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
Information on contents and orthography:
(see more)
- 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
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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
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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
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kòrn
No sources
(
n.
)
konn
CA
lakonn
PC
-
Horn; come.
En flou. L te kònè pran lakonn en lavach ye te soufle sa konm en gita . A flute. They would take a cow hom and blow in it, like they play a guitar. (PC); En gro lavach ki gen de lon konn, se en betay andan klo-la. A big cow with long homs is an animal in the field. (CA) ♦ Mé corne là yé cé pa batême catin; si mo také ti, sire la vantré mouen! But those homs [a bull] are no tea party; if I attack him, he will surely gore me! (T8) •Lakòn Chevrey place n. (PC); Lakòrn Chevrey, Lakòrn Cheuvre (PC). (Bayou) Buckhom. Mo sòr laba, Kòm Chevrey. I come from Buckhom Bayou. (PC)
See examples
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kòrna
PC
(
n.
)
-
Jamestown weed, jimson-weed; cornard. (Datura stramonium).
Me en kòrna se en bouke. But a jimson weed is a flower. (PC) ♦ Pou lopresyon fimen korna konm di taba, sa geri opresyon. For asthma, smoke jimson weed like tobacco, that will cure asthma, [ ‘comar’ ] (LA)
See examples
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kòrnin
CA
(
n.
)
-
Angel trumpet; espèce de plante.
(Brugmansia arborea). En kòrnen se an branch e sa fe de gro flèr blanch kòm en kòrnen. An angel trumpet is in branches and it makes big white flowers like a trumpet. (CA)
See examples
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kòrné
PC
(
n.
)
kòrdinét
PC
kornèt
PC, BT
kòrnin
CA
-
Trumpet, cornet; trompette, comet.
Enave en benn lamizik avèk en kòrnen, gita, tanmbou e labas. There was a musical band with a trumpet, guitar, drums and bass. (CA); LOUIS ARMSTRONG te e jouwe KING TRUMPET, te jwe le kòrne. Louis Armstrong played the trumpet. (PC)
See examples
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kòrnéy
CA, PC
(
n.
)
kodnèg
CA
kornéy
CA
-
Crow; corneille, corbeau.
♦ Pa Batice a done vou ain bari mahi, si korney e pa crokè li. Pa Batice will give you a barrel of com, if the crows don’t eat it first. (T17)
See examples
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kòronèl
CA
(
n.
)
-
Colonel; coronel.
Li te en koronèl andan larme. He was a colonel in the army. (CA) ♦ Tou gaçons lézot rois so ouazins, avé zénérals, coronels, caporals, tou té olé marié avé li. All of the other neighbor kings’ sons, along with the generals, colonels and corporals, all wanted to marry her. (T7)
See examples
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kòrsaj
CA
(
n.
)
kòrshaz
CA
kòshaj
BT
kòrshaj
PC
-
Blouse; chemisier.
Kòchaj se en BLOUSE ki to peu mèt avèk en jup. A blouse is a shirt that you can wear with a skirt. (BT); Kan li bav ; li sali tou mo kòrsaj. When he drools, he gets my blouse all dirty. (CA); Si se en kòrchaj, li gen en bouton on-o la. Sa se pito pou le fonm. Nouzòt nou pe e WEAR en kòrchaj n a WEAR en chimij. If it’s a blouse it has a button on it. It’s more for women, we wouldn’t wear a blouse, we’d wear a shirt. (PC) •korchaj-dèsou n.phr. (PC); kòchaj-dedsu (BT); kòrchaz dedsou (CA). 1) Sleeveless undershirt; maillot de corps sans manche. (CA) 2) Bra; soutien-gorge. En kòchaj-dedsu, en brasyèr, se sa to me disu te sen. A bra is what you wear on your breasts. (BT) •kòrchaz dedsi n.phr. (CA). Shirt (for men or women); chemise, chemisier. To kòrchaz li pa gen manch. To me sa desi to lapo. To me to brasyè epi to me to kòrchaz dedsou e apre to me to kòrchaz dedsi. Your undershirt doesn’t have sleeves. You put that on your skin. You put on your bra and then you put on your sleeveless undershirt and after you put on your shirt. (CA)
See examples
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kòrsh
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Notch; coche, entaille.
