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

• pintur BT ( n. ) lapintur PC, ST lapintir PC
  1. Paint; peinture.
     Mo te blanchi , no te pran lacho, se pè en lapentir se en WHITEWASH. We used to whitewash, we would take lime, that’s not a paint, it’s a whitewash. (PC) See examples
• pinturè BT ( v.tr. ) pintiré CA, PC pinturé ST
  1. To paint; peindre.
     Mo e li n te gen en kenn lapentur n ape penturè so-tchenn tab e se chèj. She and I, we had a can of paint, and we were painting her table and chairs. (PC); Si t ole pentire to lamezon , to sèr lacho dan dolo deliye avon to pentire. If you want to paint your house, you use whitewash in diluted water before you paint. (CA) See examples
• piné No sources ( v.tr. ) pinin CA
  1. To grieve, distress, sorrow; peiner, faire de la peine, chagriner.
     To pèr to mari e t ape penen pou li. You lost your husband and you’ré grieving for him. (CA) ♦ Ah! ça té peiné moin beaucoup de regardé ein si grand homme, et de dire qu’en rien du tout, li té va banane-concomme. It grieved me a lot to see such a great man, and to know that in no time at all he had gone completely nuts. (T37) See examples
• pinñ CA, PC ( n. ) pèñ BT
  1. Comb; peigne.
     Mo pengnen mo cheve avek en pengn. I comb my hair with a comb. (PC); Krote, vou peu pa pase en pègn anddan le. Nappy hair, you can’t pass a comb through it. (BT) ♦ En haut so la tête li té gagnin deux peignes. Atop her head there were two combs. (T40) • ‘peigne fin’ n.phr. Fine-toothed comb; peigne fin. Cila qui t'apé guetter à la porte té gain ein sac - en papier pis ein peigne fin. The one who waited at the door had a paper bag and a fine-toothed comb. (GY) See examples
• pinñin CA, PC ( v.tr. ) pinñ CA pin PC pinyin PC pinyé BT, PC
  1. To comb; (se) peigner.
     To partaje so cheuve dan milyeu e to pengn li, to très li. You part her hair down the middle and you comb it and braid it. (CA) •penye (so) latèt v.phr. (BT). To comb one’s hair; se peigner. To jame penye to latèt. You never combed your hair. (BT) See examples
• pip CA ( n. )
  1. Penis; pénis.
     Fonm-ye gen kokòt e nòm-ye gen pip. Women have vaginas and men have penises. (CA) •ti pip n.phr. (CA); pipi (CA). (Child’s) penis; pénis (d’enfant). See examples
• pip PC ( n. ) lapip BT, CA, ST
  1. Pipe; pipe.
     Ka vou vè fimen ankò, vou trap vou pake taba vou ranpli l pip. When you want to smoke again you get your packet of tobacco and you fill the pipe. (PC); Li lenm fume so lapip. He likes to smoke his pipe. (ST) ♦ Lese mwen vini limen mo pip kote di fe-la... Fran Koken vanse kote di fe-la limen so lapip. ‘Let me come and light my pipe by the fire.’ Franc Coquin came up to the fire to light his pipe. (JR) •pip latè n.phr. (ST); pi latè (PC). Clay pipe; pipe en terre cuite, •pip koton-mai n.phr. (PC); pip koton-mayi (CA; ST). Corncob pipe; pipe de l’épi de maïs. pipi n. Urine, pee; pipi, urine. •fe pipi v.phr. (CA). To urinate, pee, take a pee; faire pipi, uriner. En polkèt, kan li pèr life pipi e sa pi. When a skunk is afraid, he pees and it stinks. (CA) See examples
• pipis CA ( n. )
  1. (Child’s) vagina; vagin (d’enfant).
