk. They would take a corncob to plug the jug to keep insects out. (PC); Mo gen p alime koton mayi-ye pou fimen pwason ou chawi ou landoui. I’ve got to light the corncobs to smoke fish or raccoon or sausage. (CA) ♦ To me di swif si de koton mayi; la to alim sa e fe ye boukane. You put tallow on corn-cobs; then you light them and make them smoke. (BI) See examples
• kou BT, CA, NE, PC ( n. )
  1. Neck; cou.
     Li te gen lajòb . Li te tou anfle apre so kou. He had the mumps. He was all swollen by his neck. (CA) ♦ C’est ein ver de terre qui mordé li dans so cou en bas so machoire. An earth worm bit him in his neck below his jaw. (FO T3) See examples
  2. Neck (of a bottle); goulot.
     Se kou-la, se dan kou-la. The opening is in the neck [of the bottle]. (PC) See examples
• kou CA, NE, PC ( n. )
  1. Knock, blow, stroke (normal action of sth.); coup.
     To dòn li de kou-d-chari epi to fou li en kou-d-SPLITTER dan milye, to bòs MIDDLE-la. You go over it twice with the plow and then you take the splitter through to bust the middle. (PC) ♦ Zeine sarpantié monté dan bato et doné ein coup dan siflet ké lafée té doné li. The young carpenter got into the boat and blew into the whistle that the fairy had given him. (T7) •’coup de main 9 n.phr. (Helping) hand; coup de main. ♦ C’eté pou aidé moin, donne moin ein coup de main pou charrier di bois pou bati mo cabane. It was to help me, to give me a hand hauling wood to build my house. (FO T3) •d en kou adv.phr. (CA). In one try; d’un seul coup. Sete en joujou osi pou wa ki te kapab fe plis pirwèt d en kou. It was a game to see who could do the most somersaults in one try. (CA) •en bon ti kou n.phr. (CA). Quite a lot; un bon coup, une grande quantité. Mo bwi janmbon parskè mo trouv ke li gen en bon ti kou disèl. Kan to bwi li, sa ot en peu disèl-la. I boil ham because I find that it has quite a lot of salt. When you boil it, that takes out some of the salt. (CA) •kou-d-baton n.phr. (CA; PC). Blow, whack with a stick; coup de bâton. Mo pa tan mo pete sa branch-l en en kou-d-baton. I didn’t wait, I broke the branch with a whack of a stick. (PC); M ap fou chat-la en kou-d-baton. I’m giving that cat a whack with a stick. (CA) ♦ Ye sote on li a kout baton e a koutpye, e bimen li jiska li mouri. They jumped on him with blows from sticks and their feet, and beat him until he died. [‘ coute baton’ ] (DU) •kou-d-esey n.phr. Try, attempt; coup d’essai, tentative. ♦Ye te jis ole aprann parle kreol e ye fe pann ye o premyen kou-d-esey. All they wanted to do was learn Creole, and they got themselves hanged on the first attempt. (JR) •kou-d-fizi n.exp. (CA). Gunshot; coup de fusil. Kapkap se en ti zozo. Sa pa gen lavyann. Sa vo pa en kou-d-fizi . A little green heron is a little bird. It doesn’t have any meat. It’s not worth shooting. (CA) •kou-d-fwèt n.phr. (CA; NE). Lash of a whip; coup de fouet. Nou fou chval en ti kou-d-fwèt. We gave the horse a lash with the whip. (NE) ♦ Yé fou li pli dé cent coups de fouette. They gave him more than two hundred lashes with the whip. (T38) •kou-d-kolèr n.phr. (NE); kou-d-kolè (CA). Fit of anger; colère, coup de colère. Sa-fe li di li sa lendi, mè kon somdi vini, Bouki fe en kou-d-kolèr. So he told him that on Monday, but when Saturday came Bouki had a fit of anger. (NE) •kou-t-kouto n.phr. (CA). Blow with a knife; coup de couteau. ♦ Li fou Konpè Tig en kout kouto. He dealt Brer Tiger a blow with the knife. (DU) •kou-d-marto n.phr. (CA). Blow with a hammer; coup de marteau. Si to klou kroch to gen pou done li en kou-d-marto pou drwati li. If your nail is crooked you’ve got to hit it with the hammer to straighten it. (CA) •kou-d-pye n.phr. (BT; CA). Kick, blow with the foot; coup de pied. Tu va ale la l, fout en kou-d-pye. You go over and kick it. (BT) ♦ Ye sote on li a kout baton e a kout pye, e bimen li jiska li mouri. They jumped on him and beat him with blows with sticks and with kicks until he died, [ 'coûte pié’ ] (DU) •kou-d-pye v.tr. (PC); kou-pye (CA). To kick; donner des coups de pieds. Ka l te dez on, en chwal te kou-d-pye li, e, tou so lamweil te OUT . When he was two years old a horse kicked him, and all of his brains came out of his head. (PC); M ap ale kou-pye twa dan to tchu To tro move. I’m going to kick you in the ass. You’re so bad. (CA) •kou-d-pwen n.phr. (PC); kou-d-pon (PC); kou-d-pwon (CA). 