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

• natif PC ( n. )
  1. Native; natif, autochtone.
     Tou le natif deu UNITED STATES to dòn li lœr libèrte. All those who were natives of the United States, you gave them their freedom. (PC) See examples
• natirèl CA, NE ( adj. ) nachurèl BT naturèl PC
  1. Natural; naturel.
     Se tou natirèl wa le jèn piti astèr, sa tou parl meriken. It’s natural to see children today who just speak English. (NE) ♦ Tou ça pas naturel. All of that is not natural. (ME 91) See examples
  2. Normal; normal.
     Li pa natirèl. Li en ponk. He’s not normal. He’s a homosexual. (CA) See examples
• naturèlman PC ( adv. ) natirèlman CA natoral PC
  1. Naturally; naturellement.
     Li vini natoral. It comes naturally. (PC) See examples
• navigé CA, PC ( v.intr. ) navig BT
  1. To move around, travel; se déplacer, voyager.
     Ye manch dan lafanmiy, pi ye navig an fanmiy, me ye toujour ète kouche dan la menm plas, enn bann de pèrdri. They eat together as a family, they travel together as a family, but they’ve always slept in the same place, a flock of partridges. (BT); Se dannen, te dannen dan lamezon-l. To lèspri te pa den en plas. Lèspri te yich e navige, ich e navige. It’s haunted. Your spirit wasn’t in a place. Your spirit was just moving about. (PC) ♦ Ouaouaron dit comme c'est bon baignin, comme c 'est bon naviguer dans marais. The frog said how good it was to bathe and how good it was to travel in the marsh. (BD) See examples
  2. To travel (used of vehicles); voyager, rouler.
     Le char peu pa navige an travè tou lez eta. The train can’t travel through all the states. (PC) ♦ Yé té allé donné yé fille à cila ki té fé yé cado ein bato ki té koné navigué on laterre com on lamer. They would give their daughter in marriage to the one who could give them a boat that would travel on land as on sea. (T7) See examples
  3. To sail; faire voile, naviguer.
     Bato-la t ape navige dan dolo ke te troub. The boat was sailing on troubled waters. (CA) ♦ 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) See examples
• navir CA, MO 60 ( n. )
  1. Ship; navire.
     Li te rèste dan servis dèz an e dmi, rèste an navir. He stayed in the service for two and a half years, stayed on a ship. (CA) ♦Navir-la grouye plen, men li tchobo en bon bout tan. The ship was tossed a lot, but it held on for a good while. (JR) See examples
• navé CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Turnip; navet.
     En gro nave. A large turnip. (PC); To etoufe nave kòm to etouf patat anglèz . You smother turnips like you smother potatoes. (CA) See examples
  2. Turnip greens; fanes de navets. (PC)
• ne PC ( n. ) né PC
  1. Knot (in string, wood); noeud (dans une ficelle, du bois).
     Si to gen pou fann li, ta a jamen fann li si li gen ne. If you have to split [the log], you will never be able to split it if it has a knot. (PC) ♦ To fe trwa ne don en fisel. P ondon tape fe le ne to fe en pryèr. You make three knots in a piece of string. While you are making the knots you say a prayer. (BI) See examples
  2. Node (of sugar cane stalk); noeud (sur une canne à sucre).
     Ne dekon se la ou dekòn-la lev, on ne la. The node of the sugar cane stalk, that’s where a new cane sprout grows out. (PC) See examples
• nef CA ( adj. ) nev PC néf CA, PC
  1. New; neuf, nouveau.
     Monntre mwen to chapo nef. Show me your new hat. (PC); Mo gen en bros neuf. I have a new brush. (CA) ♦ Mo besoin zétojfe neuve pou abillé mo piti filles. I need new cloth to dress my little girls. (ME) See examples
