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
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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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otan
MO 60
(
adv.
)
-
As, as much; aussi, autant, •otan ... ke
adv. (CA); oton ke, oton ki (NE); oton, otan kè, otan... kòm, otan... kè (PC). 1) As much...as; autant de ... que. La i di l a donn mwen otan larjan kè m ole. He told me he’d give me as much money as I wanted. (PC); 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) ♦ Ti bougue la prend l'aimin madame la autant qué so défint moman. The little guy started to like the woman as much as his deceased mother. (FO T2) 2) As ... as; aussi ... que. Li gen konpron oton byen kè vou. He will understand as well as you do. (PC) • otan lon ke conj. As long as; tant que. Tous nèg dans la mèche, yé ca vini dans so nid, autant long que Tchoupoule reste loin de li. All of the black folks in the swamp, they can come to his nest, as long as Tchoupoule stays far from it. (DC)
See examples
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oto
CA, PC
(
n.
)
oto
ST
-
Car; voiture, automobile.
On kote larivyè-la, enave kat boug ki te gen oto. Towards False River, there were four guys who had cars. (PC); Lesye te kase e ye te pa konen sèrvi so oto. The axle was broken and they couldn’t use their car. (CA)
See examples
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otour
gen, MO 60
(
prep.
)
arantour
PC, ST
antour
BT, PC
anlantour
CA
annantour
PC
anrantour
PC
arantour
PC
-
Around; autour de.
T a genp sòrti osi vit ki na monyèr otour mon. You must get away from me as quickly as you can. (NE); To me li antour ta tay. You put it around your waist. (BT); Arantour Lafayèt mo kònen en peu du monn. I know some people that live near Lafayette. (PC) ♦ Yé branches té porté des zommes avec ein corde autour yé cou. Their branches bore men with ropes around their necks. (T37); Ye sote alantou li. They jumped all around him. (JR) •otour isit adv.phr. (NE); otour isi (NE), antour isi (PC); lantour isit, alòtour isit, anotour isit la, anrantour isit, anlantour isi (PC); onlontour, tou-l-tour isit (NE); ontour isi (BT). Here, around here, in the area; autour d’ici, aux alentours. Otour isit se te jij le Zendyen. Before that it was just Indians around here. (NE); A ki magazen lantour isit moun-ye se achte lez òt zafè, flarin, e zafè kòm sa? In what store around here did people used to buy other things, like flour and things like that? (PC) •tou antour prep. (PC); tour tour, torantour (PC); tou-l-tour (NE); tou lantò, tou anlantour (CA). All around; tout autour de. En kad, ye mète kwilt-la anho la, e fanm-ye tou antour la ye e koud li, ye e pike li. A quilting frame, they put the quilt on it, and women all around it are sewing and stitching it. (PC); Toutotou lab ye gen de flè . All around the tree there are flowers. (HW); Ye t ape tire tou lantò ye e li pa trape aryen du tou. They were shooting all around them and nothing got him. (CA) ♦ Li marche tou alantou li an gardan li ben pròch. He walked all the way around him looking at him closely. (JR)
See examples
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Around, approximately, about; environ, autour de, vers.
Kon sa vyen otour HALLOWEEN, se ton pou le sèrpon. When it gets to be around Halloween, that’s the time for snakes to come out. (NE); Ka moun se fini rantre tou rekòt antour oktòb, ye te lach tou dan klo. When people finished bringing in the harvest around October, they stopped all work in the fields. (PC)
See examples
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About; au sujet de.
Se te otour kèk-chòj kom-sa. It was about something like that. (NE)
See examples
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otréman
BT
(
conj.
)
otréman
CA
otrèmon
PC, ST
antrémon
PC, ST
otrémon
NE, ST
-
Apart from, otherwise; à part, autrement, sinon.
Manje lapen d en sezon a lòt. Otreman k sa, n a manje le lapen jus livèr. Done ye lachans pou ye èlve. They ate rabbit from one season to the next. Other than that, we only ate rabbit in the winter, to give them a chance to breed. (BT); Mo popa te mèle, otremon sa tou mè moun, le moun a mo momon, se te tou le pur nèg. My father was a mixed-blood, but apart from that, everyone on my mother’s side of the family was pure black. (NE); Mo pa konnen konmon vou pel MAGGOT antremon de MAGGOT I don’t know what you call a maggot besides a maggot. (PC); Lavazlin peche bobo-ye demanje. Otreman ye se grate sa e sa se sengnen. Vaseline prevented wounds from itching. Otherwise, they would scratch them and they would bleed. (CA)
See examples
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otè
No sources
(
n.
