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

• bafré CA, PC ( v., v.intr., v.tr. ) baf PC
  1. To stuff oneself, eat gluttonously; bâfrer, se gaver, se bourrer.
     To te gen fen. To bafre en ta. You were hungry. You ate a lot. (CA); Ga konman li e bafre. Look how he’s stuffing himself. (PC) ♦ Michié Loup gros gavion li si content bafré qui li jamain gardé ça qui l apé mangé. Mr. Wolf is a big eater, he likes to stuff himself so much that he never looks at what he’s eating. (T 19)To gobble up, devour; bâfrer. ♦ Pi yé bafré gombo avé douri yé vanté plin. Then they ate up the gumbo and rice until their stomachs were full. (T3) See examples
• bag CA, NE ( n. )
  1. Ring; bague.
     To gen en vayan bag an to dwa. You’ve got a pretty ring on your finger. (CA) ♦ Mo bag disparet yè, rwa-la di li. ‘My ring disappeared yesterday,’ the king told him. (JR) • bag-d-angaje n.phr. (PC); bag-angaje (PC). Engagement ring; bague de fiançailles. Se ma bag-d-angaje. This is my engagement ring. (PC) •bag promi n.phr. (CA). Engagement ring; bague de fiançailles. See examples
• bagaj CA ( n. )
  1. Luggage; bagage(s).
     M ap gonn. M ap pran tou mo bagaj avèk mon. I’m leaving. I’m taking all my luggage with me. (CA) ♦Enfin, fau nou vite parti, porté nou bagage loin d'ici. Well, we have to leave quickly and take our luggage far from here. (T32) See examples
• bagas PC ( n. ) bagaz PC bagay PC
  1. Bagasse; bagasse.
     Ye sèrv bagay-ye pou brule dan bwiwar, pou chofe pou fe STEAM. They use the bagasse to bum in the boiler, to heat up and make steam. (PC) See examples
• bagèt CA ( n. )
  1. Magic wand; baguette magique.
     ♦ Li té gagné ein baguette en djiaman dan so lamin. She had a diamond-covered magic wand in her hand. (T7) See examples
  2. Automatic rifle; fusil a six coups, fusil automatique.
     En bagèt, se en fizi si kou. To kapab tire si fwa. A ‘baguette’ is an automatic rifle. You can fire it six times. (CA) See examples
  3. Switch, stick; gaule, baguette.
     ♦ C'était bon tems, yé té ménin monde à la baguette. It was the good old days, they led the world with a switch. (GC3) See examples
• baj PC ( n. )
  1. Barge; chaland, péniche.
     ♦Habiton-ye te genyen en gron chalon ki ye te pele en barj. The farmers had a big flat-bottomed boat they called a barge. (TP) See examples
• bak PC ( n. )
  1. Small boat; barque.
     Nou dèsann la bak-la, e nou vini kote la ruvyè. We took the boat down, and we arrived at the river. (PC) See examples
• bak No sources ( n. )
  1. Tub; bac.
     ♦ Va oi sirop dans bac et caramel dainmain. Dijis là coulé dri et rempli bac là yé. You’ll see syrup in the tub, and caramel, tomorrow. The juice is flowing heavily and filling up the tubs. (T27) •bak a ben n.phr. (BT). Bathtub; baignoire. Ranpli la bak a ben plen d lo pou ton frèr. Fill the bathtub full of water for your brother. (BT) See examples
• baki PC ( n. )
  1. Peg leg, wooden leg; jambe de bois.
     To wa li? Li an en baki. You see him? He has a peg leg (a wooden leg). (PC) See examples
• baklé No sources ( v.tr. ) braklé CA
  1. To make hastily, throw together; fabriquer rapidement, fabriquer à la hâte, bâcler. M
     ap fe en kek dou. M ap brakle li ansanm. M ap mèt tou kikchoj ansanm. I’m making a sweet cake. I’m throwing it together. I’m putting everything together. (CA) ♦ Compair Dahomey ramassé ein morceau laterre gras, cour i pran gabari serrure là et avan dix hères soné li dijà baclé ein vagnan laclé. Brer Dahomey gathered some clay, ran to make a mould of the lock and before ten o’clock had chimed, he had already made a nice key. (T6) See examples