• nef CA ( num.card. ) nèf CA, NE, PC nœf BT, NE néf NE nèr CA
  1. Nine; neuf.
     Nœf pyas pour kat chandèl. Nine dollars for four candles. (BT); Mo mo se katriyenm-la dan nèf-y e. I’m the fourth, I’m the fourth out of nine children. (PC); Ye joue byen. Ye chmen ye nèf pwan a de pwan. They played well. They beat them 9 to 2. (CA) Mo gen en ti GRANDCHILD ki nèv an asteur-la. I have a little grandchild who is nine years old now. (CA) ♦ [Pou] lèrb a pis, i fo vonte twa nef fwa avek le de pòrt den larmwar debou on don le pòrt. For poison ivy, you have to fan yourself nine times with the two doors of an armoire while standing inside the doors. (BI) •neuv-èr adv.phr. (CA); nev-è (PC); nev-èr (CA; PC). Nine o’clock; neuf heures. Li sen minit pou nev-è. It’s five till nine. (PC) neve n. (CA; NE; PC; ST); neuveu, nevè (PC). Nephew; neveu. Mo neve te lenmen kase chwal maron. My nephew used to like to tame wild horses. (ST); Mo gen en neve. I have a nephew. (PC) •gro-neve n.phr. (PC). Grandnephew; petit-neveu. Se en dan mo gro-neve-ye. Se gason mo nyes. He’s one of my grandnephews. He’s my niece’s son. (PC) • piti-neve n.phr. (CA). Grandnephew; petit-neveu. See examples
• ni MO 60, NE, PC ( adv. )
  1. Neither... nor; ni... ni.
     M pa ka dòn twa e ni pèson so djob. I can’t give his job to you or to anyone else. (PC) •ni...e conj. (NE). Neither... nor; ni... ni. Ni ma momon e mo popa parl longle. Neither my father nor my mother speaks English. (NE) •ni...non plu adv.neg. Neither, not either; ni ... non plus. cf. non-plu •ni...ni adv.neg. ni pa...ni pa (MO 60). Neither...nor; ni... ni. Ni blan ni nwa. Ye a seye. Me ye pa reusi. Neither whites nor blacks. They will try, but they will not succeed. (PC); Ni mon ni twa gen larjon. Neither you nor I has any money. (NE); Ni manj pa andan ni touch pa li. Neither eat in it nor touch it. (MO 60) ♦ Jis ein piti ver de terre , pas gagnin pattes ni la main , ni zaile et li bligé resté dans so trou. Just a little earthworm, he has neither paws nor hands, nor wings, and he is forced to remain in his hole. (FO T3) See examples
• nik CA, PC, ST ( n. ) ñik MO 60
  1. Nest; nid.
     Eusot trouve sa danz en nik a en nèglon. They found that in an eagle’s nest. (CA); Li paye fœy on so nik. She scattered leaves on her nest. (ST) ♦ Piti a piti zozo fe so ni. Little by little the bird makes its nest. [‘ nid '] (DU) See examples
  2. Nest, den, lair; repaire, tanière, nid.
     En chawe... li rès dan de bwa gen de nik dan de bwa zafè. A raccoon...lives in the woods and makes his nest in the trees. (PC); No te mèt de ti nik desi latab pou lapen ponn pou nouzòt. No te trese le flèr a trèf pou fe de nik lapen. We would put out little nests on the table for the rabbit to lay eggs for us. We would braid clover flowers to make nests. (CA) See examples
• nimoni NE ( n. )
  1. Pneumonia; pneumonie.
     Kekèn te gen en nimoni , ye te pele sa le pwen , trape le pwen. When someone had pneumonia, they called that [pwen], catching the [pwen]. (NE) ♦ ’nimoni’ (BI) See examples
• nin CA ( n. )