     So ti pipis tou jèrse. Her little vagina was all chapped. (CA) See examples
• pir No sources ( adj. )
  1. Worse; pire.
     ♦ Après ça bal commencé pire qu'avant. After that the dance started worse than before. (T40) See examples
• pirat CA ( n. )
  1. Pirate; pirate.
     Pirat-ye t ole toujoufouye latèr an dizan no vyeu paran te tere larjan e lor ou mayèr trezòr. Pirates always wanted to dig up the ground, saying our ancestors buried money and gold or some kind of treasure. (CA) ♦ Pendant la nouitte li oua pirate la entré dans lachambe la avec ein gros baton. During the night he saw the pirate enter his room with a large stick. (FO T20) See examples
• pirizi CA ( n. )
  1. Pleurisy; pleurésie.
     Pirizi, enfliksyon, se en maladi andan pomon. Pleurisy, pneumonia, it’s a sickness in the lungs. (CA) ♦ Landimin Compair Lapin tendé nouvel Compair Bouki tan galopé soâ bamboula, li trape pirisie jika li mouri. The next day Brer Rabbit heard the news that Brer Bouki ran around so much the night of the bamboula dance that he caught pleurisy and died. (T3) See examples
• pirjé CA, PC ( v.intr. ) pirj CA
  1. To purge; purger.
     Si t ole pirje, ye pel sa kalomeyl. If you want to purge, they call it calomel. (PC); Ye fe en demi vèr dolo e disèl a pirje pou lakonstipasyon. To pran sa avan to kouche e le landmen maten, sa pirj twa. They make a half glass of water with purging salt for constipation. You take that before you go to bed and the next morning, it purges you. (CA) •disèl a pirje n.phr. Epsom salt; sel d’Epsom, cf. dusèl See examples
• pirog CA, NE, PC ( n. ) pirog CA
  1. Pirogue, dug-out canoe; pirogue.
     Mo te gen mo pirog on larivyè se la mo èlve e ne. I had my pirogue in the river, that’s where I was born and raised. (PC) ♦ Ce on 4 jiyet kè ein marchan pirog découver nou zot pèhi; li té pélé Clistof Coromb. It is on a Fourth of July that a pirogue vendor discovered our country. His name was Christopher Columbus. (T13) See examples
• pirwèt CA, PC ( n. ) piruèt PC pirwéd PC
  1. Somersault; culbute.
     Ka li tanmbe l e f e lapirwèt. He tumbled down the hill. (PC); Sete en joujou osi pou wa ki te kapab fe plis pirwèt d en kou. It was a game to see who could do the most somersaults in one try. (CA) See examples
• pis No sources ( conj. )
  1. Since; puisque.
     ♦ Ah ben, moman Tété, fé li, pisse moman oulé ça. Well, mother Tété, do it because mama wants you to. (FO T16) See examples
• pis-an-li PC ( n. ) pis-ann-li PC pis-an-lit CA
  1. Dandelion; pissenlit.
     Se en zèrb. Ena de pis-an-lit k ap sòrti. Zanimo-ye manj pa sa. Se anmè anmè. It’s a weed. The dandelions are coming out now. Animals don’t eat that. It’s very bitter. (CA) See examples
• pisans CA ( n. )
  1. Power, pressure, force, strength; puissance, pouvoir, pression.
     Pisans divan fe tonbe bwa-la. The force of the wind knocked over the tree. (CA) See examples
• pisha CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Pitcher (in baseball); lanceur (dans le jeu de baseball).
     Li konen voye laplòt. Li en bon pitcha. He knows how to throw the bah. He’s a good pitcher. (CA) See examples
• pishoun PC ( n. )
  1. Vagina; vagin.
     En fom gen pichoun. A woman has a vagina. (PC) •pichou pi n.phr. (PC). Slut, salope. Se tou de ti pichou pi. They’re all little sluts. See examples
• pishout CA, PC ( n. )
  1. (Child’s) penis or vagina; pénis, vagin, zozo (d’enfant).
