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

• plantin CA ( n. ) plontin CA
  1. Plantain; plantain.
     Si to gen en klou, to me en fey plonten avèk lavazlin. Sa te atire lenflomasyon. If you have a boil, you put a plantain leaf with vaseline on it. It would draw out the inflamation. (CA) ♦ Kraze de fey plonten e mare-ye si ple-la avek en morso lenj. Crush some plantain leaves and put them on the wound with a piece of cloth. (BI) See examples
• planté MO 60, PC, ST ( v.tr. ) plannté CA, PC plan CA, PC plont CA, PC plant CA, PC plonté NE
  1. To plant; planter.
     Ye plannte rekòt-la dan prentan. They planted crops in the spring. (PC); Kan to plant to frèz-ye, to me en plastik chak kote pa pou ye touche latèr-la pa pou li sali ye. When you plant your strawberries, you put plastic on each side so they don’t touch the dirt, so it doesn’t get them dirty. (CA); Li plante so baton dan mo do. He poked his cane in my back. (ST) ♦ Li temps pou nous planté calbasse au ras cabane, pou yé donne nous la fraiche en bas yé gros laliane. It is time for us to plant squash around the house, so it will give us shade under its big vines. (T27) See examples
• plas CA, MO 60, NE, PC ( n. ) léplas PC
  1. Place; endroit, lieu.
     Ye separe pou jwonn onkò dan menm plas-la on landmen maten. They parted only to meet up again in the same place the next day. (NE); Ye pa konen trouve plas-la ou ye premyen rankantre. They can’t find the place where they first met. (CA) ♦ Pa kété, Compair Bouki; mo tou tan trivé place koté torti pondi dézef. Don’t worry, Brer Bouki; I always find the place where the turtle lays its eggs. (T4) •an plas n.phr. In place; en place. Tou kekchoj an plas. Everything is in place. (CA) ♦ Vié fame remette so latête en place. The old woman put her head back in place. (T30) •manke (so) plas v.phr. To be out of place, out of line; faire qch. peu approprié, cf. manke •pran plas v.phr. 1) To replace; remplacer. Tòchon se pran plas STEEL WOOL. Se sa ye te sèrv avan STEEL WOOL vini. Dishrag [made from gourds] took the place of steel wool. That was what they used before steel wool. (PC) 2) To take place; avoir lieu. Ye t ape dispite e la batay pran plas. They were arguing and the fight took place. (CA) See examples
  2. Farm, property ; ferme, propriété.
     Lòt leplas te konnen èlve sa. On other farms they used to raise that. (PC) Li vini las avèk la plas. Li deside pou van li. He got tired of the place and decided to sell it. (CA) ♦ Nonm rich-la te gen en vye esklav on so plas ki te ben onnet e saj. The rich man had an old slave on his property who was very honest and wise. (JR) See examples
  3. Plantation, house, place (used in proper names of estates); plantation, maison (terme utilisé dans le nom propre de plusieurs maisons particulières).
     Plas-la sète plas Bèrjœron. That property was called the Bergeron plantation. (PC) See examples
  4. Square (in a city); place, square (dans une ville).
     ♦ Quand mo rivé en haut laplace, mo rencontré quatre bourgeois. When I arrived in the square, I met up with four townsfolk. (T39) See examples
  5. Seat; place, siège.
     ♦ Kan li fini, lot Brada monté dan so plasse et li jargoné. When he finished, the other brother took his place and began to babble. (T16) See examples
  6. Room, space; place.
     Nou te tou jèn boug-ye, tou anndan lasikleri-la, de pyas e BOARD, plas pou kouche. We were all young boys who worked for the sugar mill, [they gave us] two dollars and board, room to sleep. (PC); Mo lenm pòrt mone-sa-a-la parskè li gen en ta plas andan-la pou to mèt diferan zafèr. I like this purse because it has a lot of room in it for you to put different things. (CA) See examples
  7. Job; poste, emploi.
     Ki i laplas dè cherif? Who got the sheriff’s job? (MO 60) ♦ Li couri prend ein place pou travaille chez moune qui té bien méchant. He took a job at the home of some nasty folk. (FO T25) See examples
  8. Political office; poste politique.
     Èna pa pèson ki e galope pou plas astè. Èna pa eleksyon astèr-la. There is no one running for office right now. There are no elections now. (PC) See examples
• plasaj CA ( n. )
  1. State of living together without being married, shacking up; cohabitation, concubinage.
     Vie nèg proposé mo plaçage, saloperie mais qui vilain menage, vié comme ça jongle à rien que plaçage. The old guys proposed my placement, Lord but what an ugly household, old people like that think of nothing but placement. (DC); Ena en ta plasaj a prezan. Ye rèst ansanm. Ye pa marye. There’s a lot of shacking up these days. They live together. They’re not married. (CA) See examples
• plastik CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Plastic; plastique.
