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
-
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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lor
CA, PC
(
n.
)
nòr
BT
-
Gold; or.
Si to trouven en trou dan to dan, wen to va ranje li. To ranj li. Ye ranpli li de fwa ave lor, oben, kek mètal ki fò. If you have a cavity you go to get it filled. Sometimes they fill it with gold or with another hard metal. (PC); Aw mo don nòr? Where is my gold tooth? (BT); Se pa lor. Se fòrje. It’s not gold. It’s fake. (CA) ♦ Ça cé mo trésor, dit-elle, ça cé kichoge ki vo plice pacé tou dilor dan moune . That’s my treasure, she said, that’s something that’s worth more than all the gold in the world. (ME) •an lor adj.phr. (PC). Gold(en); en or. Mo gen a lamont an lor. I have a gold watch. (PC) ♦ LaGraisse té sorti tou les jou dans eune bel carosse en or. Lagraisse went out every day in a beautiful golden carriage. (T29) •min lòr n.phr. Gold mine; mine d’or. cf. min lòrgnen v.tr. To ogle, make eyes at; lorgner. ♦ Li té lorgnin fille léroi, et fille léroi té lorgnin li oussi. He was ogling the king’s daughter, and the king’s daughter was ogling him too. (T7)
See examples
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loto
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Keno, lotto; loto, loterie.
♦ No courri à soir c’ez Mom’selle Maroto, dans la rie St. Ann ou no té zoué loto. At evening we visit Mom’selle Maroto in St. Ann’s street, to gamble awhile at keno. (GC2)
See examples
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lotri
CA
(
n.
)
-
Lottery; loterie.
Li chanse. Li jou lotri e li gongn tou-l-tan. He’s lucky. He plays the lottery and he wins all the time. (CA)
See examples
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lotèl
CA
(
n.
)
-
Hotel; hôtel.
Kan no te dan Kanada no te ale dan en bèl lotèl. When we were in Canada we went to a beautiful hotel. (CA) ♦ Ma entré dans ein grand notel ou mo mandé pou ein lachambe. I went into a big hotel where I asked for a room. (T37)
See examples
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lotèl
CA
(
n.
)
lotél
PC
-
Altar; autel.
So popa e donn so fiy k[o]te nonm-la. La i rive devan k[o]to lotel. Her father gives his daughter to the man. Then they arrive before the altar. (PC); Prèt li prèch devan lotèl. The priest preaches in front of the altar. (CA)
See examples
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lotòn
CA, PC
(
n.
)
lotann
PC
lotonn
PC
-
Autumn, fall; automne.
Nou ramase nou rekòt dan lotòn. We do the harvest in the fall. (PC); Dan lotòn, fey-y e tonb apre bwa-la. In autumn, leaves fall off the tree. (CA)
See examples
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lou
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Wolf; loup.
♦ Tit Poucette réponne: Vous connain bein si nous té rester dans bois-la, loups-yé sé manger nous. Little Poucette answered, ‘You know that if we had stayed in the woods, the wolves would have eaten us.’ (BD)
See examples
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proper n. Mr. Wolf (folktale character); Monsieur Loup (personnage dans les contes).
♦ Ain jour gros papa chien contré pauv michié Loup. One day the big old dog met poor Mister Wolf. (T22)
See examples
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lougarou
No sources
(
n.,
v.phr.
)
fé lougarou
No sources
-
To be out late carousing, gallivanting or wandering around; rester dehors très tard à faire la fête, faire la noce.
Mo te pa kapab dòrmi yèr-o-swa. Mo fe lougarou tou lanwit. I couldn’t sleep last night. I wandered about all last night. (CA) ♦ Li ben tard et vou apé fé lougarou? It is late; are you out gallivanting? (T6)
See examples
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louj
No sources
(
adj.,
n.phr.
)
zye louj
No sources
-
Crossed eyes; yeux qui louchent, cf. zyeu
-
loulou
CA
(
n.
)
-
Bug, insect, worm; insecte, ver.
Ena en gro loulou andan lamezon. Mo sra gen pou twe li. There’s a big bug in the house. I'll have to kill it. (CA)
See examples
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Larva of the tiger beetle, doodle-bug; larve de la cicindèle champêtre. (CA)
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loup
BT, PC
(
n.
