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

• kroshé BT, CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Hook; crochet.
     Apre to òt to kroche, to anvlòp labouch avèk leu fil. I peu pa ouvèr sa bouch. After you remove the hook, you wrap [the alligator’s] mouth with wire. He can’t open his mouth. (BT); Mo ote TELEPHONE-la OFF kroche-la. I took the phone off the hook. (PC); No t abitid gen boutònyen. To te gen pou gen en kroche pou fèrmen souye. We used to have buttonholes. You had to have a hook to close shoes. (CA) ♦ Ki sa kape ponn tou lajoune e le swa li don so trou? What is it that hangs all day but at night is in its hole? (DU) See examples
  2. Hook used for harvesting rice; crochet qui sert dans la récolte du riz. (PC)
  3. Hitch (e.g. for horses on a buggy); crochet à atteler.
     ♦ Mo capab racomodé ain lessieu é tou ça qui cacé dan ain voiture: croché, vérou, charnière, gon, piton. I can repair an axle and everything that is broken on a buggy; hitches, screws, hinges, joints, eye-bolts. (ME) See examples
• kroshé CA, PC ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) krosh PC
  1. To lock; verrouiller, fermer à clé.
     ‘Nou pa ka ouvè lapòt-la, ye gen sa kroche. ‘ ‘We can’t open the door, it’s locked.’ (PC); Mo kroche mo lapòrt leswa pou pèche moun rantre. I lock my door at night to keep people from coming in. (CA) ♦ Kapitenn-la mennen ye kote ye chanm e li kroche lapòt apre ke rantre. The captain led them back to their rooms and he locked the door behind them. (JR) 2. To grab, seize, catch; saisir, attraper, accrocher. La ka pwason a file li vyen li mòd anho la li rès kroche. Then when the fish is going by he comes and bites on it (the hook) and he remains caught. (PC) ♦ Li rete kache de jou. La fen kroche li e li te blije sorti. He remained hidden for two days. Hunger gripped him and he was forced to come out. (JR) 3. To hook up, hitch; accrocher. Kan no te raboure, i rèste de mot, sa fe, nou te kroche de mile, te pase lahèrs disu, sa vini plonnj. When we plowed, clumps of dirt would remain, so we hitched up the mules and went over it with the harrow, and it became even. (BT); Kroche apre so chari. Hitched to his plow. (PC)1. To hang, be attached to; s’accrocher à, être accroché à. To wa le hayon kroche? You see the clothes hanging up? (BT) ♦ Avan Compair Dahomey té gagné tem trapé eine, tou Boukis yé té croché en lair apé solivo. Before Brer Dahomey had had time to catch one of them, all of the Boukis were up in the air hanging from the rafters. (T6) 2. To get caught, stuck; s’accrocher, se prendre. Ma chmij kroche an WIRE ' fil a kroche. My shirt got caught on the barbed wire. (PC) ♦ Ain jour ain gros dézo croché dans so gavion. One day a big bone got caught in his throat. (T18) 3. To crochet; broder au crochet. Ye mantre mo komon pou kroche. They showed me how to do crochet. (PC) 4. To fight; lutter, se battre. Sa fe se la NORTH e SOUTH kroche, se la ye komonse bat. That’s when the North and South began to fight. (PC) See examples
• kroté BT, CA, PC ( adj. )
  1. Kinky, nappy; crépu.
     Krote, vou peu pa pase en pègn anddan le. Nappy hair, you can’t pass a comb through it. (BT); Li gen pou koupe so chve-ye prop afors se krote. He’s got to shave his hair off because it’s kinky. (CA) ♦ Pou trete en blon avek mal orey, to pronn de cheve den neg ki gen de cheve krete e to met ye don zorey ti bebe blon-la. To treat a white person with an earache, you take some hair from a black person with nappy hair and you put it in the ear of the white child. (BI) See examples
  2. Rough, knotted; noueux, rugueux.
     En wawron gen SMOOTH SKIN. Krapo-la krote. A frog has smooth skin. A toad is rough. (PC) See examples
• kroup PC, CA ( n. ) lakroup CA
  1. Croup; croupe.
     To trape lakroup. To tous fòr e to pa konen parle byen. To lavwa rok. You’ve caught the croup. You’re coughing loud and you can’t speak well. Your voice is hoarse. (CA) ♦ Pou kroup, si li jame wa so papa, li jist gen pou soufle don labouch si la ki gen kroup-la. Me li gen pou et a jen. Kroup-la va sòrti ondeyòr to ke rontre ondon. For croup, if [the child] has never seen his father, the latter only has to breathe into the mouth of the one who has the croup. But he has to be fasting. The croup will go out of the one that it was in. (BI) See examples
• krouston CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Cmst, heel (of bread); croûton.