     Kan to plant to frèz-ye, to me en plastik chak kote pa pou ye touche latèr-la pa pou li sali ye. When you plant your strawberries you put plastic on each side so they don’t touch the dirt, so it doesn’t get them dirty. (CA) See examples
• plasé CA, PC ( v., v.intr., v.tr. )
  1. To shack up, live together without being married; vivre à la colle, cohabiter.
     Ye pa marye. Ye plase. Ye viv ansanm kòm fanm e mari. They’re not married. They’re shacked up. They’re living together like husband and wife. (CA)To put, place, position; placer, mettre, poser. En charpantye, li va pran en TRADE pou LEARN kanman pou travay lachèrpont, koman pou siye en morso dibwè, koman pou plase li. A carpenter, he’ll take up a trade to learn how to do carpentry, how to saw a piece of wood, how to place it. (PC); Anon margote chalot. No gen pou plase chak ti margo dan ran-la. Let’s transplant green onions. We have to place each starter plant in the row. (CA) ♦ A la fin li té apé couri au ras la terre pasqué Néléphant té boucou plis mié placé pou halé. Finally he was running along the ground, because the elephant was in a much better position for pulling. (FO T1) •plase bèk v.phr. (PC). To put back; remettre, reposer. Plase li bèk. To put it back. (PC) See examples
• plat CA, PC ( adj. ) pla CA
  1. Flat; plat.
     Li tanmbe plat an so lèstoma, an so vant. He fell flat on his stomach, on his belly. (PC); En chalon se sa euzot pagay. Se pla. Ena pa bòr. Aflat-bottomed boat, that’s what they paddle. It’s flat, it doesn’t have sides. (CA) ♦Am jour gros papa chien contré pauv michié Loup, plat comme ain pinaise et maig comme ain déclou. One day a big old dog met poor Mr. Wolf, as flat as a tick and as thin as a nail. (T22) •an plat adv.phr. (CA). On a flat surface; sur un plan. See examples
  2. Shallow; peu profond.
     E la inave Koule Plat, sa min, sètè en zafè ki laj. Plat, sa min SHALLOW. And there was Coulee Plate, that means it was a body of water that was wide and shallow. (PC) See examples
• plat CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Field, patch, plot (of ground); lopin (de terre).
     Ye vonn ti plat latè-la kote moun baptis-ye. They sold the little plot of land to the Baptists. (PC); En plat latèr se la ou to bati en lamezon ou pou fe en jarden. Se pa gran. A patch of land is where you build a house or make a garden. It’s not big. (CA) See examples
• plat-fòrm No sources ( n. )
  1. Platform; plate-forme.
     ♦ Mingo peut pas résister une bouteille tafia, à c't'heure li couché sir la plate-forme après digéré ça li boit. Mingo cannot resist a bottle of tafia, right now he is lying on the platform digesting what he drank. (TM) See examples
• plati CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To flatten; aplatir.
     Mo me mo kalson e apre mo me mo kòrse pou plati mo vant. I put on my panties and then I put on my girdle to flatten my stomach. (CA) See examples
• plato CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Baking pan; casserole.
     La kan leuve ase, kwi li, mèt li dan le plato . When it rises enough, cook it, put it in a baking pan. (PC); Ye te kapab mèt kat dipen andan en plato. They could put four loaves of bread in a baking pan. (CA) See examples
  2. Dish; assiette.
     Plato, se en DISH . A [plato] is a dish. (PC); Si no gen la dousèr, mo di pas mwa plato-la. If we’ve got sweets, I say pass me the dish. (CA) See examples
• pli PC ( n. ) plis CA
  1. Wrinkle; pli, ride.
     Li gen de pli on sa figur. She has wrinkles on her face. (PC); To gen bèzon fèr a pase pou ote plis-ye andan to lajip. Se chifonen. You need the iron to take the wrinkles out of your shirt. It’s wrinkled. (CA) See examples
• plimaj ST ( n. )
  1. Plumage; plumage.
     Plimaj zwazo. The bird’s plumage. (ST) ♦ Larenne olé plimage zozo paradis. The queen wants the plumage of a bird of paradise. (T7) See examples
• plin gen, MO 60 ( adj. )