)
-
Lump; bosse.
Mo bokche lapòrt yèr-o-swa. Safe man en gro loup apre mo janm. I bumped into the door last night. It made a big lump on my leg. (PC)
See examples
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•an loup
adj.phr. (BT). Unraveling, coming apart; qui s’effiloche, qui s’effile. Mo tapi te an loup, te pa bon. To konne konman li fe konm si l ap kase. My carpet was coming unravelled, it wasn’t any good. You know how it does, like it’s falling apart? (BT)
See examples
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lour
CA
(
adj.
)
lou
PC
-
Heavy; lourd.
Kòm sa arive, to p e kònè sa arive, cha-la si lou. When it happens you don’t even know it, the train is so heavy. (PC); Doktœr di mo: Lèv ryen lour. The doctor told me, ‘Don’t lift anything heavy.’ (CA) ♦ Chère flè, to pa pésé lour, non! Dear girl, you don’t weigh very much! (ME)
See examples
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lours
No sources
(
n.
)
lous
CA, PC
-
Bear; ours.
Se en gro danbwa an bitasyon-la. Ènen en lo lapen anndan la, ènan chevrey, ènan tous. There is a big swamp on that plantation. There are rabbits, deer and bears in there. (PC) ♦ C'était Lion avec tout so zanimo, tigue, lours, loup et tout ça li té capabe ramassé. It was Lion with all of his animals, tigers, bears, wolves and everything he could gather. (FO T15)
See examples
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Brer Bear (folktale character); Compère Ours (personnage dans les contes).
♦ Li te si feb le te pe pa bat avek Lours. He was so weak that he couldn’t fight with Bear. (JR)
See examples
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lout
MO 60
(
n.
)
-
Otter; loutre.
Po lout. Otter skin.
See examples
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loutin
CA
(
n.
)
-
Nightmare, bad dream; cauchemar, mauvais rêve.
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)
See examples
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louté
CA, PC
(
v.
)
-
To struggle; lutter, se débattre.
Ède momon e piti-ye, debat e ye, tòsl e ye, loute e ye, mèt ye kouche, chanje ye, fe ye manje si ye te gen monj. I helped the mother with the kids. I struggled with them, changed their clothes, made them food when they had to eat. (PC)
See examples
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lozéy
No sources
(
n.,
n.phr.
)
lozéy sovaj
No sources
-
Wood sorrel; oseille des bois.
♦ Bouyi lozey sovaj e met en ti pe lamonia on don li. Boil some wood sorrel and put a little ammonia in it. (BI)
See examples
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lumyèr
No sources
(
n.
)
lalimyè
PC
lalumyè
PC
lalimyèr
CA
-
Light; lumière.
Ye te pa gen lalimyè. They didn’t have lights. (PC); Pou dòn nouzòt lalimyèr pou wa pou nètwaye charlòt, no te pann lantèn-la an legalri. To give us some light to see to clean the green onions, we hung the lantern on the porch. (CA) ♦ Yé oua ein lumière loin, loin, et en minme temps géants vini pou trappé yé. They saw a light a long ways off, and at the same time the giants were coming to catch them. (FO T22)
See examples
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Headlight; phare.
Mo se monte trèktè, mo se kouru, mo se mèt lalumyè onn. I got on my tractor, I put on the light. (PC)
See examples
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lun
No sources
(
n.
)
linn
NE, PC
lalinn
CA, PC
lalun
PC
lalinng
PC
-
Moon; lune.