♦ La to va si en peche e to fe trwa kòrch si en ti bronch. Then you go into a peach tree and you make three notches in a little branch. (BI)
See examples
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kòrshé
BT, CA, PC
(
v.tr.
)
koshé
CA, PC
kòshé
PC
kòrsh
CA
-
To scrape, skin; s’écorcher.
Li kòrche so jœnou. He scraped his knee. (PC); L ap sengnen. Li kòrche li-mèm. He’s bleeding. He scraped himself. (CA)
See examples
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To skin (an animal); écorcher (un animal).
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); En Jwing. Lapo-la vo bon larjan . T a kòrche li ta a gen ABOUT petet venn-senk pyas pou li. A mink. The fur is worth a lot of money. If you skin it you’ll get maybe twenty-five dollars for it. (PC) ♦ Compair Lapin té corché [ti chivreil la] et li metté so la peau en haut so dos. Brer Rabbit skinned [the little deer] and put its hide on his back. (FO T)
See examples
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kòrsé
CA
(
n.
)
korsé
PC
-
Girdle, corset; corset.
Kòrdònyen kòrse. Girdle laces. (CA); Mo me mo kalson e apre mo me mo kòrse pou plati mo vant. I put on my panties and then I put on my girdle to flatten my stomach. (CA) ♦ Antouène, ... don in pé dolo, ...Cassé tous cordons corset là. Antoine, in a little water, break the cords of the corset. (T32)
See examples
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kòrèl
CA
(
n.
)
-
Coral; corail.
Mam mete so nepenglèt kòrèl òranj pou ale legliz . Mom wore her orange coral pin to go to church. (CA)
See examples
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kòshmar
NE
(
n.
)
koushmar
ST
-
Nightmare, bad dream; cauchemar, mauvais rêvé. (ST)
-
proper n. Nightmare (folktale character); Cauchemar (personnage dans les contes).
Mo jame si ♦ èn INCIDENT-sa-la avèk Kòchmar. I’ve never had an incident like that with Cauchemar. (NE)
See examples
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kòstum
No sources
(
n.
)
kòstim
CA
-
Costume; costume.
Piti-la gen vayan kòstim pou PARADE jòdi. The child has a nice costume for the parade today. (CA) ♦ To va prend in costume caouène, moin, mo s’ra zétoile du matin. You will wear a turtle costume, and I will be the morning star. (T33)
See examples
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Suit; costume, tailleur.
Mo zami te byen chanje. Li te gen en vayan kòstim. My friend was well-dressed. She had on a nice suit. (CA)
See examples
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kòstumin
No sources
(
v.intr.
)
-
To wear a costume; porter un costume, se costumer, se déguiser.
♦ William pa olé tandé pou mo costumé. William doesn’t want to hear of me wearing a costume. (WO)
See examples
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kòt
CA, PC, ST
(
n.
)
lékòt
CA, PC
-
Rib; côté.
STEW MEAT, sa se le kòt koupe d en longèr d apeupre en pous en pous e dmi an travèr. Stew meat is ribs cut in a width of about an inch or an inch and a half across. (BT); Kan no f e labouchri no sèr toujour de roti. En roti lalanj, en roti de kòt. When we have a hog butchering, we always use the roasts; a loin roast or a rib roast. (CA) ; Li pike mwen dan le kòt avèk so baton. He stuck me in the ribs with his cane. (ST) ♦ Compair Lapin dardé so rakatchas dan côtes Compair Bouki. Brer Rabbit poked his spurs in Brer Bouki’s ribs. (T3) •kòt a kòt adv.phr. (CA). Side by side; côte a côte. Dan lete Pap te kòrde dibwa-la kòt a kòt. In the summer, Dad would stack the wood side by side. (CA) ♦ Sa fe en joli pèr lœ nonm e lœ lyon marchan kòt a kòt dan lari. They made a pretty pair, the man and the lion walking down the street side by side. (JR)
See examples
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(Pork) chop; côtelette (de porc). (PC)
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kòt
PC
(
n.
