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

• kouvèr CA, ST ( n. ) kouvèr BT kouvèt PC
  1. Lid, cover, top; couvercle.
     To wa chopin-la? Ote kouvèr-la, Mo frikase ap bouyi tro fòr. Do you see that pot? Take off the lid, my stew is boiling too fast. (CA) ♦ Li kouri tere li. Li met sèrkey-la dan lafòs-la e klouwe so kouvè. He went to bury him. He put the coffin in the ground and nailed its lid shut. (JR) See examples
• kouvèr No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To cover; couvrir. cf. kouvri
• kouvèrt CA, PC, ST ( n. ) kouvèr CA, PC kouvèt PC kouvèt PC
  1. Blanket; couverture.
     Astè ye e pran vye kouvèt-ye, to ta pa pèson pik kwilt ankò. Nowadays people just use old blankets, you never hear about people making quilts these days. (PC); Mo sœr gen en kad pou fe kouvèrt. My sister has a frame to make quilts. (ST) ♦ Quand yé vini comme ça tous neg yé galopé acheté souyés, débas, couvertes pou yé vlopé. When they come in like that, all the blacks went to buy shoes, stockings and blankets to cover themselves with. (T27) See examples
• kouvèrtur PC ( n. ) kouvèrtu PC kouvèrti PC kouvèti PC lakouvèrti PC
  1. Blanket, cover; couverture.
     Mo te gen tro lakouvèrti. I had too many covers. (PC) See examples
  2. Saddle blanket; couverture de cheval, housse de cheval.
     To te gen kouvèti-la. To mèt lasel-la on kouvèr-la. You would have a saddle blanket, and you put the saddle on top of the blanket. (PC) See examples
  3. Roof; toit.
     Lakouvèrtu sè te fe e du bwa, la ye achte du zenk. The roof used to be made of wood, but nowadays they buy tin. (PC) ♦ Bouki te krwa li te malen, sa fe li monte on en la kouvèti e li voye Konpè Lapen on en ta zerons. Bouki thought he was being clever, so he got up on a roof and he threw Brer Rabbit into the briar patch. (LA) •kouvèrtur an bwa n.phr. (PC). Wooden roof; toit en bois. See examples
  4. Cover, top layer of mattress ticking; couche supérieure du coutil d’un matelas.
     No te pran nou lamous e SPREAD to kouti patè e la to mèt to lamous anwo la, e la to pran to lòt bout, lakouvèti kouti, to mèt li ON TOP, e to kourd li tour tour. We used to take our moss and spread your ticking on the ground and then you put your moss on top of that, and then you take the other end, the ticking cover, you put it on top, and you sew all around. (PC) •kouvètu d oryeu n.phr. (PC); kouvèti loriye, kouvèr d oriye, kouvèti noriye (PC). Pillowcase; taie d’oreiller. See examples
  5. Lid, cover, top; couvercle.
     ♦ Mais Bouki prend so grand couverti et couvri so chaudière serré. But Bouki took his big lid and covered the kettle tightly. (FO T8) See examples
• kouvé CA, PC, ST ( v., v.tr. ) kouvè PC
  1. To brood; couver.
     Li mèt so poul-ye a kouve avèk en kòk dominik. He put his hens to brood with a Rhode Island Red rooster. (CA) ♦ Ein fois yavait ein dame Carencro qui té apé couvé dans ein chêne. Once there was a mama buzzard who was brooding in an oak. (FO T6) See examples
  2. To spawn; frayer. (PC)To sit on (eggs); couver.
     ♦Ain poule trouvé dézef serpan; li couvé yé bien soigneuseman é fé piti dan kokille sorti, A hen found some snake eggs; she sat on them very carefully and got the babies in the eggs to come out. (ME 90) See examples
• kouy PC ( n. ) kouiy BT
  1. Testicle; couille, testicule.
     Ti vyen la èk ton kouto, ti koup, e pi ti òt le kouiy. You come along with a knife, you cut, and you remove its testicles. (BT) See examples
