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

• mandé CA, MO 60, PC ( v.tr. ) mondé NE, PC mòn NE, PC monndé PC monn PC màn PC manndé PC mond NE
  1. To ask; demander.
     Li te gar si sriprann ka mo monnde ‘vou è garde pou vou madanm ? ‘ li di mwa ‘men wi!’ He was so surprised when I asked him, ‘Are you looking for your wife?’ He told me, ‘Of course!’ (PC); To gen en toupe pou vini mande man sa. You’ve got a nerve coming to ask me that. (CA) ♦ Docter Cigogne té mandé li l’argent pou grand service li té baye li. Doctor Stork asked her for money for the big service he had given her. (T19) • mande en kèstyon v.phr. (CA); màn kèstchyon (PC). To ask a question; poser une question. Li mande mwa en kèstyon. He asked me a question. (CA) •mande laket v.phr. (CA; PC). To ask for a handout; demander une aumône, •mande kolèksyon v.phr. (CA; PC). To ask for a handout; demander une aumône, •mande pardon v.phr. (CA). To ask forgiveness; demander pardon. Safe mo lapenn e mo mande li pardon. I am sorry and I asked his forgiveness. (CA) •mannde pou v.phr. (PC). To ask for; demander. Li kou mannde so bòs pou vent-senk pyas pou achte liv. He went to ask his boss for twenty-five dollars to buy some books. (PC) See examples
• manifaktir CA, MO 60 ( n. )
  1. Manufacture; fabrication.
     Nou sèr prèskè tou kèkchòzfèt par manifaktir. Practically everything we use is manufactured. (MO 60) See examples
  2. Factory; usine.
     Kan manifaktir-la èksploze, lamezon soukouye. When the factory exploded, the house shook. (CA) See examples
• manjab CA ( adj. )
  1. Edible; mangeable.
     No manj pa jwa mou-la paske sa gen pa gou kom jwa dir. Se le pomon du kochon. Se pa manjab. We don’t eat the lungs because they don’t have any taste like the liver has. These are the lungs of the pig. They’re inedible. (CA) See examples
• manjayé* No sources ( v.tr. ) manshayé BT
  1. To eat, feed; manger.
     Safe mo konne aou ina enn bann de pèrdri paski se i le kouche e pi ye manchaye antour. So I know wherever there is a flock of partridges, because they sleep and they eat in the area. (BT) See examples
• manjè-dé-poul CA ( n. ) monjè-d-poul PC monjè-poul PC
  1. Chicken hawk, sparrow hawk, American Kestrel; épervier. (Falco sparverius sparverius) (PC).
     ♦ Karankro te asit on en poto baryè, e manjè poul vini mannde li sa li te ape fe la. The crow was seated on a fence post, and the sparrow hawk came to ask him what he was doing there. (JR) See examples
• manjé CA, MO 60, PC ( n. ) monjé NE
  1. Food, meal; repas, manger.
     Kan piti-ye manj, ye jèt manje an planche. When children eat, they throw food on the floor. (CA); Nou kite manje-la an latab. We left the food on the table. (PC) ♦ Pou lapikòt i fo rete kouche pi pa monje di monje gra . For chicken pox you have to remain in bed and not eat fatty foods. (LA) •monje si lestoma n.phr Indigestion; indigestion. ♦ [Pou] monje si lestoma, met en ti kirelye la YEAST don en demi vèr dolo e brase li. For indigestion, put a spoonful of yeast in half a glass of water and stir. (BI) See examples
• manjé BT, CA, MO 60, PC, ST ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) manj CA, PC monyj PC monjé NE, PC
  1. To eat; manger.
     L ariv ; na pi aryen pou monje. Lapen monje tou lafèr. When he arrived there was nothing left to eat. Rabbit had eaten everything. (NE); Mo manj pa otan ke mo te manje kan mo te pli jenn . I don’t eat as much as I did when I was younger. (CA) ♦ Mo mangé bin, mo boir’ du vin, ça pas coûté arien. I ate well, I drank some wine, that didn’t cost me anything. (T11) •monje lèb v.phr. (PC). To graze; paître, brouter. Ye monje lèb-la. They eat grass. (PC)To taste; goûter, avoir (bon, mauvais) goût. Sa manj ben. That tastes good. (PC) See examples