)
lakòt
CA, PC
-
River bank; berge.
An ba dè lakòt. Down the bank. (PC); Anho dè lakòt. On the bank. (PC); Chevrèt lavaz ye rès apre lakòt dan labatir. Grass shrimp stay near the shore in the shallow water. (CA)
See examples
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Field; champ.
Se en gro kòt, en pyès dekann. It’s a big field, a patch of sugar cane. (PC)
See examples
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Village, neighborhood; village, voisinage.
♦ Mouan ma done vou ein gro mal dame, si mo famme pa tchoué li kan so fiye ki lavil a vini lakotte. I’ll give you a big male turkey, if my wife doesn’t kill it when her daughter who is in the city comes back to the neighborhood. (T17)
See examples
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kòtònad
CA
(
n.
)
kotonad
CA
-
Cotton fabric; cotonnade.
♦ Li voyé vous ein démi douzaine paire cou pié; en minme tan li donnin vou ein pétarade, ça té pareil comme si yé té déchiré la cotonnade. He kicked half-a-dozen times with both feet, and made a noise which was as if you were tearing up a piece of cotton fabric. (FO 1887)
See examples
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Grass snake; couleuvre.
En ti sèrpan kotonad sa pik pa. Trape li. N a fe en kravat avèk li. A little grass snake doesn’t bite. Catch it. We’ll make a tie with it. (CA)
See examples
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kòñak
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Cognac; cognac.
♦Mo trouvé li, mais vié cognac té trop saisonné so salade. I found him, but the old cognac had seasoned his salad too much. (T37)
See examples
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kòñin
CA
(
v.,
v.tr.,
v.intr.
)
konyin
CA, PC
konñin
CA
kanñin
PC
konyé
NE, BT
-
To hit, strike, bump; cogner, frapper. Mo
se konye li si li se pele mwa en fou. I would have hit him if he had called me crazy. (NE); Kongnen laplòt. To hit the ball. (PC); Mo konyen mo nokòyo e sa fe mal. I bumped my ankle and it hurts. (CA) ♦ Li parti galopé: pracatap! pracatap! pracatap! et li cogné so latête apé ein diboi: bip! He took off running, pracatap! pracatap! pracatap! and he hit his head on a tree, whack! (T8)
See examples
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To reach, arrive at (a place); atteindre, arriver à (un endroit).
Ye konyen chemen-a bourbe. They arrived at a muddy road. (PC)To knock; frapper. Mo te e nètwaye lamezon , kant li konyen an lapòt. I was cleaning the house when she knocked on the door. (PC); Mo ale kote so lamezon e mo konyen konyen. Li repon pa. I went to his house and I knocked and knocked. He didn’t answer. (CA) ♦ Li kouri konyen on lapòrt. He went to knock on the door. (JR)
See examples
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kœr
gen
(
n.
)
kèr
CA, PC
kè
CA, PC
-
Heart; coeur.