• kouyon CA, PC, ST ( adj. ) kouiyon PC kwiyon PC
  1. Stupid, dumb; bête, couillon, stupide.
     Sa se vreman vreman kouiyon, en? Sa se bet bet net. That is really stupid, isn’t it? That is really idiotic. (PC) ♦ Pauve Compè Bouki si couillon yé pas ca trosse li pou' fait ein foute. Poor Brer Bouki is so stupid that they can’t count on him for anything. (BD) See examples
• kouyon ST ( n. )
  1. Jokester, cut-up; farceur, blageur.
• kouyonad CA, PC ( n. ) kwiyonad PC kwiyònad PC
  1. Messing around, puttering; bricolage, petits travaux.
     Mo von mo trèktè. Mo RETIRED, mo fè en ti bren kwiyonad-la. I sold my tractor. I’m retired, I just putter around. (PC) See examples
  2. Stupidity, foolishness; couillonade, sottise, bêtise, niaiserie.
     Se jus sa li parl pou, kwiyònad tou le jou. That’s all he talks is foolishness every day. (PC) See examples
• kouyònin CA ( v.tr. ) kouyonnin CA, PC kwiyonin PC
  1. To swindle, cheat; escroquer, frauder.
     Se ka kèkenn e kouyonnen twa. Sa min le e bat twè. Li p e di twa laverite. That’s when someone is fooling you. That means he’s beating you, he’s not telling you the truth. (PC) See examples
• kouzin CA, NE, PC, ST ( n. )
  1. Cousin; cousin.
     Mo kouzen elve en ta kochon. My cousin raised a lot of pigs. (ST) ♦ Pa Cachambo cé piti kouzin avé kouzin Zan-Loui, so kouzin ki raité la vil. Pa Cachambo is a distant cousin of Jean-Louis, his cousin who lives in the city. (T17) •kouzen distans n.phr. (PC). Distant cousin; cousin éloigné, petit cousin. Sa marye de kouzen distans . They married distant cousins. (PC) •piti kouzen n.phr. Distant cousin; petit cousin, cousin éloigné. ♦ Pa Cachambo cé piti kouzin avé kouzin Zan-Loui, so kouzin ki raité lavil. Pa Cachambo is a distant cousin of Jean-Louis, his cousin who lives in the city. (T17) •prenmyen kouzen n.phr. (PC). First cousin; cousin germain. Ye prenmyen kouzen . They are first cousins. (PC) • dèzyèm kouzen n.phr. (CA); segon kouzen (CA). Second cousin; cousin issu de cousin germain. Mo-ken piti-ye se prèmye kouzen e ye-kenn piti sa se mo dèzyèm kouzen ou kouzin. My kids are first cousins [with them] and their kids are my second cousins. (CA) See examples
• kouzinn CA, NE, PC ( n. )
  1. (Female) Cousin; cousine.
     Se en ti kouzin an mwan. She is a little cousin of mine. (PC); M ap parle an telefonn evèk mo kouzin. I’m talking on the phone with my cousin. (CA) ♦ Mo cher cousine, mo l'aimé la cuisine . My dear cousin, I like the cooking. (T11) •prèmyè kouzin n.phr. (PC). First cousin (female); cousine germaine. Se prèmyè kouzin avek ma mèr. She is a first cousin of my mother’s. (PC) •dèzyèm kouzin n.phr. (PC). Second cousin (female); cousine issue de cousin germain. See examples
• kozez NE ( n. ) kozèz NE
  1. Chatterbox; causeuse.
     Sa se èn kozeuz mèm! She’s quite a talker. (NE) See examples
• kozé No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To cause; causer.
     ♦ Lauzun, mo fi, to pas connin ça moune di? ... eh bien! yé di cé toi qui cause tou maleur laïé rivé. Lauzun my son, you don’t know what everyone is saying? Well, they’re saying that you’re the one who caused all of those misfortunes to happen. (ME) See examples
• kozé CA, NE ( v.intr. )
  1. To chat, talk; causer, bavarder.
     Bondyeu koz pa, non, li gen kekèn pou koze ak twa. God doesn’t speak, no, He gets someone to talk to you. (NE); Li vini wa man pou koze en ti bren avèk man. He came to see me to chat a bit with me. (CA) ♦ Li passé la soirée apé causé avec Guichard, qui té pas capab dansé à cause so déguisement. He spent the evening chatting with Guichard, who couldn’t dance because of his disguise. (T40) See examples
• krab CA ( n. )