• baké CA ( n. ) bakè MO 60
  1. Tub, washtub; bac, baquet.
     Apre mo fini rense mo lenj, mo me li andan en bake. When I’m finished rinsing my laundry, I put it in a washtub. (CA) See examples
  2. Bucket, pail; seau.
     Bakè dilè. Bucket of milk. (MO 60) ♦Couri cherche dolo tchiède dan ain gran bakié. Go fetch some lukewarm water in a big bucket. (ME) See examples
• bal CA, NE, PC, ST ( n. )
  1. Bullet; balle.
     Mo achte en bwat bal pou sèrvi dan mo pistole. I bought a box of bullets to use in my pistol. (CA) See examples
  2. Bale (of cotton, hay); balle, ballot (de coton, de foin).
     En bal te e mene de san karannt pyas, bal si san liv. A bale of six hundred pounds would have brought in two hundred and forty dollars. (PC); L ap mèt ye difwon an bal dan klo-la. They’re putting hay into bales in the field. (CA) ♦Fwa-sa-la li te charje avek de bal koton. That time it was loaded with bales of cotton. (JR) •bal difwen n.phr. (PC). Bale of hay; balle de foin. See examples
  3. Ball; balle, ballon. (ST)
     ♦Kon Jon Sot tonde sa, li pron tronmble, li i pli pè onkò, li pi galope, li vole konm en bal. When Foolish John heard that, he began to tremble, he became more afraid, he was no longer running, he was flying like a bullet. (DU) REM: On CA, laplòt is used for sense 3. See examples
• bal MO 60, NE, ST ( n. )
  1. Ball, dance; bal, danse.
     E Konmper Lapen te deja envite tou so moun-ye pou vini o bal. And Brer Rabbit had already invited his whole family to come to the ball. (NE) ♦ Li té oulé donnin ein grand bal et ein grand souper. She wanted to give a big ball and a grand dinner. (FO T24) •bal tanmbou n.phr. (PC). Drum dance; danse au tambour. Mo jonmè wa de bal tanmbou. I’ve never seen drum dances. (PC) •’bals zombis’ n.phr. Zombie dance; danse aux zombis. ♦Bon Dié pas fait négue Congo pou aute chose que Bamboula et, dans bals zombis, zoué banjo. God made the black man for no other purpose than the bamboula dance, and, in the zombie dance, to play the banjo. (T32) •bouke bal n.phr. (ST). Series of parties starting in the springtime; série de fetes qui commence au printemps. •fe bal v.phr. To have a good time, have a bah; s’amuser follement. ♦Quand so mari pas la li fait bal. Oh! Oh! When her husband is not there she has a high old time. (FO T27) •kouri bal v.phr. To go to the ball, go to the dance; aller au bal. ♦ Tou jennonm-ye prepare pou kouri bal. All of the young men were getting ready to go to the dance. (JR) See examples
• balans CA, MO 60 ( n. ) balons PC
  1. Swing; balançoire.
     Gro balans anmba lagaldri. A big swing on the porch. (PC); M ap mèt en balans an mo le galri pou mo balanse. I’m going to put a swing on my porch so I can swing. (CA) See examples
  2. Scale; balance.
     Ye gen en balans ki e peze li. To draiv to wagon on balans-la, lipez twa, wagon, tou kicho. They have a scale which weighs it (sugar cane). You drive your wagon onto the scale, and it weighs you, wagon and all. (PC); Mo gen pou peze an en ti balans tou sa mo ap manje parskè mo ON A DIET. I have to weigh everything I eat on a scale because I’m on a diet. (CA) See examples
  3. The rest; le reste.
     Tout la balans lavi. All the rest of my life. (MO 60); Sa kout en fòrtin. M mo pa gen sa. Sa fe leta e kou peye la balans. It costs a fortune. But I don’t have that much. So the state is going to pay the rest. (PC) ♦ M a met twa partè la e to sa gen pou marche la balans la rout. Fil let you down there, and you’ll have to go the rest of the way on foot. (JR) See examples
• balansé CA, PC ( v., v.intr., v.tr. )
  1. To swing; se balancer.
     Li balanse on la kòrd. He swung on the rope. (PC); M ap mèt en balans an mo legalri pou mo balanse. I’m going to put a swing on my porch so I can swing. (CA) ♦Quand branche la balancé ça idé piti zozos la chanté, comme hamac idé ein homme chanté. When the branch swings that helps little birds to sing, as a hammock helps a man to sing. (FO T20)To swing; balancer. ♦Men, an dizan sa, lœ rwa balanse li de ou trwa fwa e voye li osi lwon dan flev konm li te pe. But on saying that, the king swung him two or three times and threw him out into the river as far as he could. (JR) See examples
