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

• arèñin MO 60 ( n. ) laryin PC aryin PC zaryin CA, PC, ST narñin NE nañin NE nòñin NE nòñé NE nañé NE zèryin CA zarñé ST
  1. Spider; araignée.
     Kan en laryen te mòrd moun, li te gen en lòd traka. When a spider bit someone, he had a lot of problems. (PC); Mè dek to te koupe twa move, se t ape senye en ta, to te trape le fil nagne. But when you cut yourself bad and it was bleeding a lot, you would get a spiderweb. (NE); Gro zaryen dan bwa, li fe en gro fil zaryen ron. A big spider in the woods, he makes a big, round spiderweb. (CA) ♦ Li couri si vite li tommebé dans ein filet l'araignée ou li crévé. He ran so quickly that he fell into a spiderweb where he died. (BD) See examples
• asasin CA ( n. )
  1. Killer, murderer; assassin.
     Boss a parti galoper comme ça-là, c'était un assassin. Boss took off running like this was an assassin. (AN T30) ♦Compair Cabri crié: -Zassassin! zassassin! Brer Goat shouted, ‘Murderer! Murderer!’ (T8) See examples
  2. Murder; assassinat, meurtre.
     Ye te gen lasasen. Ye t ape tire lenn-a-lòt. There was a murder. They were shooting each other. (CA) See examples
• asasiné ST ( v.tr. )
  1. To murder; assassiner.
     ♦Mo zanfans, Compair Tigue sassiné Compair Cabri, et mo promi so vive pou vangé li. My children, Brer Tiger murdered Brer Goat, and I promised his widow that I would avenge him. (T8) See examples
• ashtè CA ( n. )
  1. Buyer; acheteur.
     Enn achtè, li vini pou achte patat dous. A buyer came to buy sweet potatoes. (CA) See examples
• ashté gen, MO 60 ( v.tr. ) ajét NE, PC ajèt BT, PC
  1. To buy; acheter.
     A ki magazen lantour isit moun ye se achte lez òt zafè, flarin, e zafè kòm sa? At what store around here did people used to buy other things, flour and things like that? (BT); M achte en gato. Li te toufe e li te bon. I bought a cake. It was ready-made and it was good. (CA); Mo garson achte en bel lalyans pou so kalin. My son bought a beautiful wedding ring for his girlfriend. (ST) ♦Avé l’argent là li acheté in charrette et pis trois milets. With the money he bought a cart and three mules. (T9); ajet (JR); acheté, achté , acheter (NE 1987 passim) See examples
• ashé CA, PC ( v.tr. ) hashé CA
  1. To chop (off); hacher.
     Ye te di ye te gen fifole e si zo pa BEHAVE ye gen trape twa aswa-l ye gen ache to zòtey-ye. They used to say that there were will-o’-the-wisps, and if you didn’t behave they would catch you at night and chop off your toes. (PC) • lavyann ache n.phr. Ground beef; viande hachée, cf. vyann See examples
• asid PC ( n. ) lési NE
  1. Acid; acide.
     Ye te met en peu la lesi, byen sur fale pa met tro. They put in a little acid, of course you couldn’t add too much. (NE) ♦ Et mo trouvé moin tout seul dans in pitit la chambre où mo sré bien oulé gagnin in peu lacide carbolic. I found myself in a little room where I wished I had some carbolic acid. (T34) See examples
• asiré CA, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To assure; assurer.
     ♦ Li té gagnin ein ti méfiance malgré Compair Lapin té assiré li li té pas bésoin pair. He was slightly suspicious even though Brer Rabbit had assured him he had no need to be afraid. (FO T2) See examples
  2. To insure; assurer.
     Mwa asire mo lamezon. Lasirans va peye si to lamezon brile. I insured my house. The insurance will pay if your house burns down. (CA); To kapab et asire pou plen kichòz. You can be insured for a lot of things. (PC) See examples