  1. Crab; crabe.
     Mo achte en douzenn krab. Ye te vid, ye te pa gen lavyann krab andan! I bought a dozen crabs. They were empty, they didn’t have crab meat inside! (CA) ♦ Ti posson dans bayou , grounouille, cribisse et crab, apé dansé partout et yé content comme djab. Little fish in the bayou, frogs, crawfish and crabs, they were dancing everywhere and were as happy as the devil. (T27) See examples
• krak CA, PC ( n. ) krèk PC
  1. Crack (of a door that is ajar); fente (d’une porte entrouverte).
     Nouzòt te e gete ye dan krak. Ye te gen vye tambou-l e danse, vye moun-ye te konnè danse wi. We would watch them through a crack. They had a drum and they would dance, old people used to dance, yes. (PC); Ena jich en krak dan lapòrt. There’s just a crack in the door. (CA) ♦ Li garde don en lakrak pou mouri, me Lapen te ri apre li. He looked through a crack to watch him die, but Rabbit was laughing at him. (JR) See examples
  2. Crack; fêlure, fissure, fente.
     Mo lamezon gen en krèk anndan lamiray-la. My house has a crack in the wall. (PC) ♦ Li prann en kwen e li fann enn grann krak tou lalongè di bwa-la. Li mande ye pou met ye men dan krak-la pou ede li fann so bwa. He took a comer and he split a crack the whole length of the log. He asked them to put their hands in the crack to help him split the log. (JR) See examples
• krak No sources ( onom. )
  1. Creak! Crac!
     ♦ Li ouvri lapote crak! He opened the door, creak! (T3) See examples
• kraké CA, NE, PC ( v.tr., v.intr. ) krak CA, PC
  1. To crack, split; fendre.
     To kone, mo pu gen sa, me se te tou blon, se te tou krake. You know, I’m cured of that, but [my feet] were all white, and they were cracked. (NE); Lahach, wè, pou krake li. Pou ouvè li la to mete to kwen anndan lan, e la to pran to SLEDGE HAMMER, to kongnen li. An axe, yes, to crack it. To break it open you put your wedge in it and you take your sledge hammer and hit it. (PC); En kou d tònèr krake mo vit apre mo twalèt. A bolt of lightning cracked the mirror on my dresser. (CA)To crack, snap; se casser, se briser. Sa sanmb laplu. Wè, tonnèr-lan grony, latèr apeu anfonse, latcheu le matou krak. It looks like rain. Yes, the thunder is rumbling, the earth is caving in, and the cats’ tails are cracking. (PC); Kan mo tourn mo kou, sa krak. Sa fe mo mal apre mo lanik. When I turn my head, it cracks. It hurts the back of my neck. (CA) ♦ Li te tann lakòd-la krake, telman ye te ale fo. He heard the rope cracking, they were pulling so hard. (JR) See examples
• kranp PC ( n. ) lakranp CA, PC
  1. Cramp; crampe.
     Mo gen lakranp. I have cramps. (PC); 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) ♦ ’crampe estomac [kronp estoma]' (BI) See examples
• kransiyòl PC ( n. ) kròksiyòl CA
  1. Donut; croquignol, beignet (espèce de pâtisserie). (PC) 1. Donut dough, donut batter; pâte à beignet.
     To roul sa, to koup sa e to fri kròksiyòl. Se en lapat. You roll it, you cut it and you fry donut dough. It’s a batter. (CA) See examples
• kraou No sources ( onom. )
  1. Thud, boom! Patapoum, bourn!
     ♦ Li parti galopé: pracatap! pracatap! pracatap! et li cogné so latête apé ein diboi: bip! Diboi laboudoume: kraaou! He took off running, pracatap! pracatap! pracatap! and he hit his head on a tree, whack! The tree fell over, thud! (T8) See examples
• krapo CA, NE, PC, ST ( n. )
  1. Toad; Crapaud.
     En wawaran rèt dan dolo. En krapo STAY ON DRY LAND . A frog lives in the water. A toad lives on dry land. (PC); Si krapo pis apre to janm-ye, sa dòn twa de pòro. If a toad pees on your leg, it gives you warts. (CA) ♦ Si to tchue en krapo sa fe la plye tonmbe. If you kill a toad that makes it rain. (LA) See examples
  2. Frog; grenouille.
     Janm krapo. Frog legs. (PC) ♦Bonton fe krapo monke bounda. Idleness leaves the frog without buttocks. [‘ Crapaud ’] (DU) See examples
  3. proper n. Toad (folktale character); Crapaud (personnage dans les contes).