Lalin le e klere. The moon is bright. (PC); Lalin-la te lamotche. There was a half moon last night. (PC); Pap te pa plante aryen avan keu li te garde wa koman lalin li te. Li te va avèk lalin. Kan sete deklen lalin, sete pa bon pou plante. Pop wouldn’t plant anything before he had looked at how the moon was. He would go with the moon. When it was the waning of the moon it wasn’t good for planting. (CA) ♦ Nita c'est ein ti zozo Nafrique qui chanté la nuite quand la lune apé clairé. Nita is a small bird from Africa who sings at night when the moon is bright. (FO T20) •'au clair dé line’ adv.phr. In the moonlight; au clair de lune. ♦ C'était toujou les soirs mo té volé des prines, yé té toujou semblé meyer au clair dé line. It was always in the evening that I would steal plums, they always looked better in the moonlight. (T27) •lalin plen n.phr. (CA); laling plen (PC). Full moon; pleine lune. •lalin ranpli n.phr. (CA). Full moon; pleine lune. •lalun fo n.phr. (PC). Full moon; pleine lune. •dan bon lalin adv.phr. (PC). During the correct phase of the moon; sous la bonne lune. To pa plante dan bon lalin. You didn’t plant during the right moon phase. (PC) •lalun feb n.phr. (PC). New moon; nouvelle lune. •move lalin n.phr. (PC). Bad moon; mauvaise lune. Sè te move lalin, to te pa gen l dan bon lalin. It was a bad moon, you didn’t catch it in the right moon. (PC) •nouvèl lin n.phr. (NE); lalin nouvèl (NE); nouvel lin (PC); nouvèl lalin (CA). New moon; nouvelle lune. Plante trwa jou apre nouvel lin oben trwa jou avan nouvel lin. Plant three days after the new moon or three days before the new moon. (PC) • prenmyè lalin n.phr. (CA; PC). New moon; nouvelle lune. An prenmyè lalin. In the new moon. (PC)
See examples
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Month; mois.
Gen kouri nèf mwa anvon so piti ne. La kon nèf mwa fe, e nèf lalin, li gen gen so piti. She has to go nine months before her child is bom. Then when nine months have gone by she’ll have her child. (PC)
See examples
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luniflkasyon
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Unification; unification.
♦ L’égalité, l'unification va fait ein drôle la race, mo croir. Equality and unification will make a strange race, I think. (T35)
See examples
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lunyon
No sources
(
n.
)
younyon
CA
-
The Union (during the Civil War); l’Union (pendant la Guerre de Sécession américaine).
♦ Yonki ye fe nou kouri ora, plante drapo lunyon. The Yankees had us come around, and they planted the Union flag. [ ‘l'Union' ] (TP)
See examples
-
Union; union.
Ant en fonm e en nom kan ye marye, ye gen en vayan younyon ansanm. Between a woman and a man, when they marry, they have a great union together. (CA)
See examples
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lwa
No sources
(
n.
)
lalwa
CA, PC
-
Law; loi.
Ènan plen lalwa ka pase, ye fose blan-la pou fe li. A lot of laws have been passed that force whites to do it [i.e. treat blacks as equals]. (PC); Lalwa dòn ye drwa pou lejitimen ye zanfan. The law gives them the right to legitimate their children. (CA) ♦ Macaque là té sal négue ein fois; li meillieur que tou blan asteur, pasceque c'est li qui fait nous la loi, c'est li qui nous Gouverneur. The monkey was a dirty guy once, he’s better than all the whites now, because he is the one who makes our laws, he is our Governor. (T36) •kase lalwa v.phr. To break a law; enfreindre une loi. cf. kase •kont lalwa adj.phr. (CA; PC). Against the law; contre la loi. Tue le bèkròch, se kont lalwa. Killing the white ibis is against the law. (CA) •koup en lalwa v.phr. To break a law; enfreindre une loi. cf. koupe •pase en lalwa v.phr. To pass a law; faire passer une loi. cf. pase
See examples
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Police, the law; police.
E la ye vole lajan mo sè konm sa, mo plu vye sè. E (...?) Kote lalwa. And they stole my oldest sister’s money. She went to the police. (PC)
See examples
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(The study of) law; droit (science juridique).
♦ Segon-la mannde so manman pou lese li kouri tidye lalwa. Li di li te ole et enn avoka. The second one asked his mother to let him go study law. He said he wanted to be a lawyer. (JR) •an lwa adv.phr. a lalwa (CA). In court, to court; en cour, à la cour, en justice. ♦ N'a met sa an lwa. We’ re taking the matter to court. (JR)
See examples
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lwayé
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Rent; loyer.