  1. Dwarf, midget; nain.
• ninpòrt CA, ST ( adv. ) ninpòr ST
  1. It doesn’t matter, never mind; peu importe, ça m’est égal.
     Nenpòr kalite t ole jordi, t ale gen li. No matter what kind you want today, you will have it. (ST) ♦ Mo pas gagnin per, mais n’importe, faut toujou m a tremblé. I’m not afraid, but it doesn’t matter, I have to tremble anyway. (T11) •nenpòt sa pron. indef. (PC). Whatever; n’importe quoi. Nenpòt sa t ole. Whatever you want. (PC) •’n’importe éyoù’ adv.phr. Anywhere, wherever; n’importe où. Li té plus intéressé ayou s’en aller, n’importe éyoù pour avoir la paix. He was more interested in where to go, anywhere to be left alone. (DC) ♦É nimpòrte ou nomme a couri fame a couri joinde li. In whatever place the man may be, the woman will go to meet him. (FO 1887) See examples
• ninpòrt-ki CA ( adj., pron., pron.indef. ) népòrt-ki CA ninpòrté-ké NE ninmpòt-ki PC ninpòtè-ki PC ninpòt-ki PC ninpòrt-éki NE ninpòrt-ékè! NE ninpò(r)t-kè(l) MO 60
  1. Any, whichever, whatever; n’importe quel.
     Ye te prèske kapab trete nenpòrte-ke maladi. They were almost able to treat any sickness. (NE) ♦ Pou en kou t soley ou nenpòrt ke mal. For a sunstroke or any sickness. (BI) • nenpòt ki manyè adv.phr. (PC); nepòrt ki monyèr (CA). Any old way, no matter how; n’importe comment. To ouvè li ave en ti swip, kultuvatè ou en chari, nenpòt ki manyè. You open it up with a sweeper, a cultivator or a plow, it doesn’t matter how. (PC) •nenpòt ki mwòyen adv.phr. (PC). Any old way, no matter how; n'importe comment. •nenpòrt ki plas adv.phr. (CA); nèpòrt ki plas (CA). Wherever, no matter where, anywhere; n’importe où. Kan se mo tan, mo gen p gònn nenpòrt ki plas mo ye. When it’s my time, I’m going no matter where I am. (CA) •nenpòt ki tan adv.phr. (PC); nèpòt ki tan (CA). Whenever, any time; n'importe quand. Vyen nenpòt ki tan. Come whenever. (PC) •nenpòt ki zafè adv.phr. (PC); nèpòt ki zafè (CA). Anything; n’importe quoi. Nenpòt ki zafè ki sal. Anything that is dirty. (PC) •nenpòt kichòz n.phr. nenpòt ki kichò, nenpòtè kichò, nenmpòt ki (PC); nèpòrt kikchòz (CA). Anything; n’importe quoi. ♦ Li te pa ole kite so nami la, e li se fe nenpòt kichòz pou ede li. He didn’t want to leave his friend there, and he would have done anything to help him. (JR) •nenpòt ki moun n.phr. (PC); nèpòrt ki moun (CA). Anyone; n’importe qui.1. Either one; n’importe lequel. Ina moun ke li ka ekri ave nenpòt ki dan so lamen. There are people who can write with either one of their hands. (PC); Mo mèt nenpòrte-ki, mo mèt swa le pakòn ou swa le pichtach. I put in either one, pecans or peanuts. (NE) 2. Anything, whatever; n’importe quoi. Mo kapab di nenpòtè-ki mo ka di an mèriken mo ka di l an kreol. Anything that I can say in English I can say in Creole. (PC); Lapen di: Nenpòrte-ki to deside fe èk mon, fe li! ‘ Rabbit said, ‘Whatever you’ ve decided to do with me, do it!’ (NE) 3. Whoever, anyone, whichever; qui que ce soit. Nenpòrte-ki peu fe sa, se fasil. Anyone can do that, it’s easy. (NE) ♦ Asteur nimpòrte qui dans vous zotes mandé moin ein quichoge. Now any one of you can ask me something. (FO T18) See examples
• ninpòrt-kòman No sources ( adv. ) népòt-komann PC ninpòrt-komon NE nèpòrt-kòman CA ninpòr-komon ST
  1. Any old way, no matter how; n’importe comment.
     Ye te pe e kouri dan cheumen kouri nepòt-komann. They weren’t just running around in the streets like that. (PC) See examples
  2. As...as, no matter how; quelque... que, aussi... que.
     Nenpòrt-komon malad li ye, li tou-l-ton ape ri. No matter how sick he is, he is always laughing. (NE) •nenpòt-konmon fiy n.phr. (BT); nèpòrt-konman fiy (CA). Woman of low morals, slut, easy woman; femme de petite vertue, salope. E tou se bouk dòrey, se zafèr-sa-1, yan nave pa d sa, non. Le manman te pa ole, paski ye te krwa sète de nenpòt-konmon fiy. And all those earrings and those things, there wasn’t any of that. Mothers didn’t want it because they thought they were easy women [who wore that]. (BT) See examples
• ninènn CA, ST ( n. )
