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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ròf
MO 60, PC
(
adj.
)
-
Rough; grossier, rude, rugueux.
Ye ye monyè ròf ye. [Yucca plants], they are rather rough. (PC); Na plen milat ki ròf kòm mwen. There are lots of mulattoes who are rough (i.e. who have wiry hair), like me. (PC) ♦ [Pou] di mal a lèstoma, li gen ke pou seye lekòrch frenn. Òt gro ròf la; pronn ke lekòrch vèr. For a stomachache, all he has to do is try ash bark. Remove the thick outer bark and use only the green bark. (BI)
See examples
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ròsiñòl
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Nightingale; rossignol.
♦ Kashé dan la barbe espagnol, ki sa qui apé s hanté là? Mo konnin, se pas rossignol. Hidden in the Spanish moss, who’s that who’s singing there? I know it’s not the nightingale. (TN)
See examples
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s
CA, PC
(
pron.refl.
)
-
[Preverbal]. Himself, herself, itself; se.
Si to sèr pa li tou le jour, sa s bliy . If you don’t use it every day,, it gets forgotten. (CA); Zèr-koken li, kan li chèch li kòl an to lenj, li s tach an to lenj. Cockle bur, when it’s dry it sticks to your clothes. (PC)
See examples
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sa
No sources
(
adv.,
adv.phr.
)
’ça ét là’
No sources
-
Here and there; çà et là.
♦ Tout so chiveix té rassemblé ça et là dans des tits tats qui té marré avec des cordons soulié. All of her hair was gathered up here and there in little piles tied with shoelaces. (T40)
See examples
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sa
PC
(
dem.
)
-
[Postnominal]. This, that; ce, cette.
Kan to te pran chenmen-sa pou vini pou kouri kote legliz . When you took that road to go to the church. (PC) •sa-ye adj.dem. (CA; NE; PC). These, those; ces. Mwa mo pase partou parmi se betay-sa-ye, le sèrpon, tou kèk-chòj-sa-ye, se te en gron zafèr. I walked everywhere among those animals, the snakes and all, it was quite something! (NE); Leu mèm mai-ye to plant, to manj mèm sa-ye. The same corn you plant, you eat the same ones. (CA); Gato koko, gato deponm, gato karamèyl, AND tou zafè-sa-ye. Coconut cakes, apple cakes, caramel cakes, (I make) all of that. (PC) •sa-la adj.dem. (BT; PC); sa-a (PC); sa-1 (BT; PC; NE); sa-leu (BT); sa-a-la (CA). This, that; ce, cette (-ci, -là). (Li ne) dan mezon-sa-la, wi, gran lamezon-sa-la. He was bom in that house, yes, that big house. (PC); So fonm a nonm-sa-la gen pou trouve en ti bebe, byen gros. That man’s wife is going to have a baby, she is really big. (BT); Ran-sa-a-la to wa pa so bout a fòrs li long. That row, you don’t see its end because it’s so long. (CA) ♦ Li kouri fe en trwasyenm batenm, e li nonmen piti-sa-la Trwasyenm-la. He went to do a third baptism, and he named that child the Third One. (JR)
See examples
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[Prenommai]. This, that; ce, cette.
♦ Pour moi ça té pas rassurant de tandé parlé ce milate. For me it was not reassuring to hear this mulatto speak. (T38); Mo pas connin pou qui raison yé traité moin de cette sorte. I do not know why they treated me that way. (T37)
See examples
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sa
NE, PC
(
det.poss.
)
-
His, her, its; sa.
Lafiy ki li vini avèk se sa bèl. The girl that he came with is his girlfriend. (NE); Sa figir. His face. (PC)
See examples
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sa
CA, NE, PC
(
ptcl.
)
sra
CA, NE, ST
-
[Simple future].