• manjé* No sources ( n. ) monjè PC
  1. Eater; mangeur.
     En gro monjè. A big eater. (PC) See examples
• manké CA, MO 60, PC ( v., v.intr., v.aux. ) mank CA, MO 60, PC monké NE, PC manké MO 60
  1. To be missing; manquer.
     En bouton ki mank. A missing button. (PC); Mo konè sa ki monk Bouki. I know what Bouki is missing. (NE) ♦ Quand moune gagnin vingt-cinq pitis moune pas capabe pensé yé tout temps et moune pas oua si yé na ein ou dé qui manqué. When people have twenty-five children they can’t think of all of them at once, and they can’t tell if one or two are missing. (FO T17)To nearly, almost do sth.; faillir, manquer de. Mo monke kase ma jòm. I almost broke my leg. (NE); Li jich manke bòrde apre mon. He nearly brushed up against me. (CA); I manke tchwe mon. He almost killed me. (PC) ♦ Madamme Ranhoutan té si tan bazourdi, li manqué trapé ein lataque tropisie. Mrs. Ranhoutan was so stunned she almost had a dropsy spell. (T6) •vyen a monke v.phr. To die; mourir. Si mo vyen a monke, gouvèmemon va pronn mo mezon. If I die, the government will take my house away. (BT) —v.tr. 1. To miss; manquer. No te blije monke lekòl pou travaye don klo. We had to miss school in order to work in the field. (NE); Mo manke lamès. Mo arive tro tar. I missed Mass. I got there too late. (ST) 2. To miss (fail to hit); manquer, rater. Mo pa di vou boug-sa-a jonmen monke. I’m not going to tell you the guy has never missed. (PC) ♦ Li fou konpè Tig en kout kouto. Men li monke li, li jis blese li. He dealt a blow with the knife to Brer Tiger, but he missed him, he just wounded him. (DU) 3. To miss, overlook; manquer. To pa monke li. You can’t miss it. (PC) 4. To lack, be without; manquer de. Sa fe, ye p e monke aryen. So they aren’t missing anything. (PC); Manke diz an ankò pou fe sant an. I'm still ten years short of hundred. (PC) 5. To fail; manquer. ♦ Kon Konpè Bouki li te wa tou so dolo monke li di, «Konpè Lapen te vole tou mo dolo. « When Brer Bouki saw that his water supply failed, he said, «Brer Rabbit has stolen all of my water.» (LA) 6. To miss, feel/notice the absence of; manquer à qn. Mo te man tou sœl pou THANKSGIVING e mo te mank mo piti-ye. I was all alone for Thanksgiving and I missed my children. (CA) ♦ Ein jou pie voleuse la volé ein bague qui té on la fénétre; alorse quand yé manqué bague la yé acquisé Marie. One day a magpie stole a ring that was on the window ledge; so when then noticed the ring was missing, they accused Marie. (FO T25) See examples
• manmb No sources ( n. )
  1. Member; membre.
     ♦ Quand mo mandé li pou Barber li dis moin qu'ein mésaventure té fait li membe dé l(enfer au lié dé laLegislature. When I asked him for Barber, he told me that a misadventure had made him a member of hell instead of the legislature. (T38) See examples
  2. Member, limb (of the body); membre (du corps).
     ♦ [Pou] tatanòs, to pronn de ke d ra e to melonj li avek di taba nwar. To fròt sa byen si monm-la ki malad. For tetanus you take some rattail and mix it with black tobacco, and rub that on the ailing member. (BI) See examples
• mann PC ( n. ) lamann PC lamonn PC
  1. Basket (of woven reeds); manne.
     Sa fize de pongnen pou leu mayi, de gros mann. They used to make handles for the woven baskets. (PC) ♦ Si mo té donnin li ein la manne mai ou ben di foin, oui li sré manzé . If I had given him a basket of corn or some hay he would have eaten it. (FO 1887) See examples
• manngk PC ( n. )
  1. Gap left in a row of sugarcane by a bud that failed to grow; trou, lacune dans une rangée de canne à sucre laissé par un bourgeon qui n’a pas poussé.
