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

• koulwar PC ( n. )
  1. Colander; passoire.
• koulè PC ( n. ) koulœ PC koulè PC lakoulé CA, PC
  1. Stream; coulée, ruisseau.
     Si en lakoule chèch, se la ye la mye, dan koulè . If a stream dries out, that’s where [mudfish] are the best, in the streams. (PC); Yé même couri au ras le coulée éyoù le pauvre nège restait. They even went to the stream where the poor guy lived. (DC); Lakoule Rozo. Coulée Roseau place n. (CA) ♦ Compè Bouki galpé près lacoulée-la et li gadé li-même dans dolo-la et li oua so lafigui té plein di bè. Brer Bouki ran to the stream, and he looked at himself in the water and he saw that his face was full of butter. (BD) See examples
  2. Small ditch; petit fossé.
     Ènan laglas dan koule-la. There is ice in the little ditch. (PC) See examples
  3. Lake, pond, water hole; lac, étang.
     Gen dè moun ki di koulœ, lòt di lak. There are some people who say ‘coulée’ and others who say ‘lake’. (PC); Ena de sol ki te leve dan milye koule-la. There are weeping willows which came up in the middle of the pond. (CA) See examples
• koulè CA, PC ( v.intr., v.tr. ) koul PC
  1. To flow, run; couler.
     Ena kikchoj k ap koule anba an glasyè-la. There is something leaking down in the refrigerator. (CA) ♦ Yapé fait chaud toujou: lasouère apé coulé. It’s still hot out, the sweat is flowing. (T27) 2. To run (of the nose); couler (en parlant du nez). Ye di se lagonm, sa vyen par l fre, so nen koul tou-l-ton nan betay-la. They say it’s mucus, it comes with the cold. That animal’s nose is always running. (PC) 3. To leak; couler, fuir. Mo te rèt dan vyeu lamezon. I te konnen koule e n te bije met dè fè-blon plat, labay, pou trape dolo kan lapli tanm. I used to live in an old house. It leaked and we had to set out tins and tubs to catch the water whenever it rained. (PC)1. To strain, filter; passer. To ramase to ramiriz. To vide l andan bari-la, è to kite li vini eg. E to mèt disik andan l. A t a koule li. You gather your cherries. You pour them into the barrel, and you let them turn sour. You put sugar in it and you strain it. (PC) ♦ Pou mal o vont bouyi de boul kakasya don dolo pi la koule li e met di sik ondon la e bouyi. For a stomachache, boil some acacia ‘balls’ in water, and then strain it and add sugar and boil. (LA) 2. To dig, carve, make a hole (in sth.); creuser, percer un trou (dans qch.). Ye pran en gro LOG, ye koule en trou anndan LOG-la. They took a big log and carved a big hole in the log. (PC) See examples
• koulèr CA, NE ( n., adj. ) koulè PC kòlè PC lakoulyèr MO 72 koulœr CA
  1. Color; couleur.
     Ye vè koulè dekann-la. The buds (of cane) are green, the color of the cane. (PC); Ena pluzyœr koulœr lapen. Ena lapen blan, jón, maran. There are several colors of rabbits. There are white, yellow, brown rabbits. (CA) ♦ Kon to gen movez koulè konm labil. When you have bad color, like bile. (LA) See examples
  2. Black person, person of color; Noir, personne de couleur.
     On bout aou mon mo te res, ennave trwa koulè mba mon. Lòt kote, sète tou blon tou dilon. In the place where I was raised, there were three black people living below me. On the other side it was all white people. (PC)Black (of people); noir (en parlant des gens). Moun koulè-ye bat, ye kase sa. Black people fought and defeated that [racial segregation]. (PC) See examples
• koulœv No sources ( n. ) koulèv PC, CA kouléz PC, CA sèrpan koulèv CA
  1. Grass snake; couleuvre.
     En koulèv ale dan poulaye e li sise tou dezèf-ye. A grass snake went into the henhouse and sucked all the eggs. (CA) See examples
• kounan No sources ( n. )
  1. Schooner; goélette, schooner.
     ♦ Yen a ein counan si la mer. There’s a schooner out at sea. (GC2) See examples
• koundja No sources ( n. )
  1. Spell, charm, grigri; gris-gris, charme, sort, sortilège.
     Mais ein vilain moyèn meté ein counja sur lavie à le nèg. But a nasty old soul put a spell on the black man’s life. (DC) See examples
