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

• parti BT, MO 60 ( n. ) pati PC
  1. Part; partie.
     Ye te gen tou kalite dite, mo ja bliye en pati anndan lan. We used to have every kind of tea, I’ve already forgotten part of them. (PC); La parti anho, sa se lakalòt. The top of the head is called the crown. (BT) •a pati adv.phr. (PC). Partly, in part; en partie. Mè nouzò nou travay a en pati o kar, men nou te lwe. But we worked partly as sharecroppers, yet we were renting the land. (PC) See examples
  2. Private parts; parties privées.
     ♦ Si lajòb tonm don le sen ou don le parti bouyi nenpòrt kel plim, e met sa don en po, e met li asi desi sa. If the mumps get down to the breasts or the genitals, boil any feather in a pot and have the sick person sit on that. (BI) See examples
  3. Game, match, contest; parti, match.
     ♦ Li pas fouti dévinin et li té bligé bandonné la partie. He wasn’t able to guess and he had to give up the game. (FO T18) See examples
  4. Party; fête, soirée, partie.
     Le parti d pèch. Fishing parties. (MO 60); Le gran parti d plezir. Great pleasure parties. (MO 60) See examples
• parti BT, CA, MO 60, NE, PC ( v.intr. ) pati (par) CA, PC
  1. To leave; partir.
     Kon t a vini demen mo sa deja parti . When you come tomorrow I will already have left. (NE); Par pa! Don’t leave! (PC); Le kochon tou parti bòr e babòr. The pigs went every which way. (MO 60) ♦ Kan mo té proce pou parti, mo tandè ti blan yé ri: kak! kak! kakf When I was just about to leave I heard the little white boy laugh, ha! ha! ha! (T17) •parti dèryè v.phr. To go get, fetch; aller chercher. ♦ Li parti dèryè so lapip. He went to get his pipe. (JR) See examples
  2. To begin, start; commencer.
     Zozo-la bat so zèl pou parti voltije. The bird is beating its wings to take flight. (CA) ♦ Tous macacs lé yé en ba nabe parti ri. All the monkeys under the tree began to laugh. (T25) •parti a... juchk prep.phr. (BT). (Starting) from... up to...; depuis...jusqu’à. Paski parti a Rout jchko Pon Bro, kan mo te jenn, Pon Bro se stil BLACKTOP . Because from Ruth to Breaux Bridge, it was still a blacktop road. (BT) See examples
• parti BT ( v.tr. )
  1. To give (a start); mettre en route.
     Safe se mon gran-mèr e mon gran-pèr ki parti mwon le START pou kontune a war sa mo te pe fe avèk lavi. It’s my grandmother and my grandfather who gave me a start to continue to see what I could do in life. (BT) See examples
• partikilyé CA ( adj. )
  1. Fussy, particular; pointilleux, méticuleux.
     Tou sa li fe li gen pou èt parfe. Li partikilye. Everything he does has to be perfect. He’s fussy. (CA) See examples
• partou PC ( adv. )
  1. Everywhere; partout.
     Bouki pase partou, li ongaje lez-om. Bouki went everywhere to hire men. (NE) ♦ Li fouillé partout, serché bien, dans bijfet ’ là; pas trouvé arien. She looked everyone, searched thoroughly in the buffet; she found nothing. (T1) •tou partou adv.phr. (BT; CA; PC); tou partou (NE). Everywhere; partout. Mo garde tou partou pou mo lamont. Mo te pa kapab trouve li. I’ve searched everywhere for my watch. I can’t find it. (PC); Kan kou-d-tan ap vini, gwalan-ye ap votije tou partou. When bad weather is coming, the sea gulls fly around everywhere. (CA) ♦ Li couri dan kisine: coquil dézef parpillé tou partou. He went into the kitchen; there were egg shells scattered everywhere. (T4) See examples
• partèr CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Flower garden, flower bed; parterre.
     Mo gen en miriye dan lakou devan dan partèr la . I have a mulberry tree in the front yard in the flower bed. (CA) See examples
• parwas No sources ( n. ) laparwas BT, CA, PC
  1. Civil parish (administrative division of the state of Louisiana); paroisse civile (division administrative de l’état de Louisiane).