     Ka ye fè en dipen , li ron ron. La, ka to pròch fini monje li, se en krouston. When they make a loaf of bread, it’s very round. When you’ve just about finished eating it, it’s a heel. (PC) See examples
• krout No sources ( n. ) lakrout CA, PC
  1. Crust (of soil); croûte (du soi).
     Vou ka pase sa kote-la, sa a kase lakrout, tou sa fe en bon djob chak kote . You can pass (the harrow) on both sides, that will break up the crust (on the ground), it will do a good job on both sides. (PC) See examples
  2. Scab; croûte.
     Lapikòt sa fe kòm en demanjezon e andan to gen lapostim e kan sa chès safe en krout. Chicken pox makes a rash and inside there’s pus and when that dries, it makes a scab. (CA) See examples
• krozòf CA ( n. )
  1. Cresol; crésol.
     Ton d vach. Se en gro tan me sa pik pa. Sa sis disan apre lavach-ye. Ye te trape maladi chèrbon, maladi tan dòn ye. To gen pou kale li dan dolo krozòf. It’s a big horsefly that doesn’t bite. It sucks blood from cows and they get anthrax, a sickness horseflies give them. You have to dip it in cresol water. (CA) See examples
• kru CA ( adj. ) kri PC
  1. Raw; cru.
     Mo lenm defig, mo lenm ye kri e mo lenm ye kwi. I like figs, I like them raw and I like them cooked. (PC) ♦ Compair Bouki pa lémé dézef cri. Brer Bouki does not like raw eggs. (T4) See examples
• krush PC ( n. ) krish CA, PC lakrush PC
  1. Jug; cmche.
     Ye te fe labyèr danz en gran krich. They made beer in a big jug. (CA) See examples
• krwa CA, NE, PC ( n. ) lakrwa CA, PC
  1. Cross; croix.
     Na zon dimoun ki va kouche avèk èn krwa avèk Bondjeu onho pou peche Kòchmar vini pou trape ye. There are some people who will go to bed with a cross to keep Nightmare from coming to get them. (NE); Ena en gro lakrwa dan simityèr-la. There’s a big cross in the cemetery. (CA) •fe sin lakrwa v.phr. To make the sign of the Cross; faire le signe de la croix, cf. sign See examples
• krwa BT, CA, NE ( v., v.refl. ) kwa CA, PC krwa NE
  1. To believe; croire.
     Mon pa kwa ye gen fifole. I don’t believe there are will-o’-the-wisps. (PC); Mo te peu pa wa ki sete. Mo te krwa sete en ti zanfan. I couldn’t see who it was, I thought it was a little child. (CA) ♦ Faut to bien bête pour croi ça! You have to be really dumb to believe that! (T35) Conjug: a) krwaye v.imperf. (CA; PC). Believed; croyais, -ait, etc. Dan lanwit dan mo lit, mo krwaye sete de moustik ke t ape mòrd man me sete de punèz . During the night in my bed, I thought it was mosquitoes biting me but it was bedbugs. (CA) b) kwayan pres.part. Believing, thinking; croyant. ♦ Ye alonje ye-menm partèr-la, kwayan konmanse dromi ben vit pas ke ye te si las. They stretched out on the ground, thinking they would go to sleep right away because they were so tired. (JR) See examples
  2. To think; penser, croire.
     Mo byen krwa ina pa. I really think there aren’t any. (PC) ♦ Mo croi ben li té oulé fout nous zotes. «I think he intended to make fun of us.» (FO T1)To think highly of oneself; se croire. Li kwa li , wè! Oh, he thinks he’s better than anyone else! (PC); Wi, èl kwa èl-mèm. She really thinks highly of herself. (BT) See examples