Se enn miskal, pou mo kœr. Mo ète opère pou mo kœr. That’s nutmeg, for my heart. I was operated on for my heart. (BT); Trape enn atak deu kœr. To have a heart attack. (NE); So kèr ba tro vit. Li gen batmon-kèr. Li pa regle. Mo-kenn kèr ba dousman. His heart beats too fast. He’s got an irregular heartbeat. It’s not regular. My own heart beats slowly. (CA); Kan to joue kart, ye gen karo, kœr, pik, e mo pa konen. When you play cards, they have diamonds, hearts, spades, and I don’t know. (ST) ♦ Mo flè, to gagné miyor tchor passé tou zeine zan dan péhi cilà. My daughter, you have a better heart than all the young people in this land. (T7) •bon kè n.phr. (CA; PC). Good heart; bon coeur. Si ye te pa gen en bon kè, fifole-ye te konnen MOVE larjan-l, fou li pli fo, kè li te. If they did not have a good heart, the will-o’-the-wisps would move the money, they would bury it deeper than it was before. (PC) ♦ Li pardonnin moin dé bon coeur et commencin parlé spectacle. He for-gave me goodheartedly and began to talk about the show. (T38) •gen (so) kèr an bon kote v.phr. (CA). To have one’s heart in the right place; avoir son coeur bien placé, avoir bon coeur. Li toujou ap ede keken. Li gen so kèr an bon kote. He’s always helping someone. He’s got his heart in the right place. (CA) •kè brile v.phr. (CA); kè brele (PC). (To have) heartburn; (avoir des) brûlures d’estomac. Mo kè brele. I have heartburn. (PC) •kèr-de-bef n.phr. cf. dechou-kèr-de-bèf (at chou) •move kèr n.phr. (CA); move kè (PC). 1) Bad (weak) heart; mauvais coeur. Mo lèm pa tou lagres-sa-la. Gen move kè. I don’t like all that grease. I have a bad heart. (PC) 2) Mean-spiritedness, meanness; méchanceté. Li fe pa aryen pou pèrsòn. Li gen move kèr. He doesn’t do anything for anyone. He’s mean-spirited. (CA) •par kœr adv.phr. (PC). By heart; par coeur. Mo konnen l par kœr. I know that by heart. (PC) •’pancé dan (so) tchair’ v.phr. To think to oneself ; se dire. ♦ Mo pancé dan mo tchair: laice mouan kouri tandé novail. I thought to myself, ‘Why don’t I go hear the news.’ (T17)
See examples
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Core; trognon.
Ye te gen pluche depwar-yè, ye te gen pou koupe lachè-l an depwa-le, kèr-la. They had to peel the pears, they had to cut out the cores of the pears. (PC); To manj pa kèr de ponm. You don’t eat the apple core. (CA)
See examples
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la
CA, MO 60, NE, PC
(
adv.
)
-
There; là, y.
Ka ye tere mo Popa li te la. When they buried my father he was there. (PC) ♦ Kan ye parti Chevrey prann devan e Krapo trape so latche an pasan. Li rete pann la e li prann lafrech tou larout: When they left, Brer Deer took the lead and Toad grabbed his tail in passing. He remained hanging there the entire way, enjoying the breeze. (JR) •drwat la adv.phr. Right there, right then; à cet endroit-là, à ce moment là. cf. drwat
See examples
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Here; ici, là.
Nou te gen plen plezi ka li te la, nou anmize nou-mèm byen ka li te la. We had a lot of fim when she was here, we had a good time when she was here. (PC) ♦ To sa gen manje dmen e soupe ansanm, paske mo sa petet pa la pou donn twa soupe aswa. You will have to eat lunch and dinner together, because I might not be here tonight to give you dinner. (JR) •la-isit adv. (PC); la-isi-la (PC). Here; ici. Mo moman, popa, tou te rete la-isit, se sa ki fe mo isi. My mom my dad, everyone lived here, that’s why I’m here. (PC)
See examples
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Then; puis, ensuite, alors.
Mo ranje latab-la, la nou komanse manje. I set the table, and then we started to eat. (PC)
See examples
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Now; maintenant.
La ye gen li byen avek tou machin ye gen. Now they’ve got it good with all those machines they’ve got. (PC) •la ke conj. (NE). Now that; maintenant que, là que. La ke to fini, to peu gòn. Now that you’re finished you can leave. (NE)
See examples
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In the meantime; entretemps, pendant ce temps-là.
Li kui soupe, e la mo kouri marche. He cooked supper, and in the meantime I went for a walk. (PC)
See examples
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la
gen, MO 60
(
det.
)
-la-la
NE
-lin
PC
-la-yé (pl.)