• baliyé CA ( v.tr. ) balé CA, MO 60 balyé NE, PC, ST
  1. To sweep; balayer.
     Mo prann en bale e mo baliye tou fey-ye ansanm. I take a broom and I sweep all the leaves together. (CA) ♦ In jou, li té pé balayé, fille la gadé déyors, et li oua in gros zozo. One day as she was sweeping, the girl looked outside and saw a big bird. (FO T16); ‘ balier’ (PE) 1. To clean out, eat up; tout manger. Kan li vyen isit, li bale mo chodyèr. Mo kwi sa e tou mo dmen mo gón. When she comes here, she cleans out my cooking pot. I cook that, and all my dinner is gone. (CA) See examples
• baloté ST ( v.intr. )
  1. To stagger, totter; chanceler, tituber.
     Mo mari te koutmen balote en ta kan li t ape bwar labyèr. My husband used to stagger a lot when he drank beer. (ST) See examples
• balèn CA ( n. ) balènn CA, ST
  1. Whale; baleine.
     ♦C’était ein néléphant avec baleine qui té apé causé ensembe. It was an elephant and a whale who were chatting together. (FO T1) See examples
  2. Whip, switch; fouet, gaule.
     To pa bon. Mo va fwate twa e balèn-la. You’re not good. I’m going to whip you with the switch. (CA); Mo popa te fe balenn avèk lapo bèt. My dad made whips with animal hide. (ST) ♦Cé vou louvrage ki fo gardé, ou sinon baleine cila a di kichoge à vou do, oui. It’s your work you should be looking at, or else this whip will say something to your back, oh yes! (ME) See examples
• balé CA, MO 60, PC ( n. ) balyé NE
  1. Broom; balai.
     Mo prann en bale e mo baliye tou fey-ye ansanm. I take a broom and I sweep all the leaves together. (CA); Nou gen tan ki nètwa divan-siye le tab e pase bale, siye l planche. We have a lot who clean up in front, who wipe the tables, sweep and mop the floors. (PC) ♦Pou arete en ne sengne, to kas de ti bren bale e to me ye on la krwa si la tet jis on ho so fron. To stop a nose from bleeding, you break off little pieces of broom straw, and you put them in the shape of a cross right on his forehead. (BI) See examples
  2. Broom (plant), genista; genêt.
     No te plante le bale, no te plante mayi, no te plante le pichtach. We used to plant broom, we used to plant corn, we used to plant peanuts. (PC) See examples
• balé PC ( n. )
  1. Dancer; danseur.
     Nou te bale la Fòs Rivyè. Ye min you-zòt te meyè dansè an Fòs Rivyè. We were the ‘False River Dancers’. They meant ‘Y’all are the best dancers in False River.’ (PC) See examples
• ban CA ( n. ) bon NE
  1. Bench; banc.
     Me se te jich én metrès, nave en sèl chom, e la se te de ti bon. But there was just one teacher, there was only one room, and there were little benches. (NE); Li fé en bon desi ban-la. He jumped onto the bench. (CA) ♦Pondon so soupe tape tchwi on dife, li asit on en bon. While his supper was cooking over the fire, he sat down on a bench. (DU) See examples
• bananyé No sources ( n. )
  1. Banana tree; bananier.
     ♦ Toi conné qui belle rigole, qui coule dans bananiers? Do you remember the pretty little brook that ran through the banana trees? (GC3) See examples
• banbara CA ( n. )
  1. Yellow chicken snake; serpent mangeur d’oeufs.
     Banbara-la manj de zèf dan nik poul. The yellow chicken snake eats eggs in the chicken nest. (CA) See examples
• banbay CA ( adv. )
  1. By and by, shortly, soon; tout a l’heure, bientôt.
     To konen galope me banbay m a trape twa. You can run fast but by and by, I will catch you. (CA) ♦Bambail, mo Compair, mo va trapé toi. Soon, my friend, I will catch you. (T2); Bamby l'allé fait chaud. Soon it was going to get hot. (T27) See examples
• banbou CA ( n. )
  1. Bamboo; bambou.
     To pran banbou pu ramen zariko. You take bamboo to pole your beans. (CA) See examples
• banboula No sources ( n. )
  1. Bamboo drum; tambour en bambou. REM: Tinker 1935:119 notes: «Bamboula is a drum, so named because in the West Indies it was made from a huge joint of bamboo over the end of which was stretched a goat’s skin. Bamboula is also the name of the dance performed to the music of the drums.»