  1. Godmother; marraine.
     Kan ti bebe batize, prèt-la ranj so batistèr. Se en papye e so non, so pap, so moman, so paren, so nenenn e mwa li ne, e kantyèm, e lonnen. When a little baby is baptized, the priest prepares his baptismal certificate. It’s a paper with his name, his dad, his mom, his godfather, his godmother, and the month he was bom, the day and the year. (CA) ♦ Mo sauté barrière dans verger mo nainnaine . I jumped the fence into my godmother’s orchard. (T27) See examples
• nipokrit No sources ( n. )
  1. Hypocrite; hypocrite.
     ♦Ça prouvé vouzote ein kichoge , ké compair Lapin té ein niprocrite é li plaidé faux pou gagnin vrai. That proves one thing to you, that Compair Lapin was a hypocrite and pleaded false things to know the truth. (FO 1887) See examples
• niraji No sources ( n. )
  1. Neuralgia; névralgie.
     ♦ Pote de moso la miskad don to kou , to pe jamen gen niraji. Wear bits of nutmeg around your neck, you will never have neuralgia. (LA) See examples
• nish BT, CA ( n. )
  1. Trick, practical joke; farce, mauvais tour.
     Mo te fe ye de nich kan li te tourn so do. I played tricks on them when she (their mother) turned her back. (BT) See examples
• nishwar BT ( n. )
  1. Breeding cage; nichoir.
     Kite en nœf dan l nichwar e la sa fe lezòt poul kouri ponn la. Leave an egg in the breeding cage and that will make the other hens lay. (BT) See examples
• nishé CA ( v., v.tr., v.intr. )
  1. To swipe, steal; chiper, piquer, voler.
     Mo te fe kòm si mo te pa wa li niche. I acted like I didn’t see him stealing. (CA) ♦ To te gen pou det jolimon malen pou niche bout chondel la. You must have been awfully clever to swipe that bit of candle. [‘niché’] (DU) See examples
  2. To tease, make fun of, pick on; tourmenter, se moquer de.
     To kanay. To vomye arete niche piti-la. You’re mischievous. You’d better stop picking on that child. (CA)To nest; nicher. Inave en sèrpon niche onmba ma mezon. There was a snake nesting under my house. (BT) See examples
• nivlé CA, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To level; niveler.
     Vou gen pou nivle li. Nivle li min mèt li an nivo. You have to level it. Leveling it means making it level. (PC) See examples
• nivo BT, CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Carpenter’s level; niveau de charpentier.
     Anon di zafè-sa-la debout la. La mo mèt mo nivo drwat-la apre li. M a me e garde nivo-la, ka ra bon , m a di ‘koulwe!’ Let’s say the thing is upright. I put my level right on it. I look at the level, and when it’s okay, I say ‘Nail!’ (PC) •an nivo adj.phr. (CA; PC). Level, on a level; de niveau. Nivle li min mèt li an nivo. Leveling it means making it level. (PC); Me li drwat. Li an nivo. Put it straight. It’s level. (CA) See examples
• nivoté BT ( v.tr. )
  1. To level; niveler.
     Va chèrche mon nivo. Nivo sa se pour nivote , vwa si li dròt. M ole nivote bar-sa-la. Go get my level. A level is for leveling, seeing if something is straight. I want to level that bar. (BT) See examples
• nivèrsèr No sources ( n. )
  1. Birthday; anniversaire (de naissance).
     ♦ Cé jou niversaire vou nessance. It’s your birthday. (ME) See examples
• no No sources ( pron., det.poss. )
  1. We, us, our; nous, notre, nos. cf. nou no-kèn pron., adj. (CA; NE); nò-tchèn (NE); nou-tchèn, nou-tchyen, nouzòt-tchyenn, nou-kenn, nou-kèn, nou-jœn, no-tchèn (PC).Ours, our own; le, la nôtre, les nôtres.