     To mete trwa dekann ansanm , e la to vini, to met en lòt ki gen en lèp aprè avè en pye e dmi sa peche life en manngk. You put three cane stalks together, and then you put another with an overlap of about a foot and a half; that prevents there from being a gap. (PC) See examples
• mannifaktir PC ( n. ) mannifakti PC
  1. Factory; usine.
     Nonm ki e travay dan la mannifakti, ye gen peye len en gro pri. The man who’s working in the factory, they have to pay him a big wage. (PC) See examples
• mannéjè No sources ( n. )
  1. Manager; gérant.
     ♦ Kreditè-la va peye mannejè lotel-la di sou pou dejennen-la. The debtor will pay the hotel manager ten cents for the meal. (JR) See examples
• mano CA ( n. )
  1. Sparrow; moineau.
     Mo wa plen zozo mano dan liver I see lots of sparrows in winter. (CA) See examples
• mansh CA ( n. ) lamansh CA
  1. Sleeve; manche.
     Mo dechire mo chimij mo lamanch. I tore my shirt sleeve. (CA) ♦ Li té gagnin jisse ein lamanche pou fini on dernier chimise la. He had just one sleeve to finish on the last shirt. (FO T23) •lamanch chimiz n.phr. (PC). Shirt sleeve; manche d’une chemise. Mo loure mo lamanch chimiz . I rolled up my sleeve. (PC) See examples
• mansh CA ( n. ) lamansh CA, PC lamanysh PC lamonsh PC
  1. Handle; manche (d’un outil, d’une tasse).
     Piti-ye mènè sa dèvan an ye lamanych lapyòch. The children brought it forward on their hoe handles. (PC); En manch kas-tèt. An axe handle. (CA) See examples
  2. Handle, crank; manivelle.
     Li tournen lamonch-la an moulen kafe-la. She turned the handle of the coffee grinder. (PC) See examples
• mansyonnè PC ( v.tr. ) monsonnin PC
  1. To mention; mentionner.
     To ka mansyonnè li. You can mention it. (PC) See examples
• manti CA ( n. ) monti PC, NE
  1. Lie; mensonge.
     Tou monti sa ye te fas, yè jich e monti pou fas pou fe to ri. All of these lies are jokes, they were just lying as a joke, to make you laugh. (PC); Sa se en manti sa. Mo jamen di sa. That’s a lie. I never said that. (CA) ♦ Men sa sonble konm si so mantri-ye te met li dan en gro traka . But it seems like his lies got him into a lot of trouble. (JR) See examples
• manti CA, PC, ST ( v., v.intr., v.tr. ) monnti PC monti NE, PC
  1. To lie, tell tall tales; mentir, raconter des mensonges.
     Kan se prèmye avri e mo di twa kèkèn 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) ♦ Oui vou zot, kòfèr manti, péhi blan sanzé, oui oua! Yes, y’all, why lie about it, the country of the whites has changed, yes indeed! (T12)To lie to s.o.; mentir à qn. M kwa te e manti mon. I think you’re lying to me. (PC) See examples
• manton PC ( n. ) maton BT, PC matan PC mantan CA
  1. Chin; menton.
     Se pa tou l monn ki gen labab anba l maton. It’s not everyone who has a beard under their chin. (BT); Dantist la enjèkte mo mantan pou rache mo dan. The dentist gave me a needle in the chin to pull out my tooth. (CA) See examples