)
laotè
CA, PC
lahotè
PC
hotèr
CA
-
Height; hauteur.
Wi pye lonng e kat pye laotè. Eight feet long and four feet high. (PC); Laotè lapòrt li mizir si pye. The height of the door measures six feet. (CA); La parwas vini koupe mo debwa. Ye koupe en sèrten hotèr e ye lese chiko. The parish came to cut my tree down. They cut it to a certain height and they left the stump. (CA)
See examples
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oté
gen, MO 60
(
v.tr.
)
wété
NE
òt
PC
wòt
PC
wèté
BT, NE
-
To remove, take off, take out; ôter, enlever.
Li ote so chapo. He took off his hat. (PC); Mo ote mo chodyèr on feu. I took my kettle off the fire. (NE); Mo gen en bròs a lenj pou ote dive apre mo lenj. I’ve got a clothes brush to take lint off my clothes. (CA) ♦ Nonm-la trape so kouto e pi li ote garofye don so lapat. The man grabbed his knife and removed the thorn from its paw. (LA) •ote lapousyè v.phr. (PC). 1) To dust; épousseter. Kwi, balye, ote lapousyè, ote twòl zaryen, lave. [I used to] cook, sweep, dust, remove cobwebs, and do the wash. (PC) 2) To give flavor to a dish; donner du goût à un plat. Bout lavyann andan pou dòn li gou, ote lapousyè-la. You add meat to it [i.e. jambalaya] to give it taste, to ‘remove the dust from it’. (PC)
See examples
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To extract, remove, take out; ôter, enlever, extraire.
To ote siro andan la. You extract syrup from it [i.e. sugar cane]. (PC); La to plarin-ye pare pou èt wete ondon to chodyèr. Now your pralines are ready to be taken out of the kettle. (NE); Kan mo te gen trant dez an, mo fe ote me zamida. When I was thirty-two, I had my tonsils out. (CA)
See examples
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To prohibit, outlaw, ban; interdire, proscrire.
E fam-ye bat nonm-ye. Ye chmen pou ote wiski. And the women beat the men, they won and had whiskey banned. (PC); Ye seye fe tou sa ye te pe pou seye pou wete mwa pou DRIVE. They did everything they could to keep me from driving. (NE); Kafe, doktè ote mon kafe. Coffee, the doctor took me off coffee. (PC)
See examples
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To gather, pick; cueillir.
Èpi kon to wete li ondon klo. And after picking it [i.e. okra] in the field. (NE)
See examples
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ou
CA, NE, PC
(
adv.
)
éou
CA, NE, PC
aou
NE, PC
ao
PC
-
Where; où.
Mo pa konen ou sa ye astèr-la. I don’t know where it (the stone) is now. (CA); Sa vyen eou? Leu pròfsee vyen d la Lwizyan? Where does he come from? Does the professor come from Louisiana? (PC) ♦ Oh, mo femme, mo senti la vianne fraiche, et ou ça yé? Oh, my wife, I smell fresh meat, where is it? (FO T16)
See examples
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From where; d’où.
Aou to sòr? Where do you come from? (PC); Ou vou devyen? Where do you come from? (MO 60)
See examples
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ou
CA, NE, ST
(
conj.
)
o
CA, NE
obyin
NE
oubyin
NE
obin
NE, PC
oubin
NE, PC
-
Or, or else, otherwise; ou, ou bien.
Mo vini ondon dolo apepre sèz o ven pye de profondèr. I went into the water up to about sixteen or twenty feet deep. (NE) ; swa...ouben. Either... or. (PC); No gen trwa o kat labank isit La Vachri. There are three or four banks in Vacherie. (CA) ♦ 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)
See examples
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Or else, otherwise; ou bien, sinon.
To bezwen monje kèk-chòj oubyen to va tonbe malad. You have to eat something or else you’ll get sick. (NE) ♦ Couraze! pa krié! Ma sové vou, ou ben mo nom cé pa la Renne. Courage! Don’t shout! I will save you, or else my name isn’t the queen. (T8)
See examples
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ou
No sources
(
pron.rel.
)
ao
BT, CA, MO 60, NE, PC
éou
CA, NE, PC
ò
PC
aò
PC
aou
PC
awé
PC
a
PC
-
Where, wherever; où que.