• krwazé CA, PC ( v.tr. ) kwazé PC krwaz CA
  1. To cross, get mixed up with; croiser, se mêler à.
     Labsan vou gen , ena dèz òt langaj ki krwaze, se pou sa vou lalanng krwaze konm sa. Vou pa ka PRONOUNCE byen. An accent means there are other languages getting mixed up with yours, that’s why your tongue is twisted and you can’t pronounce well. (PC) •krwaze (so) lajanm v.phr. (CA). To cross one’s legs; croiser les jambes. To asit e to krwaz to lajanm tou-l-tan. You’re seated and you cross your legs all the time. (CA) See examples
  2. To crossbreed; croiser.
     Lantan pase to konnen, leu vyeu monn, dan l nòr e dan l sud, ye te konnen krwaze ye. A long time ago, you know, old timers, in the North and in the South used to crossbreed blacks. (PC) See examples
• krèm No sources ( n. ) lakrèm CA, NE, PC krinm BT
  1. Cream; crème.
     Nou te kònè fe dibèr mo dile. To ramase tou lakrèm dile-la. E la to bat li. We used to make butter with my milk. You collect all of the milk’s cream and you whip it. (PC); Mo deleye lakrèm-la parskè li te tro epè. I thinned the cream because it was too thick. (CA) ♦ Mo mait li bon, li va donne toi la crême, pâtés pigeons, saucisses Jérisalem. My master is good, he will give you cream, pigeon paté and Jerusalem sausage. (T22) See examples
  2. Shaving cream; crème à raser. (PC)
  3. Ice cream; glace.
     Enn sabotyèr, ti tourn a lamen pou fe lakrèm. An ice cream maker, you crank it by hand to make ice cream. (BT); Lakrèm laglas. Ice cream. (PC); Mo te pa gen ase lamonen pou peye mo lakrèm. I didn’t have enough change to pay for the ice cream. (CA) •lakrenm tart n.phr. Cream of tartar; crème de tartre, cf. tart See examples
• krèsh CA ( n. )
  1. Crib, cradle; crèche.
     Andan krèch-ye, ye gen chamo e bourik alantour bebe Jezi . Inside the crèche scenes, there are camels and donkeys around the baby Jesus. (CA) See examples
• kré No sources ( adj. )
  1. Holy, damned; Sacré, maudit.
     ♦ Kre sakre tonnè! li reponn. Mo bliye mande vye nonm-la pou montre mwen so langajœ. ‘Holy thunder!’ he answered. T forgot to ask the old man to teach me his language.’ (JR); Kre tonè! li di tou sirprann. ‘Holy thunder!’ he said all surprised. (JR); ‘ cré zombi guinain’ (T2); ‘cré mille tonnerre’ (FO TI); ‘Cré matin!’ (FO T3); ‘Cré coton!’ (FO T15) See examples
• krédi CA, PC ( n. ) krédi PC
  1. Credit; crédit.
     Si to gen en kredi o magazen, to vyen regle to kont. If you have credit at the store, you come to settle your account. (CA) ♦ Mo payé vous, oui! mais pas tout de suite, mo bésoin dé trois mois crédit. I’ll pay you, but not right away, I need two or three months’ credit. (T1) •achte an krèdi v.phr. (CA; PC). To buy on credit; acheter à crédit. Se boug-la ki vini, pou achte medikamon an krèdi. That’s the guy who came to buy medicine on credit. (PC) •avonse kredi v.phr. (CA); avons kredi (PC). To give credit; accorder du crédit. Li te gen en gro magazen, li te avons plen moun dòn kredi. He ran a big store, and he advanced credit to a lot of people. (PC) •fe kredi v.phr. (PC) ; dòn kredi (CA). To give credit; accorder du crédit. Ina moun ye fe kredi an ye rekòt. Mo fe gro kat senk bal koton, mon pa fe krèdi. There are some people who get credit on their harvest. I made four or five bales of cotton, I didn’t get credit on my harvest. (PC) •pran kredi v.phr. (CA; PC). To buy on credit; acheter à crédit. Se la mo popa ye te pran kredi. That’s where my father bought on credit. (PC) See examples
• kréditè No sources ( n. )