Nou lwe enn èrpon latè pou fe rekòt. E la kan nou rontre nou rekòt nou peye nou twaye, e nou peye sa nou te dwa, a la, sa ki reste, larjonn, li dòn nouzòt li. We rented an acre of land to do our farming. And then, when we brought in the harvest, we paid our rent, we paid what we owed, and whatever money was left he gave to us. (PC); Mo gen pou peye mo lwaye. I have to pay my rent. (CA)
See examples
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lwazir
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Leisure; loisir.
♦ Paraît qu’ein jour dans so loisir li prend l'idée prand ein femme. It seems that one day in his leisure time he got the idea to take a wife. (T37)
See examples
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lwi
PC
(
pron.
)
-
Him; lui.
Mo vyè nank, vou rapel lwi? My old uncle, do you remember him? (PC) cf. li
See examples
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lwil
CA, NE, PC
(
n.
)
louwil
CA, PC, CA
louil
CA, PC, CA
-
Crude oil, petroleum; pétrole.
Moun-ye tou eksite pou lwil-sa-la isi-la. People here are all excited about oil. (PC)
See examples
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Oil; huile, •lwil lalonp
n.phr. (CA). Coal oil, kerosene; kérosène, pétrole lampant. ♦ La to bouy li don a pe pre kat dwa louil lalonp. Then you boil it in about four inches of kerosene. [ 'l'huile la lampe' ] (BI) •lwil d oliv n.phr. (CA; PC). Olive oil; huile d’olive. Ènan lwil d oliv, se en paròl franse sa. There is olive oil, that’s a French word. (PC) ♦ Ye te konnen met lwil doliv pou seche bobo la. They used to put on olive oil to dry up a wound. [ 'l'huile dolive' ] (LA) •lwil fwa-d-mori n.phr. (CA); lwil fwa-mouri, lwil fwa-d-mouri (CA); lwil far-mori (PC). Cod liver oil; huile de foie de morue. No te prann lwil fwa-d-mouri kan no te gen en rim e pou la koklich. We would take cod-liver oil when we had a cold or whooping cough. (CA) ♦ Pou pwatrinèr, la meyœr choz pou sa se lwil de fwa mori For pneumonia, the best thing for that is cod liver oil. (BI) •lwil kanfre n.phr. (CA; PC); lwil konfre (PC). Camphorated oil; huile camphrée, •lwil a pirje n.phr. (CA; PC). Castor oil; huile de ricin. Louwil, to konnen ki se sa ? Castor oil, do you know what that is? (PC) ♦ Fe chofe en ti pe lwil a pirje si lalonp. Heat up a little castor oil on a lamp. (BI)
See examples
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lwin
CA, PC, NE
(
adv.,
prep.
)
lwon
CA, PC, NE
-
Far; loin.
Se pa lwen lan o milyan, milyan pyas lamezan-la-ye. It’s not far from that million dollar house. (PC); M ap wa piti ap balanse lwen la-ba. I see children swinging far over there. (CA) ♦ Katafo e so de ti frè-ye swiv li dan bwa. Li kouri lwan avek ye. Catafo and his two little brothers followed him into the woods. He went a long way with them. (JR) • pa tro lwen adv.phr. (BT; CA). Not very far, close by; pas trop loin, à proximité. Pa tro lwen la, ye te gen enn ti stasyon. Not very far on there was a little station. (BT) •plu lwen adv.phr. (PC); plu lon, plu lwon (PC); pli lwen (NE). Farther, further; plus loin. Mo gen en bo-frè ki res en pe plu lwen. I have a brother-in-law who lives a little further down. (PC) ♦ Si to te voye mwen si pye pli lwon, Ròklò esplike li, mo se tonmbe dan enn min lèr. ‘If you had thrown me six feet further,’ Roclos explained to him, T would have fallen into a gold mine.’ (JR) •lwen diferons n.phr. (PC); lwon difèrans (CA). Very different; très différent. Se pa lwen diferons. There’s not much difference. (PC)Far from; loin de. Lafayèt pa lwen Pon Bro. Lafayette is not far from Breaux Bridge. (NE)
See examples
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Lwizyàn*
No sources
(
place n.