     Sete du monn d Ibèri e Lafayèt paski Pon Bro e laparwas Sen Marten te pa gen du monn ke te debruti ase. It was people from Iberia and Lafayette, because Breaux Bridge and St. Martin Parish didn’t have smart enough people. (BT); Laparwas Lafouch. Lafourche Parish. Laparwas deu Pòt Koupe. Pointe Coupee Parish (PC) ♦’ paroisse Putman [pawas poutmonn]’ Putman Parish. (DU) 2, Parish (of church); paroisse (d’une église). Larjan li kolèkte sa va pou misyonèr-la. Sa rès pa dan la parwas. The money he collected, it goes to the missionary. It doesn’t stay in the parish. (CA) See examples
• paryé PC, ST ( v.intr. ) paryè PC
  1. To bet; parier.
     Vou pa fe li konm vou paryè. You didn’t get the amount you bet. (PC); «Mo pari mo ca chanter mieux que toi. ‘‘ I bet that I can sing better than you. (AN T12) ♦ Qui ça tolé parié ma rendi côté bit dans grand chimin, prémier? What do you want to bet that I will reach the hill in the highway first? (T26) See examples
• parèt No sources ( v.cop. )
  1. To seem, look, appear; sembler, avoir l’air, paraître.
     Mari parèt malad. Mary looks sick. (NE) ♦ Parait qu’en haut ein jour d’élection li té oulé volé labouete. It seems that on an election day he wanted to steal the box. (T38); Mo te mandé li mille pardons si mo té paraite stupide. I begged him a thousand pardons if I appeared stupid. (T38) See examples
• paré CA, MO 60, NE, PC ( adj. )
  1. Ready; prêt.
     Kon en piti te gen en deklou, ye te pran en flè on en gòmbo e fe en katapla, mèt sa on la. Landmen li se pare pou ouvri. When a child had a boil, they would take an okra flower and make a poultice and put it on there, and the next day it was ready to open. (PC); Lekipaj te pa pare pou navige. The crew wasn’t ready to sail. (CA) ♦ Tan li rivé dans so cabanne, tou zafair té paré ou bouceri. When he arrived at home, everything was ready for the ‘boucherie’. (T6) •mèt pare v.phr. (PC). To get ready, prepare; préparer. La vou poura mèt vou liv pare. Then you can get your book ready. (PC) •vyen pare v.phr. (PC); vini pare (CA). To get ready; se préparer. Ye vyen pare. They get ready. (PC) See examples
• paré No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To stop, ward off; arrêter, protéger contre, •pare lapli
     v.phr. (PC). To take shelter from the rain; se mettre a l’abri de la pluie. Si nou rete la pare lapli, pèche mouye. And if we stop there to take shelter from the rain to keep from getting wet. (PC) See examples
• paréman CA ( adv. )
  1. In the same way; pareillement.
     Li dòn man en zetrèl e li di mann bonjou bon lannen, swat ke lannen prochen no sa kapab swate pareman. He gave me a New Year’s gift and he told me, «Hello ! Happy New Year!» Let’s hope that next year we’ll be able to wish the same way. (CA) See examples
• parés No sources ( n. ) laparés PC laparès ST
  1. Laziness; paresse.
     Boug-sa-la travay pa mè se lapares ki gen li. That guy doesn’t work, but it’s laziness that’s got him. (PC) See examples
• parésé NE, ST ( adj. ) parise PC parèsé CA, ST parésèz CA, ST
  1. Lazy; paresseux.
     Vou konnen na dè moun ki toujou plu parese, ye plu annaryè. You know there are people who are always lazier, who are more backwards. (PC); Don tou so parese, li resi a lekòl. In spite of his laziness, he succeeds in school. (NE); Se en bon pèrsòn me son defo, li paresèz . She’s a good person, but her character flaw is that she’s lazy. (CA) ♦ Li te nonm foutimon parese. He was an extremely lazy man. [ ‘paréssè’ ] (DU) See examples
• paréy CA, NE, ST ( adj., adv. ) paré PC parèy PC parè PC
  1. Like, similar; pareil, •parey kòm
     adj.phr. (CA; NE); parey kòm si (NE); parey ke (CA).Like, similar to; pareil à, que. To te bwa wiski , sète pare kòm en bon medikaman. If you drank whiskey it was like a good medicine. (PC); Parske le Kadjen se te jich parey kòm le nèg. Because the Cajuns were just like the blacks. (NE) ♦ »Vou koné», li di,»à c’thère tou mounne zégal, vou gain droué pou vauté pareil kom moué. ‘You know,’ he said, ‘now everyone is equal, you have the right to vote just like I do.’ (T12) •Se tou parey (pou man). exp. (CA). It’s all the same, it doesn’t matter (to me); Ça m’est égal.In the same way; pareil, de la même façon. La ye te pron le Kadjen parey kòm le SLAVE . They treated the Cajuns just like slaves. (NE); Mo mari ale wa li. Li di li parey ke li di mwen. My husband went to see him. He told him the same thing he told me. (CA) ♦ Chaque dans vous zotes qua vini plainde, ma va traité yé pareil, to tendé', hein? Each of you who complains I will treat the same way, do you hear? (FO T15) See examples
• paréy PC ( n. )