  1. Full; plein.
     Ranpli labak a ben plen dlo pou ton frèr. Fill the bathtub full of water for your brother. (BT); Mo gen mo bra-ye plen. I’ve got my arms full. (CA); Li fe akrwar li plen kouraj me li pœr. He pretends he’s full of courage but he’s afraid. (ST) ♦ Li couri dans la quisine, li prend ein grand ferblanc plein la braise et la cende chaud. He went into the kitchen and took a big tin full of burning coals and hot ashes. (FO T6) •an plen adj.phr. (CA). Completely, perfectly; parfaitement, complètement. Li sanm so Mam si tèlman. Se so Mam an plen. He looks so much like his Mom. He’s his mother all over. (CA) See examples
  2. Full (of the moon); pleine (en parlant de la lune).
     Lalin-la gen plen dèmen. The moon will be full tomorrow. (PC) See examples
  3. Satiated, full; repu, rassasié.
     Mo plen kote mo kou . I’m full up to my neck. (PC); Mo manje tro. Mo plen ouchka kote mo gargan. I ate too much. I’m stuffed to the gills. (CA) See examples
• plin CA, MO 60, PC ( adv. ) plènn PC
  1. Much, many, a lot (of); beaucoup (de), plein (de).
     Li te gen en gro magazen, li te avons plen moun kredi. He ran a big store and advanced credit to a lot of people. (PC); Mo wa plen zozo mano dan livèr. I see lots of sparrows in winter. (CA); Li buche plen dibwa pou chofe ondon liver e li met sa ondon fwoye. He chopped a lot of wood to heat during the winter and he put it in his fireplace. (NE) ♦ Enn ave plen bon lèrb vèr on lòt kote lak-la. There was a lot of good green grass on the other side of the lake. (JR) See examples
  2. Very; très.
     Sa manman te plen joli. Her mother was very beautiful. (PC) ♦ Sa te sanm ke li te plen prese pou chèche pip-sa-la. He seemed like he was in a real hurry to search for that pipe. (JR) See examples
  3. Much, a lot; beaucoup.
     Mòn plen plu kantan parle kreyòl antreu ye, anlantour isit kan ye ansanm, keu langle. People around here are much happier to speak Creole together than English. (PC) ♦ Navir-la grouye plen men li tchobo en bon bout tan. The ship rocked about, but it held on for a good while. (JR) See examples
  4. Often, a lot; souvent.
     Mo trouv pa sa isi MUCH, moun klè. Mè lòt kote Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, vou wa sa plen. I don’t find light-skinned people around here very much. But over there, in Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama, you find that a lot. (PC) 5, Really, just; vraiment. Li te parti plen kom sa san di aryen, pa en parol. He left just like that without saying anything, not one word. (CA) ♦ Ye te pa kwa li te ole mouri plen konm sa. They didn’t believe he really wanted to die just like that. (JR) •an plen adv.phr. an plèn (MO 60). Right, smack (on the back, etc.), right in the middle of; en plein (sur le dos, etc.). Ka mo vini pou lève mo tonmbe an plen mo do dan mai. When I went to get up, I fell right on my back into the com. (PC); Kan mo arive legliz, ye te an plen lamès. Lamès deja komanse. When I got to church, they were in the middle of mass. Mass had already begun. (CA) •tou plen adv.phr. Entirely, very much, completely; tout plein, tout à fait, entièrement. ♦ Vou popa riche, mo sûr; di li achté moin. Ma linmin vou tou plin. Your daddy is rich, I’m sure; tell him to buy me. I will love you entirely. (ME) •plen le fwa adv.phr. Often, many times; souvent, maintes fois. cf. fwa See examples
• plin PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To fill; remplir.
     Ape to plen wagon-la to mare l e lachenn-lapou tchombo dekann-ye pèche ye paye. After you have filled the wagon with cane, you attach the chain to hold the cane in place and keep it from spilling. (PC) See examples
• plint CA ( n. )
  1. Complaint; plainte.
     Mo ale e fe en plent avèk li. I went and made a complaint against him. (CA) ♦ Mo va donnin toi ein réponse qué jamin vous zotes a envie vini bété moin encore, mo lasse tendé tout sortes plaintes. to tendé. I am going to give you an answer so that you will never want to come back and bother me again, I am tired of hearing all sorts of complaints, do you hear? (FO T15) See examples
• pliny PC ( adj. )