     Ye oto plu vyeu keu nou-jœn. Their car is older than ours. (PC)Our own; notre propre, nos propres. E la kon nou kanmonse gen no-tchenn piti se kòm sa li voule pale avek ye. When we had our own children, that’s what he wanted to speak with them. (PC) See examples
• nomé NE ( v.tr. ) nonmé PC nonmin CA, PC
  1. To name, to call; nommer, appeler.
     Kon ye vyen pou nome non ye popa e ye momon en ta dimoun di: ‘Mo popa se Boubout, mo momon se Poupout'. When they have to name their parents, a lot of people say ‘My father is Bouboutte and my mother is Poupoutte.’ (NE); Mo janme tannde nonme li lòt monyè. I’ve never heard it called anything else. (PC); ♦ Li kouri fe en trwasyenm batenm, e li nonmen piti-sa-la Trwasyenm-la. He went to do a third baptism, and he named that child the Third One. (JR) See examples
  2. To nominate; nommer.
     Mo nonmen li pou èt prezidan no klòb. I nominated him to be president of our club. (CA) See examples
• non CA, PC ( adv. )
  1. No; non.
     Non, mo pa las jòdi-la. No, I’m not tired today. (PC); Non, mo va pa ale lantèrman jodi. No, I’m not going to the funeral Thursday. (CA) ♦ Nous va mandé li bien pardon; et com li pas lé di nous non, nous va chanté: - Quiquiriqui! We’re going to ask his forgiveness; and since he won’t want to tell us ‘no’, we will sing ‘Quiquiriqui’. (T31) See examples
• non CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Name; nom.
     Mo non se FABIOLA. mo non d fanmiy sète WILLIAMS. My first name was Fabiola and my last name was Williams. (BT); Laparwas isit gen si tèlman le ti kanal e le ti bout dolo keu ina ye pa gen leu non dutou. This parish has so many little canals and stretches of water that there are many which have no name at all. (PC); Lanfan te batize desi non a so moman. The child was baptized by its mother’s name. (CA) ♦ Aprés ça yé changé nom Jean Sotte et yé ‘pélé li Jean Smatte. After that they changed Foolish John’s name and they called him Clever John. (BD) •bon non n.phr. (CA; PC). First name, given name; prénom. Mo bon non se katolik, to konè. Mè bon non se MADELEINE . My given name is Catholic, you know. My given name is Madeleine. (PC); Mo granpèr so non te Alfons. Sa se so bon non. My grandfather’s name was Alphonse. That was his first name. (CA) •dènyè non n.phr. (PC); dennyè non, dènyen non (PC); daryen non (CA; PC). Last name; nom de famille. Saromen se so dènyè non. Saint Romain is his last name. (PC) •gen non a v.phr. (CA). To be named after; avoir le nom de. Amelis, li gen non a mo popa e Katrin, li gen non a mon moman. Amelisse was named after my dad and Catherine was named after my mother. (CA) •mèt on so non v.phr. (BT). To give s.o. one’s last name (e.g. by adoption); donner son nom de famille (p.ex. en l’adoptant). Li mèt on so non. He gave him his name. (BT) •non-d-batèm n.phr. First name, given name, baptismal name; prénom, nom de baptême. ♦ Li dis moin: Moi sé Sans-Quartier, Henri sé mo nom dé baptême. He told me, ‘I am Sans-Quartier, and Henry is my baptismal name.’ (T38) •non-d-famiy n.phr. (CA); non-d-fanmiy (BT); non-d-fonmiy (PC). 1) Family name, last name; nom de famille. So non-d-famiy se Oub. His last name is Oubre. (CA) 2) Maiden name; nom de jeune fille. BRIDGEWATER se mo non-d-fonmiy, e JOSEPH se mo non-d-maryaj. Bridgewater is my maiden name, and Joseph is my married name. (PC) •non-d-maryaj n.phr. (CA). Married name; nom de mariage. Li chanje so non apre li marye. So non-d-maryaj se NARCISSE. She changed her name after she married. Her married name is Narcisse. (CA) •non-d-nèsans n.phr. (CA). First name, given name; prénom. •prèmyè non n.phr. (PC); prenmyè non (PC). First name, given name; prénom. Pa kònen so prèmyè non. I don’t know his first name. (PC) •ti non n.phr. (CA; NE; PC); ti nan (PC). Nickname; sobriquet. Mo ti non te Tout. Tou kèken pèl mwa Tout. Mo non se FABIOLA . My nickname was Toute. Everyone called me Toute. My first name is Fabiola. (BT) See examples
• non-plu No sources ( adv., adv.phr. ) pa non-plu PC pa nonpli CA, NE non-pli pa NE pa nan-pli PC