  2. Bamboula (African dance); bamboula (danse africaine).
     ♦ Compair Bouki té si kontan, li dansé rigodon, kounjail, et bamboula. Brer Bouki was so happy he danced a rigadoon, a ‘kounjail’ and a ‘bamboula’. (T6) See examples
  3. Party; fête, soirée.
     ♦Dimin, cé dimance; apé lamesse, mo va donne ein grand bamboula, et mo olé tou ouzote vini. Tomorrow is Sunday; after mass I’m going to give a big party, and I want all of you to come. (T8) See examples
• bandi No sources ( n. )
  1. Bandit; bandit.
     ♦Et Longstreet qui té chef Scalawag , li chef bandit au Mexique. And Longstreet, who was head scallawag, was the head bandit in Mexico. (T38) See examples
• bando CA, ST ( n. )
  1. Bandage; pansement.
     To mete en bando an en koupur pou proteje li. You put a bandage on a cut to protect it. (CA) See examples
• bandonin CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To abandon; abandonner.
     Ye bandonen mezon-la. Ena pi pèrsonn ki rès andan-la. Se tou bandonen. They abandoned the house. No one lives there anymore. It’s abandoned. (CA) ♦ Li pas fouti dévinin et li té bligé bandonné la partie. He wasn’t a good guesser and he had to abandon the game. (FO T18); ‘bondonnain’, ‘bondonner’ (PE) See examples
• bangou PC ( n. ) bango PC
  1. Tall weed; mauvaise herbe haute.
     De nonm kachye dan en pyès bango laba-la , mai. Two men were hiding in a patch of tall weeds down there, (a patch of) corn. (PC) See examples
• bani No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To banish; bannir, expulser.
     ♦ Badger depuis longtemps banni et li parti sans so dépouille. Badger has been banished for a long time, and he left without his share of the spoils. (T38) See examples
• bank PC ( n. ) labank CA
  1. Bank; banque, caisse d’épargne.
     Mo gen mo larjan dan labank. I have my money in the bank. (PC); No gen trwa o kat labank isit la Vachri me mwa mo pa gen larjan dan ye. There are three or four banks in Vacherie but I don’t have money in them. (CA) ♦Mo déposé treize escalins dans la Banque Miché Van Norden, dans in boète en fer blanc. I deposited thirteen escalins in Mr. Van Norden’s bank, in a tin box. (T34) See examples
• banko CA ( n. )
  1. Party; fête, soirée.
     Kan to dòn en banko, to kwi, to achèt manje, to fe doudous, PIE. To gen diven. Ye jou kart. Ye dans koundja. To envit bokou moun. When you give an evening party, you cook, you buy food, you make sweets, pies. You have wine. They play cards. They dance the «counjaille». You invite a lot of people. (CA) See examples
• bankèt BT ( n. )
  1. Sidewalk; trottoir.
     Mo wa en ti nounoun zozo o la bonkèt. I saw a very tiny bird on the sidewalk. (BT) ♦Mé cé la noce la quapé pacé lotte coté la banquette! But it’s the wedding party going by on the sidewalk. (WO) See examples
• bann PC ( adv. )
  1. Many, a lot (of); beaucoup (de).
     To gen en bann piti, to gen fe tansy an pou ye. (If) you have a bunch of children, you have to watch out for them. (PC) ♦ Compair Lapin présenté li et dit lé roi qué Renard té ein so bon zamis et li sré content si Roi té accepté li et yé dé sré rende bande services. Brer Rabbit introduced him and told the king that Fox was one of his good friends, and he would be happy if the king accepted him, and the two of them would render him a lot of services. (FO T15) See examples
• bann BT, PC ( n. ) band MO 60 bon NE bàn ST
  1. Group, bunch, gang; bande, groupe.
     Mo popa te kònè di mon ye te gen en bann de dego ki te kònè rèste anlòtour isit. My father used to tell me there were a bunch of Italians living around here. (PC) ♦Ain jour ain bande macacs t apé joué en bas n'abe là-bas dans bois, ensembe. One day a group of monkeys was playing together under a tree down there in the woods. (T25); ‘bande’ (T6; T8; T17) See examples