Aou mo kouri blan konm nwa konnen mon. Wherever I go, whites and blacks alike know who I am. (PC); Ye te konye li don la sèrvèl pou fou li partèr ou ye pe fonn so lagòrj. They hit him in the head to knock him to the ground, where they could cut his throat. (BT) ♦ Li té apé crié, pas connin où pou couri pasqué li té per tournin chez li. He was crying and he didn’t know where to go because he was afraid to go back home. (T30) •la ou pron.rel. (CA; PC). Where; où, là où. Le garsonyèr, se la ou ye te gen sa pou le garson. The bachelor’s quarters is where the boys slept. (PC); Ye rès pa jus dan la kann. La ou ena dibwa to trouv mokèrdukann. They don’t live just in the cane. You find cane mockingbirds wherever there are trees. (CA) ♦ Yé fé tou , divinain tou ça to olé fé, et là ou to olé couri. They do everything, they guess what you want to do, where you want to go. (T7)
See examples
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(From) where; d’où.
Mo pa konen ou li sòr. I don’t know where he comes from. (CA); Li fe plu fre dan bout-sa-la. Aou to sòti se plus fre. It’s colder there. Where you come from it’s colder. (PC)
See examples
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oubliyé
No sources
(
v.tr.,
v.intr.,
v.refl.
)
bliyé
gen, MO 60
oubliyé
PC
bliy
CA, PC
obliyé
MO 60
-
To forget; oublier.
Ena plen ki bliy. Ki bliyè tou ye jœn jou kan ye te vini òp. There are a lot of people who forget their young days, when they were growing up. (PC); Plen de fwa mo bliy sa m ap ale fe. Often I forget what I am going to do. (CA) ♦ Asteur, dit Compair Lapin, pas blié moin quand ta marié avec fille lé roi. Now, said Brer Rabbit, don’t forget me when you marry the king’s daughter. (FO T18) —v.aux. To forget; oublier. Bliy pa pou fe sa. Don’t forget to do that. (PC) ♦ Pas blie vini premier avril pou oua cila dans nous zotes qua mangé posson d'avril la. Don’t forget to come on April I to see which one of us will be the April fool. (FO T18)To get forgotten, be forgotten; s’oublier. Si to sèr pa li tou le jour, sa s bliy. If you don’t use it every day, it gets forgotten. (CA)
See examples
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oudlé
PC
(
n.
)
olé
CA
bourlé
CA
houlé
CA
lourlé
CA
lòrlé
ST
-
Hem; ourlet.
Mo defè mo lourle pou lanji mo rob. I undid my hem to lengthen my dress. (CA)
See examples
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oumi
PC
(
n.
)
-
Bumblebee; bourdon.
To chagren oumi-la mòrd twa. You’re sorry that the bumblebee stung you. (PC)
See examples
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oura
No sources
(
int.
)
-
Hurray! Hourra!
♦ Pendant ti mait t apé hélé houra, houra. While the little master was yelling ‘hurrah, hurrah! (T23)
See examples
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oura
PC
(
n.
)
-
Hullabaloo; tintamarre.
Mennen en gran oura. To make a big hulabaloo. (PC)
See examples
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ouragan
PC
(
n.
)
larougan
PC
larògon
PC
loragan
PC
louragon
PC
ouragon
PC
lourogon
NE
loragon
CA
lòragan
CA, ST
-
Hurricane; ouragan.
Lamezon te tou deumaje apre loragon. The house was all damaged after the hurricane. (CA) ♦ Navir-la kouri san traka pou trwa jou. La en vilen loragan tonmbe on ye. The ship sailed for three days without problems. Then a nasty storm came upon them. (JR)
See examples
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Storm; orage.
Nou te gen en larògon yè, e divan la te fo. We had a storm yesterday, and the wind was strong. (PC)
See examples
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ouvraj*
No sources
(
n.
)
nouvraj
PC, NE
louvraj
CA, PC, ST
rouvraj
PC
-
Work; travail.
Le machin pran tou nouvraj-a. Machines are taking all the jobs. (PC) ♦ Tous les jous quand mari la té révini so louvrage fame la té servi li dinin. Every day when the man came home from work his wife served him dinner. (FO T17)
See examples
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Job; emploi, poste.