  1. Not either, neither; ne ... pas non plus.
     Moun koulè lèm pa gonbo fevi bwi, se le blan ki lèm sa. Vou kònè sa ye pèl BOILED OKRA ? Mo mon lèm pa sa non-plu. Black people don’t like boiled okra, it’s white people who like that. Do you know what they mean by boiled okra? I don’t like that either. (PC); Li vyen pa non-pli. He is not coming either. (NE) •ni...non-plu adv.neg. (PC). Neither; ni ... non plus. Le nwa te pa ka kouri la , ni le blan nan-plu. Blacks couldn’t go there, neither could whites. (PC) See examples
• nonbri No sources ( n. ) lanbri PC, ST lonmbri PC lòmbri PC nonmbri PC lanmbri PC, CA lonbri BT, PC, ST
  1. Navel, umbilical cord, belly button; nombril, cordon ombilical.
     Kan piti-la vyen pour ne, chasfonm-la gen pou dèrivle li. E koupe so lanbri, epi mare li, e ronje li byen pou pèche so lanbri sengnen. When the child is ready to be born, the midwife would deliver it. She’d cut its umbilical cord, and tie it, fix it up to keep his navel from bleeding. (PC); Kan li ne, ye koupe so lakòrd lanmbri. When he was bom, they cut his umbilical cord. (ST); Kan piti-ye te gen devè, no te pase tèrebantin anlantour so lanmbri. When children had worms we put turpentine around their belly buttons. (CA) ♦ Pou fe tonbe nobri, pron ni gep e chofe ye don stov e la kraze ye, fen konm en lapoud. To make the umbilical cord fall off, take wasp nests and heat them on the stove and grind them up, make a powder. [ ' nombri ’] (LA) See examples
• nonk CA, NE, PC ( n. ) nank PC
  1. Uncle; oncle.
     Mo gen portre mo de nonk-ye. I have pictures of my two uncles. (NE); Lœrz onk. Their uncles. (PC); Mèn sa pou Nonk CAP soude lalanm-la e lamanch-la ansanm. Bring that so Uncle Cap can solder the blade and the handle together. (CA) ♦ Quan mo rivé là soir là mo trouvé mo l'oncle à laporte apé reçoit moune et fé zonnaires la maison. When I arrived there that night I found my uncle at the door receiving guests and paying compliments. (T40) •’Nonc Rémi' prop.n. Uncle Remus (folktale character); Oncle Rémi (personnage dans les contes). ♦ E ben, Nonk Remi, ye pele mwen. Well, Uncle Remus, they called me. (DU) See examples
• nonk PC ( n. )
  1. Knuckle; jointure, articulation (du doigt).
• nonnon CA, ST ( n. ) nonon CA
  1. Core, heart, stone, pit (of fruit); trognon, coeur, noyau, pépin.
     Ekan mo manj en depòm, mo jèt nonnon-la. Mo manj pa li. When I eat an apple, I throw out the core. I don’t eat it. (CA) See examples
• notifyé CA ( n. )
  1. Invitation, notice; faire-part, invitation.
     Ye vòye en notifye ke t ap ale gen en resèpsyon apre maryaj-la. They sent an invitation that there was going to be a reception after the wedding. (CA) See examples
• notré-pè PC ( n. ) nòtrè-pè PC
  1. The Lord’s Prayer; le Pater Noster.
     To gen fe notre-pè. Primye paròl l anna, se notre-pè. You have to say the Our Father. The first words in it are ‘Our Father’. (PC) ♦ Mo resit trwa sali mari e en nòtr pe. I recite three Hail Marys and an Our Father. (BI) See examples
• nou BT, MO 60, NE, PC, ST ( pron. ) no BT, CA, NE, PC ni PC nou PC n PC [in sense 3:] nòt NE
  1. subj. We; nous.