• koundjay No sources ( n. ) koundja CA
  1. Counjaille (a dance); counjaille (une danse).
     Kan to dòn en banko, to kwi, to achèt manje, to fe doudous, PIE. To gen diven. Ye jou kart. Ye dans koundja. When you give a party, you cook, you buy food, you make sweets, pies. You have wine. They play cards. They dance the counjaille. (CA) ♦ Compair Bouki té si kontan, li dansé rigodon, kounjail, et bamboula. Brer Bouki was so happy, he danced the rigadoon, the counjaille and the bamboula. (T6) See examples
• kounout CA, PC ( n. ) kounout CA
  1. Penis; pénis.
• koup BT ( n. )
  1. Cutting edge; tranchant.
     Sa fe kan ti frap disu lakoup, li ba lakoup ke li koup pu. So when you strike [with the hoe] it dulls the blade until it doesn’t cut any more. (BT) See examples
  2. Small ditch; petit fossé.
     Kan to fe en lakoup se pou ale dan en kanal pou ote dolo dan klo. When you make a small ditch, it’s to go into the canal to get the water out of the field. (CA) See examples
• koupab CA ( adj. )
  1. Guilty; coupable.
     Li tire li. Li koupab. He shot him. He’s guilty. (CA) ♦ Tout ça to capab fait yé va dit to coupab. Whatever you do, they’ll say you’re guilty. (T24) See examples
• koupan PC ( adj. )
  1. Sharp; effilé.
• koupayé CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To cut up; découper, couper.
     Ye te jich ap koupaye papye tou partou. They were just cutting up paper everywhere. (CA) See examples
• kouplè PC ( n. ) kouplé CA, PC
  1. Hinge; gond, penture.
     Kouplè an bwa. A wooden hinge. (PC); Si kouple-la pa ase sere anho la le e kou DRAG-la, l a trennen on planche , li p e frenmen byen. If the hinge isn’t tight enough up there, it (the door) will drag on the floor, it won’t close properly. (PC) See examples
• koupon CA ( n. )
  1. Coupon; bon d’achat, coupon.
     Kan to gen en koupon, to pe mwens. When you have a coupon, you pay less. (CA) koupròz n. (PC). Copperas; couperose (sulfate de fer). Koupròz, se konm en disouf. Copperas, it’s like a sulfate. (PC) ♦ Pou di son kle bouyi fey pakaye avek en ti moso koupros e bwa tou le maten kon to leve. For thin blood, boil some pecan leaves with copperas, and drink some every morning when you get up. (LA) See examples
• koupur CA, PC, ST ( n. ) koupir CA koupi PC koupyé PC koupé PC
  1. Cut; coupure.
     Ye mèt kolòy e ye te met tèrbantin on koupe-la. Sa te brul. They used to put kerosene, and they put turpentine on the cut. That would bum. (PC); To mete en bando an en koupur pou proteje li. You put a bandage on a cut to protect it. (CA) See examples
  2. Scar; cicatrice.
     Li gen en gro koupi dan so figi. Kèkenn koupe l avè en kouto. He has a big scar on his face. Someone cut him with a knife. (PC) See examples
• koupèr NE ( n. ) koupè dékon PC koupèr PC koupez a kann BT koupèr dikann CA
  1. Cane cutter (person or tool); coupeur de canne à sucre (personne ou outil).
     Nòm-sa-la te en bon koupèr dekon. That man was a good cane cutter. (NE); Mo gen en koupèr anmba SHED-la laba-la. I have a cane cutter in the shed over there. (PC) ♦ Géant-la volé yé papa passequé li té ein bon coupè desconnes. The giant kidnapped their father because he was a good cane cutter. (BD) See examples