  2. Flock; troupeau, volée.
     Mo konne aou ina enn bann de pèrdri paski se i le kouche e pi ye manchaye antour. I know where there’s a flock of quail, because they sleep and they eat in the surrounding area. (BT); Bàn poul. A flock of chickens. (ST) ♦Navé ein vié famme riche, yé té pélé Madamme Ranhoutan, ki té gagné ein gro bande moutons. There was an old rich woman whom they called Mrs. Ranhoutan, who had a big flock of sheep. (T6) See examples
• banàn CA, PC ( n. ) banòn PC banann PC
  1. Banana; banane.
     An sanmdi, mo kou achte banann, kanndi, tou kalite, j avè gonmbo e tou kichò. Saturday I’d go buy bananas, candy, all kinds of things, gumbo and everything. (PC); Mo manj en ta fri. Mo lenm en morso banàn, en morso depòm. I eat a lot of fruit. I like a piece of banana, a piece of apple. (CA) ♦Yé té si joli, ké tout moune té oulé marié avec yé. Yé té pélé yé: La Graisse, Dépomme, Banane, et Pacane. They were so pretty, everyone wanted to marry them. Their names were Grease, Apple, Banana and Pecan. (T29) •’banane-concomme’ adj.phr. Crazy; fou, insensé. ♦ Ah! ça té peiné moin beaucoup de regardé ein si grand homme, et de dire qu’en rien du tout, li té va banane-concomme. It grieved me a lot to see such a great man, and to know that in no time at all he would go crazy. (T37) See examples
• bap No sources ( onom. )
  1. Bam, boom! Paf, boum!
     ♦Piti dergné li pa boucou for, li vini lasse tousouite, et li tombé bap! The last little one was not very strong, he got tired at once and he fell, bam! (T6) See examples
• baptis No sources ( adj., n. )
  1. Baptist; baptiste.
     Ye vonn ti plat latè-la kote moun baptis-ye, ye mète en legliz la. They sold that little patch of ground to the Baptist folks to put a church there. (PC)Baptist; baptiste. Enan bèbtis, proteston, tou kalite lòt, mè mon mon se katolik. There are Baptists, Protestants, every other kind, but as for me, I’m Catholic. (PC) ♦ Vou parlé mouen dancé Bamboula; mo té kré vou té tandé nouvel mo té ein Batisse à s’tère. You speak to me about dancing the bamboula; I thought you had heard the news that I’m a Baptist now. (T14) See examples
• bar BT, CA, PC ( n. ) ba PC
  1. Lath; latte, volige.
     Ye mèt bardo anho bar-ye k anmba-la. They put shingles on top of the laths which are underneath. (PC) See examples
  2. Long board; longue planche.
     To me en bar an travèr la port pou bare li, Se bare. Se pa akle. You put a long piece of wood across the door to block it shut. It’s barred. It’s not locked with a key. (CA) See examples
  3. Bar, rod; barre.
     To gen de ti bar apre kòm sa, di ti bar fil, debout. To ga apre kat ti ba d fil. (To play croquet), you have little wire bars about so high, standing upright. You have about four little wire bars. (PC) ♦ ‘Trois bars di camphe [trwa bar di konf]' Three bars of camphor. (BI) •bar di fèr n.phr. (BT); bwò de fèr (BT). Iron bar, rod; barreau de fer. Kan l char-la mont disu i va ale drwat swiv le rèl. Nave de bar di fèr e pi disu de bwa an travèr. When the train goes up it directly follows the rails. There were iron rods and then on top, there were wooden planks across them. (BT) ♦ Li garde la fnet e li te bare avek de bar de fer. He looked at the window and it was closed up with iron bars. (JR) See examples
  4. Stripe; barre, rayure.
     Ti koulev-la se en ti sèrpon li pa lonng men li gen de STRIPE, le bar an li. Rouj, ble, diferan koulè. A little koulev is a little snake, it’s not long but it has stripes on it. Red, blue, different colors. (PC); Rob-la gen de bar andan. The dress has stripes on it. (CA) • ‘la barre jou’ n.phr. Daybreak, dawn; aube, point du jour. ♦ A la barre jou, jolié la vini ouvri la porte so la prison. At daybreak, the jailer opened the door of his prison. (FO 1887) See examples