     Nouzòt ti boug-ye ne e garde pou wiski, n pa foutu trouve li. We little boys were looking for whiskey but couldn’t find it. (PC); Nouzòt toujour isit e no va pa nil-par. We are always here and we never go anywhere. (NE); Kan nou ansanm, nou pal pa langle. Nou pal zus kreyòl . When we’re together we don’t speak English, we speak only Creole. (PC); Nou gen en metrès-d-ekol ki montre piti ye lèson byen. We have a teacher who teaches children their lessons well. (ST) ♦ Fé gombo vert, mo vieil; cé jordi vandrédi, no va fé mègue. Make a vegetarian gumbo, old pal. Today is Friday and we will abstain from meat. (T6) • nou de n.phr. (CA; PC). Both of us, the two of us; nous deux. Kabann-la pou nou de. The house belongs to the two of us. (PC) •nou tou n.phr. (CA; PC). We all; nous tous. Nou tou te gen sa isit. All of us caught that disease here. (PC) See examples
  2. obj. Us; nous.
     No te mèt en moustikèr andan no lit pou peche moustik pike nou. We used to put mosquito netting in our beds to prevent mosquitos from biting us. (CA); Mo moman te fe dite cho, e i te fe nou bwa sa. My mother used to make hot tea, and she made us drink that. (PC) ♦ Yé méprisé nous. They scorned us. (T35) REM: In NE, the usual lpl object form is nouzot ; no and nou are rare in this usage. See examples
  3. Our; notre, nos.
     Ye te rache nòt zyeu, rache nòt zong kòm sa-la. They plucked out our eyes and our fingernails like that. (NE); No te trape langre dan no lamen e dan no pye. We got frostbite on our hands and feet. (CA) •Quéqu’ain mangé nous di bèl Someone ate our butter. (BD) See examples
• nou-mèm No sources ( pron., pron.refl. ) nou-minm PC nouzot-mèm NE
  1. Ourselves; nous-mêmes.
     Nou gen pou aprann konmon se p pale kreyòl nou-menm, pase sa aret tou ouzòt pale o nouzòt. We have to learn how to speak Creole ourselves, because that will stop all of you from talking about us. (PC)Ourselves; nous. See examples
• nounoun BT, CA ( n. )
  1. Small child, youngest child in a family; petit enfant, le plus jeune enfant d’une famille, benjamin.
     Ti nounoun t ap seye marche. The small child was trying to walk (on his own). (BT) See examples
  2. Any tiny creature; n'importe quelle petite créature.
     Mo wa en ti nounoun zozo o labonkèt. I saw a very tiny bird on the sidewalk. (BT) See examples
• nouri CA, PC ( v.tr. ) annouri BT nourir MO 60
  1. To feed, nourish; nourrir.
     Li donne so piti leu sen pour fe li annouri li. She breastfeeds her baby to nourish it. (BT) ; Li profite byen parskè li te byen nouri kan li te piti. He’s growing well because he was well nourished when he was little. (CA) See examples
  2. To nurse, breast-feed; nourrir au sein, allaiter.
     Vou min pou nouri ye? Nouri ye on ye sen? Do you mean to feed them, to feed them at the breast? (PC); Li ape nouri so bebe. Li dòn li tete. She’s breastfeeding her baby. She’s giving him her breast. (CA) See examples
• nouris No sources ( n. )
  1. Nursemaid; nourrice.
     ♦ Quand li oua li té si joli li frinmin li dans in lachambe au boute so la maison: et li mete so nourice, pou gardé. When she saw how pretty she [her newly bom daughter] was she locked her away in a room at the end of her house, and set the nursemaid up as a guard. (FO T16) See examples
• nouritir CA ( n. ) noutir PC
  1. Food; nourriture.
     Li fourni la noutir pou dekann-la grosi. It furnishes nutrients for the cane to grow. (PC); Nouritir-la pi bon. Li rens. The food is no longer good. It is rancid. (CA) See examples
• nouvo CA, PC ( adj. )