• koupé gen ( v.tr. ) koup BT, CA, NE, PC
  1. To cut; couper.
     Si to koup twa, trap en lenj, mar li sere, sa va rete. If you cut yourself, grab a rag and tie it tight, and it will stop bleeding. (NE); Ye koupe dibwa-la e se tou de branchaj ena la e ye lese ye la. They cut wood there, and the place is covered with little branches, and they left them there. (CA) ♦ Li coupé ein grand perche et pi li monté en haut di bois la. He cut a big perch and climbed onto the tree. (FO T15) •koup en lalwa v.phr. (PC). To break a law; enfreindre une loi. Vou ka defonn mo pase òrmi mo gen koup en lalwa. You can keep me from coming in unless I break the law. (PC) •koupe lafyèv v.phr. (CA; PC). To break a fever; faire tomber, couper la fièvre. Mo mete en sèrvyèt e vineg an so lafron e sa koupe so lafyèv. I put a towel with vinegar on his forehead and it broke his fever. (CA) ♦ Pou la fyev bouyi ti ben absent don dolo jiska li deten ti pe jonn pi la to bwa trwa ti vè chak jou. Sa koup la fyev-la. For fever, boil a little absinth in water until the water turns somewhat yellow, and then you drink three glasses a day, that cuts your fever. (LA) •koupe an travèr v.phr. (CA). To cut across; traverser. Ye p ole f e l tòr. Ye koup an travèr. Ye ape koupaye tou mo lakou. They don’t want to go around. They cut through my yard. They’re cutting up my whole yard. (CA) •koupe lèb n.phr. (PC); koupe zèrb (CA). To mow the lawn; tondre le gazon. Li li pi ka koupe lèb aryen kòm sa. He can’t cut the grass any more or anything like that. (PC) • koupe (so) chèveu v.phr. (PC); koupe so chve-ye (CA). To get (one’s) hair cut; se faire couper les cheveux, •koupe (so) don v.phr. To teethe, cut teeth; percer, faire (ses) dents. ♦ Pou fe en piti koupe so don pon trwa kro kochon don so kou. To get a child to start cutting teeth, hang three pig’s teeth around his neck. (LA) •koupe (so) tchi v.phr. (PC). To spank, whip; fesser, donner une fessée à. Vou pètèt tayra li men , se la ou te bezòn koupe so tchi. Maybe you won’t beat him, but that’s when you ought to whip his ass. (PC) •koupe legaj v.phr. (CA). To cut wages; couper les gages, réduire le salaire. Pou sere larjan ye LAY OFF en ta moun e ye koupe ye legaj. To save money, they laid off a lot of people and they cut their wages. (CA) See examples
  2. To cut, chop down, fell; couper, abattre.
     Le e koupe dibwa-la. He’s cutting down a tree. (PC) See examples
  3. To cut off, stop, turn off (a machine); arrêter (une machine).
     Ye ranpli ye machin ye-mèm. Ye lès li kouri, ka li gen ase ye koup leu. They fill their machines themselves. They let it [i.e. the syrup] flow, and when there is enough they stop it. (PC) See examples
  4. To castrate; châtrer.
     Enn etalonn. Ti wa se grenn? En nonm vyen la-leu, i koup avèk en kouto , e pi ote se grenn. A stallion. You see his testicles? A man comes along with a knife and cuts them off. (BT) See examples
  5. To operate, perform surgery; opérer.
     Ye e kou koupe an li. They’re going to operate on him. (PC) See examples
  6. To amputate; amputer.
     te gen koupe so janm. They had to amputate his leg. (PC) See examples
• kour BT, PC ( n. ) kou PC lakou CA, PC lakòr CA lakour CA
  1. Yard; cour.
     Mo se peutèt nètwaye to lakou , è to se trète mwen byen. I might clean your yard, and you would treat me well. (PC); No te koutum gen en pi andan lakòr e no te trape no dolo avèk en syo pou mennen andan lamezon. We used to have a well in our yard and we would get water with a bucket to bring into the house. (CA) ♦ Li té traversé ein lacou ou yé té gaingnin ein gros dinde qui tapé dromi on so perchoir... He crossed through a big yard in which there was a turkey sleeping on its roost. (FO T7) •lakour dikann n.phr. (CA); kou le konn (PC). Cane yard (area in front of sugar factory where cane to be ground is stored); cour a canne (lieu dans une sucrerie où l’on garde la canne avant de la moudre). See examples
  2. Barnyard, farmyard; basse-cour, cour de ferme.
     Mo lakou te plen en poul e kochon. Lavach. My farmyard was full of chickens, pigs, and cows. (PC) •lakou kochon n.phr. (CA; PC). Pigsty, hog pen; porcherie. See examples
  3. Court (of justice); cour (de justice).
     Li gen pou ale dan lakour anvan ye pase so santans. He has to go to court before they pass his sentence. (CA) ♦ Mannejè-la va peye le fre lakour The manager will pay the court costs.’ (JR) •lakou suprèm n.phr. The Supreme Court; la Cour Suprême. ♦Ma kouri lakou souprèm, ye di mwen zafèr pèrdi. I’ll go to the Supreme Court, they’ll tell me the case is lost. (TP) •mezon d kour n.phr. (PC); mezon lakou (CA). Courthouse; palais de justice, tribunal. See examples
• kour No sources ( n. )
  1. Courting, wooing; cour. •fe lakour
     v.phr. (BT). To court, flirt with, woo; faire la cour à, courtiser. Youkoun t ape fe lakour le fiy-la. Youkoune was courting the women there. (BT) ♦ Li commencin poussé soupir; Et fait la cour à eine dame. He began to sigh and to court a lady. (T37) See examples
• kouraj CA, PC, ST ( n. )