  1. Debtor; débiteur.
     ♦ Kreditè-la va peye mannejè lotel-la di sou pou dejennen-la. ‘The debtor will pay the manager of the hotel ten cents for the breakfast.' (JR) See examples
• krépi PC ( adj. )
  1. Kinky, nappy; crépu.
     Cheve krepi. Kinky hair. (PC) See examples
• krét-dé-kòk PC ( n. ) krèt-kòk CA
  1. Rooster corn flower, cockscomb; célosie à crête, amarante des jardiniers.
     (Celosia argentea cristata ). See examples
• krétyin CA ( n. ) kréchyin PC
  1. Christian; chrétien.
     Li se en bon kretchyen. He is a good Christian. (PC); En sòrsye fe lougarou tou lanwit e kan soley sòr li ot so lapo e li vini kretyen. A witch wanders around all night and when the sun comes out, she takes off her skin and becomes a Christian. (CA) See examples
• krévas CA ( n. )
  1. Crevasse; brisure, fêlure dans une levée.
     Ye ouv Bone Kare-la pou dolo flèv pase kan flèv ho, pa pou gen la krevas. They open the Bonnet Carré spillway to let river water in when the river is high, so the levee won’t break. (CA) REM: People in CA use the word ‘crevasse’ in English to refer to the great flood of 1927 which began with a huge crack in the levee. See examples
• krévis NE ( n. ) krébis CA kribis PC zékribis PC kribis PC lékrévis NE krebish ST
  1. Crawfish; écrevisse.
     To plich chevret-ye pou ote le SHELL-ye on ye. To pluch kribis, to fe mèm zafè ave kribis. You peel shrimp to remove the shell. You do the same thing with a crawfish. (PC); No te fe debisk krebis jodi pou dmen. We made crawfish bisque today for lunch. (CA) ♦ -Et pis, bam-by, li temps négrillons cou péché: Yé cou trapé cribisse, barbi et patassa. And then, by and by, it is time for the little black boys to go fishing: They go and catch crawfish, catfish and perch. (T27) See examples
• krévé CA ( v.intr., v.tr. ) krèv CA klèvé PC krèvé PC krév PC
  1. To die; mourir, crever.
     Mon m p ole ye fe laket an mon ka m a krève. I don’t want them to take up a collection for me when I die. (PC); Ye te gen karot, nave, ye te gen pou raboute ye. Otreman ye se kreve. They had carrots and turnips. They had to bank them up. Otherwise they would die. (CA) ♦ [Pou] panari, vlope to dwa avek en lech tou le jou, e lese ye kreve desi-la. For whitlow, wrap your finger with an earth-worm everyday, and let it die there. (BI) •krev de fen v.phr. (PC); kreve fen (CA). To die of hunger; mourir, crever de faim. Li pèr pwa. L ap kreve fen. He’s losing weight. He’s dying of hunger. (CA) ♦ Mo pe pa trouve aryen pou manje e m ape krèv et fen. I can’t find anything to eat and I’m dying of hunger. (JR)To puncture; crever. ♦ Non! non! Compair Bouki, pa jité mouen dan zéronce; pikan la yé a déchiré mo lapo et crévé mo jié. No, no, Brer Bouki, don’t throw me into the briar patch; the thorns will prick my skin and poke out my eyes. (T2) See examples
• kréyon CA, NE, PC, ST ( n. )
  1. Pencil; crayon.
     Le choz te bomache, mo achte de kaye, de kreyon, de kreyon a lank , de papye e de sizo. Things were cheap. I bought some notebooks, some pencils, some inkpens, some paper and some scissors. (HW) •kreyon on nonk n.phr. (PC); kreyon an onk, kreyon de lank, kreyon lank (PC). Pen; stylo, •kreyon a plim n.phr. (CA). Feather pen; plume. To gen en kreyon a plim e me li dan lank pou ekri. You have a feather pen and you put it in ink to write. (CA) See examples