  1. Equal, peer; pareil, pair, égal.
     ♦ So zié yé pa gagnin pareils, yé samblé deux soleils. Her eyes have no equals, they look like two suns. (TI I) See examples
• paròl PC ( n. ) parol laparol CA, ST, NE, CA
  1. Word; parole, mot.
     Enon kek paròl dan FRENCH , ye petet a di m a trape li byen. There are some words in French that I might understand if they said them to me. (PC); Ena en parol pou sa me mo bliye. There’s a word for that but I forgot. (CA) ♦ Li té connin qui paroles li té doit dit pou fait michié l'amouré la vini taureau encore. He knew what words he had to say to make the boyfriend turn back into a bull again. (FO T2) •adrese laparol v.phr. (CA). To deliver a speech; faire un discours. Se en gro chyen. Li va adrese laparol. He’s a bigshot who’s going to deliver a speech. (CA) •paròl sal n.phr. (NE). Swear word, dirty word, bad word; gros mot, juron, grossièreté. Li t ape sèrvi tou kalite parol sal. She was using all kinds of bad words. (NE) •prann paròl v.phr. To speak, speak up; prendre la parole. ♦A ben , Ròklò pran paròl , demare mwen e lese mwen chape. ‘Well,’ Roclos said, ‘untie me and let me go.’ (JR) •vilen paroi n.phr. (ST); vilen langaj (ST). Swear word, dirty word, bad word; gros mot, juron, grossièreté. Kan li sou , li sèrvi tou kalite vilen parol. When he’s drunk, he uses all kinds of bad words. (ST) See examples
  2. Word, lyric; parole.
     Non, m pa konnen paròl-ye. No, I don’t know the words. (PC) See examples
  3. Speech, language; parole, langage. '
     Flè ' se an franse. ‘Le bouke'se ann kreyòl. Ena de kalite paròl, [flè] is the French word [for flower], and [bouke] is the Creole word. There are two kinds of language. (PC) See examples
  4. Argument, dispute, quarrel; dispute, querelle, brouille.
     Mo e li nou va konm de sè. Nou janme i en paròl ant nouzòt. She and I get along like sisters. We have never exchanged words. (PC) See examples
• pas No sources ( n. )
  1. Pass, permission; laissez-passer, permis.
     ♦ Mo rencontré quatre bourgeois qui mandé moin, où té mo passe. I ran into four townsfolk who asked me where my pass was. (T39) See examples
• pas-a-blan No sources ( n. )
  1. A person of some Negro blood who passes for white; une personne qui a du sang noir et qui passe pour un blanc.
     ♦(TN) See examples
• pas-paròl CA ( n. )
  1. Catchword, buzzword; rengaine.
     Tou moun ape di sa. Se en pas-paròl. Everyone is saying that. It’s a catchword. (CA) See examples
• pas-pòrt PC ( n. ) bas-pòrt PC pas-pòt BT
  1. Threshold; seuil.
     Kan ti fe lapòt, si ti veu pa ki lapot ke li touch leu planche, me lèr e pi lapousyèr, lez ensèk ba pase on ba anba lapòt. Safe la ti fe, me la ti me en pas-pòt. When you are making a door, you don’t want the door to touch the ground, but then air, dust and insects can get in. So what you do is you put in a threshold. (BT) ♦ Ein jou mari la té on so pasporte divant ein gros la pierre yé té gagnin la. One day her husband was there on the threshold in front of a large rock that was there. (FO T16) See examples
• pas-ton NE ( n. )