Nou sa gen en gro dinè e nou sa gen en bal. We will throw a big luncheon and we’ll have a dance. (NE); Li sa pare pou vou dèmen. She’ll be ready for you tomorrow. (PC); Kon t a vini demen, li s ape dòrmi. When you come tomorrow, he will be sleeping. (NE); Mo pa pare a prezan. To sa gen p atan en monman. I’m not ready now. You’ll have to wait a moment, (CA) ♦ M’a chese zo lak e zo sa pi gen dolo pou bwa. I’ll dry up your lake, and you will have no more water to drink. (JR) 2. [Future anterior]. Kon t a vini demen mo sa deja parti. When you come tomorrow I will already be gone. (NE) 3. v.cop. Will be; serai, etc. Mo sra la. I will be there. (PC; BT); Kan to sa la, no va gen tan pou chare. When you’re here, we’ll have time to chat. (CA); A lamòr, tou sra fini. At death, everything will be over. (CA) ♦ Mo kwa li sa la tout swit. To ole espere pou li? I think he will be here right away. Do you want to wait for him? (JR) sa 5 pron. (gen.); ha (PC). 1. subj. He, she, it; il, elle. Kòchmar se en ti nòm, sa gen le gros men e en gro latèt. Cauchemar is a little man, he has big hands and a big head. (NE); Sa tou defèt zòt mezon. It [the flood of 1927] completely destroyed their house. (NE); Pale ma bèl sœr. Sa parl franse. Talk to my sister-in-law. She speaks French. (PC); Mo bwi janmbon. Kan to bwi li, sa ot en peu disèl-la. I boil ham. When you boil it, that takes out some of the salt. (CA) 2, subj. They; ils, elles. Se tou natirèl wa le jèn piti astèr, sa tou parl meriken. It’s natural to see young people today, they all speak English. (NE); Sa toujou ape bataye. They are always fighting. (CA) ♦ Pasqué des os ça pésé, et c’est meilleur marché sans des os. Because bones are heavy, and it’s cheaper without the bones. (FO T17) 3. imper.subj. It, there; il. Sa vini nwar-nwar-nwar. It got darker and darker. (NE); Safe fre. It’s cold. (PC); Sa neje isit pou dè jour. It snowed here for two days. (CA) ♦ Sa (li) fe fret jòdi. It is cold today. (BD); Sa rete jis Pa Lapen ki te pa seye onkò. There remained only Brer Rabbit who hadn’t tried yet. (JR) 4. subj. That; ça, cela. Sa, men sa gen cheve drwat men li li gen so cheve-ye frize. That one has straight hair, but this one has curly hair. (PC); Sa fe pa lèspri. It doesn’t make sense. (NE) ♦ Et dans cabane ça bon assise côté di fé avec tous nos pitis quand napé boi café. And in the house it is good to sit by the fire with all of our children when we are drinking coffee. (T27) 5. obj. It, that; ça, le, la. To se ouv lapòt-la e dòn mwa ha dan lakou. You would open the door and give me that in the yard. (PC); Le chawi peu pa monje tou sa toudenkou kòm sa . Raccoons can’t eat all of that at once like that. (NE); Man, mo manj pa sosis granchoj. Mo trouv sa en ti peu gra. I don’t eat much sausage. I find that somewhat greasy. (CA) ♦ Mais moune té pas l'aimain ça a cause de so caractère. But people didn’t like that because of his character. (T37) 6. dem. sa ki la-la, sa-la-la, sa-la, sa-a (PC). This one, that one; celui-ci, celui-là (etc.). Gato-sa-a myè pase sa-la. This cake is better than that one. (PC) 7. int. sa-ki (BT; PC); sa, sa-ki, sa-k(i), ki-k(i), ki-se-sa-k(i), ki-se-k(i) (NE). What; qu’est-ce que/qui. En swar, mo frèr e mo tap fume, lapip a tonbe partèr. Mam di, sa ki ap tonbe la, Tout? One evening, my brother and I were smoking, the pipe fell to the ground. Mom said ‘What is falling up there, Toute?’ (BT); Sa ki to non? What is your name? (PC); Sa ki arive? What happened? (PC); Sa to gen don ta men? What do you have in your hand? (NE); Sa t ole isi, twa ? What do you want here? (NE) ♦Mais pove piti chivreil, qui ça to gagnin? Poor little horse, what is wrong with you? (FO T1); Eh ben, mo fille, ça tolé mo fait avec corps to vié choal blanc? Well, my girl, what do you want me to do with the body of your white horse? (FO T19) •sa ena? exp . What’s wrong? Qu’est-ce qu’il y a? cf. ina 8. int. sa ke, sa ki (NE). Who, whom; qui. Mo mai ape diminwi. Sa k ape monje mai-la? My corn is disappearing. Who is eating the Com? (NE); Sa ki achte kandi-la pou vou gason? Who bought the candy for you, boy? (PC) 9. rel. The one, the ones; celui (etc.). Vye moun-ye di lòt jœn-ye, e sa ki te jœn ye vini e di ye-kèn piti sa. Old folks told that to their kids, and the ones who were young came and told their own kids. (PC); M a lese vou deside sa ki bòs avek li. I'll let you decide who is the boss with him. (NE) ♦ Demen a dizè dan lavanmidi n a wa sa ki meyè ant mwen e twa. Tomorrow at ten in the morning let’s see which one of us is better. (JR) •sa-ye pron. These (ones), those (ones); ceux, celles (-ci, -là). Piman cho-ye se sa-ye ti byen rouj rouj. Se sa-ye bril to labouch. The red peppers, it’s those that are deep red. It’s those that burn your mouth. (PC); Leu mèm mai-ye to plant, to manj mèm sa-ye. To manj ye avon ye vini dur. The same corn you plant, you eat the same ones. You eat them before they get hard. (CA) ♦ Faut nous fait la loi, et tout ça yé qui révolté na tchué yé. We have to make a law, and all of those who revolt we will kill. (FO T1) •sèz-la(-la) pron. (CA; PC); seu d la, seu la (PC); sès (CA); lèz-la (NE). Those, the ones who; ceux, celles. Tou sèz-la ki katolik monj pa lavyòn don karèm. All of those who are Catholic do not eat meat during Lent. (NE); Reveyè pas e li son la klòch pou reveye sès k ape dòrmi. The wake-up man passes and he rings a bell to wake up those who are sleeping. (CA) 10. rel. sa-ti (PC). What, whatever, that which; ce que, ce qui, quoi que. Dan lèsklavai, le nòm blan te fe sa l ole. In the days of slavery, the white man did what he wanted to. (PC); Mo konè sa ki monk Bouki. I know what Bouki is missing. (NE); Mo fou pa mal sa to di e sa to fe. I don’t give a damn about what you do and what you say. (CA) ♦ Mo oulé connin ça yé apé dit. I want to know what they’re saying. (FO T1) •sa-ki pou fe exp. What to do; quoi faire. To konnen sa ki pou fe, kou fe li! You know what to do, do it! (PC) ♦ Quand Jean Malin té piti li té norphelin et li té pas connin ou couri ou ça pou fait. When Clever John was little he was an orphan, and he did not know where to go or what to do. (FO T2) 11. rel. Who, whom, which, that; qui, que. Madanm-la sa mo travay pou, ye, li TEACH lekòl. The woman that I work for teaches school. (PC); Tou le medikaman sa on bwa, sa le dòktèr-la donn, ete fe eve larkòl. All of the medicine that you drink, that doctors give out, was made with alcohol. (CA) ♦ Donne moin mo tchilottes, et mo caneçons ça mo prété toi. Give me my pants and the underwear that I loaned you. (FO T19)
See examples
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sa-fé
BT, CA, NE
(
conj.
)
sa-s-fé
CA, NE
-
Then, so; alors, donc.