)
la Louzyèn
NE
la Lwizyin
NE
Lwizyòn
NE
Louzyòn
NE
Louzyàn
PC
la Louzyòn
PC
la Louzyann
CA
-
Louisiana; Louisiane.
Ye te janmen gen pir blan dan la Louzyèn ye tou mele. There have never been pure whites in Louisiana, they’re all mixed. (PC); Komon lonton to ondon la Louzyàn? How long are you in Louisiana for? (NE); Eron blan, sa eklo isi dan la Louzyann. The great white heron hatches here in Louisiana. (CA) ♦ Mo révé qu'ein révolution té boulversé la Louisiane. I dreamt that a revolution had shaken Louisiana. (T37)
See examples
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lwèt
PC
(
n.
)
lalwèt
CA
-
Uvula; luette.
Ta lwèt. Your uvula. (PC); Kan to ouv to labouch gran, to konen wa to lalwèt. When you open your mouth wide, you can see your uvula. (CA)
See examples
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lwé
CA, PC
(
v.tr.
)
loué
CA
lou
PC
louwé
PC
-
To rent; louer.
Nou lwe enn èrpon latè pou fe rekòt. We rented an acre of land to do our farming. (PC)
See examples
-
lyar
No sources
(
n.
)
liya
PC
-
Southern cottonwood; liard, peuplier de Virginie. (Populus deltoides virginiana).
♦ Pou lafyèv, pronn de lekòrch lyar e de rasin di bwa mare, e fe en di te avek. For a fever, take some cottonwood bark and some button bush roots and make a tea with that. (BI)
See examples
-
lyon
CA
(
n.
)
liyon
PC
-
Lion; lion.
T a trouve liyon mèm. You’ll even find lions. (PC); Mo wa en lyon dan le bwa. Li t ape gronyen. I saw a lion in the woods. He was growling. (CA) ♦ Gros papa lion ça peur ain ti dérat. The big old lion is afraid of a little rat. (T21)
See examples
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lyonn
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Lioness; lionne,
♦ Ça fé Lionne vini gaillard aussi. The lioness recovered her health also. (FO 1887)
See examples
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lyàn*
No sources
(
n.
)
lyonn
BT
laliyòn
PC
layòn
PC
lalyòn
NE, PC
lalyonn
CA
lalyann
CA
lyòn
NE
-
Vine, creeping plant; plante grimpante, liane.
Le mlon pous disu en lyonn. Melons grow on a vine. (BT); Se en lalyann nwa. To fe dite e blak-djak pou move maladi. It’s a black vine. You make tea with blackjack for bad illnesses (i.e. syphilis). (CA) ♦ Li taché patte desrat-la à soquenne lapatte. Li servit ein boutte desliane pou ' ça. He tied the rat’s paws to his own paws. He used a piece of vine for that. (BD) •lalyann patat dous n.phr. (CA; PC); lalyòn pata dous (PC). Sweet potato vine; marcotte de patate. •lalyòn defev n.phr. (PC). Bean vine; marcotte de fève. •lalyòn rezen n.phr. (PC). Grapevine; vigne (de raisin). •lalyòn demi n.phr. (CA; PC). Blackberry bush; mûrier.
See examples
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lyèj
No sources
(
n.,
n.phr.
)
janm an lyèj
No sources
-
Peg leg, wooden leg; jambe de bois. cf. janm
-
lyé
No sources
(
n.
)
-
League; lieue, •’bottes sept liés’
n.phr. Seven league boots; bottes à sept lieues, cf. bot
See examples
-
lyétnan
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Lieutenant; lieutenant.
♦ Allons Liétnant-Gouvemair, prend la poude d'escampette. Come on, Lieutenant-Governor, skedaddle. (T32)
See examples
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lèd
CA, NE, ST
(
adj.
)
-
Ugly; laid.
Don tou so lèd, li gen le vayon monyèr. As ugly as she is, she has nice manners. (NE); Arèt plœre kòm sa, sa fe twa lèd. Stop crying like that, it makes you ugly. (CA); Karonkro-ye lèd. Buzzards are ugly. (ST)
See examples
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lèkspéryans*
No sources
(
n.
)
lèkspiryèns
PC
lèspèryan
PC
lèspéryans
CA
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Experience; expérience.