  1. Courage, bravery; courage.
     Li fe akrwar li plen kouraj me li pœr. He pretends he’s full of courage but he’s afraid. (ST) •dòn kouraj n.phr. (PC). To encourage; donner du courage, encourager. M e ankouraje twa pou fe tel tel kichò to p ole fe li. Sa se me e dòn twa kouraj pou fe li me to p ole. I’m encouraging you to do such and such a thing but you don’t want to do it. That means I’m giving you encouragement to do it but you don’t want to. (PC) ♦ Toujou quand mo di li bonsoir, li réponne au révoir, ti mo là sa donn'moin couraze, mo fai mié mo l'ouvraze. Whenever I tell him hello he tells me goodbye. That little word encourages me, I do my work better. (T11) •pran kouraj v.phr. (CA). To take courage; prendre courage. Pran kouraj, sa t ole, sa va vini en jou. Take courage. What you want will come to pass one day. (CA) 2. Will, courage, feeling of being up to doing something; courage. Mo pa gen kouraj kon mo mo FEEL pa byen. I don’t feel up to anything when I don’t feel well. (PC); Mo dan lamizèr. Mo gen traka. Mo pa gen kouraj. I’m into a lot of problems. I’ve got troubles. I have no courage. (CA) ♦ Compair Tigue, ki pli brave, pran couraze et parti avè so ti gas son pou couri fé visite à Compair Cabri. Brer Tiger, who was braver, got up his courage and left with his little boy to visit Brer Goat. (T8) 2. Hope; espoir. ♦ Ye pa wa Batis di tou. Ye pèrd kouraj pou janmen wa li onkò. Ye te sir li te neye. They could not see Baptiste at all, and they gave up hope of ever seeing him again. They were sure he had drowned. (JR) kouran n. (CA; PC). Current (of a river); courant (d’un fleuve). Dolo-le e galope vit vit vit. Kouran-la fò. The water is flowing very fast. The current is strong. (PC); Ena en gro kouran dan flèv. Fo pa to va dan flèv. Ena dolo kouran. There is a big current in the river. You mustn’t go in the river. There are water currents. (CA) ♦ Courant la té fort, trop fort pou qué yé té passé li a la nage. The current was strong, too strong for them to swim across. (FO T15) •o kouran adv.phr. Up-to-date, current; au courant. ♦ Compair Lapin té toujou au courant toute sorte nouvelle qué Compair Bouki té raconté li. Brer Rabbit was always up-to-date on all sorts of news that Brer Bouki had told him. (FO T1) kouraye v.intr. To chase women (or men); courir la prétentaine. Yé té gain ein ti vieux nèg là qui jamais té fait arien. Li té rodoyé, li couraillé, li galopé la rue. There was an old black man there who never did anything. He gallivanted, chased women, roamed the streets. (DC) See examples
• kourbouyon PC ( n. ) koubiyon CA kourbouiyon PC
  1. Court-bouillon (stew of fish, tomato and onions); court-bouillon.
     Ena lontan pase lœ monnjèze lœ kourbouiyon du choupik e de patasa. A long time ago people made court-bouillon with mudfish and sunfish. (PC) •koubiyon pwason n.phr. (CA). Fish stew; court-bouillon de poisson. kourèr n. (BT). 1. Racehorse; cheval de course. Me mo mo toujour ete tro gro pou mont on le kourèr. I’ve always been too big to ride a racehorse. (BT) 2. Runner; coureur. ♦ Lot, cé bon courore: li galopé com divan, li fé tour la terre comme télégrafe. The other one is a good runner, he runs as fast as the wind. He circles the earth like a telegraph. (T7) See examples
• kourbé No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To lower, hang one’s head; baisser la tête.
     ♦ Si yé té mété toi dan ain bon lacage avé bon baro en fer, to sré pa cacé arien... to sré courbé to latéte é to sré resté tranquil comme pap la va fé dan eune ou deu jou. If they put you in a good cage with good iron bars you wouldn’t be breaking anything, you would hang your head and remain quiet like the painted finch will in one or two days. (ME) See examples