  1. Outgoing, extroverted; extroverti.
     Mon mo pa SHY, mo pleny, mo mo pleny, mo pa SHY doutou. I am not shy, I am outgoing, I am not shy at all. (PC) See examples
• plito NE, PC ( prep., conj. ) pito gen puto BT, PC
  1. Instead of; au lieu de.
     Pito Msye Tibodo, Msye Zereng vini. Instead of Mr. Thibodeaux, it was Mr. Zeringue who came. (NE); Puto achte en char kenz katòrz mil pyas, mo se pran en char avèk en bon BODY, mo se mèt mon enn nouvèl machin anddan, mèt de bon tay. Rather than buying a new car for 14 or 15 thousand dollars, I would get a [used] car with a good body, and put a new engine in it and new tires on it. (BT)Rather than, instead of; plutôt que. Pito lese li trape èn grip, mo vomye garde li ondon lamezon. Rather than let him catch a cold, I’d better keep him in the house. (NE); Pito mo chante li, mo resite li. Instead of singing it, I recited it. (CA) ♦ Kroup-la va sòrti on deyòr pli to ke rontre on don. The croup comes out of the body rather than going into it. (BI) See examples
• plito CA, MO 60, NE ( adv. ) pito CA, NE
  1. Rather, mostly; plutôt.
     Ye pa kap konprann. Mo pans ye pito abitue e langle. They can’t understand. I think they are mostly used to English. (CA) ♦ Non, non, dit ein lote moune qui té la, mo croi plitot c’est Compair Bouki. «No, no,» said another person who was there, «I think rather that it’s Brer Bouki.» •’pa plitot qué’ adv.phr. No sooner than; pas plus tot que. ♦ Yé couché en haut la planche loin l’ein de l’ote, et pas plitot yé té la qué Compair Lapin té ben malade a cause do l’eau et soleil. They lay down on the board far from one another, and no sooner were they there than Brer Rabbit felt sick because of the water and the sun. (FO T4) See examples
• plito No sources ( v.aux. ) pito NE
  1. To prefer, would rather; aimer mieux, préférer.
     Mo pito pa fe sa. I would rather not do that. (NE) See examples
• pliyé PC ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) playé CA, ST ployé CA plwayé CA, NE
  1. To fold; plier.
     Li pliye dra-ye. She folded the sheets. (PC); To jis foure lenj dan to tirwa. To pa playe ye. You just stuff clothes in your drawer. You don’t fold them. (CA) See examples
  2. To bend; plier.
     Mo pliye dekann-la. I bent down the sugar cane stalk. (PC) ♦ Et, ça yé t apé joué, c’était ... plié yé dos. And what they were playing was bending their backs. (T27)To bend; se plier. Branch-ye e bese, ye pliye. Pliye avek depech. The branches were weighted down, bent over with [the weight of] the peaches. (PC) See examples
• plonj BT ( adj. )
  1. Even, smooth, level, flat; égal, uni, lisse, plat.
     Kan no te raboure, i rèste de mot, sa fe, nou te kroche de mile, te pase lahèrs disu, sa vini plonnj. When we plowed, clumps of dirt would remain, so we hitched up the mules and went over it with the harrow, and it became even. (BT) •an plonj adv.phr. (BT). On a flat surface; sur un plan. Le mai, on plante sa an ran . Leu ri se plante tou an plonj. Com, we used to plant in rows. Rice was planted on a flat surface. (BT) See examples
• plonjèr CA ( n. )
  1. Diver; plongeur.
     Ena plonjèr ki va anba e ye va cherche pou kòr kan keken neyé. There are divers who go down and they get bodies when someone drowns. (CA) ♦ Lot cé bon plonzore: li koné plonzé dan lamer et trapé tou ça to olé. The other is a good diver; he knows how to dive into the sea and find whatever it is you want. (T7) See examples
  2. Kingfisher; martin-pêcheur. (Family
     Alcedinidae). To gen traka pou twe plonjèr. Li vif. It’s hard to kill kingfishers. They’re quick. (CA) See examples
• plonjé CA, MO 60 ( v.intr. )
  1. To dive; plonger.
     Li plonj an ba dolo. He plunged down into the water. (MO 60); Li t ape naje. Li plonje e li sote lwen ou li te plonje. He was swimming. He dove and he came out far from where he dove in. (CA) ♦ Li plonzé boudjoum! comme ouaouaron et dan cinque minites li donne larenne so bague. He dove, splash! like a frog, and in five minutes he gave the queen her ring. (T7) See examples
• ploté CA ( v.intr. )