• kréyòl PC ( n., adj. ) kriyòl CA, PC kréyol CA kréol CA, NE
  1. Creole (language); le créole.
     Mo vye padna ka parle kek mo an kreyòl . My old friend can speak a few words of Creole. (PC); Nou te tro bize ave vye kreyòl. We were too busy talking the old Creole language. (PC) ♦ To blié parlé créol; mo oua ça; tapé parlé gran bo langage de France... You have forgotten how to speak Creole, I can see that; you’re speaking the great beautiful language of France. (ME) •gro kreol n.phr. (DT). Broad Creole (basilectal variety of Creole); gros créole (variété basilectale du créole). See examples
  2. Creole; Créole.
     Mo di, ONCE to en kreyòl , to tojou en kreyòl. I say, once a Creole, always a Creole.Creole; créole. Mo pa gen mayèr kreol pou di sa. I haven’t got a Creole way to say that. (CA) ♦ Li té même oulé zépouser eine femme blanche et créole. He even wanted to marry a white Creole girl. (T37) See examples
• krézé No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To dig; creuser, fouiller.
     ♦ Va connin ké lapin connin fouillé é crézé la terre, cé en ba la yé pran yé dolo dan racine. You know that rabbits know how to dig up the earth and find water below, in the roots. (FO 1887) See examples
• kròk CA ( n. )
  1. Hook; croc, crochet.
     No te gen en kròk pou trape tòrti e en kròk pou tchwe li. We had a hook for catching turtles and a hook to kill it. (CA) See examples
• kròk-mòr CA ( n. )
  1. Undertaker; fossoyeur, ‘croque-mort’ .
     ♦ Cila qui coché pou misché Bonnot, croque mort là? The one who is a coachman for Mr. Bonnot, the undertaker? (WO) See examples
• kròt CA ( n. )
  1. Dung, shit, feces; crotte, merde, caca.
     Fe tansyon to va pa marche dan gro kròt chyen-ye. Be careful you don’t step in the big pile of dog shit. (CA) ♦ [Pou] laroujòl, fe en di te avek dekrot de mouton. For measles, make tea with sheep dung. [ ‘des crottes ‘ ] (BI) See examples
• kultivatè PC ( n. ) kultuvatè PC
  1. Cultivator; cultivateur.
     To ouvè en senyon-la, en ti re. To ouvè la avek en ti swip, kultuvatè ou en chari, nenpòt ki manyè. You open a furrow, a little row, you open it with a plow or a harrow, it doesn’t matter how. (PC) See examples
• kultivè PC ( v.tr. ) kiltivé PC
  1. To cultivate; cultiver.
     Mè diplon sa min, li pòkò tournen en chiko, se prèmyè lonnen l e kultivè. But [diplon] means it hasn’t turned to stubble yet, that’s the first year it’s been cultivated. (PC) See examples
• kulé No sources ( v., v.intr. ) choulo PC
  1. To back up; reculer, faire marche arrière.
     ♦ Amisire yé vancé', zéronce té apé tchoulé devant yé et fermin apé derrière yé dos. As they advanced, the bramble recoiled before them and closed again behind their backs. (T30) See examples
• kurèy PC ( n. ) kirœy BT kiréy CA, PC
  1. Squirrel; écureuil.
     To te fe enn tit kaj apre en kirœy. You would make a little cage for a squirrel. (BT) ♦ Leste comme ein cureuil dans ein ti moment li té dans la tété nabe la. As agile as a squirrel, in a moment he was at the top of the tree. (FO T2) kwa pron. •’des quoi' exp. Thing, something; chose, quelque chose. Il t'apé ramasser des quoi et pi il emplit une maison. He started collecting things and he filled a house. (AN T15) kwafe v.tr. (CA). 1. To do (s.o.’s) hair; coiffer. Li te pou kwafe e boukle se chve. She went to get her hair done and curled. (CA) 2. To peel; éplucher, peler. ♦ Ye pronn en raket e bouyi li, e apre sa kwafe (pliche) li. They took some prickly pear and boiled it and put that on it, and then peeled it. (BI) kwafeuz n. Hairdresser (female); coiffeuse. ♦ Epi si vu té connin comme mo bonne coiffeuse é bonne couturière! ma rangé si bien cheveu doré laïé! And if you only knew what a good hairdresser and seamstress I am! I will fix up that golden hair for you! (ME) See examples
• kwak No sources ( onom. )
  1. Honk! Coin-coin!
     ♦ Quack! quack! cé ça mo lémé! Quack quack! That’s what I like! (T3) See examples