• kouri gen ( v.intr., v.aux. ) kouru PC kou PC kouré PC k PC kour PC, NE
  1. To go; aller.
     Ka t a vini la, m ole koure e twa a Livonnya, kou charch mo tchek. When you get here I want to go with you to Livonia to get my check. (PC); Mo kouri chèrche lamal. I went to get the mail. (CA); M ape kouri on katreu-ven neuv an. I am going on 89 years of age. (ST) ♦ En jou kon mo te kouri Chenmen Nef mo wa en gro boul di fe don chenmen. One day when I was going to New Roads, I saw a big fireball in the road. (LA); Jamais ma couri avec toi nille part. I’ll never go anywhere with you. (FO T1) •'couri diable' exp. Go to hell; Au diable! cf. djab •kou apre v.phr. (PC); kouri apre (CA). 1) To take after; tenir de, ressembler à. Mo di mo piti tou l tan, si vouzòt te pran apre to moman, t e f e en bon SPEAKER. Mo di men to kou pa apre to popo. Ye popo, li parl pa MUCH . I’m always telling my kids, ‘If you take after your mama you’ll be a good talker.’ But I say, ‘Don’t take after your papa.’ Their papa doesn’t talk much. (PC) 2) To go look for; aller chercher, partir à la recherche de. Li di l e kou apre en nonm. He said he was going to look for a man. (PC) •kou achte v.phr. (PC); kouri achte (CA). To go shopping; faire des achats, faire des courses. Lasmenn ki vyen an, nou gen pou DRIVE dan Batan Rouj, pou kou achte. Next week we’re going to Baton Rouge to do some shopping. (PC) ♦kou kouche v.phr. (PC); kouri kouche (CA). To go down, set (of the sun); se coucher (du soleil). Ye te di nouzòt. Si soley te kou kouche nou te pa la, no te janmen toumen . They told us. If the sun had set and we weren’t back yet, we would never get back. (PC) •kouri en kote v.phr. (CA; PC). To move aside; s’écarter, se mettre de côté. Li kouri en kote, peche cha-la frape li. She went to one side to avoid hitting him with her car. (PC) •kouri pou v.phr. (BT). To go on (of time); s’approcher de (en parlant de l’heure). S ap kouri pou katr œ. It’s going on four o’clock. (BT) •kouri chèrche v.phr. To go get, fetch; aller chercher, cf. chèrche 3. To run up to, reach (of quantities); aller jusqu’à, être dans les (en parlant de quantités). Èna k kouri set san liv, si san liv. There are some [bales of cotton] that run [i.e. weigh] up to seven hundred or six hundred pounds. (PC) 4. To run for office; présenter sa candidature. Ena plen ki, ye di ye e kouri repoubliken. There are a lot who say they’re running Republican. (PC) 5. To leave; s’en aller, partir. Ka ye e kouri ye fe mon GOODBYE . When they are leaving they tell me goodbye. (PC) 6. To pass, go by (of time); passer, s’écouler (en parlant du temps). Tou sa se kouru sa. All of that is past now. (PC) 7. To go on, continue; continuer. Sa kouru, sa kouru, sa kouru. That went on, and on, and on. (PC)[Future]. To be going to, will; aller. ♦ Li pa di sa li te kouri tidye. He didn’t say what he was going to study. (JR); M’ape kouri neye twa! I’m going to drown you! (JR) See examples
• kouri-vini PC ( n. )
  1. Louisiana Creole; créole louisianais.
     Ye arive a l non kouri-vini. They came up with the name kouri-vini for Creole. (PC) See examples
• kouri-vini CA, PC ( v.intr. )
  1. To go back and forth, come and go; aller et venir.
     Mo latet kone anbete mon. To konnen toumaye, kouri-vini konm sa mo pa abitchwe e sa. My head bothers me. You know, running around, coming and going like that. I’m not used to that. (PC) •donn pou kouri e vini v.phr. (BT). To tell s.o. off, to send s.o. packing; dire ses quatre vérités à qn, passer un savon à qn. Mo donn èl pou kouri e vini. I told her off. (BT) See examples
• kouronaj PC ( n. )
  1. Ridge pole (of a roof); couronnement (d’un toit).
• kourpyon PC ( n. ) koudpyon PC kourpiyon CA
  1. Buttocks, behind, rump; croupion, fesses.
     To trape èn dan dibwa-la en jwèt e to taye ye on ye jonm, taye ye ti koudpyon. You find a switch in the tree and you whip them on their legs. You whip their little behinds. (PC) ♦Makak di si so kroupyon plime sa pa gade lezot. Monkey says if his rump is bare, it’s nobody’s business. ['croupion’] (DU) See examples