  1. To shake; bouger, secouer.
     To dèryèr jich ap plote. Your rear end is shaking. (CA) See examples
• plu No sources ( adv. ) pli NE, PC, CA, MO 60, NE, PC plis CA, NE, PC, PC, ST plus CA, NE, PC, PC, ST pious PC plou PC plyi MO 72
  1. More; plus, davantage.
     La a petèt charje twa plis kè manje-a vo. She might charge you more than the food is worth. (PC); Doktœr di to gen pou chanje ye tou le dez an. Ena plis ke dez an ke mo gen mo-ken-yen. The doctor says you need to change them [glasses] about every two years. It’s been more than two years that I’ve had mine. (CA); To gen mwens me sa koute plus. You get less but it costs more. (ST) ♦ San espere pou tan plis, Py è leve e li prann lakou. Without waiting to hear any more, Peter got up and ran away. (JR) •non-plu adv.phr. Not either, neither; non plus. cf. non-plu •plus (de) adv.phr. (PC); plus dè, plis, plu (PC); plis ke (NE). More; plus de. Èna plus de pòv kè de rich. There were more poor people than rich people. (PC); Plis k œn pyas. More than one dollar. (NE) ♦ M a parye twa enna plis lapen ke kokodri isi-la. I bet you there’s more rabbits than alligators here. (JR) •pli... pase adv.phr. More... than; plus ... que. Mo jamè fe plis pase trwa pyas par jour. I have never made more than three dollars a day. (NE) ♦ ’plisse pacé’, ‘pli passé’, ‘plis passé’, ‘plice pacé’ (NE 1987 passim), •plu... plu adv.phr. (PC); pi pi (PC). The more... the more...; plus... plus ... Plu ye monje pli ye mond ankò. The more they ate, the more they lied. (PC) See examples
  2. [In comparatives]. More (-ke, than); plus (-ke, que).
     La pli gron sèrpon ke mo jamè wa. The biggest snake I ever saw. (NE); 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); Sete pli fre dan l nòr-wèst livèr-sa-a-la . It was colder in the northwest this winter. (CA) ♦ Ma pli vite fé vou ein lot laclé passé trapé cila. I could make you a new key sooner than I could find that one. (T6) See examples
• plu NE ( adv. ) pi CA, NE, PC pli NE plu NE pu PC
  1. No more, no longer, not anymore; ne plus.
     Mo bwa yenk en tas le maten. Apre sa mo bwa pi. I only drink one cup [of coffee] in the morning. After that, I don’t drink anymore. (PC); Lontan pase, no te gen labitid ramase demir me astèr ena pi sa. A long time ago, we used to pick berries, but now there’s no more of that. (CA) ♦ »Nous plis gain di bèl Quéqu’ain mangé nous di bèl» ‘We have no more butter! Someone ate our butter.’ (BD) •pi ... ankò adv.phr. (PC). No more, no longer, not any more; ne plus. Ye pi voye chek ankò . They didn’t send any more checks. (PC) See examples
• plu No sources ( n. ) lé plis NE
  1. Most, the most; le plus.
     Se te ite di kòm sa ke le fiy oben le fom lakonpony se sa le nòm te lemè le plis. They used to say that it was girls or women from the country that men liked the most. (NE) See examples
• plum CA, PC ( n. ) prim PC plim CA
  1. Feather; plume.
     Li gen le plum mwòyen jonn. It has yellowish feathers. (PC); Zozo-la, li gen en ta plim an so latèt kòm en gar-soley. The bird, it’s got a bunch of feathers on its head like a sun bonnet. (CA) ♦ Landimin, apé lamesse, tou moune ki gagné la plime rassemblé dan gran diboi. The next day after mass, everyone with feathers gathered in the big tree. (T8) See examples
  2. Feather pen; plume (à écrire).
     ♦ Mapé trempé mon plime dans dil’encre pou méte en haut papier l'histoire d’un bal Mardi Gras qué m’oulé voyé vous. I’m dipping my pen in the ink to put on paper the story of a Mardi Gras ball that I want to send to you. (T40) See examples
• plumin PC ( adj. )
  1. Bald; chauve.
     Vou latet plimen. You are bald. (PC) ♦ Makak di si so kroupyon plime sa pa gade lezòt. Monkey says if his rump is bald, it’s nobody’s business, [ ‘plimé’ ] (DU) See examples