     Li gen en ti pichout kout. He has a short little penis. (PC); Se ant to janm-ye to ti pichout. Your wee wee is between your legs. (CA) See examples
  2. Know-it-all; Monsieur je sais tout.
     Li pichout. Li konen mye. He’s a know-it-all. He knows better than anyone. (CA) See examples
• pishouèt CA ( n. )
  1. Bad little girl; jeune fille espiègle.
• pist No sources ( n. )
  1. Trail; piste.
     ♦ Kan mo souaf, ma boi dan piste laouache. During the day, when I’m thirsty I drink from the cow trails. (T2) See examples
• pistash CA ( n. ) pishtash NE, PC
  1. Peanut; cacahuète.
     Mo mèt swa le pakòn ou swa le pichtach. I put in either pecans or peanuts. (NE); Marchan ape vini. T ole kandi? Li gen charèt avèk kandi, pistach e li vann ye. The merchant is coming. Do you want candy? He’s got a wagon with candy, peanuts, and he sells them (CA) ♦ Yavé ein foi ein michié , ki té gagnin ein champ pichetache. There was once a gentleman who had a field of peanuts. (FO 1887) •piti pistach n.phr ; (CA); ti pistach (CA). (Child’s) vagina; vagin (d’enfant). See examples
• pistolé BT, CA, PC ( n. ) pistolè MO 60
  1. Pistol; pistolet.
     Mo achte en bwat bal pou sèrvi dan mo pistole. I bought a box of bullets to use in my pistol. (CA) ♦ Ye di mwen ye te genyen en pistole e lapoud laba. They told me they had a pistol and some powder down there. [‘ pistolé ‘] (DU) See examples
• pisé PC ( n. ) pisa PC pisan CA
  1. Piss, urine; pisse.
     T e santi pise chyen. You smell like dog piss. (PC); Chyen-la plen lagal. Li pèrd so pwal-ye. Pou geri sa, to lav chyen-la dan pisan. The dog is full of mange. He’s losing his fur. To cure that, you wash the dog in urine. (CA) See examples
• pisé CA, PC ( v.intr. ) pis CA
  1. To piss, urinate; pisser.
     Lonj, se pou met on o piti-la kon li mouy, kan li pise e kan li kaka. Diapers are to put on a baby for when it wets, when it urinates and when it defecates. (PC); Ye di to pis dan chemen, to trap en konpèr-lorye. They say (if) you pee on the road, you get a sty. (CA) See examples
• piti BT, CA, PC ( adj. ) ti gen, MO 60 tit BT, CA, NE, PC ti piti PC ti pti PC ti ti PC pti MO 60, PC ptit MO 60
  1. Small; petit.
     Mo kilot tro piti pou mo senti. My pants are too small for my waist. (PC); En tit fanm. A small woman. (PC); Mo te konne trape le kriz kon mo te piti. I used to catch seizures when I was small. (BT); M ap ale batize mo ti bebe dimanch. I’m going to baptize my little baby Sunday. (CA) ♦ Li oua ein joli piti laville, avec piti lamaisons. She saw a pretty little city with little houses. (FO T20) •piti kouzen n.phr. Distant cousin; petit cousin. cf. kouzen See examples
• piti gen, MO 60 ( n. )
  1. Child; enfant.
     Tou mo piti-ye gran astè . All of my kids are adults now. (CA); Gen kouri nèf mwa anvon so piti ne. She has to go nine months before she has her child. (PC); Nou gen en metrès-d-ekol ki montre piti-ye lèson byen. We have a teacher who teaches children their lessons well. (ST); Piti ke sa momon mouri res èk mwa. The little girl whose mama is dead lives with me. (NE) ♦ Li metté garçon la on litte et li frotté li si tant, qué piti la réveillé. He put the boy on the bed and rubbed him so hard that the child woke up. (FO T20) See examples
• piti-zanfan CA ( n. ) pitit-zanfan CA
  1. Grandchildren; petits-enfants.
     Mo pa gen piti-zanfan. Mo jamen i piti. I don’t have grandchildren. I never had children. (CA) See examples
• piton CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Staple; agrafe. (PC)
  2. Mattress plug; bouchon d’un matelas.
     To gen en gro negwiy, pou mèt piton-ye anndan la. You have a big needle, for putting the mattress plugs in. (PC); Kan ye pik matla, ye mèt en piton pou garde li ansanm. When they stitch a mattress, they put in mattress plugs to keep it together. (CA) See examples
  3. Eyebolt; piton.
     ♦ Mo capab racomodé ain lessieu é tou ça qui cacé dan ain voiture. Croché', vérou, charnière, gon, piton, tou ça cé kichoge ki connin moin. I can repair an axle and anything that is broken on a buggy. Hooks, screws, hinges, eyebolts, all of that is something that I know about. (ME) See examples
• pitou PC ( n. )