• asit CA, NE, PC, ST ( v.intr. ) asi NE, PC aswar MO 60 asiz ST
  1. To sit down; s’asseoir.
     Mo se asit la, wi. I would have sat there. (NE); Tou l monn te asit otour la mirai. Everyone was seated around the wall. (PC); M asit tou la journen jòdi-la. Mo pa fe aryen. I sat all day today. I haven’t done anything. (CA); Asi vou, si vou ple. Please sit down. (ST) ♦Asit twa a ben, fanm-la di li. Mo gen louvraj pou fe. Vye nonm-la rete asit an ba pandan fanm-la kouri fe so louvraj. ‘Sit down, then,’ the woman said. T have work to do.’ The old man stayed sitting down while the woman went about her work. (JR) Conjug: a) asi! v.imp. (PC); asit (CA). Sit down; assieds-toi. Rantre. Asit. Come in and sit down. (CA) b) Aswaye vou! v.imp. Sit down; Asseyez-vous. (PC) See examples
• asonsyon PC ( prop.n. ) lasonpsyon CA la fét lasanpsyon PC
  1. Feast of the Assumption; l’Assomption.
     Le kenz d aout se asonsyon. August fifteenth is Assumption. (PC); N ale lamès la fèt lasonpsyon. We went to mass for the Feast of the Assumption. (CA) See examples
• asosyé* No sources ( n., adv. )
  1. Associate, partner; associé, partenaire.
     ♦ Li te prann so tan e profite on so lasosye. He took his time, and took advantage of his business partner. (JR); Aussi, to quitté to travai pou prand Kellog pou zassocié. So you left your work to take Kellog as a business partner. (T32)In collaboration, in association; associé. ♦ Li deside pi fe rekòt ansosye avek Pa Lapen. He decided not to harvest in collaboration with Brer Rabbit anymore. (JR) See examples
• asourdi* No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To deafen; assourdir.
     ♦ Li commencé braire ké ça té ssourdi tou moune. He began to bray so loud that it was enough to deafen anybody. (FO 1887) See examples
• aspik PC ( n. ) laspik PC
  1. Pointed tail snake, red belly snake; aspic.
     En laspik, wè, si li pike twa l a tchwe twa. A red belly snake, if he bites you he’ll kill you. (PC) See examples
• astœr CA, ST ( adv. ) astœ BT astè CA, PC, PC astèd CA, PC, PC astèr CA, MO 60, PC, NE astér CA, MO 60, PC, NE
  1. Now, nowadays; maintenant, de nos jours, actuellement.
     Mo te grogro e mon pè swasont-wi liv e pwi astœ m ap se pè dòt. I was very fat and I lost 68 pounds, and now I’m trying to lose more. (BT); Tou kichò se achte astè-la. Tou kichò se dan boutik. Everything can be bought nowadays. Everything is in the stores. (PC) ♦ Alors so fomme dit li: «Cofè t'olé manger pitits-yé astè? To gain plein manger.» Then his wife said to him, ‘Why do you want to eat the children now? You have a lot of food.' (BD) See examples
  2. Now; or, maintenant.
     Pa brule vou zonyon astè! Don’t burn your onions now! (PC) See examples
• aswar No sources ( adv. )
  1. Tonight; ce soir. cf. swar
• asé gen, MO 60 ( adv. ) asè PC
  1. Enough; assez.
     Le moun se vini, ka diri ase miri ye se koupe li kòm sa e mare ye. People would come, and when the rice was ripe enough they would cut it and tie it into bundles. (PC); Mon tach mon ba si se ase long mon konmons koud a la men. I attach my hem, and if it is long enough I start sewing by hand. (BT); Fou to kan. Mo gen ase e twa. Beat it. I’ve had enough of you. (CA) ♦ Di jis coulé dri et rempli bac léyé, assez pou to nagé, assez pou to néyé. The sap was flowing thick and filling the buckets, enough for you to swim in, enough for you to drown in. (T27) •ase d adv.phr. (BT). Enough; assez de. Inave pa ase d fonm blanch pour ye trouve Chaken enn fonm. There weren’t enough white women for each of them to find a wife. (BT) See examples
  2. Quite, rather; assez, plutôt.
     En bal, dan tan-sa-la ka koton te ase chè, te e mene de san karannt pyas, bal si san liv. A bale of cotton, in those days when cotton was quite expensive, would bring in 40 dollars, a bale of 600 pounds. (PC) ♦Zafair couri assé ben dan comanceman. Things went rather well in the beginning. (T6) See examples
  3. [Used in negative imperatives].