Nou te trouve en nouvraj a kote, antour, nou se kouri fe li. We found a job nearby, and we went to do it. (PC); Si to pa debat, to va pa trouve louvraj. If you don’t make an effort, you won’t find a job. (CA)
See examples
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Chore, job, task; tâche, besogne, travail.
Li te janmè gen traka e so piti yè. Chaken te gen ye nouvraj. She never had trouble with her children. Each of them had their chores. (PC) ♦ Li té pas fini so vilain nouvrage, quand li tendé dibri. She hadn’t finished her horrible task when she heard a noise. (FO T20)
See examples
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Housework; ménage.
Mo te pa kapab fe mo louvraj. I couldn’t do my housework. (CA)
See examples
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ouvri
CA, NE, PC, ST
(
v.,
v.tr.,
v.intr.
)
ouvè
PC
ouvèr
BT, CA, MO 60, NE
ouv
CA, NE
-
To open; ouvrir.
Li di, ‘Mo mari anndan sa'li di, ‘ouvè li.'I di men i di ‘nou pa ka ouvè lapòt-la, ye gen sa kroche. ' She said, ‘My husband is in there, open it!’ He said, ‘But we can’t open the door, they’ve got it locked.’ (PC); Kan to ouv to labouch gran, to konen wa to lalwèt. When you open your mouth wide, you can see your uvula. (CA) ♦ So moman dit li ouvri so labouche pou li capabe senti qui ça li té mangé. His mother told him to open his mouth so he could smell what he was eating. (FO T11)
See examples
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To cut open; couper.
To sen le kochon, to grat li, to senn li, to chòd li e dlo cho. Apre sa to ouvè li. You bleed a pig and scrape it, you bleed it and scald it with hot water. Then you cut it open. (PC)To open, bloom (of a flower); s’épanouir. To ramas sa ki ouvri ase, sa ki ponje ase. You gather the ones (i.e. the cotton bolls) which are sufficiently open. (PC)
See examples
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ouvriyé*
No sources
(
n.
)
louvriyé
NE
-
Carpenter, worker; charpentier, ouvrier.
Mo frèr se en louvriye. My brother is a carpenter. (NE) ♦ Quand tout zouvrier té réini Compair Lapin commencé fait so pont qui té vite fini. When all the carpenters were assembled, Brer Rabbit began to build his bridge, which was quickly finished. (FO T15)
See examples
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ouvèr
NE
(
adj.
)
-
Open; ouvert.
Li dòrmi obout chiko-la, labouch gron ouvèr ape dòrmi. He slept at the foot of the stump, his mouth wide open while sleeping. (NE) ♦ Tan yé fini boâ, Compair Cabri té gagné ein famé ganarre et ri so la bouce gran ouvert. When they finished drinking, Brer Goat was drunk and he laughed with his mouth wide open. (T8)
See examples
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ozé
No sources
(
v.,
v.intr.
)
-
To dare; oser.
Bonne chose vini jusse au moun qui l'ose . Good things come only to those who dare. (DC) ♦ Fond’chien! ...to osé di non! Son of a bitch! You dare to say no! (T32)
See examples
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pa
gen, MO 60
(
adv.,
pron.indef.
)
p
CA, NE, ST
-
Not; pas.