• kours No sources ( n. ) lakours CA, ST
  1. Race; course (de vitesse).
     Chval-la ap galope lakours. The horse is running the race. (CA) ♦ Ye parti fe ye lakous. Pa Lapen bat li lwon. They started their race. Brer Rabbit beat him by far. (JR) •prann lakours v.phr. (ST). To run away; se sauver, s’évader. Kan mo wa en sèrpan, mo pran lakours. When I see a snake, I take off. (ST) ♦ San espere pou tan plis, Pyè leve e li prann lakou. Without waiting to hear any more, Peter got up and ran away. (JR) •a lakours adv.phr. (BT). Running; à la course. Se pa fasil pou to trap en kokodri a lakours. It’s not easy to catch an alligator that’s running. (BT) ♦ Sovaj-la sòrti dèryè dibwa-la alakous. The Indian ran from behind the tree. (JR) •fe lakous v.phr. (PC). To race; faire la course. Ye te gen en ti chval. Mo te fe lakous an li. They had a little horse. I raced with it. (PC) See examples
• koursayé CA ( v.intr. ) kousayé PC
  1. To flirt, chase (women or men); courir la prétantaine.
     MOM, je va me marye aste e si ti me les pa marye je jame koursaye! Me je va koursaye! Mom, I’m going to get married now, and if you don’t let me get married I’ll never court anyone. But I will court! (DT) See examples
• koursayœr* No sources ( n. ) kousayœr BT koursayè CA koursayèz CA
  1. Womanizer; coureur de jupons.
     En kousayœr, en siro, en nonm dou ki lèm le fonm. A skirt chaser, a womanizer, a ‘sweet man’ who likes women. (BT); Se en koursayè fonm. He’s a skirt-chaser. (CA) See examples
• koursé CA, PC ( v.tr., v.intr. ) kousé PC kousi PC koursi PC kòrsyé CA
  1. To run fast; courir vite.
     San bòt, li te pa kapab kòrsye. Without seven league boots he wasn’t able to chase women. (CA) 1. To run off, kick out; chasser. To wa li vini yè, t wa li la ankò? Mo gen kourse li, l e anbete mo tro. You saw him come yesterday and you see that he’s still here? I have to run him off, he bothers me too much. (PC) 2. To chase; chasser. En ti VIETNAMESE te e kouse en vyeu ti chyen antour lekòl-la. A Vietnamese guy was chasing a little old dog around the school. (PC) ♦ Mo pense cé a force chien tayo coursé toi ké to zoreille si longue. I think it’s because the hounds have chased you so much that your ears are so long. (FO 1887) 3. To run, round up (cattle); rassembler (du bétail). Chval to kousi bèt a kon avek. The horse that you rounded up cattle with. (PC) See examples
• kourt CA, PC ( adj. ) kout CA, PC
  1. Short; court.
     Nou vizit te kout. Our visit was short. (PC) ♦ Se pou sa latche a Lapen kourt jiska zordi. That’s why the Rabbit’s tail is short to this day. (JR) See examples
  2. Short (of a person’s height); petit.
     Li pli kout ke mon. He’s shorter than me. (PC) See examples
• kourtizé* No sources ( v.tr. ) kòrtizé PC kòrtisé PC
  1. To court, woo; courtiser, faire la cour à.
     En kòrtize li. Mo gen marye ave li. I’m wooing her. I’m going to marry her. (PC) ♦ Li fait la cour à eine dame. Oui, li commencin courtiser! He is courting a woman. Yes, he is starting to court! (T37) See examples
• kourtépwant CA ( n. ) koutépwint PC koutdépwint CA, PC kourtépwan PC koutèpwant PC koudèpwont PC koudèpon PC koutèpwon PC koutépwant CA koutdépwont CA
  1. Quilt, bedspread; courtepointe, couverture piquée.
     San e wit an e l ape pike de koutdepwent , a so laj la . A hundred and eight years old, and she’s still making quilts at her age. (CA) See examples
• kouròn No sources ( n. ) kouronn CA
  1. Crown, wreath; couronne.
     Mo mèt en joli kouronn an mo lapòrt pou Pak. I put a nice wreath on my door for Easter. (CA) ♦ Chacaine té gain ein 'tit couronne en so latête. Each one had a crown on her head. (BD) See examples
• koush BT, CA, ST ( n. )
  1. Layer; couche.
     Leu chmen isi, sète PAVE[D], e la, ye vini mèt èn kouch BLACKTOP disu. The road here. It was paved, and they came and put a layer of blacktop on it. (BT) See examples
  2. Diaper; couche, lange.
     To chanj sa kouch kan li tranp. You change his diaper when he’s wet. (BT); Mo i pou mèt de lepengn a kouch pou tyen so kouch. I had to put two diaper pins to hold his diaper. (CA) See examples
• koushkoush MO 60, NE ( n. )
  1. Louisiana dish made of cornmeal dough sweetened with sugar, fried brown and served with milk; plat louisianais fait de farine de maïs sucrée et rissolée, et servi avec du lait.