     ♦Anon, assé jacacé comme ça. Come on, stop chattering like that. (ME) See examples
• atak NE, PC ( n. ) latak CA, PC, ST
  1. Attack; attaque, crise. Li
     gen en latak frison potrin. He had an attack of pneumonia. (PC) ♦ Madamme Ranhoutan té si tan bazourdi, li manqué trapé ein lataque tropisie. Mrs. Orangutan was so stunned, she almost had an attack of dropsy. (T6) •atak deu kœr n.phr. (NE; PC); latak de kèr (CA); latak kœr (ST). Heart attack; crise cardiaque. Li enn atak deu kœr. He had a heart attack. (PC); Trape enn atak deu kœr To have a heart attack. (NE); Mo frè gen en bo-frè dan lopital. Li trape en latak de kèr. My brother has a brother-in-law in the hospital. He had a heart attack. (CA) See examples
• ataké No sources ( v.tr. ) sataké BT
  1. To attack; attaquer, s’attaquer à.
     Mo t ap boukanne de sosis dan en gro SMOKER. Dapre mwa lèksplozyon sa satake mo zyœ. I was smoking sausage in a big smoker. In my opinion it’s the explosion that attacked my eyes. (BT) ♦Gayare cila té fé bon lavianne fraîche; mé corne là yé cé pa batême katin; si mo také li, sire la vautré mouen! That fellow would make for good fresh meat, but his horns are no picnic; if I attack him, surely he will gore me! (T8) See examples
• atan CA, PC ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) aton MO 60, NE tonndé MO 60 atann CA, ST tàn PC tann PC tannd PC aton NE atàn PC
  1. To wait for; attendre.
     To tan li vini mi, epi to bòs li avèk to dan-ye. You wait until it’s ripe, and then you just break it with your teeth. (PC) ♦Mais nous pas jamin oua commissionaire nous té voyé coté vous, napé tende li toujou. But we never saw the messenger that we sent to you, we’re still waiting for him. (FO T15) •tàn pou v.phr. (PC). To wait for; attendre. Mo tàn pou li de zè dè tan. I waited for her two hours. (PC) 1. To expect; s’attendre à. To bònèr jodi. Mo t ap atan twa pli tar. You’re early today. I was expecting you later. (CA) ♦Sirtout com ein misché dan coin qui, quand li tandé mo demande, saboulé moin de coups de poin, chose qui mo té pas zattende. Especially since a man in the corner, who, when he heard my request beat me with punches, a thing which I did not expect. (T37)To wait; attendre. Tann ichka to prechke pare, pou TURN to gòmbo OFF anvon to met to chèvrèt anndan. Wait until you’re almost ready to turn your fire off before adding your shrimp. (PC); Mo p ale atàn kon li vini mène mwa ye. I’m not going to wait while he comes to bring me them. (ST) ♦ Attende ein ti moment, mo va donnin toi ein réponse qué jamin vous zotes a envie vini bété moin encore. Wait a moment, I’m going to give you an answer so that you will never want to come and bother me again. (FO T15) See examples
• atansyon No sources ( n. )
  1. Attention, care; attention. •fe atansyon
     v.phr. (PC); fe tansyon (CA; PC); fe tonsyon (PC); fon tansyon (ST); fo tansyon (CA). 1) To watch out, be careful, pay attention (to); faire attention (à). Fe tansyon to pa tanmbe la, paske se ho. Be careful not to fall, now, because it’s high. (PC); Fe tansyon. To va marche dan trou labou-la. Be careful. You’re going to step into that mudhole. (CA) Mo fe en pay lanbriz me fon tansyon ye rèske gen nwayo andan. I made a cherry pie but be careful there might be pits inside. (ST) ♦Eh ben, bon voyage, fait ben tention tout ça to oua, gardé partout, couté ben et ça va profité toi. Well, have a good trip, pay attention to all that you see, look everywhere, listen well, and it will be to your advantage. (FO T18) 2) To take care of; soigner, s’occuper de. M a fe tonsyon piti-ye si t ole. I’ll take care of the children if you want me to. (PC) •porte atansyon (pou) v.phr. To pay attention (to); faire attention (à). cf. pòrte See examples
• atiré CA, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To draw out, extract; extraire, retirer.