  2. Ribbet! Couac!
     ♦ Kon l a f e kwak to sa geri. When it croaks you will be healed. [ fé qoique ‘] (sic) (LA) See examples
• kwakœ No sources ( conj. )
  1. Although; quoique, bien que.
     ♦ Blancs poignin li, et pou caution yé fou li pli dé cent coups de fouette, quoique li té ein sénateur et Général dans laMilice. The whites seized him, and as a caution they dealt him more than two hundred lashes with the whip, even though he was a senator and a general in the militia. (T38) See examples
• kwart No sources ( n. )
  1. Whip; fouet.
     ♦ Li descende en bas avec ein gro couarte l'habitation, et donné li ein fouet qui té gagnin piment, di poivre et di sel, aforce ça té broulé. He came down with a big plantation whip, and gave him a whipping which had red pepper, black pepper and salt, it burned so much. (FO 1887) See examples
• kwat PC ( n. )
  1. Quart; quart.
     Kwat wiski. A quart of whiskey. (PC) ♦ Vou pronn de mòv e vou bouyi li don en kwòrt dolo. You take some mallow and you boil it in a quart of water. [ 'quart’ ] (BI) See examples
• kwi CA, NE, PC ( v., v.intr., v.tr. )
  1. To cook; faire la cuisine.
     Enan plas aou ye kwi. There are other places where people cook. (PC) See examples
  2. To cook; cuire.
     Mo pran mo dechou. Mo me li andan mo chodyèr avèk dolo e mo lès li kwi. I take my cabbage. I put it in a pot with water and let it cook. (CA) ♦ Pondon so soupe tape tchwi on dife, li asit on en bon . While his supper was cooking over the fire, he sat down on a bench. (DU)To cook; faire cuire. MOM e kwi soupe dan lakizin. Mom is cooking supper in the kitchen. (PC); Mo koup mo lavyann fen pou kwi li. I cut my meat thin to cook it. (CA) ♦ Fe di fé’, mo piti, pou tchoui soupé. Make a rire, my child, for cooking dinner. (T30) •fe kwi v.phr. (PC). To cook; faire cuire. Mo se vini apeupre dan lœ diz èr, vini fe kwi monje pou dmen. I came around ten o’clock to cook food for dinner. (PC) ♦ Nohié met neg là ... avé so fam dan chalan pou fé cui manzé pou li... Noah put that black guy and his wife in a rowboat to make them dinner... (T13) See examples
• kwilt PC ( n. ) kwiyl PC kwil PC
  1. Quilt; couverture piquée, courtepointe.
     Nou te fe de kwiyl pou krouvi dan livèr. We made quilts to cover up with in winter. (PC) See examples
• kwin CA, PC ( n. ) kwon CA, PC kon PC
  1. Corner (of room, object, street); coin (d’une pièce, d’un objet, d’une me).
     En kwon d kas-tet. A corner of the head of a hammer. (PC); Li ale anlè en pròmnad. Li ale marche juska o magazen o kwen. He went for a walk. He went walking up to the corner store. (CA); Nou fèrme li dan en kwen. We closed him in a corner. (ST) ♦ Dans ein coin li té rangin ein place pou boire. In a corner he set up a place for drinking. (T40) See examples
  2. Wedge; coin (outil). (PC)
     ♦ Li prann en kwan e li fann enn grann krak tou lalongè di bwa-la. He took a wedge and he split a big crack the whole length of the log. (JR) See examples
  3. Square; carré.
     No te gen en lardwaz a lekol. Ye te gen sis ou douz kwon. We had a slate at school. They had six or twelve squares. (CA) See examples
• kwinsé No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To catch (s.o. doing sth.); surprendre (qn à faire qch.).
     ♦ Li seyé fou moin ndons, mé moin coincé li. He tried to get the best of me, but I caught him. (PE) See examples
  2. To squeeze, jam; coincer, presser.
     Ye kwense man dèryèr lapòrt pou pa ye wa man. They squeezed me behind the door so they wouldn’t see me. (CA) See examples
• kwis CA, PC ( n. ) lékwis CA lakis MO 60, PC kuis PC lakwis PC
  1. Thigh; cuisse.
     Li tè gen lakòrd e vach-la tè mare apre so jòm apre so lakis. He got the string and the cow was tied by his leg, by his thigh. (PC); Deba mont pli ho ke sosèt-ye anlèr to jnou juska kot lekwis. Stockings go up higher than socks above your knee up to your thighs. (CA) See examples
• kwit PC ( n. ) lakwit PC lékwit PC
  1. Thick molasses, sugar cane syrup cooked almost to the point of crystallization; massecuite, mélasse épaisse, sirop de canne à sucre bouilli presqu’au point de la cristallisation.