• plumin PC ( v.tr. ) plimin CA
  1. To pluck, feather; plumer.
     To plumen sa. You pluck it. (PC); Kan li mèn so lachach, se man ki te gen pou fini. Mo te gen pou kòrche ye ou plimen ye. When he brought back his catch, I had to finish. I had to skin them or pluck the feathers. (CA) ♦ Carancro capoté: wap! Compair Bouki plimé li, coupé so latête avé so pate, mété li dan so canassière et parti couri divan. The buzzard fell over. Brer Bouki plucked it, cut off its head and its feet, put it in his gamebag, and went on his way. (T6) See examples
  2. To rob; voler.
     ♦ Li just oulé plimé nous autes come so zami Miché Warmoth. He just wanted to rob us like his friend Mr. Warmouth. (T34) See examples
• plush No sources ( n. ) léplish CA, PC, ST léplush PC
  1. Outer covering of sugar cane stalk just inside leaves; écorce extérieure de la canne à sucre.
     Lepluch, sa li kole kant lakann-na. E lapay-leu non. The [pluch] is the outer layer of the sugar cane stalk, it is right up against the cane. The [pay] isn’t. (PC); Kan to fini sise lakann, to jèt leplich. When you’re finished sucking out the sugar cane, you throw out the stalk. (CA) See examples
  2. Skin (of fruit, etc.); pelure (d’un fruit, etc.).
     To kwi sa dan leplich e ye pèl sa konfitir jòromo. You cook that in its skin, and they call it pumpkin jam. (CA); Leplich deponm. Apple peelings. (ST) See examples
  3. Shell (of beans, peas, etc.), peel; écosse, épluchure, pelure, coquille.
     Leplich-ye. The shells. Leplich zoranj. Orange peels. Leplich pakònn. Pecan shells. Mo ote ye dan leplich-la. I remove them [pecans] from the shell. (PC) ♦ Pou mal o vont to fe bouyi leplij pakonn don dolo pi to bwa sa. For an upset stomach, you boil pecan shells in water and then you drink that. (LA) See examples
• plushé CA, PC ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) plishé CA, NE, PC, ST plush PC plish PC
  1. To peel, shell; éplucher.
     To plich chevret-ye pou ote le SHELL-ye on ye. You peel shrimp to remove the shell. (PC); Pluche le pòm e le pwar. To peel apples and pears. (PC); T ape pliche lekòrch apre dibwa-la. You’re peeling the bark off the tree. (CA) See examples
  2. To shuck; éplucher.
     Pliche li, to ote lapay-la anho la. Shucking it, removing the leaves. (PC)To peel; peler. Boug-la te e pluche, li te e pouri. The guy’s skin was peeling, it was rotting. (PC); Sirie-ye fieri tou lete e ye gen en joli lekòrch ke plich dan livèr. Wax myrtles flower all summer and they have a nice bark that peels in winter. (CA) See examples
• pluzyœr gen ( adj. ) plizyèr CA, NE pluzyèr PC pluzyè PC plizyè CA
  1. Several; plusieurs.
     Ina pluzyœr anne pre appre senk siz an ke ye arète sèrvi vyeu chmen-d-fèr ke te la. It’s been several years, maybe five or six, since they stopped using the railroad that was there. (BT); Ena pluzyœr koulœr lapen. There are several colors of rabbits. (CA) ♦ Fe en di te avek de karòt e pi bwar sa plizyè fwa par jou. Make a tea with carrots and drink that several times a day. (BI) See examples
  2. pron.indef. Several, some; plusieurs, en.
     Na plizyèr ki te fe sa. There are several who did that. (NE) See examples
• plwayé NE ( v.tr. )
  1. To use; employer, utiliser.
     Ye te kouri don l klo, plwaye kouto dekon, koupe le kon mai, koupe le baton koton. They would go into the fields, use their cane knife and cut the cornstalks, cut the cotton stalks. (NE) See examples
• plèn PC ( n. ) plènn CA laplènn ST
  1. Plain, open field, pasture; plaine, pré.
     Te e liro dan laplèn, na pa oken dibwa andan la. You’re riding on the plain, there are no trees there. (PC); Ena pa narb pa aryen. Se en plenn. There’s not a tree or anything. It’s a plain. (CA); Mo war enn il pen dan mo laplenn. I saw a pine grove in my pasture. (ST) ♦ Disique là brillé comme larosée laplaine. The sugar sparkled like dew on the plain. (T27) See examples
• plènn CA ( adj. )
  1. Pregnant; enceinte.
     Li plenn (pou en betay). She is pregnant (with an animal). (CA) See examples
• plènn BT, CA ( v., v.tr., v.intr. )