     Si to gen en klou, to me en fey plonten avèk lavazlin. Sa te atire lenflomasyon. If you have a boil, you put a plantain leaf with vaseline on it. It would draw out the inflammation. (CA) ♦[Pou en] pikon, pronn fyel bet ou de zariko nwar e fe en kataplas. Sa atir pikon-la. For a thorn (in the skin), take animal gall or black beans and make a poultice. That draws out the thorn. (BI) See examples
  2. To attract; attirer.
     To kapab atire kek betay. Koum en chyen ki dir pou trape, e to dòn li kek monje, aben l a atire kote twa. You can attract some animal. Like a dog that’s hard to catch, and you give it some food, well, that’ll attract it towards you. (PC) See examples
• atishé PC ( v.intr. ) atashé MO 60
  1. To be, become attached (to); s’attacher (à).
     Moun ye atiche apre pòv mon. People are attached to poor little me. (PC) See examples
• atlé CA, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To harness, hitch; atteler, harnacher.
     Vou atle mile, vou gen en chenn, vou kroche leu pèlannyen apre la chenn, la vou gè atle mule-ye safe mile-ye is ale. You hitch up the mules, you’ve got a chain, and you attach the swing-bar to the chain, and you hitch up the mules so that all they have to do is pull. (PC) ♦Dan place vié nomme navé ein zoli fée assite dan ein ti cariole tou dorée, ki té atelée avé pizons. On the old man’s property there was a pretty fairy seated in a little gilded carriage, which was hitched with pigeons. (T7) See examples
  2. To deck out; s’endimancher.
     Prensès-la te byen atle e tou so dorur anlè li. The princess was all decked out with all her gold jewelry on her. (CA) See examples
• avan No sources ( conj., prep., adv. )
  1. Before; avant.
     Ye te gen pou debarbouye ye-mèm avonn ye pran ye dinen. They had to clean themselves up a little before they could have dinner. (CA); Deumen maten mo gen pou leve bonnœr avan soley lèv. Tomorrow morning I have to get up before sunrise. (PC) ♦Yé navigué ein demi journin avant yé té capabe rivé l'ote coté. They sailed for half a day before they could reach the other side. (FO T15)Before; avant. Avon sa ye te pa gen betay plen. Before that they didn’t have insects much. (PC) ♦Bon Dié va pini yé; y alé marré yé vente; ... Avant longtemps ya oi yé lamaison en vente. God will punish them; their stomachs will grow lean; before long they will see their houses up for sale. (T27) • avan-jour adv.phr. ovon-jou, avon-jou, van-jou (PC). In the early morning, in the wee hours of the morning; de bon matin, aux petites heures du matin. To pèl ye o tèlfonn, to ramase ye nenpòt ki plas, e to DROP ye OFF apeuprè èn èr ovon-jou. You call them on the phone, you pick them up anywhere and drop them off at one o’clock in the morning. (PC); Lonmen maten avon jour, kote siz-èr, Konpèr Lapen vini ondon l BUS. The next morning before dawn, around 6:00, Brer Rabbit got onto the bus. (NE) ♦ Si coque chanté avant jou' ya gain brouilla démain. If the cock crows before daylight there will be fog tomorrow. (BD)Before; avant, auparavant. Kan ti t mari ti soupoze ale konmiye le jour d avan, resewar la sennt konmiyon. When you get married you’re supposed to go take communion the day before, receive holy communion. (DT) ♦Fi léroi té limmin La Graisse: li couri chez moman la pou mandé li pou marié avec La Graisse, mais moman la ki té connin La Graisse té pli joli, li té oulé marié les otes avant. The king’s son loved La Graisse; he went to her mother to ask to marry La Graisse, but the mother, who knew that La Graisse was the prettiest, wanted to marry off the others before. (T29) See examples
• avan-midi PC ( n. ) lavan-midi PC, BT
  1. Morning; matin.
     Mo travay dan lavan-midi, e mo arète dan lapre-midi, mo travay pa lapre-midi. Mo travay bon maten. I work in the morning, and I stop in the afternoon. I don’t work in the afternoon. I work early. (PC) ♦Demen a dizè dan lavan-midi na wa sa ki meyè ant mwen e twa. Tomorrow at ten o’clock in the morning we’ll see which one of us is better. (JR) See examples
• avansé CA, PC ( v., v.intr., v.tr. ) avonsé PC avons PC vansé PC vans PC vonsé NE, PC
  1. To advance, make progress; faire des progrès, avancer.
     Vou avanse ave vou kreyòl? Are you making progress with your Creole? (PC); Mo byen avanse dan mo lakoutir. Mo proch fini. I’ve made a lot of progress in my sewing. I’m almost finished. (CA) See examples