• bar PC ( n. ) labar CA
  1. Bar, nightclub; bar, boîte de nuit.
     No gen en labar. Li ouv a senk-èr lez apre-midi ouchka dis-èr, onz-èr du swa. We own a bar. She (my wife) opens at five o’clock in the afternoon until ten o’clock, eleven o’clock at night. (CA) See examples
• bar PC ( n. )
  1. Striped shiner, striped bass; bar rayé.
     Se tou de bar sa. Those are all striped bass. (PC) See examples
• barb NE ( n. ) labarb CA, ST labab PC
  1. Beard; barbe.
     To vyè popa te gen en lo labab. Your grandfather had a big beard. (PC); Mo labarb ape tourne gri. My beard is turning gray. (ST) ♦Tan Madamme Ranhoutan oua so gran labarbe tou plin lavase, li bligé ri. When Mrs. Ranhoutan saw his big beard all full of mud, she had to laugh. (T6); (T8; T27) •ri don (sa) barb v.phr. To laugh up one’s sleeve; rire dans sa barbe, cf. ri •’la barbe espagnol’ n.phr. Spanish moss; mousse espagnole. ♦Kashé dan la barbe espagnol, ki sa qui apé shanté là? Ki silà? Hidden in the Spanish moss, who’s that who’s singing there? Who is it? (TN) See examples
  2. Whiskers, barbel (of a catfish); barbillons (d’un poisson-chat). (PC)
  3. Corn silk, corn tassel; styles et stigmates de maïs.
     Ote tou labab blon. To remove all the corn silk. (PC); Labarb mayi. Corn silk. (CA) See examples
  4. Beard, small tuft of feathers found on the male turkey’s breast; barbe, touffe de plumes sur la poitrine du dindon. (PC)
• barbouyé No sources ( adj. )
  1. Having Negro blood; qui a du sang noir. (TN)
• barbouyé CA, ST ( v.tr. )
  1. To dirty, get dirty; barbouiller, (se) salir.
     Kan ye te manje, ye te barbouye tou ye labouch. When they ate they would get their mouths all dirty. (CA) See examples
  2. To wet, soak; tremper, mouiller.
     ♦Dans so chimin li contré ein poule, li tchoué li, li prend so disang et barbouillé ein vié linge. On his way he met a chicken, he killed it, he took its blood and soaked a rag in it. (FO TI5) See examples
• barbu PC ( n. ) barbi PC
  1. Catfish; poisson-chat.
     Mo kwa ye gen barbi, e ye gen dikap, patasa, mo kwa ye gen choupik osi. I think that (in the False River) there are catfish, and there are carp, perch, I think there are also mudfish. (PC) ♦- ET pis, bam-by, li temps négrillons cou péché: yé cou trapé cribisse, barbi et patassa. And then, by and by, it is time for the little black boys to go fishing: They go and catch crawfish, catfish and perch. (T27) •barbi blan n.phr. (PC). White catfish; poisson-chat blanc, •barbi ble n.phr. (PC). Blue (channel) catfish; poisson-chat bleu. •barbi nwa n.phr. (PC). Black catfish; poisson-chat noir. •barbi jón n.phr. (PC). Yellow catfish; poisson-chat jaune. See examples
• barbyé MO 60, PC ( n. )
  1. Barber; barbier, coiffeur.
     ♦ Mo dis li qué jour là seulement, mo té rivé dé la Mobile ou mo té ein barbier décent. I told him that just that day I had arrived from Mobile, where I had been a decent barber. (T38) See examples
• barbòt PC ( n. )
  1. Mud catfish; espèce de poisson-chat.
     (Leptops olivaris). Ina de barbu ye pèl de barbòt, le ti barbu kourt la. There are some catfish they call ‘barbottes’, those are short little catfish. (PC) See examples
• barbòtèr No sources ( n. )
  1. One who splashes about; barboteur.
     ♦Lapin la parti ri et dit Torti ‘To fou. Pou qui to prend Lapin, vié barbotère laboue?’ Rabbit began to laugh and he told Turtle, ‘ You’re crazy. Who do you take Rabbit for, an old mud splasher?’ (T26) See examples
• barbòté CA, PC ( v., v.intr., v.tr. )
  1. To splash about; barboter.
     T ap barbote dan labou-la. T ap sali to lenj. You’re splashing around in the mud. You’re getting your clothes dirty. (CA) ♦Des oies, canards dans gros bayou pé barboté. Geese and ducks in the big bayou were splashing about. (T27)To mess up; gâcher, bousiller. (PC) See examples