1) Fist; poing. To kou-d-pon. Your fist. (PC) 2) Blow with the fist, punch; coup de poing. Li fou li en kou-d-pwen li KNOCK li OUT COLD. He punched him and knocked him out cold. (PC) ♦ Li...saboulé moin de coups de poin, chose qui mo té pas zattende. He showered me with blows of his fists, a thing that I did not expect. (T37) •kou-d-sab n.phr. (CA). Blow with the sword; coup de sabre. ♦ Quand Bourriquet rivé dans pays Lion so boute la tcheu té tombé a force li té bourlé, li dit c’était dans ein bataille yé té donne li ein coup sabe. When the donkey arrived in the lion’s country, the end of his tail was falling off, so burnt it was, and he said that it was because of a sword blow in battle. (FO T15) •kou-d-san n.phr. (CA). 1) Apoplectic fit; coup de sang. ♦ Pou en kou d son vye moun ye te met enn sonsi on chak chwiy di pye. Sonsi la le di son jiska piti chonje koule. Si to pa met sa la li toufe. For an apoplectic fit, old folks used to put a leech on each ankle. The leeches drew blood until the child changed color. If you don’t put those on the child will suffocate. (LA) 2) Fit of anger; colère, coup de colère. Mo fe en kou-d-san apre piti-la. Li t ap fe sa li te pa gen pou fe. I got angry at that child. He was doing things he wasn’t supposed to do. (CA) •kou-t-soley n. (CA). Sunburn, sunstroke; coup de soleil. ♦ Pou geri en dart, to sèrn dart-la avek to pous e to di menm pryèr ke to di pou en kout soley. For ringworm, you draw circles around the ringworm with your thumb and you say the same prayer that you say for sunstroke. (BI) •kou-d-tan v.phr. (BT; CA). Bad weather, storm; orage, mauvais temps. Li te ich o nyounyoun kon safe en kou-d-ton don lanwi. He was just in his longjohns when the weather was stormy during the night. (BT); Kan kou-d-tan ap vini, gwalan-ye ap votije tou partou , kan tan ap boulvèrse. When bad weather is coming, the sea gulls fly around everywhere, when the weather is changing suddenly. (CA) •kou-tèt n.phr. Blow with the head; coup de tête. ♦ To konné voyé cou tête com to popa? Do you know how to deliver a blow with your head the way your father did? (T8) •kou-t-vòl n.phr. Theft; vol. Lalwa trape trwa ti garson dan en kou-t-vòl. The law caught three little boys in the act of stealing. (ST) •tou-d-en-kou adv.phr. (CA; NE; PC); tou-dèn-èskous, don en kou (NE). 1) Suddenly, all of a sudden; tout d’un coup. Li tonbe tou-d-en-kou. He fell all of a sudden. (CA) ♦ Tou dan en kou li wa en sovaj sote dèryè en dibwa. All of a sudden he saw an Indian jump behind a tree. (JR) 2) All at once; tout d’un coup. Le chawi peu pa monje sa tou-d-en-kou kom-sa. The raccoons can’t eat that all at once like that. (NE) See examples
  2. Glass, shot, drink; coup. • ‘boâ ein kou'
     v.phr. To drink a shot, take a drink; boire un coup. ♦Me mouan mo té gaigné tro souafe pou santé, ça fé mo kouri boâ ein kou dan flève. But I was too thirsty for my health, so I went to drink a swig in a fever. (T16) See examples
• kou-kashé PC ( n. ) kou-shèshé PC
  1. Hide-and-seek; cache-cache.
• koud PC, ST ( n. ) koud-bra CA
  1. Elbow; coude.
     Mo koud-bra ap fe mo mal. Mo joue tro laplòt. My elbow hurts. I played too much ball. (CA) See examples
• koud CA, NE, PC ( v., v.intr., v.tr. ) kourd PC
  1. To sew; coudre.
     Mo fe de piti pwan kan mo koud. I make little stitches when I sew. (CA) coude’ (PE)To sew; coudre. To kourd li tour tour. You sew all around. (PC) ♦ Mais faut pas li coude chimise yé, jisse tissé yé. But she musn’t sew the shirts, only weave them. (FO T23) See examples
• koukou CA ( n. )
  1. Cuckoo (bird); Coucou.
     T ap tande koukou-la dan dibwa-la ? Se en koukou, en zozo. Can you hear the cuckoo in the woods? It’s a cuckoo, a bird. (CA) •fe koukou n.phr. To hoot, cuckoo; faire Coucou. Eski to tande ? Ibou-la ape fe koukou. Do you hear? The owl is hooting. (ST) ♦ Compè Loup té vini maig’ comme Coucou à force chiens-yé té swégné moutons-yé. Brer Wolf was getting as skinny as a cuckoo bird, so well were the dogs watching the sheep. (BD) See examples
• koukouroukou CA, ST ( onom. )
  1. Cuckoo! Coucou!
     ♦ Pas pélé moin Françoése! -di: coucouroucou. Don’t call me Frances, just say cuckoo. (T33) See examples
  2. Cock-a-doodle-doo; cocorico. (ST)
     ♦ Allons trouvé McEnery, nous va mandé li bien pardon; et com li pas lé di nous; non, nous va chanté: - quiquiriqui! Let’s go find McEnery, we’re going to beg his pardon, and since he doesn’t want to tell us, we’ll sing ‘quiquiriqui’. (T31) See examples