     ♦ Chevrey e Krapo t ape kourtize la menm fiy. The Deer and the Toad were wooing the same girl. (JR) See examples
• kras No sources ( n. ) lakras CA, PC
  1. Dirt, dirty residue, filth; crasse, saleté.
     Mo ich e di vou kòmè lakras vyen. I’m just telling you how residue builds up [in a pipe]. (PC); To pran pa ben. To plen lakras. You don’t take baths. You’re full of filth. (CA) ♦ Pou en moun ki gen demonjezon li kapab pronn en ti pe taba (la kras den pip) e mete sa avek lagres kochon e grese lademonjezon . For a person with the itch, he can take tobacco residue from a pipe and mix it with pig fat and put it on the itch, [‘la crasse’] (BI) See examples
  2. Waste from the sugar-making process, used as a purgative; résidu de la production du sucre, utilisé comme purgatif.
     Tou la mo konen se lakwit. Se konm lakras-la. The only word I know for it is [lakwit]. It’s like residue. (PC) See examples
  3. Riffraff, lowlifes; crasse, rebut de la société. (PC)
     ♦ Favè ye te pa bon avon lagè, ye te pa bon diron lagè, e ye pa bon apre, e pondon mo sèvo cho, to pa le kou mele ek lakras di moun. The Favets were no good before the war, they were no good during the war, and they’re no good after the war, and as long as I'm living, you won't go getting mixed up with lowlifes. [ 'la crasse ’] (DU) See examples
  4. Spitting image; portrait craché, sosie.
     Se lakras so Mam a fòrs li sanm so Mam. He’s the spitting image of his mother, he looks so much like her. (CA) See examples
• krasha No sources ( n. )
  1. Spit; crachat.
     ♦Li krache dan mo fron e mo lasèrvel ape sorti. Li fou mwen en òt kracha dan mo kote kan mo tournen e li kase mwen de kòt. He spat on my forehead and my brains were coming out! He spat again on my side and broke two of my ribs. (JR) See examples
  2. Dirty residue (from a smoked pipe); crasse (dans une pipe qu’on a fumée).
     ♦ Fe cheche desekòrch zoronj. Vou fim sa don en pip e la vou val kracha-la. You dry out some orange peels, smoke that in a pipe and swallow the residue. (BI) See examples
• krashé CA, PC ( v.intr. )
  1. To spit; cracher.
     Li tap chike taba. Li krache diji taba partèr an mo planche. He was chewing tobacco. He spat tobacco juice on my floor. (CA) ♦ [Pou] konpèr-loryo, krache trwa fwa par tèr, va fe sa pase. For a sty, spit three times on the ground, and you will make it go away. (BI) •tou krache adj.phr. The spitting image of; tout craché, le portrait craché de. ♦ Li té tou craché so moman. He was the spitting image of his mother. (T30) See examples
• krasé CA ( adj. )
  1. Grimy, filthy; crasseux.
     Piti-la pran pa ben. Lakras-la rant dan lapo-la, li tou krase. The child doesn’t take baths. The dirt has gotten under his skin, he’s all grimy. (CA) See examples
• kravat BT, CA, NE, PC ( n. )
  1. Tie; cravate.
     Si ou gen chmij o en kravat... If you have a shirt or a tie... (PC) ♦ Donne moin mo cravate, et mo col, ça mo té prété toi. Give me my tie, and the collar that I lent you. (FO T19) See examples