  1. Bobcat, bobtailed wildcat, lynx; espèce de lynx. (Lynx rufus Guldenstaed, and Lynx rufus floridanus).
• pitwayab CA ( adj. )
  1. Pitiful; pitoyable.
     Li ape viv dan lamizèr. Se pitwayab. He’s living in misery. It’s pitiful. (CA) ♦ Quand cercueil là té ouar moin, li poussé ein cri pitoyable. When the coffin saw me, it gave a pitiful cry. (T34) See examples
• pityé No sources ( n. ) piché NE
  1. Pity; pitié, •gagnen pitye on
     v.phr. To have (take) pity on; avoir pitié de. ♦ Mo pas oulé fait toi mal, mo gagnin pitié on toi. I don’t want to hurt you, I have pity on you. (FO T3) See examples
• pitènn CA, PC, ST ( n. ) pitin CA, PC
  1. Whore; putain.
     Putain apé gagner l'argent vend son corps là, pas fait li présent. The whore is making money selling her body, she’s not giving it as a present. (DC); Zonfon-gars, en pitenn la ba. Son of a bitch, that’s a prostitute over there. (ST) REM: On CA piten is m., and pitenn is f. •piten de koken n.phr.vulg. (PC). Son of a bitch, bastard; enfant de garce! Li di, ‘mo piti piten de koken!' He said, ‘You little son of a bitch!’ (PC) See examples
  2. Person of loose morals; personne de moeurs faciles.
     En piten, se keken ke pa bon. Se keken ki kouch partou. Li pa gen rèspe. A person of loose morals is a bad person. It’s someone who sleeps around. He has no respect. (CA) See examples
• pivlé CA ( adj. )
  1. Spotted, speckled; tacheté.
     So lapo tou pivle e laroujòl. His skin is all spotted with the measles. (CA) See examples
• pivyé CA, PC ( n. ) pivié CA
  1. Killdeer, squaller; espèce d’oiseau. (Charadrius vociferus).
     To wa pa pivie andan lete. Kan pivie-ye vini s ap ale fe fre. You don’t see killdeer in summer. When killdeer come, it’s going to be cold. (CA) See examples
• piyon CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Gable; pignon.
     Ye bati ye lamezon e sete pa pla. Ye te gen en vayan piyon. They built their house and it wasn’t flat. They had a beautiful gable. (CA) See examples
• piyon CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Stinkbug; punaise.
     Piyon-ye pase. Kan mo ramase mo tomat, ye te deja fe tras. The stinkbugs passed by. When I picked my tomatoes they had already left tracks. (CA) See examples
• pla PC ( n. )
  1. Plate; plat, assiette.
     Mo gen de ou trwa pla andan lamiray pou dekòre. I have two or three plates on the wall for decoration. (CA) ♦ Dinain té d'jà tout prête dans plat qui té tout plate. The dinner was already ready in the flat plate. (T20) See examples
  2. Dish (of food); plat.
     To gen en pla jiromon. You have a dish of pumpkin. (PC) •pla manje n.phr. Dish (of food); plat. La ye fe pla manje e sa. They made a dish out of that. (PC) See examples
• plafon CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Ceiling; plafond.
     So plafon dan lakizin se ho me dan la sal a manje, li pli ba. Her ceiling in the kitchen is high but in the dining room, it’s lower. (CA) See examples
• plak CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Baking pan; casserole.
     To petri li e to me li dan to plak. You knead it and you put it in your baking pan. (PC) See examples
  2. Stove burner; plaque chauffante.
     De stov dibwa te gen kat plak. To ka mèt s kat chodjèr padèsu . Woodstoves used to have four burners, you could put up to four kettles on them. (PC) See examples
  3. Dentures; dentier.
     Li pa gen so dan-ye natirèl Li gen en plat . He hasn’t got his own teeth. He’s got a set of false teeth. (CA) See examples
• plakminn CA, NE, PC ( n. )