PC
-a (after vowel)
PC
-nan
PC
-an [after nas. C]
PC
lan [after nas. V]
PC
lon [V harmony w/nearby [on]]
PC
ò [after [o]]
PC
on [after [on]]
PC
-la
MO 60
-
[Postnominal]. The; le, la, les.
Mo mai ape diminwi. Sa k ape monje mai-la? My corn is disappearing. Who is eating the Com? (NE); Li mènen piti-a kòte lekòl-la. She took the child to school. (PC); L a mèt sa dan lavyòn-n. She’ll put that in the meat. (PC) ♦ Leste comme ein cureuil dans ein ti moment li té dans la téte nabe la. As agile as a squirrel, in a moment he was at the top of the tree. (FO T2); Pou sa li fait, gouloupia la té bien content. For what he did, the glutton was very happy. (FO T19)
See examples
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[Prenominal]. The; le, la, les.
La mèm chòj. The same thing. (PC); Fe lalezan. To do the cane harvest. (PC); L jonm. The leg. (PC) ♦ Michié Rénard rivé longtemps avant la nouit. Mr. Fox arrived long before night. (T20)
See examples
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la
No sources
(
pron.
)
-
rel. That; ce que. •tou la pron.rel. All (that); tout ce qui/que. cf. tou la
-
obj. It, that; cela, ça.
Li toumen latè-la an lanvè, li mèt la an trou-a. He turned the earth over and put it back in the hole. (PC); Cha. En RAILROAD. Mo ja RIDE on la. The train, the railroad. I’ve ridden that before. (PC)
See examples
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la-ba
MO 60, PC
(
adv.
)
-
There; là-bas.
Lafayet, se jis sa enan la-ba, le Franse mo kwa. In Lafayette there’s only French speakers, I think. (PC) ♦Am jour ain bande macacs tapé joué en bas nrabe là-bas dans bois, ensembe. One day a band of monkeys were playing under a tree down there in the woods, together. (T25)
See examples
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la-dédan
CA
(
prep.
)
la-d-dan
CA
la-don
PC
-
Inside, in there; là-dedans.
Se parèy kòm si vou gen en kichò ki vou e sèrvi tou-l-ton ina latè la-don. It’s as if you have something that you use all the time and it has dirt in it. (PC) ♦ Pa Chal a koné done vou dém' lon, si piti blan paranba yé pa pacé ladan. Pa Charles will give you some watermelons, if the white kids down the bayou haven’t gotten into them. (T17)
See examples
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Labar
PC
(
place n.
)
-
Labarre.
-
Labati
PC
(
place n.
)
-
Labatut.
Ye te yenk pèl nan bout-sa Labati, e dan bout-sa ye te pèl li Lekonm. They just named this end Labatut, and the other end they named Lecombe. (PC)
See examples
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lablèt
CA, ST
(
n.
)
-
Louisiana mink; vison de Louisiane. (Putorius vison vulgivagus).
En lablèt a rantre dan to poulaye tchwe to poul-ye e sise ye disan. A mink will go into the henhouse to kill your chickens and suck their blood. (CA) ♦ Pa Nelson a done vou ein pair cana dame, si lablette pa vini fé fraka dan poulayé. Pa Nelson will give you a pair of turkeys, if the mink doesn’t come and wreak havoc in the henhouse. (T17)
See examples
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labouré
CA, PC
(
v.tr.
)
rabouré
NE, PC, BT
-
To plow, till; labourer.
Kan no te raboure, i rèste de mot. When we plowed, clumps of dirt would remain. (BT); La ye vyen e chari, ye laboure sa ankò la. Then they come along with a plow and plow it again. (PC); Nave deu nòm, èn ki t ape raboure è lòt ki t ape gete li. There were two men, one who was plowing and the other who was watching him. (NE) ♦Mo boucou rabouré, boucou piossé la tere. I have plowed a lot, hoed the earth a lot. (T13)
See examples
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labri
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Shelter; abri. • a labri
adj.phr. (CA; PC). Under shelter, in a sheltered place; a l’abri. Lapli ap tonbe. Mèt mwa a labri. The rain is falling. Put me in a sheltered place. (CA); A labri se si to gen en vye wagon o en chval, t a monte en SHED pou li. Li on labri ka to fe sa. Under shelter is when you have an old wagon or a horse, you’ll build a shed for it. It’s under shelter when you do that. (PC) ♦ Ki sa ki toujou a labri e ki toujou tronp ? Repons: vou lalonng . What is it that is always under a roof but is always wet? answer: your tongue. (DU)
See examples
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labwi
CA
(
n.