  2. To advance, come forward; avancer.
     Li vonse kòm si li s ole konye mwa. He came forward as if he wanted to hit me. (NE) ♦Yé commencé marché dans bois; a misire yé vancé, zéronce té apé tchoulé devant yé et fermin apé derrière yé dos. They began to walk in the woods; as they moved forward, the briar recoiled before them, and closed behind their backs. (T29)To advance, give in advance; donner en avance. Li te gen en gro magazen, li te avons plen moun dòn kredi. He ran a big store and advanced credit to a lot of people. (PC) See examples
• avant-yèr* No sources ( n., adv. ) avont-yèr CA, PC vant-è PC avon-yèr PC avant-yè PC anvan-yèr PC anvannt-yè PC anvon-yè PC
  1. The day before yesterday; avant-hier.
     Li kite depi avant-yè . He left the day before yesterday. (PC); Mo netwaye mo lamezon avont-yèr . I cleaned my house the day before yesterday. (CA) ♦ L ’ ot avan zhier mo té kouri asté ein trokette taba koté gro boutic Muchieu Bâtisse. The day before yesterday I went to buy a roll of tobacco at Mr. Baptiste’s big store. (T12) See examples
• avantur No sources ( n. )
  1. Adventure; aventure.
     Ein de les aventures de Cocodrie et Tchoupoule. One of the adventures of Alligator and Tchoupoule. (DC) See examples
• avar PC ( n. )
  1. Miser; avare.
     ♦Fourmi là, jist’ in vieu avare, pas laimé lamusiq di tout. That Ant is just an old miser, he doesn’t like music at all. (T1) See examples
• aveg PC, ST ( adj. ) avég CA, PC, ST
  1. Blind; aveugle.
     Moun-sa-la pa konen wa. Ye aveg. En katarak mèt twa aveg. Those people can’t see. They’re blind. A cataract makes you blind. (CA) See examples
• avoka PC ( n. ) lavoka CA, PC
  1. Lawyer; avocat.
     Mo fiy travay pou en konpangni lavoka a BARONNE STREET. My daughter works for a law firm on Baronne Street. (CA) ♦Segon-la mannde so manman pou lese li kouri tidye la lwa. Li di li te ole èt enn avoka. The second one asked his mother for permission to study law. He said he wanted to be a lawyer. (JR) •lavoka disrik n.phr. (PC). District attorney; magistrat-fédéral. Avè en vyeu avoka disrik, kònèse la lwa pou tou kèkcho. There was an old D.A. who knew the laws about everything. (PC) See examples
• avril NE, PC ( n. ) avri CA, PC
  1. April; avril.
     To plant koton dan avri, mas, to ka plante l dan FEBRUARY, se tro fre en pe pou isit. You plant cotton in April, March. You can plant in February, but hère it’s still a bit too cold. (PC); Kan se prèmye avri e mo di twa kèken ap pele twa me mo manti. Mo jwe en fars. When it’s April first and I tell you someone’s calling you but I lied. I played a trick. (CA) ♦ Pas blié vini premier avril pou oua cila dans nous zotes qua mangé posson d'avril la. Don’t forget to come back and see which of us is the butt of an April Fool’s joke! (FO T18) See examples
• avyon No sources ( n. )
  1. Airplane; avion.
     Dan lè ye gen en avyon. In the air there is an airplane. (HW) See examples
• avèk PC ( conj. )
  1. Than; que.
     Moun langle-ye isi ye pa gen menm lakson e menm mongnen avèk nouzòt. The ‘English’ don’t have the same accent and the same ways as we do. (PC) See examples
• avèk gen ( prep., conj. ) avé PC avék PC avét PC avèt PC évé PC évèk CA é CA, PC èk NE ak NE avè MO 60
  1. [Instrument]. With; avec.
     To te bloke li avèk en ti baton pou tchenn la pòt ouvèr. You’d prop the door open with a stick. (BT); To senmè l ave lamen e to pase chwini-la anho. You sow cotton seeds by hand and you pass the harrow over it. (PC) ♦ Li dmen lakòl ave enn alimet. He lit the alcohol with a match. (JR) See examples
  2. [Accompaniment]. With; avec.
     Li te vini pase en dimonch avet nouzòt. She came to spend a Sunday with us. (PC); Se jich en pèrt ton galope avèk twa! It’s just a waste of time to run with you. (NE); M ap parle an telefonn evèk mo kouzin. I'm talking on the phone with my cousin. (CA) ♦Lé roi couri avec so soldat pou rété vié nomme la. The king went with his soldiers to arrest the old man. (FO T26) See examples
  3. [Indicating an adjunct or special feature]. With; à, avec.