  2. Beard, small tuft of feathers found on the male turkey’s breast; barbe, touffe de plumes sur la poitrine du dindon.
     Devan leu denn, ina kèkchòch ki pouch deyòr konm le chveu, me se sa nou apèl lakravat. On the male turkey’s breast there’s something that grows out like a tuft of hair, but we call it a tie. (BT) See examples
• kre BT ( adj. ) kré CA
  1. Hollow; creux.
     Mo lèstoma kreu. Ofòf mo fen! My stomach is empty. I’m so hungry! (BT); Se en gro dubwa me li tou kre. It’s a big tree but it’s all hollow. (CA) ♦ Ye chèche jiska ye trouve en gro bwa kre. They looked until they found a big hollow tree. (JR) See examples
• kre BT, CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Hollow, indentation; creux.
     Mo te pe pa dormi paskœ mo te gen en kreu don matla-lœ. I couldn’t sleep because there was an indentation in the mattress. (BT) •kreu d lamen n.phr. (PC); kre lamen (CA). Palm of the hand; paume, creux de la main. Sa se leu kreu d lamen. That is the palm of the hand. (PC) •kreu du pye n.phr. (PC); kre anba to pye (CA). The arch of the foot; creux du pied. •kre lèstoma n.phr. (CA). Part of the chest below the sternum; creux de l’estomac, partie de la poitrine au-dessous du sternum. Mo kre lèstoma ap fe mo mal. Mo t ap touse yèr oswa. My chest hurts below the sternum. I was coughing last night. (CA) See examples
  2. The hollow of a tree; creux d’un arbre.
     N-arbre-là té gain un creux. Et creux-là té gain des petits des-vers en dedans. The tree had a hollow. And the hollow had worms in it. (AN T12) ♦ Yé scié ein nabe dans la cou madame et dans cré nabe la yé trouvé bague la. They sawed down a tree in the lady’s yard, and in the hollow of the tree they found the ring. (FO T25) See examples
  3. Dimple; fossette.
     Li gen en kreu don so monton. He has a dimple in his chin. (BT) See examples
• kri BT, CA ( n. )
  1. Shout, cry; cri.
     Kan mo te hèle en kri onho, li te galope. When I shouted out to him, he came running up, (BT); En chwèt sa hèl en kri ke fe drèse to chfe-ye desi to latèt. A screech owl lets out a cry that makes your hair stand up. (CA) ♦ Tous macacs lé yé en ba nabe parti ri yé t apé joué, dansé, sauté, poussé des cris. All the monkeys under the tree began to laugh, they were playing, dancing, jumping and shouting. (T25) See examples
• kriatir No sources ( n. )
  1. Creature; créature.
     ♦ Bon Dgié té ordonnin yé com ça pou pa manzé yé entre yé minme. Ça té vo mié, pasqué yé tou so criatire é ké ça té fé li la peine can yé té tchué leine à lote. God ordered them not to eat each other. That was better, because they were all His creatures, and it pained Him when they killed each other. (FO 1887) See examples
• krikèt CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Cricket; grillon.
     Ena en ta krikèt deyòr-la kan lapli tonm. Y ap chante. There are a lot of crickets outside when it rains. They’re singing. (CA) ♦ Rwa-la leve so chapo e sete en kriket enn ave an ba la. The king lifted up his hat, and there was a cricket below it. (JR) See examples
• krim CA ( n. )
  1. Crime; crime.
     Kan ye voye twa dan penitansyè, se pou en gro krim, to tchwe keken ou choj kòm sa. When they send you to federal prison, it’s for a major crime. You killed someone or something like that. (CA) ♦ Inave en nonm ki fe en krim pi la li kouri don bwa pou kache . There was a man who committed a crime, and then he went into the woods to hide. (LA) See examples
• kriminèl CA, PC ( n. ) kriminéyl PC
  1. Criminal; criminel.
     Ye toujou pon en kriminèl ka soley e leve. They always hang criminals at sunrise. (PC) ♦ Lœ kriminel rantre kote li. Enn ave en polismenn ki te ape espere pou li e li mennen li kote laprizon. The criminal went back home. There was a policeman waiting for him, and he took him to jail. (JR) See examples
• krin BT, CA, ST ( n. )