  1. Pastime; passe-temps.
     [Y]e te koupe le kon mai, koupe le baton koton, ontase sa a lamen, brile, pou kapab fe ye rekòl bèk . Se l sèl pas-ton en pòv nèg te gen! They cut the cornstalks and piled them up by hand, and burned [the field] for the next harvest. That’s the only pastime a black man had! (NE) • Mo pa lé capab vive longtemps! Pou moin plus de bon passe-temps! I’m not going to be able to live a long time! No more good pastimes for me! (T32) See examples
• pasaj PC ( n. )
  1. Passage; passage.
     Se parèy konm si vou rès devon mon , la, mo pa gen pasaj, ifo mo pas on vou tèritwa. It’s as if you lived in front of me, and I don’t have a passage [a way out], and I have to pass through your territory. (PC) •pran pasaj pou v.phr To take passage (on a boat, etc.) for; prendre passage (sur un bateau, etc.) pour. •Vite en haut ein bateau vapeur, mo prend passage pou laville. Quickly, on a steamboat, I caught a ride to the city. (T37) See examples
• pasajé PC ( n. ) pasajè PC
  1. Passenger; passager.
     En cha pasaje. A passenger train. (PC) See examples
• paspartou BT, CA, PC ( n. ) lasi paspartou PC paspartou BT
  1. Two-handled saw (for felling trees); scie passe-partout.
     Sa pran de nonm pou paspartou. It takes two men to work a two-handled saw. (PC) See examples
• pasyan CA ( adj. )
  1. Patient; patient.
     Atan. To pa pasyan. Mo pa kapab parle avèk twa a prezan. Wait. You’re not patient. I can’t talk to you now. (CA) See examples
• pasyans BT, CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Patience; patience.
     Mo BELIEVE pa dan taye. Mon gen en ta pasyans avèk ye. I don’t believe in spanking, I have a lot of patience with them. (BT); Li pa gen morso pasyans. He doesn’t have a bit of patience. (PC); Li pa gen ase pasyans. Li toujou prese. He doesn’t have enough patience. He’s always in a hurry. (CA) •pèrdi pasyans v.phr. (CA). To lose one’s patience; perdre patience. ♦ Néléphant perdi patience, li fout ver de terre ein coup avec so la trompe. The elephant lost his patience, and struck the earthworm with his trunk. (FO T3) •prann pasyans v.phr. ( CA; ST). To be patient; prendre patience. ♦ Li se di ye pou prann pasyans e ke li te gete so lachans, e tout swit li se vini pou ye. He told them to be patient, and that he was waiting for his chance, and soon he would come for them. (JR) See examples
• pasé gen ( adj. )
  1. Last, past; passé, dernier.
     Nou te gen en lo dolo mwa pase. We had a lot of water (a flood) last month. (PC); Mo wa mo kouzin la smenn pase. I saw my cousin last week. (CA); Mo te gen traka pou kase en move potrin livèr pase. I had a lot of trouble breaking a bad chest cold last winter. (ST) • Où souche Vannée passée commencé marqué rang. When last year’s cane stubble has already begun to mark the rows. (T27) See examples
  2. Ago; il y a.
     Ye ote enn andan mo kidni-ye, trwa smenn pase. They took out one of my kidneys three weeks ago. (PC); Lontan pase ye pele sa kouchan me ye pèl sa jòromo kou lon astè. A long time ago they called it a ‘cushaw’, but nowadays they call it a long-necked pumpkin. (CA) See examples
• pasé PC ( conj. )
  1. Than; que.
     To diz an plu vye pase mwa. You are ten years older than me. (PC); Mo vòmyè poul pase lavyàn d kochon. I like chicken better than pork. (PC) ♦ Mo fie, to gagné miyor tchor passé tou zeine zan dan péhi cilà. My daughter, you have a better heart than all the young people in this land. (T7) REM: NE 1985: 147 notes that her informants in Breaux Bridge did not accept this construction. See examples
• pasé PC ( prep. )
  1. Past, after (in telling time); après.
     Li ven minit pase yuit. It’s twenty minutes past eight. (PC) See examples
  2. Save, besides, except, apart from; à part, sauf, excepté.
     Mo p ol aryen pase en lasyèt manje. I want nothing but a plate of food. (PC); Tou mo frè-ye mouri pase de. All of my brothers are dead except two. (PC); Aryen pase. Nothing but. (PC) See examples
• pasé No sources ( v.intr., v.tr. )