Sa-fe ye te tou rèste don le bwa e ti partou. So they all lived in the woods and everywhere. (NE); 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) ♦ Compair Lapin corché li et li metté so la peau en haut so dos; li vlopé li ben la dans, ça fait li té sembe ein ti chivreil. Brer Rabbit skinned it and put the skin on his back; he wrapped himself up well in it, and so he looked like a deer. (FO T1)
See examples
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Therefore, for that reason, that is why, so; alors, c’est pour ça que.
Mè le sœr te parle kreol ak nouzòt, sa-fe nou te parle sa bèk. But the nuns spoke Creole with us, so we spoke it back to them. (NE)
See examples
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sab
CA
(
n.
)
-
Saber, sword; sabre, épée.
♦ Parmi costume qui té fé plus l'effet té ein vielle buche et ein gros sabre. Among the costumes that had the strongest effect were an old log and a big sword. (T40)
See examples
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Scythe; faux.
T ape volonte fose avèk en sab. You’re cutting weeds in the ditch with a scythe. (CA)
See examples
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Blade; lame. (PC)
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sab
PC
(
n.
)
disab
CA, PC, ST
-
Sand; sable.
Birwèt, to ka ale kayou, to ka ale latè, disab. In a wheelbarrow you can carry pebbles, dirt, sand. (PC); Li mèt en ti peu disab onho li. He put a little sand on her. (ST) ♦ Pi li mété ti brin sabe on yé et pi li parpillé feille on so ni. And she put a little sand on top of them and scattered leaves over her nest. (T4)
See examples
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saba
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Sabbath; sabbat.
♦ Tou souite mo oua ein Brada vini di mouen Bon Djié Mérikien pa oulé yé fé misick zou Saba. At once I saw a Brother come to tell me that the American God did not want them to make music on the Sabbath Day. (T14)
See examples
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sable
PC
(
adj.
)
sabré
CA
-
Sandy; sableux.
En koto sableu, A sandy hill. (PC); Latè-la sabre. Li farinen . Li pa dir. The dirt is sandy. It’s fine like flour. It’s not hard. (CA) •papye sable n.phr. Sand-paper; papier de verre, cf. papye
See examples
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sabo
CA, PC, ST
(
n.
)
-
Hoof; sabot.
Nou grate so sabo wa si te en deklou k t anndan. We scraped his hoof to see if there was a nail in it. (PC) •sabo chval n.phr. (CA; ST). Horseshoe; fer à cheval. Ye gen pou mèt en fèr a chval pa pou so pat krake. They have to put on a horseshoe so his hoof doesn’t crack. (CA)
See examples
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Pony-foot; sabot de cheval. (Dichondra carolinensis Michx.).
♦ Pou lentonsyon d irin, bouyi en lamen plen de ti sabo, e bwar sa trwa jwa par jou. For urine retention, boil a handful of little pony-foot, and drink that three times a day. (BD)
See examples
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sabotyèr
BT, NE, PC
(
n.
)
sabotsyè
CA
-
Ice cream maker; sorbetière.
Ye se tournen sabotyèr sa alœ ouska lakrèm se glase. They turned the ice cream maker until the ice cream was frozen. (PC)
See examples
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saboulé
No sources
(
v.tr.
)
-
To beat, strike; frapper, battre.
Misché dans coin qui quand li tande mo demande saboulé moin de coups de poin. A man in the corner, who when he heard me, beat me with his fists. (T37)
See examples
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sabré
CA
(
v.tr.
)
-
To cut (weeds) with a sickle; faucher, couper (les mauvaises herbes) à la faux.
Sabre avèk en volon. To cut (weeds) with a sickle. (CA)
See examples
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safo
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Scaffold; échafaud.
♦ Yé hissé sajfoud pou ’ so la tête. They raised a scaffold for his head. (GC2)
See examples
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safré
CA, PC
(
v.intr.
)
saf
CA, PC
zaf
CA
-
To eat gluttonously, stuff oneself; bâfrer, se gaver, se bourrer.