  1. Horsehair, mane; crin, crinière.
     En chwal li gen en kren. Ahorse has a mane. (CA); Kren chval. Horse mane. (ST) See examples
  2. Pig’s hair; crin, poil de cochon.
     Mo gen pou chode li pou grate kren apre kochon-la. I have to scald it to scrape the hair off the pig. (CA) •kren-d-kochon n.phr. (BT). Pig’s hair; crin, poil de cochon, krep n. Comb, crest (of a chicken); crête. ♦ Koup en bout apre lakrep den poul nwar. Cut a piece off of the comb of a black hen. (BI) krèp n. (CA); krep (PC); lakrèp (CA). Crêpe, thin pancake; crêpe. To fe en lapat klèr e to me sa dan en lapwal e li kwi. Safe en krèp pou Mèrkredi de Sann. You make a batter and you put it in the frying pan and it cooks. That’s a pancake for Ash Wednesday. (CA) See examples
• krioté No sources ( n. )
  1. Cruelty; cruauté.
     ♦ Li voyé ein gran la sécheresse pou pini yé dé yé criauté. He sent a great drought to punish their cruelty. (FO 1887) See examples
• krismis NE, PC, ST ( n. ) krismous PC
  1. Christmas; Noël.
     Pou Krismis HARVEY te gen so prop fizi. For Christmas Harvey got his own rifle. (NE); 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) See examples
• kristèr CA ( n. ) kristè BT
  1. Enema; clystère, lavement.
     Mo bezenn pronn en kristè pou seye pirje mon. I need to take an enema to purge myself. (BT); Mo gen lakonstipasyon tou-l-tan. Mo gen pou pran en kristèr pou soulaje man. I’ve got constipation all the time. I have to take an enema to relieve myself. (CA) See examples
• kriyé CA, NE, PC, ST ( v.intr. ) krié CA
  1. To cry; pleurer.
     Li se p ole to se kriye. She wouldn’t have wanted you to cry. (NE); Li te gen en louten. Sa fe bebe kriye. Se en movè rèv. He had a nightmare. That made the baby cry. That’s a bad dream. (CA); Li kriye konm en bebe. She cries like a baby. (ST) ♦ Li de pli jenn konmanse kriye, e sa trouble Katafo plis. The two youngest ones began to cry, and that troubled Catafo even more. (JR) See examples
  2. To yell, shout, cry out; crier, s’écrier, pousser un cri, hurler.
     ♦ Tou moune crié: " Hourra!» Everyone shouted, «Hurrah!» (T13) See examples
  3. To cry, complain; se plaindre.
     Zafè te mal dan tan-sa-la. Moun e kriye astè-1! Things were bad in those days. And people complain today ! (PC) See examples
• kriz No sources ( n. ) lé kriz BT dékriz MO 60
  1. Fit, attack, convulsion; crise, convulsion.
     L ape gen le kriz . She’s having convulsions. (PC); L ap hele. Li gen en kriz . She’s screaming. She’s having convulsions. (CA) ♦ ’des crises [de kriz]' (BI); Li vini si pè le kriz prann li e li toufe. He was so scared that he had a seizure and suffocated. (JR) •kriz de nèrf n.phr. (ST). Nervous breakdown; crise de nerfs. Mo tant te gen en kriz de nèrf. My aunt had a nervous breakdown. (ST) See examples
  2. Rabies; rage.
     En chyen gen le kriz . Di kan en chyen ki gen le kriz mòrt en moun , s moun ye le kriz osi , enn fyœv. A dog has rabies. When a dog who has rabies bites a person, that person gets rabies too, like a fever. (BT) ♦ Pou de kriz , to pe pronn dolo sinativ, to me li don lwil doliv e to pase sa byen onsonm si so lafigir e so latet. When a person has rabies, you can take some sedative water, mix it with olive oil and put the two together on his face and head. [ ‘des crises' ] (BI) See examples
• krizantinm PC ( n. ) krizantènn PC krézantènn CA
  1. Chrysanthemum; chrysanthème.
• kriñin PC ( n. ) kriyèr PC
  1. Mane; crinière.
     So krignen-yen. To koup pa sa on en chval mè to koup krignen mile. His mane, you don’t cut the mane on a horse but you do cut a mule’s mane. (PC) krik-krak onom. Creak! Cric-crac! ♦ Compair Bouki..ouvri laporte cric crac, trapé ein mouton, mété li dan so sac et maré li ben. Brer Bouki...opened the door, creak! and caught a sheep and put it in his sack and tied it up. (T6) See examples
• kro CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Fang; croc.