  1. To go, go by, pass by; passer.
     Kan lannen-la pase. When the year goes by. (PC); Bouki pase partou, li ongaje lez-om . Bouki went everywhere to hire men. (NE ); Kan le char te pase, leu monn te kouri la pou prann char, an chmen deu fèr. When the trains came by, people went there to catch the train, the railroad. (BT); Mo pase anlèr pon-sa-a-la pou ale lòt bòr. I crossed over that bridge to get to the other side. (CA) ♦ Mo mait et moin no té oir li passé aussi, et no bardé derrière chaoué. My master and I saw him go by also, and we hurried after the raccoon. (T23) •pase èk v.phr. To go through a difficult time with s.o.; passer par une période difficile avec qn. Wi, m ap pase èk èl. I’m passing hell living with her. (BT) • pase pou blan v.phr. To pass as a white person (said of a black person or mulatto ); se faire prendre pour un blanc (en parlant d’un noir ou d’un mûlatre). Li se pase pou blan vit vit, ti fiy-sa-la, o wi. She would pass for white really quickly, oh yes. (PC) Conjug: an pasan pres.part. While passing by; en passant. •Kan ye parti chevrey prann devan e Krapo trape so latche an pasan. When they left, Brer Deer took the lead and Toad grabbed his tail in passing. (JR) 2. To pass, go away, subside (e.g. of pain); passer (en parlant d’une peine). Mo te gen doulè. Li pase. I had pain. It went away. (CA) ♦ [Pou] konpèr-loryo, krache trwa fwa par tèr, va fe sa pase. For a sty, spit three times on the ground, and you will make it go away. (BI)1. To pass, meet by chance, run into; passer, rencontrer (par hasard), tomber sur. Ye va pase mwa on laru e ye sèlmon di pa mwa bonjour. They’ll pass me in the street and not even say hi. (NE) •’passé (so) chimin’ v.phr. To go one’s way, go away, leave; passer son chemin, partir, s’en aller. ♦ Couri, passé to chimin, gran zoreille. Go away, you big ears. (FO 1887) 2. To cross; traverser. ♦ Yé continué yé chimin, yé tout té apé galpé et yé prend pou passé pont. They continued on their way, they were all running and they started to cross the bridge. (FO T15) •pase..., a lanaj v.phr. To swim across (a river, etc.); traverser (une rivière, etc.) à la nage. ♦ Courant la té fort, trop fort pou qué yé té passé li a la nage. The current was very strong, too strong for them to swim across. (FO T15) 3. To make go away, get rid of; faire passer. Si to gen en doulè, mo ka pase li. If you have a pain I can make it go away. (PC) 4. To eliminate, pass (from the body); éliminer, faire passer (du corps). ♦ Pou de vè vye moun ye te fe ti gato avek lagrenn lèb avè e ye te donn sa piti pou fe li pase de ti vè. For worms, old timers used to take worm grass seeds, and make a little cake and give it to the child to make his worms pass. (LA) 5. To pass (a law); voter (une loi), adopter (un projet de loi). Pase en lalwa. To pass a law. (PC) 6. To pass, use, administer; passer, donner un coup de. En chwini, to senmè l ave lamen e to pase chwini-la anho. A harrow, you sow cotton seeds by hand and you pass the harrow over it. (PC); Pase bale. To sweep the floor. (PC); Krote, vou peu pa pase en pègn anddan le. Nappy hair, you can’t pass a comb through it. (BT) •pas en lepenng v.phr. To give a shot; donner une piqûre. Gen gro lofis ao ye spè pou doktè o pou pas to en lepenng-la. There’s a big waiting room where people wait to see the doctor or to be given a shot. (PC) 7. To spend (time); passer (du temps). Li te vini pase en dimonch avet nouzòt. She came to spend a Sunday with us. (PC); Pase tan. To spend time. (PC) ♦ Li passé lasoirée apé causé avec Guichard. He spent the evening chatting with Guichard. (T40) 8. To pass, hand over; passer, remettre. Li pa pase sa devan Kangrès, sènatèr aryen. They didn’t take that before Congress, the Senate or anything. (PC) •pase lakèt v.phr. To pass the collection plate (in church), take up a collection; faire la quête, la collecte, cf. bèt 9. To do without, go without; se passer de. ♦ Yé pa capab san passer moin. They can’t do without me. (WO) 10. To pass (a test, a grade); être reçu, réussir à. Yè tè gen pou pase HIGH-SCHOOL. They had to pass their subjects in high school. (MO 60) See examples