     Mòm te fe nouzòt di kouchkouch. Mom used to make us couscous. (NE) ♦ Bouki vonn so momon pou trwa bari kouchkouch dou. Bouki sold his mother for three barrels of sweet couscous. [ ‘couchecouche '] (DU) See examples
• kousho PC, ST ( n. ) koushan CA, PC koushò PC koushon PC
  1. Cushaw, long-necked pumpkin; potiron à cou long, espèce de courge comestible. (Cucurbita moschata Duchesne).
     Lontan pase ye pele sa kouchan me ye pèl sa jòromo kou lon astè. A long time ago they called it a ‘cushaw’, but nowadays they call it a long-necked pumpkin. (CA) See examples
• koushé BT, CA, PC, ST ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) koush CA, PC kous PC
  1. To put to bed; coucher, mettre au lit.
     Li dòn ye en ben e apre sa li va mèt ye kouche. She gives them a bath and after that she puts them to bed. (CA) 2. To flatten; aplatir. YOU SEE A STORM, li kouche li. You see, a storm will flatten it. (PC)1. To go to bed, sleep; se coucher, coucher. Dek mo se trape lasentur, sa sete min to te gen pou kouri kouche. As soon as you got punished with the belt, that meant you had to go to bed. (BT); Mo rès pa isi. M ale kote lotèl pou kouche. I’m not staying here. I’m going to the hotel to sleep. (CA); Mo toujour akle lapòrt avan mon gonn kouche. I always lock the door before I go to bed. (ST) ♦ Compair Torti couri coucé, mé li pas dromi beaucoup. Brer Tortoise went to bed, but he didn’t sleep much. (T5) 2. To lie, lie down; se coucher. Li te kouche an so vant. He was lying on his stomach. (BT); Li kouch toujou dan mèm kote. Li bèzonn èt ranvèrse. He always lies on the same side. He needs to be turned over. (CA) ♦ Li couché par terre divant cabane la. He lay down on the ground in front of the house. (FO T27) 3. To go down (of the sun); se coucher (en parlant su soleil). Mo lache ka soley e kouche. I stop working when the sun goes down. (PC); Soley kouche. Se a la brin. Ye fe pa nwa ankòr. The sun has set. It’s dusk. It’s not yet dark out. (CA) ♦ Solé coucé, Compair Lapin ouâ Compair Bouki apé vini dan ti chantié. After sundown, Brer Rabbit saw Brer Bouki coming into the little work zone. (T3) See examples
• kout BT ( n. )
  1. Colter; coutre.
     Sa koupe latèr an avan , lœ kout. The colter cuts earth in front. (BT) See examples
• kouti BT, CA ( n. ) kwèti BT kwèt PC
  1. Duckcloth, twill; coutil.
     Pou swi katechich on nave se gro ròb-la, ne te gen se gro rob kwèti, e ben la, se sa nou te mèt pou kouri o katechis. For catechism class we had these large robes made of duckcloth, we had to put those on to go to catechism. (BT) •kouti-matla n.phr. (CA; PC); koutir, kwèt (PC). Mattress ticking (material used to make Spanish moss mattresses); coutil (étoffe bourrée de mousse espagnole pour la fabrication des matelas). Tou lez an ye pran lamous, ye lav li, tan li an de baryèr pou fèr cheche. Ye mèt li bèk andan lœ kouti-matla. Every year they would take the moss out, they washed it and hung it on fences to dry. Then they would put it back in the mattress ticking. (PC) See examples
• kouto gen ( n. )
  1. Knife; couteau.
     To pran en kouto, to koup li anba so gargoton e to seny li. You take a knife, you cut him in the throat and you bleed him. (BT); Pou file en kouto, to sèrvi en lalim. To sharpen a knife, you use a file. (CA) ♦ Li tiré en bas so romaine in gros couteau et li di li: Molé to tchué mo fille. Lapé vini plis joli qué moin. She pulled out a knife from under her dress and said, T want you to kill my daughter. She is getting prettier than me.’ (FO T16) •kouto a de manch n.phr. (PC). Two-handled knife; couteau à deux manches, •kouto-d-kàn n.phr. (CA; PC); kouto-dekonn, kouto-dekann (PC); kouto-dikann (CA). Sugar cane knife; couteau de canne. En kouto-d-kàn se pou koupe lekàn . A cane knife is for cutting sugar cane. (CA) ♦ Couteau dicane apé clairé. The sugar cane knife was shining. (T27) •kouto dekoupe n.phr. Carving knife, carver; couteau à découper. ♦ Li prend couteau découpé, pas la peine. He took a carving knife, but it wasn’t worth the trouble. (FO T10) •kouto diri n.phr. (PC). Rice knife, knife for cutting rice; couteau à riz. Lantan te gen en kouto diri k te kroch. Long ago we had rice knives that were curved. (PC) •kouto labouchri n.phr. (CA). Butcher knife; couteau de boucher, •kouto latab n.phr. kouto a tab (CA). Table knife; couteau de table. ♦ Li ordonnin metté tortie on la tabe et li prend so couteau la tabe pou coupé li. He ordered them to put the turtle on the table, and he got out his table knife to cut it open. (FO T10) See examples