Piti-ye astè-la kwa pa dan fifole-ye. Children today don’t believe in will-o’-the-wisps. (PC); Mo pa gen mayèr kreol pou di sa. I haven’t got a Creole way to say that. (CA) ♦ Compair Lapin té assiré li li té pas bésoin pair. Brer Rabbit had assured him he didn’t need to be afraid. (FO T2); Personne pas allé vini chercher toi icite. No one will come looking for you here. (FO T15) •pa dutou adv.neg. (NE); pa ditou (CA; MO 60; NE; PC). Not at all; pas du tout. Mo gen kat sè e de frè, e ye pa ka parle ( kreyòl) ditou. I have four sisters and two brothers, they can’t speak Creole at all. (PC); Nave pa d nèg dutou lòt bor-la. There were no blacks in Europe at all. (NE); Moun-sa-la, se median. Ye vo pa aryen. Ye pa vayan ditou. Those people, they’re mean. They’re worthless. They’re not nice at all. (CA) ♦ Ye pa wa Batis di tou. They could not see Baptiste at all. (JR) • pa... enn (PC); pa... èn (NE).None, not any, not a single one; pas un, aucun. Mo lòt sè-ye, ye pa konnen aryen. Pa enn dan ye, juch mon. My other sisters, they don’t know any [Creole]. Not one of them knows it, I’m the only one. (PC)Not any, not a single; pas un, aucun. Nave pa èn piti don lachòm. There wasn’t a single child in the room. (NE) •pa... mèm adv.phr. (NE); pa menm (ST). Not even; même pas. To pa mèm komonse travaye. You haven’t even started working. (NE) •pa ni... ni... adv.phr. (NE). Not... nor, neither... nor; ni...ni. Nou pa wa ni Pa Kleman ni Ta Chariot. We have seen neither Pa Clement nor Aunt Charlotte. (PC) •pa non-plu adv.phr. Not either, neither; ne... pas non plus. cf. non-plu •pa... ankòr adv.phr. (CA); pa... onkor (PC); ankò (PC); onkor (NE); p oko (PC); p òkò (PC). 1) Not yet; pas encore. Li p arive onkor. He hasn’t arrived yet. (NE); Nouzòt gen koton deja skrep e travay, e ye ye te p oko plante. We had already scraped and plowed the cotton, and they hadn’t even planted yet. (PC) ♦ Mo assez gros? dis-moin, mo gros comme toi? —Pas encore! —Et astè? —Pas encore! Am I big enough? Tell me, am I as big as you? -Not yet! And now? -Not yet! (BD) 2) No longer, not anymore; ne ... plus. Abe to konne mo parl pa sa onkò mo konpron pa sa ditou ankò, kreyòl. You know I don’t speak that anymore, I no longer understand Creole at all anymore. (PC); Mo wa pa li ankòr. I don’t see him anymore. (ST) ♦ Si to jambe en piti on plonche li pe jamen grondi onkor. If you walk over a child on the floor, he won’t grow any more. (LA) •pa osi adv.phr. (NE); osi pa (NE). Not either, neither; ne ... pas non plus. Li vyen pa osi/Li osi vyen pa. He is not coming either. (NE) •pa... sèlmon adv.phr. (NE); pa... sèlman (PC); sèlmon... pa (NE). Not even; même pas. Ye te pa gen sèlmon èn lonp pou limè ye mezon. They didn’t even have a lamp to light their house. (NE); Mo pa sèlman touche li, mo pa sèlman bat e li, e l ole manti di mo bat e li. I didn’t even touch him, I didn’t even fight with him, and he wants to lie and say I fought with him. (PC) ♦ Pa ... selman (JR), •pa... jich adv.phr. (NE). Not only; non seulement. Li pa jich chont, li pen osi. Not only does he sing, he paints too. (NE) •pee, pe (< pa ♦[apr]e) adv.phr. [Future negative]. Won’t, can’t; [temps futur et négatif d’un verbe]. Si ye pa fe li astè la ye pe e fe li, ye pe gen moun pou fe li pli ta. If they don’t make one now [a dictionary of Louisiana Creole], they won’t make one later, because there won’t be any speakers around later. (PC) ♦ Si en moun rakont de moun li pe pase ont ye paske sa donn bèd lòk. If a person meets two people in the street he can’t pass between them because that brings bad luck. (LA)
See examples
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pa
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Step, pace; pas.
Li fè en pa. She took a step. (PC); Li fe so premye pa yèr. He took his first step yesterday. (CA) ♦ M’apé boi’dans courant-la, vingt pas plis bas qué toi. I’m drinking in the current, twenty paces below you. (BD)
See examples
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pa
MO 60, PC
(
n.
)
-
Father, dad; père, papa.
Mo pa sète en FARMER . My father was a farmer. (PC)
See examples
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Brer (title of address in folktales); compère (terme d’adresse dans les contes).
Pa Tòm tè galòpe nèt an grègnen. Pa Tom ran straight into the bam. (MO 60) ♦ Pa Lapen te en betay ben piti e feb. Brer Rabbit was a very small and weak animal. (JR); ' Pa’ (T17) REM: JR p.40 notes that this term is used in Pointe Coupee whereas in other regions the term used is ‘compair’, cf. konpèr
See examples
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padna
BT, CA, MO 60, PC
(
n.
)
padna
MO 60
-
Friend, pal; ami, copain.