• pat BT, CA, MO 60, NE, PC ( n. ) lapat CA
  1. Foot, paw; pied, patte.
     L a frenmen sa so latet o so pat. It [the opossum trap] shuts on his head or his paw. (PC); Li gen diryon anba so lapat. He has calluses on the bottom of his foot. (CA) ♦ Pa Lapen fou li en kou lapat, e so lapat rete pri . Brer Rabbit struck her with his paw, and the paw remained stuck. (JR) •’patt ç’at’ n.phr. Cat’s paw, a little blue swamp berry; patte de chat, une petite baie bleue des marécages. ♦ No courri l'aut' bord pou’ cercé pan ç’at'. We crossed the river to look for «cat’s paws». (GC2) See examples
  2. Leg; patte, jambe.
     Te gen en chfal, li koup so pat. Ye te pa fouti rete disan-lan. He had a horse which cut its leg. They couldn’t stop the bleeding. (PC) See examples
  3. Leg (of furniture); patte (d’un meuble).
     Va chèrche mon lasi, mo le koupe le pat mon laché j. Go get my saw. I want to cut the legs off my chair. (BT) ♦ Si to tourn en lachez on en pat don to lamezon sa pòt «bèd lòk». If you tum a chair on one leg inside your house that brings you bad luck. (LA) See examples
  4. •pat deu chimij
     n.phr. Shirttail; pan de chemise. Pou fé to chimij, devan la, sa se to pat deu chimij. To make your shirt, in front you’ve got shirt-tails. (CA) See examples
  5. Runner (on a sled); coulant (d’un traineau).
     Sa se èn pat trèno. Sa se leu planche du trèno. That’s the runner of the sled. That’s the floor of the sled. (PC) See examples
• pat CA, PC ( n. ) lapat CA, PC
  1. Dough, batter; pâte.
     Se pa nèsèsè mo pètri lapat. It is not necessary to knead dough. (PC); Kan to fe briyòch, to fe en lapat ti gato. When you make sweet donuts, you make cookie dough. (CA) •lapat dipen n.phr. (CA). Bread dough; pâte à pain. Mo te gen pou leve a trwaz-èr du maten pou petri mo lapat dipen. I had to get up at three o’clock in the morning to knead my bread dough. (CA) •lapat gato n.phr. (CA). Sweet dough; pâte à tarte. •lapat kek n.phr. (CA); pat kek (CA). Shortcake; tarte sablée, pain sablé, pâte sablée. M achte en CAN is pou fe lapat kek. I bought a can of baking powder to make shortcake. (CA) •lapat klèr n.phr. (CA). Liquid batter; pâte liquide. To fe en lapat klèr e to me sa dan en lapwal e li kwi. Sa fe en krèp pou Mèrkredi de sann. You make a batter and you put it in the frying pan and it cooks. That’s a pancake for Ash Wednesday. (CA) •lapat mou n.phr. (CA). Batter; pâte à frire. To fri sa en bengnen. Se lapat mou. You fry that, a beignet. It’s batter. (CA) See examples
• pat PC ( n. )
  1. Pot; pot, potée.
     En pat gonmbo. A pot of gumbo. (PC) •pòt fèr-blan n.phr. Tin pan, baking pan; casserole en étain. ♦ Yé prend ein pote ferblanc yé mené ladans piment avec télébentine. They took a tin pan, put in pepper and turpentine. (FO T15) See examples
• pat-bef PC ( n. )
  1. Children’s game in which participants stack their hands on top of each other one by one. The one whose hand ends up on top win; jeu d’enfants dans lequel les enfants s’empilent les mains les unes sur les autres, et celui dont la main coiffe les autres est le gagnant. (PC)
• patanté CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To position a pattern on material; mettre un patron en position sur une étoffe.
     To me to patron desi to letof. T ape patante li. Apre to koup li. You put your pattern on top of your material. You’re positioning it. After that, you cut it out. (CA) See examples
• patasa CA, PC, ST ( n. )
  1. Generic name applied to several species of freshwater fish of the sunfish family; nom commun donné a plusieurs poissons d’eau douce nord-américains de la famille des poissons-lunes.