• mantèr ST ( n., adj. ) mantè CA, PC
  1. Liar; menteur.
     Ta ka li, li e manti, li p e di laverite. Se en gran mantè. As for him, he’s lying, he’s not telling the truth. He’s a big liar. (PC); Tròs pa li. Se en mànté. Don’t trust him. He’s a liar. (CA); Mo frèr se en bon mantèr. Li pa kapab di aryen òrmi li ape manti. My brother is a good liar. He can’t say anything unless he’s lying. (ST) ♦ Sacré menteurs, dit l'Irlandais la, -vous dit moin do l’eau la sré vini jisqua mo ginoux et li jisqua mo cou. ‘Damned liars,’ said the Irishman. ‘You told me the water would come up to my knees, and it’s up to my neck.’ (FO T5)Lying; mensonger. Leu vye te si mantè. The old man was such a liar. (PC) See examples
• manéj No sources ( n. )
  1. Trick, wile; manège, tour. •
     Li fait méme manége la trois fois dans la journin. He pulled the same trick three times in the day. (FO T4) See examples
• map CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Map; carte (géog.).
     Dòn man en map. Mo pa konen eou m ap ale. Give me a map. I don’t know where I’m going. (CA) See examples
• mar CA ( n. ) dima kafé PC
  1. Coffee grounds; marc de café.
     Kan to fini to tas kafe, ena la mar ki rès andan. When you’ve finished your cup of coffee, the grounds stay on the bottom. (CA) ♦ Si to gen la migrenn pron mar kafe e di sel. For a migraine, take coffee grounds and salt... (LA) See examples
• marayé CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To tangle, emmêler, enchevêtrer.
     Ye trouve ye tou maraye. Ye rèste pri andan fil de fè. They found them all tangled up. They got caught in barbed wire. (CA) See examples
• marb CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Marble; marbre.
     No te sèrvi lavabo pou lave e lavabo-la te gen en gro marb. We used the washstand to wash, and the washstand had a big slab of marble. (CA) See examples
  2. Tombstone; pierre tombale. (PC)
• mardi CA, PC, ST ( n. ) madi PC
  1. Tuesday; mardi.
     Mo kou en li dan lopital, sète mo krwa en madi. I took him to the hospital, I think it was a Tuesday. (PC) ♦Eh bien, Mardi soir, mo tante té fait limé tou so la maison. So, Tuesday night my aunt had her whole house lit up. (T40) •Mardi Gra n.phr. (PC). Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday; Mardi Gras. ♦ Mapé trempé mon plime dans dit ‘encre pou méte en haut papier l'histoire d'un bal Mardi Gras. I’m dipping my pen in some ink to put on paper the story of a Mardi Gras ball. (T40) See examples
• marez No sources ( n. )
  1. Woman who binds sugar cane into bundles; ouvrière qui fagote la canne à sucre.
     ♦ Moulin, yé poussé charrette. Charrette, yé poussé marreuse. Marreuse, yé poussé couteau. The mill pushes a cart. The cart pushes the woman who binds the cane. The woman who binds the cane pushes the knife. (FO 1887) See examples
• margoté PC ( n. ) margo CA
  1. Starter potato which is planted for growing new vines; marcotte de pomme de terre.
     En margote se patat. To ka plante en patat, la l a f en en ti patat. A [margote] is a potato. You can plant a potato, it’ll make a little potato. (PC) See examples
• margoté CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To transplant; greffer, transplanter.
     Anon margote chalot. No gen pou plase chak ti margo dan ran-la. Let’s transplant green onions. We have to place each starter plant in the row. (CA) See examples
• Mari No sources ( prop.n. )
  1. Marie Laveau (voodoo queen); Marie Laveau (reine de voudou).
     ♦ Li té dansé Kongo avek Mari Lavo. He danced the Congo with Marie Laveau. (TN) See examples
• mari CA, MO 60, NE, PC, ST ( n. )
  1. Husband; mari.
     Fom-la ki so mari mouri li remarye ave en lòt nonm. The woman whose husband died married another man. (PC); M ap ale marye li. Li sra mo mari dan jen. I’m going to marry him. He’ll be my husband in June. (CA) ♦ Li blamé so mari tellement cila t’olait fou’ li des coups. She blamed her husband so much that he wanted to beat her. (BD) See examples
• mari-salòp BT ( n. )