To kònen mo gen plen lèspèryan pou vye neg, mwon. You know I have a lot of experience for an old man. (PC); Li gen bon lèkspèryans. Li pa kalen. He’s got good experience. He’s not lazy. (CA) ♦ Mo croi vou, vou gagnin l’espérience plice passé moin. I believe you, you have more experience than I do. (ME 91)
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lèktœr
No sources
(
n.
)
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Reader; lecteur.
♦ Maintnant, mo prié vous, Miché Carion . Vou lecteur tous les samedis. Now, I beg you, Mr. Carillon. From your Saturday reader. (T34)
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lèkzim
No sources
(
n.
)
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A kind of plant; une espèce de plante médicinale.
♦ [Pou] mal o zye, mo sèr en demi vèr dolo avek trwa f ey lèkzim. For sore eyes, I use a half glass of water with three [lèkzim] leaves in it. (BI)
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lènn
No sources
(
n.
)
lalènn
CA
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Wool; laine.
Dan livèr no te mèt SWEATERS a lalenn. In winter, we would put on wool sweaters. (CA) ♦ En moso la lenn. A small piece of wool. (LA)
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lènn
No sources
(
n.
)
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Groin; aine.
♦ Pou de glonn de lenn, brile en koton mayi. For swollen glands in the groin, bum a corn cob. (BI)
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lèr
CA, NE
(
n.
)
lè
CA, PC
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Air; air.
Li t ape donse so latèt don lèr. He was dancing with his head held high [lit. in the air]. (NE) ♦ Tou Boukis yé té croché en l'air apé solivo. All of the Boukis were hanging in the air from the rafters. (T6) •pran lèr v.phr. (CA); pran lè (PC). To take, get air; prendre de l’air. Desose, ote latèr ora li, kite li pran lè, pou li lève. Hoeing it, removing earth from around the base of the sugar cane stalk so that it can get air, so it can grow. (PC) •chanje lèr v.phr. To go for a change of air; changer l’air. cf. chanje
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Appearance; air, apparence. •gen lè
v.phr. (CA; PC). To look, seem, appear; sembler, avoir l’air. Mache dousman, sa gen lè li malad. She walked slowly, it looked like she was sick. (PC) ♦ Mais tou té n'a l'air si rebel qué mo tremblé com en Décembre. But everyone looked so rebellious that I trembled like in December. (T37)
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lèrb
CA, NE, ST
(
n.
)
zèrb
CA, NE
zèb
CA
lèb
CA, ST
larb
CA
dé zèb
PC
èrb
MO 60
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Grass; herbe, pelouse.
Koupe lèb-la. To cut the grass. (PC); Mo pey en ti garson pou koupe mo zèrb devan mo lamezon. I pay a boy to cut the grass in front of my house. (CA) ♦ Lapen te zongle ke li te brile tou lèrb vèrt-la. Rabbit was thinking that he had burned all of the good green grass. (JR) •lèrb-a-malo n.phr. lèrb-malo, lèb-malo, zèb-a-malo (CA); lab-a-malo (PC); lèb-a-malo (ST). 1)’Swamp lily’, a species of water plantain; espèce de plantain qui pousse dans les marais. ( Alisma odorata ). Lèstœ se kouri dan l bwa pou li se fouye sa ye pèl lab-a-malo; se tou maye; se maye konm en dwa. Lester went into the woods to dig up what they call swamp lily. It’s all jointed, like a finger. (BT) 2) Lizard’s tail; espèce de plante qui pousse dans les marais. (Saururus cernuus). To trouve li dan le pleri , lèb-a-malo. You find it in the swamps, lizard’s tail. (ST) •lèrb-a-la-pis n.phr. (CA); lèb-a-la-pis, lèb-a-la-piz (PC); zèrb-a-la-pus (ST). Poison ivy, poison oak; sumac vénéneux, arbre à la gale. ( Toxicodendron radicans; Rhus Toxicodendron ). Enen en lèb, ye pel sa lèb-a-la-pis, si li frape on twa, li mèt en lo ti bouton on twa, sa demonj twa. There’s a weed, they call it poison oak. If it gets on you