     Ena lontan pase lœ monnfèze lœ kourbouiyon du choupik e de patasa. A long time ago people made court-bouillon with mudfish and sunfish. (PC); Sel mòyèr to kapab manje patasa se fri li. The only way you can eat sunfish is to fry it. (CA) ♦ 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) REM: According to RD 1945: 101, there are at least eight species of sunfish in Louisiana, including the Bluegill ( Lepomis pallidus ), Scarlet Sunfish ( Lepomis miniatus ), Red-Breasted Bream (Lepomis auritus), Round Sunfish ( Centrarchus macropterus ), and Green Sunfish ( Lepomis cyanellus). The meanings ‘brim’, ‘blue gill’, ‘perch’, ‘sunfish’ are all attested at PC. •patasa grann-djœl n.phr. (PC); patasa gran-djœl (PC). Big-mouthed perch; perche à grande gueule. Patasa grann-djœl se en patasa li pli epe kè lezòt e li gen ladjœl laj moyen konm en pèch. A big-mouth perch is a bass that is larger than the others and it has a mouth about as wide as that of a perch. (PC) •patasa nwar n.phr. (PC). Bluegill; espèce de poisson-lune. ( Lepomis macrochirus). See examples
• patat CA, NE, PC ( n. )
  1. Potato; pomme de terre.
     Pandan li kwi mo gen brase mo patat. While she’s cooking I have to stir my potatoes. (PC); Bite se kan to hale la tèr apre to patat ou to chou. Banking up is when you bring the dirt up around your potatoes or your cabbages. (CA) ♦ Pa Ben a done vou ein bari patate, si coson pa mangé yé. Brother Ben will give you a barrel of potatoes, if the pigs don’t eat them. (T20) •friko patat n.phr. Potato stew; ragoût de pommes de terre. cf. friko • patat anglèz n.phr. (CA; ST); patat angle, patat anglez, patat angle (PC). (Irish) potato; pomme de terre. Vou konnen ki se sa en patat anglez? Do you know what an Irish potato is? (PC) ♦ Pou geri rimatis ifo vole en patat onglèz e pi pote li don to poch. For rhumatism you have to steal an Irish potato, and carry it in your pocket. (LA) •patat toufe n.phr. (PC); etoufe patat (CA; PC); toufe patat (CA). Stewed potatoes; pommes de terre à l’étouffée, •’patate crasées’ n.phr. Mashed potatoes; purée de pommes de terre. ♦ Ma gaignin gombo, la dinde, patate crasées, un gro morceau vol au ven dé zuitte. I'll have gumbo, turkey, mashed potatoes, a big piece of oyster vol-au-vent. (WO) •pye patat n.phr. (PC). Potato plant; pied de pomme de terre. ♦ Ye te gen en bon rekòt. Pye patat-ye te gran e plen avek de flè. They had a good harvest. The potato plants were big with a lot of flowers. (JR) See examples
  2. Sweet potato; patate.
     Mon konmons achte du gonbo e de patat su l chmen. I started to buy okra and (sweet) potatoes by the roadside. (BT) •patat dous n.phr. (CA; PC). Sweet potato; patate. To kwi patat dous e to fe en pat e disik e to me li andon to lapat e me li dan OVEN. You cook your sweet potatoes and you make dough with sugar and you put it in the pie dough and you put it in the oven. (CA) See examples
• Patin PC ( place n. )
  1. Patin Dike.
     Mo gen deu frè paten daik. I have two brothers in Patin Dike. (PC) See examples
• patouyé ST ( v.intr. )
  1. To splash about (in mud, water); patauger, patouiller, barboter (dans la boue, dans l’eau).
     Li war tòrteu-la ape patouye dan dolo. He saw the turtle splashing about in the water. (ST) ♦ Li ouâ Compair Torti apé patchiou dan dolo. He saw Brer Tortoise splashing in the mud. (T5) See examples
• patri MO 60 ( n. )
  1. Home town; ville (village) d’origine.
• patron CA, PC ( n. ) paltron PC patronn PC patran CA
  1. Pattern; patron.
     To gen en paltron pou fe en romenn kòm t ole li. You have a pattern to make a dress like you want it. (PC); Li fe se patron avèk gazèt. She makes patterns with newspaper. (CA) See examples
• patrouy No sources ( n. )
  1. Patrol; patrouille.
     ♦ Primié kisoz mo oua cé ein ti zenne zan ké mo té zamé kontré dépi ein souar patrouil té trapé moué. The first thing I saw was a young man that I had not met since the night when the patrol picked me up. (T12) See examples
• patwa PC ( n. )
  1. Patois, Louisiana Creole; patois, créole louisianais.
     Se kreyòl ye pèle li, langaj-la, e lòt plas-ye ye pèlè li en patwa franse. Men nou se kreyòl, se en patwa. They call it Creole, the language. In other places they call it a French patois, but here it is Creole, it’s a patois. (PC) See examples
  2. Expression, saying; dicton.
     Kèkchoz kèkenn lenm di souvan sa apèl en patwa. Something that someone likes to say a lot is called a ‘patois’. (BT) See examples
• paté CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Meat pie, pâté; pâté.