En dan me kouzen, nou te bon padna. One of my cousins [and I], we were good friends. (BT); Mo vye padna ka parle kek mo an kreyòl. My old friend can speak a few words of Creole. (PC); Sa se mo padna. No va byen ansanm. That’s my friend. We get along well. (CA) ♦ Qui sré di, dans cher temps la, qu'in jour mo sré Gouvernair! que to sré plus vande cala, et Kellog sré mo partnair. Who would have said, in those days, that one day I would be governor! That you would no longer be selling rice cakes, and that Kellogg would be my friend. (T31)
See examples
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pagay
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Paddle; pagaie.
Sa se œn pagay pou brase le graton. That is a paddle for stirring crackling. (PC); No te dan en bato ape pagaye kan no pèrd en pagay. We were in a boat rowing when we lost an oar. (CA)
See examples
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pagayar
BT
(
n.
)
-
Menstrual period; règles.
En fòskouch to konmons awar en dœmœraje, to gen pagayar. [With] a miscarriage, you hemorrhage and you have a period. (BT)
See examples
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pagayé
CA, PC
(
v.intr.
)
-
To paddle; pagayer.
Nou te gen en chalon. To te gen pagaye. We used to have a rowboat. You had to paddle. (PC); No te dan en bato ape pagaye kan no pèrd en pagay. We were in a boat rowing when we lost an oar. (CA) ♦Di bois la prende descende courant et yé filé raide; Lapin apé pagaye, pagaye. The piece of wood started going with the current and they were moving right along; Rabbit was paddling hard. (FO T15)
See examples
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pagayé
CA
(
adj.
)
-
To be messy; être en désordre.
Mo bezonn nètwaye mo lakou. Li tou pagaye. I need to clean my yard. It’s a mess. (CA)
See examples
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pak
CA, PC, ST
(
n.
)
-
(Enclosed) pasture, meadow; pré, pâture (entourée d’une barrière).
Ye te konnen gen tou zafè-sa-ye dan pak. You used to be able to find all of those things in the meadow. (PC)
See examples
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Pen; parc, enclos.
To me kochon dan pak. Se la li rès. You put a pig in a pen. That’s where he lives. (CA) ♦ Mo gain vagnan ti koson dan pak. I have a nice pig in the pigsty. (T12) •pak kochon n.phr. (PC). Pigsty, hog pen; porcherie, •pak lavach-ye n.phr. (PC). Cow farm; vacherie.
See examples
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Pak
CA
(
n.
)
-
Easter; Pâques.
Pou Pak, to mèt to ponyen avèk dezèf bwi. Lapen va mèt doudous dan ponyen. For Easter, you put out your basket with hard-boiled eggs. The bunny will put candy in the basket. (CA) ♦ Mo bésoin dé trois mois crédit, juqu’à Pâques là, juqu'à les jours grandit. I need three months of credit, until Easter, until the days grow longer. (T1)
See examples
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pakanñè
PC
(
n.
)
pakonñin
PC
pakanñin
CA, PC
pakonyé
NE
pakañin
MO 60
-
Pecan tree; pacanier. (Carya illinoensis (Wang).
Te gen boukou pakangnen tou dèryè la. There were a lot of pecan trees back there. (PC) ♦ Pliché tou le ti bronch de bourjon en pakànye dou e met sa don en boutey vineg. Break all of the little branches from the buds of a sweet pecan tree and put them in a bottle of vinegar. (BI) REM: In a fn. BI says that a pakànye dou is apparently distinct from a pakànye sovaj .
See examples
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pakatap
No sources
(
onom.
)
-
Clip clop! Tagada!
♦ Li parti galopé: pracatap! pracatap! pracatap! He galloped off, clip clop! clip clop! clip clop! (T8)
See examples
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pakatap
No sources
(
v.
)
-
To jostle; bousculer, secouer.
♦Non non! Compair Bouki, to va pacatape avè mouen et soucouyé mouen tro boucou. No, no, Brer Rabbit, you will jostle me and shake me around too much. (T3)
See examples
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pakonin
CA
(
n.
)
-
Creole spoken by blacks on the German Coast; parler créole des noirs sur la Côté des Allemands, cf. nèg REM: This label refers to m way people in CA say «I don't know»: mo pa konèn.
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pakàn
PC, ST
(
n.
)
pakonn
BT
pakan
CA, PC
pakonng
CA, PC
pakann
CA, PC
pakon
NE
-
Pecan; pacane.