  1. Slattern, untidy woman; femme malpropre, marie-salope.
     To kochon tèl konm mari-salòp. You are as sloppy as a hog. (BT) See examples
• maringwin CA, MO 60, NE ( n. ) marangwon CA marangwin PC marangwin PC marangon CA, PC marogwin BT marongwin NE
  1. Mosquito; moustique.
     La ye gen en bèr, to mi bè-la kon èna marangwon. Then they have mosquito netting, you put that on [the bed] for when there are mosquitoes. (PC) ♦ Konm ye kouche, marongwan-ye tonbe mòd ye. When they went to bed, the mosquitoes started to bite them. (JR) See examples
• mark PC ( n. ) lamak CA, PC mak BT, PC lamark CA, PC
  1. Mark; marque.
     Ye di ka vou gen trwa lamark konm sa dan vo lamen vou gen bon lachans . They say that when you have three marks in your hand like that, you have good luck. (PC) ♦ Michié vente plat té oir la marque collier quand yé fermain gros Boule dans poulailler . The flat-bellied man saw the mark from where they locked Boule in the chickencoop. (T22) •mark d anvi n.phr (PC); lamark lanvi (CA). Beauty mark, birthmark; envie, graine de beauté. Li gen en mark d anvi an son fron. He has a birthmark on his forehead. (PC) •mak de nesan n.phr. Beauty mark, birthmark; envie, graine de beauté. Sa fe ye pèl sa en mak de nesan. So they call that a birthmark. (BT) See examples
• marké CA, PC ( v., v.tr. )
  1. To note, write down, mark; marquer, noter, écrire.
     Mo lir pou li, mo di li sa ki marke an let-la. I read it to her, I told her what was written in the letter. (PC); Mo va marke sa de fwa pou pa mo bliye. I’m going to note that twice so I don’t forget. (CA) ♦ Tit Poucette pronne so moceau dipain et chaque pas yé té fait, li laissé tommeber ein ' tit brin dipain pou’ marquer so chimin. Tom Thumb took his piece of bread and every step they took, he dropped a piece of bread to mark his way. (BD) See examples
  2. To brand; marquer au fer chaud.
     To gen p chofe fèr-la pou marke to lavach pou mete to non antèr lavach. Kòm sa, to pa kònen vole li. You’ve got to heat the iron to brand your cow, to put your name on the cow. Like that, you can’t steal it. (CA) See examples
• markònin CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To stack; empiler, entasser.
     Mo nonk te fe karòt taba an markònen fey-ye. To mèt en pwa desi pou preze taba. My uncle made plugs of tobacco by stacking the leaves. You put a weight on top to press the tobacco down. (CA) See examples
• marléshal No sources ( n. )
  1. Marshal; maréchal.
     ♦ Parol ça vou di mouen en hau Marléchal Pervo, mo koné li ziste. The words you’re telling me about Marshall Pervo, I know they are correct. (T14) See examples
• marmit CA ( n. )
  1. Kettle, pot; bouilloire, marmite.
     Vye tan pase, no te mene dejenen dan marmit-ye. In the olden days, we used to bring our breakfast in a pot. (CA) ♦ Tou moun konnen sa ki bouy don so mamit. Everybody knows what boils in his own pot. [ ‘mamit’ ] (DU) See examples
• marodan CA ( adj., adv. ) morodon BT
  1. Wild, crazy; sauvage, fou.
     Chwal-la ap ale marodan. That horse is going crazy. (CA)Very fast; très vite. (BT) See examples
• maron CA ( adj. ) maran CA
  1. Brown; brun, châtain, marron.
     Narb li ki li fe sa rèste vèr tou livèr. Tou lez-ot tòrnen jòn e maron. Ye fey tonbe. The tree that did that for him stays green all winter. All of the others turn yellow and brown. Their leaves fall off. (CA); Mo gain en chemiz mawon. I have a brown shirt. (HW) See examples
• maron CA, PC, ST ( adj. )