  1. To pity; plaindre, avoir pitié de.
     Sa fe lapenn. Li tou sèl. Mo plenn li. It’s sad. He’s all alone. I pity him. (CA) ♦ Compair TOurs et Compair Bouki plainde li boucou pasqué yé té cré c’était so fame qui té mouri. Brer Bear and Brer Bouki pitied him a lot because they thought it was his wife that had died. (FO T4)To complain; se plaindre. Ye lèm plenn èk de vont plen. They like to complain with their bellies full. (BT); Li charje man si chèr. Sa s fe mo seye menen sa anba. Mo plenn. He charged me so much. So, I tried to bring it down. I complained. (CA) ♦ Tan li procé cabanne Compair Bouki, li comancé plène apé tchombo so vante. When he approached Brer Bouki’s house he began to complain and hold his stomach. (T4) See examples
• plènn-d-lun No sources ( n. ) plindvinn PC laplènn lalinn CA
  1. Full moon; pleine lune.
     To gen pou plante lagrenn jòromon avèk laplenn lalin. You have to plant pumpkin with the full moon. (CA) ♦ [Pou] veru (poro), mare-ye avek di fil o plen lalin . Kon lalin par dekline, ye deklin avek li. For warts, tie them with string during a full moon. When the moon starts to decline, they will decline with it. [ ‘au plein la line’ ] (BI) See examples
• plèr No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To please; plaire.
     ♦ Misérab de négue bossai, to té ben cré ça sré duré qué to sré gagnin bel choal, pou plair tout négresse la yé. Miserable imported slave, you really thought that it would last, you having a nice horse to please all the girls. (T32) •si to pie exp. Please; s’il te plaît. cf. si See examples
• plé CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Sore, wound; plaie.
     Kan to gen en ple, to gen pou ponse sa pou ote jèrm . When you have a wound, you have to bandage it to get rid of germs. (CA) ♦ Apre ben lave laple-la to met sa on laple, sa ote tou flamasyon-la e pi sa geri tetonòs. After washing the wound out really well, put that [rabbit dung] on the wound to remove the swelling, and that will cure tetanus. (LA) See examples
• plédé NE ( v.tr. ) plédi CA
  1. To beg; supplier.
     Bouki t ole joue, mè se te pou fe Lapen plede li! Bouki did want to play, but he pretended not to just to make Rabbit beg him. (NE); Mo pledi li pou pa li ale. I begged him not to go there. (CA) See examples
  2. To plead; plaider.
     ♦ Ça prouvé vouzote ein kichoge, ké compair Lapin té ein niprocrite é li plaidé faux pou gagnin vrai. That proves one thing to you, that Compair Lapin was a hypocrite and pleaded false things to know the truth. (FO 1887) See examples
• pléri CA, NE ( n. ) lapréri ST
  1. Prairie; prairie.
     Mo te don bwa ape seye sòrti don la pleri. I was in the woods trying to get back out to the prairie. (NE); Tou la pleri te an fe. The whole prairie was on fire. (CA) ♦ Ye te don en gron pleri, e nave pa vwazen ditou. They were in a big prairie, and there were no neighbors around at all. [' plaine ’] (DU) See examples
  2. Swamp, marsh; marais, marécage.
     Boukànyèr popa te don en lapreri. My father’s smokehouse was in a swamp. (ST) See examples
• plézir MO 60, ST ( n. ) plézi CA, PC, ST plèzir PC plezi PC
  1. Pleasure, fun; plaisir.
     Nou te gen plen plezi ka li te la, nou anmize nou-mèm byen ka li te la. We had a lot of fun when she was here. (PC); Se en plezir pou jwenn twa. It’s a pleasure to meet you. (ST) ♦ Adié Miché, mo bo vous avec plaisir. Goodbye, sir, I kiss you with pleasure. (T40) See examples
• plòt CA ( n. ) laplòt gen
  1. Ball; pelote, balle, ballon.
     Chaken gen senk ou sis anddan ye geim-la, ye gen en BAT e laplòt-la. Each one has five or six [players] in the game, and they have a bat and a ball. (BT); Ye t ap lanse plòt-la e ye kase finèt-la. They were throwing the ball and they broke the window. (CA) •plòt koton n.phr. (CA). Cottonball; un coton. See examples