)
labouiy
PC
-
Porridge, hominy; bouillie faite de maïs.
Sakamite. Se kòm en labouiy. Sagamité. It’s like a porridge. (PC) ♦ Mo pron en pwanie lafarin mayi; mo fe en bouyi avek sa. I take a handful of corn flour and I make porridge with that. [ ' bouilli '] (BI)
See examples
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Custard; flan.
Mo mèt lesans lavanni dan mo lakrèm, dan mo gato e dan mo labwi. I put vanilla flavoring in my ice cream, in my cake and in my custard. (CA)
See examples
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ladoublir
CA
(
n.
)
-
Lining; doublure.
Kapo-sa-la re-double. Li gen en ladoublir That coat is lined. It has a lining. (CA)
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ladrag
PC
(
n.
)
-
Dragline, fishing line with a large number of hooks spread out along its length; araignée, ligne de peche comportant un grand nombre de hameçons.
To tann en ladrag den en chalan, to met en lanmson EVER SO OFTEN, tou le dè trwa pye, mo pons. To gen apre san lanmson. You stretch out a dragline in your rowboat, you put a hook on it every so often, every two or three feet I think. You have about a hundred hooks. (PC)
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ladrès
BT, CA
(
n.
)
-
Address; adresse.
Mon rès on ho lari AVENUE C, mo ladrès se senk vent-i-enn. I live on Avenue C, my address is 521. (BT); Mo dòn li mo ladrès pou li vini wa mo, pou li ekri mo. I gave him my address so he could come see me, write to me. (CA)
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ladwèn
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Customs; douane.
♦ Et Pitt Kellogg et Boss Packard et zautes là yé qui Ta laDouène... And Pitt Kellogg and Boss Packard and the others who were at the customs office... (T38)
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lafaminn
No sources
(
n.
)
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Famine; famine.
♦ Li couri crié lafamine coté fourmi, femm' là, voisine. He went to cry famine at the ant’s, the woman who lived next door. (T1)
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lafayans
CA
(
n.
)
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Pottery, chinaware; faience.
Lavèsèl se fe an lafayans. Dishes are made of china. (CA) ♦ Latable té tombin aussi, et alors par conséquence com mo té parterre avant li, mo té couvert de lafaïence. The table had fallen also, and so as a result, since I was on the ground before it, I was covered in pottery. (T39)
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Lafayét
PC
(
place n.
)
Lafiyét
PC
Lafayèt
PC
-
Lafayette.
Moun laba Lafiyet-ye, moun-sa-ye parl tou fronse laba-la. The people of Lafayette all speak French. (PC)
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lafish
CA
(
n.
)
-
Poster, notice; affiche.
Li mèt so lafïch. Li p ole pèrsonn tripote an so latè. He put up a notice. He doesn’t want anyone going back and forth over his property. (CA) ♦ Li parti don lavil e li wa en nafich ke ye te nave en jarden ou ye te gen de lours, de nelefon e en gro poson ye pele en reken. He went into town and he saw a poster saying that there was a garden where there were bears, elephants and a big fish they called a shark, [ ‘lafiche’ ] (TP)
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lafisèl
CA, PC
(
n.
)
lafisél
PC
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String; ficelle.
Mo roule lafisèl. I rolled up the string. (PC); Mo sère mo lafisèl pou sèrvi en lot fwa. I saved my string to use another time. (CA) ♦ To f e trwa ne don en fisel. You make three knots in the string. (BI)
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Fishing line; ligne de pêche.