Enave plen de pakann. There were a lot of pecans. (PC); La, anddan, te mèt enn pakònn antour, le mare le pakonn. Then inside you’d tie a pecan. (BT) ♦ Yé dit l'hiver fini quand to oi feilles pacane. They say that winter is over when you see the pecan leaves. (T27) •’la colle pacane' n.phr. Praline; praline, cf. kòl •ti-ta-pakonn n.phr. Little-pile-of-pecans (game); petit-tas-de-pacanes (jeu). Ti-ta-pakonn. Te prann trwò pakonn, te mèt deu onba e enn onho. To se prann enn pakonn, e la te gen enn distons. La, to tir la pakonn pou kase leu ta. Si to kas leu ta, le trwò pakonn-la, se pou two. ‘Little pile of pecans’. You would take three pecans and put two on the bottom and one on top. You would take a pecan, and you had a certain distance to make. You would throw the pecan and try to knock over the pile. If you knocked it over, the three pecans were yours. (BT) •pye pakàn n.phr. (ST); pye pakangnen, pye, pakongnè (PC). Pecan tree; pacanier. Mo plante en pye pakongnè. I planted a pecan tree. (PC)
See examples
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Drunkard; ivrogne, soûlard.
Sa sèt en pakàn. That’s a drunkard. (PC)
See examples
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paké
CA, NE, PC, ST
(
n.
)
-
Package; paquet.
En pake kafe van pou kat pyas. A package of coffee sells for four dollars. (PC); Pake sigarèt. A pack of cigarettes. (PC); Mo gen pou vlope en pake pou voye pou mo sèr dan Tèksas. I’ve got to wrap a package to send to my sister in Texas. (ST); Achte en pake biskwi magazen. Buy a package of crackers. (CA)
See examples
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Package, basket; paquet, panier.
Ye dòn moun-ye pake pou chèche manje. They gave people a package [i.e. a basket?] to go gather food. (PC)
See examples
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Bunch, bundle, armful; brassée, faisceau.
Lève li pake par pake. Pick them up armful by armful. (PC) ♦ En haut chaque poteau so labarrière li té mené ein paquet de bois gras. Atop each fencepost he put a bundle of pine wood. (T40)
See examples
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pakòtiy
No sources
(
adj.
)
-
Worthless; sans valeur.
♦ Moin cé nég créol; mo pa nég pacotille, moin. I’m a Creole black man, I’m not a worthless nigger. (ME)
See examples
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pal
PC
(
adj.
)
-
Pale; pâle.
Pal min, li pa FULL COLOR, se en koulè moyen detenn. Li pa osi tenn . ‘Pale’ means he doesn’t have all of his color, it’s a somewhat washed out color. He’s not as dark. (PC); Li te gard pa vayan jòdi. Li te pal kòm si li te malad. He didn’t look good today. He was pale as if he were sick. (CA) ♦ Lonnmen papa ti bebe-la trouve so piti te tou pat. The next day the little baby’s father found him all pale. (LA)
See examples
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paleron
PC
(
n.
)
paldron
PC
-
Shoulder blade; omoplate.
Ènan moun ki gen pli gro paldron pase en lòt. There are people who have bigger shoulder blades than someone else. (PC)
See examples
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palmakristi*
No sources
(
n.
)
masiskri
CA, PC
ponmakristi
PC
ponmòkristi
PC
makristi
PC
pòmakristi
PC
pamakristi
CA
-
Castor-oil plant; ricin, palma christi. (Ricinus communis).
Nou te gen en zafè ki te vyen ave de gro fey larj, nou te pel ponmòkristi. We used to have a plant that came with big wide leaves, we called it palma christi. (PC)
See examples
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palout
PC
(
n.
)
-
Mussel, dam; moule, palourde.
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palèt
PC
(
n.
)
-
Palate; palais.
So palèt li gen dan so labouch. His palate is what he has in his mouth. (PC) Nouzòt soufèr avèk nou palèt. Li tonbe e li te vini gonfle. We suffered with our uvula. It fell and it would get swollen. (ST)
See examples
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palèt
BT, CA, PC, ST
(
n.
)
palét
PC
palé
PC
-
Paddle; pagaie.
Ka te e fe graton, to tchwe kochon, trape to palet, to gen brase graton-!. When you’re making crackling, you kill your pig, and grab your paddle, you have to stir your crackling. (PC)
See examples
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Pod; cosse, gousse.
Kafe-chfal-djab. Li gen de palet parey koum en bin. Coffee weed has pods like a bean. (PC)
See examples
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Gill; ouié.