  2. Baseball, football; baseball, football américain.
     Mo ti-zanfan menen so ti bèl wa en gem laplòt. My grandson took his girlfriend to see a baseball game. (CA) •jouèr laplòt n.phr. Baseball player; joueur de baseball, baseballeur. cf. jouèr •jwe laplòt v.phr. (BT). To play ball; jouer au baseball. Mo lenm gète me zanfon jwe laplòt. I like to watch my children play baseball. (BT) See examples
  3. Testicle; testicule. (ST)
• plœré CA ( v.intr. ) pléré CA
  1. To cry; pleurer.
     Li t ape plere si tèlman li te gen de larm ape degoute. He was crying so much he had tears dripping down. (CA) ♦ Ma senti mo tchor tou séré; mé f o pa mo pleuré, ça sré fé li tro la peine. My heart feels heavy. But I must not cry, that would upset him too much. (ME) See examples
• po BT, MO 60, NE, PC ( n. ) lapo gen
  1. Skin; peau.
     En moun ki malad gen lajannis so lapo vyen jann. Someone who is sick with jaundice has their skin turn yellow. (PC); Po lout. Otter skin. (MO 60); Li gen en dat andan lapo e li chanj koulèr. He’s got a blotch on his skin that changes color. (CA) ♦ Non! non! Compair Bouki, pa jité mouen dan zéronce; pikan la yé a déchiré mo lapo. No, no, Brer Bouki, don’t throw me into the briar patch; the thorns will prick my skin. (T2) •lapo mòrd n.phr. (PC); lapo mòrt (PC). Dandruff; pellicules. Li gen lapo mòrd dan so latet. He has dandruff on his head. (PC) •lapo sèk n.phr. (CA). Dry skin; peau sèche. To gen lapo sèk. T Sa demanj. You’ve got dry skin. It itches. (CA) •lapo zye n.phr. (CA; PC). Eyelid; paupière. Lapo zye se sa ki krouvi vo zye. Eyelids are what cover your eyes. (PC); To gen pou leve lapo zye pou mèt en gout dan to zye-ye. You have to lift your eyelid to put drops in your eyes. (CA) See examples
  2. Leather, hide (of animal); cuir, peau (d’animal).
     Sœl po ke ti peu achte, ke i achèt ontour, se le kokodri. The only animal hide you can buy around here is alligator skin. (BT); Mo popa te fe balenn avèk lapo bèt. My dad made whips with animal hide. (ST); Mo achte souye fe an lapo. I bought leather shoes. (CA) ♦ Compair Lapin té corché [ti chivreil la] et li mené so la peau en haut so dos. Brer Rabbit skinned [the little deer] and put its hide on his back. (FO T1) •lapo bèf n.phr. (NE); lapo bef (PC). Cowhide; peau de boeuf. ♦ ’lapo bef’ (T14) See examples
• po CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Pitcher; pot, cruche.
     Po-la, to sèr pou to bwa dolo. That pitcher you use for drinking water. (PC) ; Li lese mo po tonbe par-tè e li brize li. He dropped my pitcher on the floor and he broke it. (CA) •po-d-chanm n.phr. (CA). Chamber pot; pot de chambre. Vye tan pase, no te gen kòmòd deyò me no te gen po-d-chanm pou le swa. In the olden days, we had toilets outside but we had chamber pots for at night. (CA) •po dolo n.phr. (PC); pot dolo (CA). Water pitcher; cruche d’eau, pot d’eau. Moman te fe en pot dolo avèk larakèt-ye. Mom would make a drink pitcher with prickly pears. (CA) ♦ Sir la table té ein pot dol'eau. On the table there was a pitcher of water. (T39) •po kivyèt n.phr. pòt kivèt (CA). 1) Washbowl, washbasin; cuvette, lavabo. (PC) 2) Pitcher; cruche, pichet. (CA) See examples
• pobon BT, CA, PC ( n. ) pobon PC
  1. Jar; jarre.
     Na di pen , na di le, na en pobon djenm onmba frijidè-lœ . There’s bread, there’s milk, there’s a jar of jam at the bottom of the refrigerator. (BT); Se pa en boutey ; se en pobon . En boutey gen en ti goulo me en pobon se larj. It’s not a bottle, it’s a jar. A bottle has a neck but a jar is wide. (CA) See examples
  2. Kettle; bouilloire, marmite. (PC)
  3. Pitcher; cruche, pot, pichet.
     Mo fe la limonad andan mo pobon . I made lemonade in my pitcher. (CA) See examples
  4. Pan; casserole.
     Vou fe li lèvè, e tan vou dipen lève dan fè-blan plat-la, vou ote li v mèt li dan en lòt PAN, dan en lòt pobon pou kwi li. You let it rise, and when the bread has risen in its baking pan, you take it out and put it in another to bake it. (PC) See examples