     To fe en pate avèk lavyann hache e to mèt zepi-ye e to me sa dan stov-la e to lès sa kwi. You make pâté with ground beef and you put in your seasonings and you put it on the stove and you let it cook. (CA) • Ma lainmain mié la Liberté qui to lacrême et to pâté. I prefer freedom to your creme and pâté. (T22) See examples
• paw No sources ( onom. )
  1. Pow! Pan!
     ♦ Compair Lapin dardé so rakatchas dan côtes Compair Bouki, et li voyé so fouate on li; paô! paô! paô! Brer Rabbit jabbed his spurs into Brer Bouki’s ribs, and he whipped him, pow! pow! pow! (T3) See examples
• pay CA, ST ( n. )
  1. Pie; tarte.
     Mo fe en pay lanbriz me fon tansyon, ye rèske gen nwayo andan. I made a cherry pie but be careful, there might be pits inside. (ST); Pay sitron. Lemon pie. (CA) See examples
• pay NE ( n. ) lapay CA, PC, ST lé pay BT
  1. Straw; paille.
     Mo mèt en ti bònom fe a lapay andan mo jarden pou lanse zozo k ap vini anlantò. I put a scarecrow made of straw in my garden to chase away birds that come around. (CA); En gro chapo de pay. A big straw hat. (NE) ♦ Lion té si content li dit ein so moune donnin Bourriquet ein pé lapaille pou mangé. Lion was so happy that he told one of his people to give Donkey a little straw to eat. (FO T15) • kase lapay v.phr. To break off a friendship; rompre une amitié, cf. kase •pay rozo n.phr. Reed; roseau, cf. rozo See examples
  2. Shuck, husk (of com, sugar cane, etc.); cosse, enveloppe, spathe (de maïs, de la canne à sucre, etc.).
     Lapay dekann. Sugar cane husk. (PC); Li kase mayi e mèt en ta pay mayi anho latab. She shucked corn and put a pile of corn shucks on the table. (ST) See examples
  3. Corn silk; styles et stigmates du maïs.
     Souvant fwò ye te pa gen de poupe. Sa fe kan ti derobe en mai, enn epi mai, li prande le pay e pi ye penye ye. Sète la tit fiy. Often they had no dolls. So when they shucked an ear of com, they would take the corn silk and comb it. That was their little girl. (BT); Lapay mai. Corn silk. (PC); No te tòrtiye no cheve-ye dan lapay-mayi pou fe de nat. We would twist our hair in cornsilk to make banana curls. (CA) See examples
• payaj PC ( n. )
  1. Junk, trash; camelote, rebuts, objets sans valeur.
• payas CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Mattress stuffed with corn shucks or straw, placed above (or beneath) the regular mattress; matelas bourré de feuilles de maïs ou de foin et placé sur (ou sous) le matelas usuel.
     En payas fe avèk lapay ki sòr an-o mayi. Nou te chik li byen e nou te me li den en sak pou mèt an no matla. A mattress made with corn shucks. We would tear it up well, and put it in a bag to put on our mattress. (PC); Ye te me en payas an lit-la. They would put a straw mattress on the bed. (PC) See examples
  2. Bad person, good-for-nothing; vaurien, bon-à-rien.
     En payas vo p aryen. A good-for-nothing is not worth anything. (CA) See examples
  3. Clown; clown. (PC)
     ♦ Jamin va oua ein Bourriquet fé ça, cé pa pet-éte. Mo di vou kè li cé pli gran paillasse dan moune . You will never see a donkey do that; that is sure, because there is not a bigger clown in the world than those donkeys. (FO 1887) •fe payas avèk n.phr. To make fun of (make a clown of); se moquer de. ♦ Tou ça yé ki tapé passé dan chimin voyé la brique avé caillou on compair Lapinf yé fé ein vrai paillasse avé li. All who passed on the road threw bricks at him, and they made a tme clown of him. (FO 1887) See examples
  4. Mess; gâchis.
     To latèt sanm en payas. Your hair is a mess. (CA) See examples