  1. Persimmon; kaki, plaquemine.
     Fo to monj plakmin-la, li mun You have to eat the persimmon, it is ripe. (NE); Plakmin-ye ye gen en nwayo . Persimmons have a pit. (CA) ♦ Enn fwa vye Konpè Ratbwa te gen si fen, li te gen pou gen en gamel plakmin . Once Brer Possum was so hungry that he had to eat a bowl of persimmons. [' plaquemine ’] (DU) •pye plakmin n.phn (PC). Persimmon tree; plaqueminier. See examples
  2. place n. Plaquemines Parish; la Paroisse de Plaquemines. (PC)
• plakmiñin CA, PC ( n. ) plèkmiyin PC
  1. Persimmon tree; plaqueminier. (Diospyros virginiana).
• plaké PC ( adj. )
  1. Stuck in place, camped out; collé, immobile, campé.
     E li plake la toujou , mon m ole kou kouche! But he is still camped out there, and I want to go to bed! (PC) See examples
• plan CA ( n. )
  1. Plan; plan, projet.
     Mo gen en plan pou fe tèl e tèl choj. I’ve got a plan to do such and such a thing. (CA) ♦ Yé té firié et yé fait in plan pou vengé yé méme. They were furious and they made a plan to avenge themselves. (FO T11) See examples
• plan No sources ( v.tr. ) plon PC
  1. To plan; planifier, formuler un plan, tirer des plans.
     Ka to desipe to desipe pou plon li. When you decide, you decide to plan it. (PC) See examples
• plansh BT, CA ( n. ) laplansh PC, CA laplonsh PC
  1. Board, plank; planche.
     En galèr se pou mèt le planch egal. Ina de fwa, li pa egal. Pas en galèr, sa me li egal. A plane is for making the planks smooth. Sometimes they are not smooth, but run a plane over it and that will make it smooth. (BT); Planch debout mwen chèr ke volich . Upright boards are less expensive than siding. (CA); En moso laplonch. A piece of board. (PC) ♦ Ma connin tout suite, nouzotes trois va couché en haut la planche la qui dans do l'eau dans soleil. I’ll know right away, the three of us will lie down on the board that is in the water in the sun. (FO T4) See examples
• planshé CA, BT ( n. ) plonshé PC laplansh PC
  1. Floor; plancher.
     Te gen froubi leu planche, nouzòt pa gen le map. We had to scrub the floor, and we didn’t have a mop. (PC); Planche an brik. Brick floor. (PC); Piti-la gen tro joujou o planche. Mo pa konen marche pou tou joujou-ye. The child has too many toys on the floor. I can’t walk for all the toys. (CA) ♦ Compair Bouki balancé ben et tombé drette on Compair Dahomey et yé tou lé dé roulé en planché. Brer Bouki swung well and fell right on Brer Dahomey, and they both rolled on the floor. (T6) See examples
  2. Bed (of sled); lit, fond (d’un traîneau).
     Sa se èn pat trèno. Sa se leu planche du trèno. That is a sleigh runner, and that is the bed of the sleigh. (PC) See examples
  3. Floor, story (of a building); étage.
     An menm planche. On the same floor. (PC); Tou kabàn-ye ye gen en planche an ho. All of the houses have an upstairs. (PC); Se en batis avèk de trwa planche. It’s a building with two or three floors. (CA) See examples
• plant PC ( n. ) plannt PC plon PC plan CA, PC
  1. Plant; plante.
     Li konm en friskata, mè li viyole. En vye vye vye plan. It’s like a banana shrub, but it is purple. It is a really old plant. (PC) ♦ Yé dit plant mois-ci là vaut mié que plant l'été. They say that plants from this month are better than summer plants. (T27) •plant kann n.phr. (PC); plant konn, diplan dekon, diplon dekonn, diplan dekann (PC). Plant cane, seed cane; plants de la canne à sucre. Se de kann ye deja koupe ye pèl sa de chiko. E sa to jus e plante astœr-la, se plant kann. The cane you’ve already cut is called cane stubble. And what you’re planting right now is called seed cane. (PC) See examples
• plantasyon No sources ( n. )
  1. Plantation; plantation.
     ♦ Sete on lil de Koub ye te. Batis reisi rive kote so plantasyon apre wit an. It was the island of Cuba that they had landed on.Baptiste managed to find his plantation after eight years. (JR) See examples