     Tè en fe t en gòmbo avek poul. You’re making yourself a chicken gumbo. (PC); Mo mete en sèrvyèt e vinèg an so lafron. I put a towel with vinegar on his forehead. (CA) ♦ Si yé té mété toi dan ain bon laçage avé bon baro en fer, to sré pa cacé arien. If they put you in a cage with good iron bars, you wouldn’t be breaking anything. (ME) See examples
  4. [Means or manner]. Of, with, by; de, avec.
     Mo antouré e zèrb. I’m surrounded by grass. (CA); Poul-la so lafal gro e mayi. That chicken’s craw is full of corn. (CA) ♦Bouki manke mouri avek la fen tou lannen. Bouki almost died of hunger all year long. (JR) See examples
  5. [Material]. Made of, of; en.
     En payas fe avèk la pay ki sòr an-o mayi. A mattress made of corn shucks. (PC) ♦Fe en di te avek de karòt e pi bwar sa plizyè jwa par jou. Make a tea with carrots and drink that several times a day. (BI) See examples
  6. [Source]. Of, from; de, à.
     Mon te ape achte sa avèk lez abitan o klo. I used to buy them from farmers in the field. (BT); Li te pal pa kreyòl e nouzòt. Mè nouzòt, nou yenk pran sa avèk THE NEIGHBOR. He didn’t speak Creole with us. But we just learned it from the neighbors. (PC) ♦ M a peye manman sen san pyas mo te prete avek li la. I will pay mama the five hundred dollars I borrowed from her. (JR)And; et. Ye te gen en pe moun te ka lir ave ekri. There were several people who knew how to read and write. (PC) ♦ A foce tou moune si tan ambêté lé roi avé larenne. People annoyed the king and the queen so much. (T7) See examples
• avèrti CA ( v.tr. ) vèrtzi BT vèrti PC
  1. To notify; avertir, prévenir.
     ♦ Ma pé verti tous milets, choals et chameaux yé pou fou yé camp. I’m going to notify all of the mules, horses and camels to flee.’ (FO T15) See examples
  2. To warn; avertir.
     Ye vèrti li ki li gen pou mouri. Se dòktè ki di sa. Dòktè di li si li pa pran medikòmon-la byen, le e vèrti li, dan de mwa l a mouri. They warn him that he’s going to die. It’s the doctor who says that. The doctor tells him that if he doesn’t take the medicine properly, he’s warning him that in two months he’ll die. (PC); Mo vèrtzi ye pou jwe don chemen. I warned them about playing in the street. (BT); Mo avèrti li avon sa rive. I warned him before it happened. (CA) See examples
• avéglé PC ( v. )
  1. To blind, be blinded; aveugler.
     Li avegle mon. It blinded me. (PC) ♦ Ensuite yé prende batte et yé voltigé la cendre et piment et la prise et ça té aveuglé yé. Then they started to fight and they stirred up ashes and pepper and snuff and that blinded them. (FO T15) See examples
• ayskrim PC ( n. ) aiskrim PC
  1. Ice cream; glace.
     Mo te gen en moulen aiskrim, chè. Mo te kónè fe aiskrim tou-l-tan. I used to have an ice cream maker. I used to make ice cream all the time. (PC) See examples
• ayéyay! NE ( int. ) oyayay NE
  1. Ouch! Aïe!
     Ye te fe le kataplas avek le zonyon. To rapel sa? Oyayay! They used to make poultices with onions. Do you remember that? Ouch! (NE) ♦ Compair Lapin fé samblan crié: -Aïe! aïe! Compair Bouki, to proumi mouen pa fé ça. Brer Rabbit pretended to cry out, ‘Ouch! Ouch! Brer Bouki, you promised me you wouldn’t do that.’ (T3) See examples
• ayœr PC ( adv. )
  1. Elsewhere; ailleurs.
     Ne e kouri ayœr. We’re going somewhere else. (PC) See examples
• Azòr No sources ( n. )
  1. Fido; Azor.
     ♦Trois foutriquets oulé f... moin dehors comme in vié Azor. Three little squirts wanted to throw me out like an old dog. (T34) See examples