  1. Wild; sauvage.
     To ka di en dezwa maron. Li pa en dezwa dou. You can say ‘a wild goose.’ It’s not a tame goose. (PC); Mo neve te lenmen kase chwal maron. My nephew used to like to tame wild horses. (ST); Vyolèt maron se en flè ble. Wild violets are blue flowers. (CA) ♦ Ye n’avait deux banjo, deux paires rakatcha, ein rara et ein laflute en canne maronne. There was a banjo, two pairs of spurs, a rattle and a wild cane flute. (T40) •kann maron n.phr. Reed, wild cane; canne sauvage, cf. kann •kouri maron v.phr. v. To run away; s’évader, se sauver. Ti connais nèg va couri marron. You know that the guys are running away. (DC); L ale maron dan sipriyèr. Nouzòt pa konen ou l ale. He ran away into the swamp. We don’t where he went. (CA) •parti maron v.phr. To run away; s’évader, se sauver. Apé, yé té parti marron. After, they run off. (DC) ♦ Enn ave en nonm ki te fe en krim, e li te parti maron dan bwa pou peche ye met li dan laprizon. There was a man who had committed a crime, and he ran away to the woods so they wouldn’t put him in jail. (JR) See examples
• mars CA, NE ( n. ) mas PC mwa d mas PC
  1. March; mars.
     To plant koton dan avri, mas. You plant cotton in March or April. (PC); Dan mwa d mars, mo plant jarden. In the month of March, I plant the garden. (CA) ♦ .Aster nalé tende Mars. Now we’ll wait for March. (T27) See examples
• marsh No sources ( n. )
  1. Step (of staircase); marche, degré.
     ♦ Li dit Brisetout assite et chien la resté en haut dernier marche l'escalier. He told Brisetout to sit down, and the dog remained seated on the highest step of the stairs. (FO TI5) See examples
• marshan CA, MO 60, PC ( n. )
  1. Merchant; marchand.
     Enave le marchan ki te sòr diferan plas. There were merchants who came from different places. (PC); Marchan ape vini. T ole kandi? The merchant is coming. Do you want candy? (CA) ♦ Marchand charrette vini après la roulais on, quand yolé vende quichose yé conain la saison. The wagons merchants come by after the cane harvest, when they want to sell something they know the right season. (T27) See examples
• marshandiz No sources ( n. )
  1. Merchandise; marchandise.
     ♦ Ye barke, Batis e so fanm e so de piti-ye, on vil, on en navir franse ki charye moun e marchandiz ousi. They got on the boat, Baptiste and his wife and their two kids, headed for the city (New Orleans) on a French boat that carried people and merchandise also. (JR) See examples
• marshé MO 60 ( n. )
  1. Market; marché.
     ♦ Lapin zonglé et li couri dit so moman qué li té gagnin pou méné li au marché. Rabbit thought and he went to tell his mother that he had to take her to market. (T9) See examples
• marshé MO 60, PC ( n. )
  1. Walk, way of walking, gait; façon de marcher, démarche.
     Mon mo ka di twa en nonm ki bon e èn ki pa bon, jus garde li e so parle e so marche. I can tell you a good man from a bad man just by looking at him, and the way he speaks, and the way he walks. (PC) See examples
• marshé No sources ( v.intr., v.tr. )
  1. To walk, step; marcher.
     Nou te gen marche apeuprè si mil tou le jou pou vin lekòl. We had to walk about six miles every day to get to school. (PC); Fe tansyon! To va marche dan trou labou-la. Be careful! You’re going to step into that mudhole. (CA) ♦ Sa fe en joli pèr, lœ nonm e lœ lyon marchan kòt a kòt dan lari. That makes a pretty pair, the man and the lion walking side by side in the street. (JR) See examples
  2. To work, run, function; marcher, fonctionner.
     Lasiklèri, li mach on lavapè. The sugar refinery runs on steam. (PC) See examples
  3. To march (in an army); marcher (dans une armée).
     ♦Ma sra fouti, yé va enrolé et mo va bligé marché. I'll be in trouble, they will draft me and I will have to march. (FO T15)To walk (s.o. somewhere); accompagner qn. a pied. Mo te p ole li marche mon che mon. I didn’t want him to walk me home. (NE) See examples