  1. New; nouveau.
     Ye gen achte en nouvo lamezon lannen ki vyen. They’re going to buy a new house next year. (PC); M ape ranje de nouvo nik poul. I’m fixing new chicken nests. (CA) ♦ Tout moune parti héler. Yé dansé, yé ri, yé chanté. Yé té gain ein nouveau roi. Everyone began shouting. They danced, they laughed, they sang. They had a new king. (BD) •nouvo lannen n.phr. (PC); nouvo lonnen (PC); nouvèl lane (NE); nouvèl ane (CA). New Year; la Nouvelle Année. Mo swat ye byen nouvo lannen. I wish them a Happy New Year. (PC) See examples
• nouvo-né ST ( n. )
  1. Newborn; nouveau-né. cf. bébé
• nouvèl CA, PC ( adj. ) nouvél PC
  1. New; nouveau, nouvelle.
     N e kouri achte èn nouvèl mezon lannen ki vyen. We’re going to buy a new house next year. (PC); Ka li jis nouvel-la. When it [the moon] is new. (PC) •Nouvèl Òleon place n. (PC); Vil Orleon (PC); Nouvèl Oreliyon (CA). New Orleans; la Nouvelle Orléans. Aben, ao to res, dan Lavil Orleon mèm? Well, where do you live, in New Orleans itself? (PC) ♦ Nivelle Lorléans, 10 Févesriez 1875. New Orleans, February 10, 1875. (T40) •nouvèl lin n.phr. New moon; nouvelle lune. cf. lun See examples
• nouvèl CA, NE, PC ( n. ) nouvél PC novèl PC
  1. News; nouvelles.
     Mo pa tann novèl jodi. I didn’t hear the news today. (PC); O se twa ki e dòn tou nouvel ki e GOIN ’ ON dan laparwas la Pwent Koupe. Oh it’s you who gives all the news about what’s going on in Pointe Coupee Parish. (PC) ♦ Mo sir kan Kongre Laid a tandé nouvail cila, la vautré Marciman pou Radiko ki féfizilman là. I’m sure that when the Congressman has heard the news, he will wallow in the thanks of the rebels who did the shooting. (T16) See examples
• nouzòt gen, MO 60 ( pron. ) nouzò PC, BT nouzòw PC, BT
  1. subj. We; nous.
     Nouzòt te kònè bwa en ti bren wiski. We used to drink a little whiskey. (PC); Nouzòt soufèr avèk nou palèt. We suffered with our palate. (ST) See examples
  2. obj. Us; nous.
     Mo gron-popa-ye konte nouzòt sa, e mo-tchèn popa. My grandfathers told us that, and my father. (PC); Si Pap tande nou avèk lezàrp, li se pini nouzòt. If Dad heard us with a dirty mouth, he would punish us. (CA) ♦ Bon Djié a idé nouzote. God will help us. (T6) See examples
  3. poss. Our; notre, nos.
     Nou rèste vwazen tou nouzòt vi. We have lived as neighbors all our lives. (PC); Nouzòt vy è kabòn. Our old cabin. (MO 60) ♦ Nous oulé connin si nous pas capabe temps en temps manzé moutons nous zotes maites. We want to know if we couldn’t from time to time eat our masters’ sheep. (FO T15) See examples
  4. refl. Ourselves; nous-mêmes.
     Sa nouzòt tou le fonm sore di feze, chanje nouzot epi poupone nouzot byen epi kouri OUT . What we women should have done was get really dressed up and then go out. (DT) See examples
• novanm CA, PC ( n. ) novonm PC
  1. November; novembre.
     Kan to fini plannte, to kanmans koupe dan òktob. La to gen tou oktòb, tou novanm, tou desanm ouchka ye fini GRIND . When you finish planting you begin cutting in October. Then you have all of October, November and December until they’re finished grinding. (PC) See examples
• novis CA, ST ( n. )
  1. Novice (in a convent); novice.
     Ena de novis e de sèr andan kouvan. There are novices and sisters in the convent. (CA) ♦ Li guélé com ein comifleur qui té trompé par ein novice. He shouted like a X that was fooled by a novice. (T38) See examples