Li gen palet e li gen zaret. Zaret-l anho so do. Palet-la se la ora so labouch-la. [The fish] has gills and fins. The fins are on his back. The gills are near his mouth. (PC)
See examples
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•palèt depòl
n.phr. (BT; CA). Shoulder blade; omoplate. Onho leu kou labèt to pe fe de dòb, swa to pe fe sa nou pèl de NECKCHOP. La to ariv a la palèt depòl. From the ox’s neck you can make roasts, or you can make what we call neckchops. Then you get to the shoulder blades. (BT)
See examples
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palé
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Palace; palais.
♦ Astère yé tourné vini koté palé léroi. Now they returned to the king’s palace. (T7)
See examples
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palònyé
BT
(
n.
)
palonnyé
CA, PC
palonnyè
PC
pòlonñin
PC
palonyé
BT, CA
-
Swing-bar of a harness rigging, singletree; palonnier.
Lœ wagon gen kat rou, la gen enn flech. La li gen dè palonnye dèryè, la vou kroch mule dan lè palonnyen. The wagon has four wheels, and it has a tongue, and it has two singletrees in back. You attach the mules to the singletrees. (PC) •palonye doub n.phr. (PC); palonnye doub (CA). Doubletree; palonnier double. •palonye senmp n.phr. (CA). Singletree; palonnier.
See examples
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pan
ST
(
n.
)
pon
CA, PC
-
Peacock; paon.
Mo ja tannde parle pou en pon, se en zwazo, ke pli joli zwazo enan ON EARTH ye swa-dizon. I’ve heard of a peacock, that’s a bird. That’s the prettiest bird on earth, so they say. (PC); Li t ape marche kòm en pon. Li te si fyèr. He was strutting like a peacock. He was so proud. (CA); Li vantœr kòm en pan. He’s proud as a peacock. (ST) ♦ Compair Tigue té farô com ein pan et té apé frizé so moustace. Brer Tiger was as dressy as a peacock and was curling his moustache. (T8)
See examples
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panari
PC
(
n.
)
lapanari
CA
-
Whitlow; panaris.
Panari sen en bobo li sòr an to lamen, e ifo doktè enngjèkte sa e ouvri sa pou fe lapòstim sòrti. Whitlow is a sore that opens up on your hand. The doctor has to cut it open and inject it to extract the pus. (PC) ♦Pou panari, pron de gro vé a tèr rouj e pi mare ye otor ple la, ye sise tou pwazon on ple la. Apre sa bobo-la geri. For whitlow, take big red earthworms and tie them around the wound. They will suck out all the poison and the wound will heal. (LA)
See examples
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pand,
No sources
(
v.tr.,
v.intr.
)
-
To hang; pendre.
Mo pan mo lenj an deyòr tou le jour. I hang my clothes out every day. (PC); Mo ponn en portre apre la miray. I hung a picture on the wall. (CA) ♦ Pou fe en piti koupe so don pon trwa kro kochon don so kou. To get a child to start cutting teeth, hang three pig’s teeth around his neck. (LA)
See examples
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To hang (s.o.); pendre (qn).
Ye toujou pon en kriminèl ka soley e leve. They always hang criminals at sunrise. (PC); Se en bouro ki ap pann li e ki ap koupe lakord-la. That’s the executioner who’s hanging him and who’s cutting the rope. (CA) ♦ Yé poignin li, et com forçat yé pende li sur ein verbère. They seized him, and like a crook, they hanged him from a lamppost. (T37)To hang; pendre. ♦ Li rete pann la e li prann lafrech tou larout. He remained hanging there the entire way, enjoying the breeze. (JR)
See examples
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pandan
CA
(
conj.,
prep.
)
padon
NE
pondon
No sources
padran
PC
patdan
PC
-
While; pendant que.
Mo netway mo poul padon mo rou ape fe griye onho en ti feu. I clean my chickens while my roux is grilling over a little fire. (NE); Pandan li t ape koupe zèrb-ye mo te andan mo t ape fri mo volay. While he was cutting grass, I was inside frying my chicken. (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)During, for; pendant. ♦ Zafair boulotté ben pandan troi simaines. Business was booming for three weeks. (T6)
See examples
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pank
No sources
(
n.
)
ponk
CA
-
Homosexual; homosexuel.
En pank se sa ye pèl en nonm ki lèm pa le fonm. A [pank] is what they call a man who doesn’t like women. (BT); Li pa natirèl. Li en ponk. He’s not normal. He’s a homosexual. (CA)
See examples