Mo mèt en lafisèl an la avè en lanmson e en bouchon. I put a piece of fishing line on it with a fishhook and a bobber. (PC); Mo gen lalign pou peche. Mo bèzonn lafisèl pou mèt apre mo lalign. I’ve got my fishing pole. I need string to put on my line. (CA)
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laflinm
CA
(
n.
)
-
Phlegm; flegme.
Mo zami fe mwa en lok e sa kase mo laflenm e larim. My friend made me a potion and it broke up my phlegm and my cold. (CA)
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Lafoush
PC
(
place n.
)
-
Lafourche.
Mo kouri Bayou Lafouch. I went to Bayou Lafourche. (PC) •Parwas Lafouch place n. (PC). Lafourche Parish; la Paroisse de Lafourche.
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Lafrik
CA, PC
(
prop.n.
)
Lafrikin
PC
Akrifa
PC
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Africa; Afrique.
Si le blon se pa gen en fom nèg e en fom blon, nouzòt nou se tèl kòm le moun don Lafrik. If the whites hadn’t had a white woman and a black woman [as mistresses], we would have been just [as dark] as the people of Africa. (NE); Mo paran ye ye pa ne andan Lafrik: Ye ne dan Heti. My rel-atives weren’t born in Africa. They were born in Haiti. (CA) ♦ Kellogg avec so Carpet-Bag, li couri préché dans l'Afrique. Kellogg with his carpet bag went to preach in Africa. (T38)
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lafwar
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Diarrhea; diarrhée. (PC)
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Fair; foire.
Ye sa gen en lafwar somdi e dimonch. Enora de RIDES e en ta pou manje e bwa. There will be a church fair Saturday and Sunday. There’ll be rides and lots to eat and drink. (CA)
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lafyèrté
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Pride; fierté.
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Boasting; vantardise, fanfaronnade.
Li seye èt plis ke pèrsonn dòt. Li lenmen Iafyèrte devan moun. He’s trying to be better than anyone else. He likes boasting in front of others. (ST)
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laglas
CA, PC, ST
(
n.
)
glas
NE
-
Ice; glace.
Tan-la pa bon. Non li fre fre, no fre, no gen laglas. The weather is not good (for the crops). It’s cold, we’re cold, we have ice. (PC); Enòra laglas an chemen aswa. Ye fe fre. S ap ale fe laglas. There’ll be ice on the road tonight. It’s cold out. It’s going to ice up. (CA) ♦ La roulaison fini... yé vende di sique, la mlasse et jisqu’à fond citerne, sans té gaingnain la glace. The sugar harvest is over, they’ve sold sugar, molasses, and all the way to the bottom of the tank without having any ice. (T27)
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Frost; givre.
Mo-kèn ye mouri, pli gro-la mouri dan laglas-la, li tchouwe li. Mine (i.e. my rose myrtles) are dead, the biggest one died when we had that frost, that’s what killed it. (PC)
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lagli
CA
(
n.
)
-
Slime; substance visqueuse.
To jich grate pou ote lagli-la. You just skin it to take off the slime. (CA)
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lagrat
CA
(
n.
)
-
Dry skin; peau sèche.
To gen lapo sèk. To gen lagrat. Sa demanj. You’ve got dry skin. You’ve got dry skin. It itches. (CA)
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lagrèl
CA, ST
(
n.
)
lagrél
PC
-
Hail; grêle.
Lagrel t ape tonmbe ste konm dezœf dè poul. Hail was falling as big as chicken eggs. (PC); Kayou lagrèl domaj mo char livèr pase. Hailstones damaged my car last winter. (ST) ♦ Mais si la grêle tombé, adjé prinier, adjé pêché! But if hail falls, goodbye plum tree, goodbye peach tree! (T27)
See examples
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lajol
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Jail; geôle, prison.
♦ Ala gardien lageole, li trouvé ça bin drole, li dit, mo aussi, mo fé bal ici. There is the jail warden, he finds that quite amusing, he says, I also dance around in here.’ (T10)
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