     Apre ye moule dekann-ye, sa sòr duju-la, la duju va den en lòt plas pou fe siro-la. Apre siro-la, ye gen en kichò ye pèl lakwit . Lakwit epe epe. After they grind the cane, the juice comes out. Then the juice goes somewhere else to make syrup. Then after the syrup, they have something they call [lakwit] which is really thick. (PC) ♦ Si kolome là frémé so jiés tan zan tan dan roulézon Pa Djone a gaigné la chanche done vou ein fairblan la kouite. If the superintendant shuts his eyes from time to time during the cane harvest Pa John will get the chance to give you a bucket of syrup. (T17) See examples
• kwiv CA ( n. ) lékwiv PC dikwiv PC
  1. Copper; cuivre.
     Kan mo pòrt brasle an kwiv, sa èd en pe avèk maladi ARTHRITIS . When I wear a copper bracelet it helps a little with arthritis. (CA) ♦ [Pou] kronp don to jonm ou don to lamen, met de lano on kwiv don to dwa-ye ou otour to jonm-ye avek de fisel. For cramps in your leg or your hand, put copper rings on your fingers or around your legs with some string. (BI) See examples
  2. Brass; cuivre jaune, laiton.
     Mo gen en lapòt an dikwiv. I have a brass doorknob. (PC) See examples
• kwizinn NE ( n. ) kizinn NE, PC lakizinn CA, NE, PC lakwizinn NE
  1. Kitchen; cuisine.
     MOM e kwi soupe dan lakizin. Mom is cooking supper in the kitchen. (PC) ♦ Li couri dans la quisine. He went into the kitchen. (FO T6) See examples
  2. Cuisine, cooking; cuisine.
     ♦ Mo cher cousine, mo laimé lacuisine. My dear cousin, I like cooking. (T11) See examples
• kwàn No sources ( n. ) lakwàn CA lakwon CA lakwènn CA, PC lakwonn PC lakwann PC lakwèn PC
  1. Animal skin, hide; couenne, peau d’animal.
     To pran lakwàn-la. To me sa dan lajle. You take the hide and put it in jelly. (CA); Lakwenn bef. Cowhide. (PC); Kan to tchi kochon-la, to kòrch li pou ote lakwon-la. When you kill a pig, you scrape it to remove the skin. (CA) See examples
• kwèt CA ( n. )
  1. Pigtail; couette, natte.
• kèk CA, NE, ST ( adj. ) kék PC
  1. Some; quelques.
     Mo toujour me kèk chevrèt ondon mo gonbo. I always put a few shrimp in my gumbo. (NE) ♦ Mais dans quéque jou, yé te pi gain l'argent. But in a few days they had no money. (BD) •kek mwòyen adv.phr. Somehow; par un moyen ou un autre, de quelque manière, cf. mwayen See examples
• kèk CA ( n. ) kék CA
  1. Deep-fried bread dough (for making beignets); pâte frite (pour faire des beignets).
     M ap fe en kek dou. I’m making a sweet cake. (CA) •kèk a lagrès n.phr. (CA). Donut-type pastry; espèce de pâtisserie. See examples
• kèk-fwa CA, PC, ST ( adv. ) kék-fwa PC kèt-fwa NE
  1. Sometimes; quelquefois.
     Ka moun e parle franse, se de tan mo konnen sa ye e di kèk-fwa ben pa tro, pa tro. When people are speaking French, I understand what they are saying sometimes, but not often. (PC); Kèkfwa a onz-èr mokèr-ye ap imité tou lez-ot zozo. Sometimes at 11:00, the mockingbirds are imitating all the other birds. (CA) ♦ Mais panga yé la djole; ya mordé toi, quéquefois. But beware of their mouths, sometimes they will bite you. (T25) See examples