it puts a lot of little pimples on you, it makes you itch. (PC) ♦Pou lèb-a-la-pis bouyi lalyonn patat dous e lav avek sa. For poison ivy, boil sweet potato vines and wash with that. (LA) •lèrb-a-vèr n.phr. (CA); albavè, alvavè (PC); larbavè (CA). Worm weed; espèce d’herbe utilisée contre les vers. ( Chenopodium ambrois aides). To lav larbavè byen e to bouy sa dan dile. To pran sa kan en nanfan gen devèr. You wash wormweed well and you boil it in milk. You use that when a child has worms. (CA) ♦ Pou de vè vye moun ye te fe ti gato avek lagrenn lèb avè e ye te donn sa piti pou fe li pase de ti vè. For worms, old timers used to make a little cake with ‘worm grass’ seeds and they would give that to the child to make its worms pass. (LA) •zèrb-koken n.phr. (PC); zèr-koken, zèr-kotchen, zar-koken (PC); zèr-gokenn, zèr-kokenn (CA). Cocklebur; bardane. ( Xanthium americanum, Xanthium strumarium L.). Zèr-koken, kan li chèch li kòl an to lenj', li s tach an to lenj. Cocklebur, when it’s dry it sticks to your clothes. (PC) •zèrb-anmèr n.phr. (CA); zèb-anmè, lèb-anmè (PC); larb-amè (CA). Bitters, aloes, bitterweed; aloès, bitter. Si lavach manje de zèb-anmè, sa fe dule anmè. If the cow eats bitterweed, it will produce bitter milk. (PC) •zèb-a-le n.phr. (CA); lèrb-a-le (CA). Milk purslane, spotted spurge, milkweed; petit pourprier. (Asclepias syriaca). •zèrb-dantèl n.phr. Baby’s breath; espèce d’herbe qui ressemble à de la dentelle. Zèrb-dantèl, se sa to me pou fe en bouke. Baby’s breath is what you put to make a bouquet. (CA) ♦Kraze zèrb dontèl e met sa don di sel. Grind up some ‘lace grass’ and put it in some salt, [‘ z’herbe dentelle’ ] (BI) •l’herbe poupié’ n.phr. Purslane (a medicinal plant); pourpier. ( Portulaca oleracea ). cf.* poupye
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Weed; mauvaise herbe.
Me e rache lèb dan mo jarden. I’m pulling the weeds out of my garden. (PC) •move lèb n.phr. (PC); move zèrb (CA). Weed; mauvaise herbe. —Se move lèb to pel sa en bangou. It’s weeds, you call that a weed. (PC)
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lèskiz
CA
(
n.
)
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Excuse; excuse.
Li toujou gen en lèskiz . Li toujou ta pou travay. He’s always got an excuse. He’s always late for work. (CA)
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lèskòrbi
No sources
(
n.
)
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Scurvy, pyorrhea; scorbut, pyorrhée des gencives.
♦ [Pou] lèskòrbi, to kraz charbon sip konm lapoud e to bròs to don-ye avek sa. For scurvy, you grind cypress coal like a powder and brush your teeth with that. (BI)
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lèson
CA
(
n.
)
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Lesson; leçon.
No ekri no lèson desi e apre no efase sa pou ekri dòt. We wrote out lessons on them [slates], and afterwards we erased it to write others. (CA)
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Moral, lesson (of story); moralité (d’un conte).
♦ Leçon-la , c'est faut pas to crois ça qui pitits et smattes vaut pa mié qué ça qui gros et bétes. The moral is that you must not think that the small and smart are no better than the big and dumb. (BD)
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lèspèrvyé
PC
(
n.
)
lésparyé
CA
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Castnet; épervier (filet).
Mo kou trape pwason ave mo lèspèrvye . I go to catch fish with my castnet. (PC)
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lèst
CA
(
adj.
)
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Nimble, agile; leste.
Li monte si vit. To pa wa li parti. Li lèst. Li vif kòm en leza. He went up so fast. He was gone. You didn’t see him go. He’s agile. He’s lively like a lizard. (CA) ♦ Leste comme ein cureuil. As nimble as a squirrel. (FO T2)
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