• aéroplin CA ( n. ) éroplènn CA
  1. Airplane; avion.
     Eroplenn ap pase. L ap SPRAY dikann. The airplane is passing by. It’s spraying the cane. (CA) See examples
• ba CA, NE, PC ( adj., adv. )
  1. Short; petit.
     Venson, en ti nonm. Ye vyen pa gro, ye piti, ye ba. A dwarf, a little man. They don’t get very big, they’re short. (PC) See examples
  2. Low; bas.
     Chèz-la ba. Li fe pou en piti. That chair is low. It’s made for a child. (CA) •soley ba n.phr. Sundown, sunset; coucher du soleil. cf. soley See examples
  3. Seriously ill; gravement malade.
     So fonm te ba, ant lamòr e la maladi. His wife was seriously ill, between sickness and death.(CA)Low; bas. Li desann anndan ranp-la. Li desann plu ba ke Nounoun, Nounoun pa desann o bout-la. He went down the ramp. He went down lower than Nounoun, Nounoun didn’t go to the bottom. (PC); Parle ba. To speak softly. (CA) ♦ M’apé boi' dans courant-la, vingt pas plis bas qué toi. I’m going to drink in the current twenty paces below you. (BD) See examples
• ba BT ( n. )
  1. Hem;ourlet.
     Ba se en toun anddan ton rob. A hem is a part of your dress that is turned up. (BT) See examples
• babinn CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Lip; lèvre, babine.
     Mo babin tou jèrse. My lips are all chapped. (PC); Bouton lafyèv, to gen ye an to babin o onto ne. Fever blisters, you get them on your lips or on your nose. (CA) ♦ Li liché so babines-yé. He licked his lips. (BD) • ponn (so) babin v.phr. (CA). To make a face, pout; faire une grimace, faire la moue, bouder. Ti bebe ponn so ti babin kan li an kolè. The baby pouts when he’s angry. (CA) See examples
  2. Lower lip; lèvre inférieure. (CA)
• babiyé CA, PC, ST ( v., v.intr., v.tr. ) babyé PC
  1. To fuss at, nag; crier après, criailler, tracasser.
     Li t ape babiye e mo frèr. He was fussing at my brother. (CA) ♦ Ein soir li té rentré tard bien piqué, li prend babillé avec so femme. One evening he had come in really drunk, and he started fussing at his wife. (FO T 15) 2. To babble (of a baby); babiller. ♦ Nénaine,' dit-elle, 'cé drol, vou pa tendé comme ain piti capè babiller?’ ‘Godmother,’ she said, ‘it’s funny, you don’t hear something like a baby babbling?’ (ME) 2. To grumble; grogner, ♦ Bourriquet té pas content, li babillé ein pé. The donkey was not happy, he grumbled a little. (FO T15)To fuss at, scold, reprimand; gronder, réprimander. L ape fe so frannte avèk man. Mo babiye li. He was getting sassy with me. I scolded him. (CA) ♦ Madame la babillé li et pi quand so l'amouré te parti li dit Jean Malin li sré renvoyé li si li té pas fait mié. The woman scolded him and then when her boyfriend left she told Clever John she would fire him if he didn’t do better. (FO T2) See examples
• baboun No sources ( n. )
  1. Baboon; babouin.
     ♦Mais com mo té fils d'ein baboon mo té pas peur dé laviolence. But since I was the son of a baboon, I was not afraid of violence. (T38) See examples
• badiné No sources ( v.intr. )
  1. To joke; badiner, plaisanter.
     ♦ Mai, vou connin, man Délaïde, gnia pa moyen badinin avec médecin cilala; avan que moune ki entré ouvèr yé labouche, fo yé ouvèr yé porte-monnai, é mette di piasse su so latable. But you know, Miss Délaïde, there is no way to joke with that doctor; before people who come in open their mouth, they must open their wallet and put ten dollars on his table. (ME 91) See examples
• badlòk No sources ( n. ) bèdlœk MO 60
  1. Bad luck; malchance, guigne, poisse.
     Mo i bèdlœk. I had badluck. (MO 60) ♦ Si to bité, faut rétounain to chimin, sans ça t'a gain badde loque. If you stumble over something, you have to go back and start the journey over, otherwise you’ll have bad luck. (BD) See examples
• bafon PC ( n. )
  1. A shallow (esp., part of the False River in Pointe Coupee Parish); bas-fond (surtout, partie de la Fausse Rivière dans la Paroisse de la Pointe Coupée).