• koutriyéz PC ( n. ) kourtriyé PC
  1. Seamstress; couturière.
     Inave koutriyè, te konnen koud lenj. Mennen mo lenj kote koutriyez-ye. There were seamstresses, I would take my clothes to a seamstress. (PC) ♦Epi si vu té connin comme mo bonne coiffeuse é bonne couturière! If you only knew what a good hairdresser and seamstress I am! (ME) See examples
  2. Tailor; tailleur, couturier.
     En bon koutriyez . A good tailor. (PC) REM: The speaker was referring to a man. See examples
• koutum No sources ( n. ) koutim NE
  1. Custom, habit; coutume, habitude.
     ♦ Ein jou ' li sè ca conter so pitits-yé tou ‘ jolies places, tou ’ coutimes moune-yé li té oua dans marais-la. One day he would be able to tell his children about all the pretty places and the customs of people that he’d seen in the swamps. (BD) See examples
• koutum BT, CA, ST ( v.aux. ) kutim BT koutim NE koutmin ST koutinn CA
  1. [To express past habitual action]. Used to; (verbe à l’imparfait).
     Moun manj pa otan kandi astè kòm kè ye te kutim manje. People don’t each as much candy today as they used to. (PC) ; No te koutum gen en pi andan lakòr e no te trape no dolo avèk en syo pou mennen andan lamezon. We used to have a well in our yard and we would get water with a bucket to bring into the house. (CA); Nou te koutmen kale en syo dan pu pou trape dolo. We used to lower a bucket into the well to get water. (ST) Mangé, piti, mangé» (vié mait coutime di ça). ‘Eat, child, eat.’ The old master used to say that. (T27) See examples
• kouté CA, ST ( v.tr. ) kout CA koutè PC
  1. To cost; coûter.
     To kònen sa en PINT wiski te kout? You know how much a pint of whiskey used to cost? (PC); To gen mwens me sa koute plus. You get less but it costs more. (ST) ♦ Mo mangé bin , mo boir ‘ du vin, ça pas coûté arien. I ate well, I drank some wine, that didn’t cost me anything. (T11) See examples
• kouvan CA, ST ( n. ) kouvaon ST
  1. Convent; couvent.
     Ena de novis e de sèr andan kouvan. There are sisters and novices in the convent. (CA); Kan mo te dan kouvon, mo te toujour gen pou rèste kanpe dan legliz . When I was in the convent, I always had to stay standing up in church. (ST) See examples
• kouvri CA, PC ( v.tr. ) kouvè CA, PC krouvi NE, PC kouv PC krouv PC kouvèr (kouv) NE kouvèr CA, ST
  1. To cover; couvrir.
     Piti-ye te konnen kou dan lit-la e si li te cho o pa cho ye te konnen krouvi ye-menm. The children used to go to bed and whether it was hot or not they would cover themselves up. (PC); See examples
  2. to roof (a house, building); couvrir d'un toit.
     Mo mèt meren an mo lamezon pou kouvèr li. I put wooden shingles on my house to roof it. (CA) ♦ Li té billé en noir avec ein gros tablier blanc qui té couvri li depuis so zépoles jusqu'à so genoux. He was dressed in black with a big white apron that covered him from his shoulders to his knees. (T40) See examples
  3. To beat, top (with a higher card or roll of the dice); l’emporter sur qn (avec une meilleure carte ou un meilleur coup de dés).
     Si vou karkule vou kapab krouvi sis e dè si v ole. If you figure, you can beat a six and a two if you want to. (PC) See examples
• kouvèr CA ( adj. ) kouvè PC krouvi PC kouvè PC
  1. Covered; couvert.
     No te pa kapab ale andan legliz san chapo antèr latèt. Latèt te gen p èt kouvèr, We couldn’t go to church without a hat on our heads. Our heads had to be covered. (CA) See examples
  2. Cloudy; couvert, nuageux.
     Tan-la kouvè, li pa klè ditou, Ne e kou gen en lœragon, The weather is cloudy, it’s not clear at all. We’re going to have a hurricane. (PC) See examples