     Enan de vye nonm ki te sanm ye te gen kro kon ye te gen jis de dan. There are some old men who look like they have fangs when they just have teeth. (PC); Gro kochon-la gen de gro kro k ap sòrti dan so ladjèl. The fat pig has large fangs sticking out of its mouth. (CA) ♦ Compair Tigue, ki té apé guêté, ouâ so ti dan , et sotté on li drette et percé so cou avé so kro. Brer Tiger, who was watching, saw his little teeth, and jumped right on him and pierced his neck with his fangs. (T8) See examples
• kroba PC ( n. )
  1. Crowbar; pince à levier.
• krok No sources ( onom. )
  1. Croak, ribbet! Croa!
     ♦ Compair Torti réponne: croak! Brer Tortoise replied, Croak! (T5) See examples
• krokjirak No sources ( n. ) krodiròf CA kouduròf CA
  1. Clove; clou de girofle.
     M ap bouyi en janbon. Mo mèt krodiròf andan li. I’m boiling a ham. I put cloves in it. (CA) ♦ Vou met senk grenn de krokjirak. You put in five clove seeds. (BI) See examples
• kroké CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To bite into, munch on; croquer (dans).
     A fòrs ap kroke doudous, li kase so dan-ye. He bit into that candy so hard it broke his teeth. (CA) ♦Pa Batice a done vou ein bari mahi, si komeye pa croké li. Pa Batice will give you a barrel of com, if the crows haven’t already eaten it. (T17) See examples
• krosh CA, NE, PC ( adj. ) kròs PC krosh CA
  1. Hooked, with a curved tip; crochu, recourbé.
     Lantan te gen en kouto diri k te kroch. Long ago we had a hooked knife for cutting cane. (PC) ♦ So costume té semblé ein la main énorme avec des doigts crochus. His costume looked like an enormous hand with hooked fingers. (T40) See examples
  2. Twisted, bent, crooked; crochu, voilé.
     Li te kròch, e li mèt li drwat. [The pole] was bent, and he straightened it. (PC); 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) ♦ So né li tou jist assé croche pou croché tou lé tcheurs. His nose is just bent enough to catch all of their hearts. (T11) See examples
  3. Winding, crooked; sinueux, tortueux.
     To wa, Vye Djab gen chemen kroch, Bondyeu gen chemen drwat. You see, the Devil’s roads are crooked and God’s are straight. (NE) See examples
  4. Gnarled, twisted; noueux.
     Branch-sa-la kroch. That branch is gnarled. (CA) See examples
  5. Off-center; décentré.
     La v wa dolo, v wa lamak-la, mè li gen rèste annt dè lamak-ye. Si li mwayen kros an lamak, li swa bèzon kou konm sa o konm sa. There you see the water [bubble], you see the marks, but it has to remain between the two marks. If it’s somewhat off-center it has to go either this way or that way. (PC); Li dòrmi tou en kote. Li te tou kroch kan li reveye. He slept all on one side. He was all crooked when he woke up. (CA) See examples
  6. Dishonest, crooked; malhonnête.
     Si to kroch t a kou pèntanyè. If you’re dishonest you’ll go to jail. (PC) See examples
  7. Cross-eyed; louche.
     So zyè kròch. He’s cross-eyed. (CA); Li gen en zyè kroch, o li gen dè zyè kroch, èn e garde lòt. He has a lazy eye, or he’s cross-eyed, one of them looks at the other one. (PC) See examples
• krosh CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Curve in a road; tournant.
     To va toumen dan kròch-la pou vini kote man. You’ll turn at the curve to get to my house. (CA) See examples
  2. Hook; crochet.
     A kote ena en ti kroch e la to kapab rache en deklou avèk sa. On the side there’s a little hook you can pull nails out with. (CA) See examples