L ape safre konm en vach. He’s stuffing himself like a cow. (CA); A moun ki saf to gen pou tire so manje to-menm. A person who eats a lot, you have to take away his food yourself. (PC) REM: In CA this is usually used of animals and is insulting when used of people.
See examples
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safétida
PC
(
n.
)
lasafétida
PC
fétida
PC
satifida
CA
-
Assefoetida (a medicinal substance extracted from plants); assa-foetida (une substance médicinale extraite de plantes).
I te mète safetida-la anndan koton-la, e ye mèt li dan trou dan-la, si to gen mal o dan. They used to put assafoetida in the cotton, and they put that in the cavity, if you have a toothache. (PC); Ena en zèb satifida. Ye mèt sa avèk dule e zèb-anmèr pou twe levèr. There’s an assafoetida herb. They put it with milk and bitterweed to kill worms. (CA) ♦ [Pou] batmon kèr, mele sèrtifida e pi di konf avek en nwa miskad. For irregular heartbeat, mix assefoetida and camphor with nutmeg. (BI)
See examples
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saj
PC
(
adj.
)
-
Wise, intelligent; sage.
Anon di en boug saj kouri li achte senk moun. Li achte senk dòm e senk nonm. Let’s say a smart man goes to buy five slaves. He buys five women and five men. (PC) ♦ 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 plantation who was very honest and wise. (JR)
See examples
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sak
BT, CA
(
n.
)
-
Sack, bag; sac.
Monmon te fe nouzòt de chimij avèk de sak d farin. Our mother made us shirts with flour sacks. (BT) ♦ Lendemin matin fille la donne coq la trois sacs maïs. The next day the girl gave the rooster three sacks of com. (FO T19) • ‘sac-en papier’ n.phr. Paper sack, paper bag; sac en papier. 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
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sakalé
CA, PC
(
n.
)
sakalè
PC
-
White perch, crappie; sac-à-lait. (Poxomis annularis).
Li ja vini bonè la, li peutèt gen aprè ven sakale, anho. He had arrived early, and he about a hundred perches on him. (PC)
See examples
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sakamité
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Sagamité, porridge of hominy; sagamité, bouillie faite de maïs écrasé.
Sakamite. Se kòm en labouiy. Sagamité is like a porridge. (PC); To fe sakamite avèk mayi blan. To gen p pile li. Sete en desèr pou nou. You make porridge with white com. You have to grind it. It was a dessert for us. (CA)
See examples
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sakré
No sources
(
adj.
)
-
Damned, confounded; Sacré.
♦ Sacré menteurs, dit l'Irlandais la, -vous dit moin do l'eau la sré vini jisqua mo ginoux et li jisqua mo cou. ‘Damned liars,’ said the Irishman, ‘you told me the water would reach my knees, and it’s already up to my neck.’ (FO T5)
See examples
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sakré
CA, NE
(
v.tr.
)
-
To deal, deliver; donner, faire (un coup de poing, etc.).
Quand il a arrivé là-là, il sacré gaillard-la un coup de poing. When he arrived there he struck the guy with his fist. (AN T3); Li garde kom-sa, li vonse kom-sa, la li sakre ti nòm koltar-la en kou. He looked, he came closer, and then he dealt the little tar man. (NE); M a sakre en tap an to babin. I'll slap you in the mouth. (CA)
See examples
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sakréman
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Sacrament; sacrement.
Mo gen tou mo sakreman, chè. I have done all of my sacraments. (PC); Li resevwa le daryen sakreman avan li mouri. He received the last sacrements before he died. (CA)
See examples
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Oath; serment.
♦ Mo fé sakreman zamé kouri ancau dan miting. I swore never again to go to the meeting. (T16)
See examples
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sal
CA, NE, ST
(
adj.
)
-
Dirty; sale.
Mo lamezon tre sal. My house is very dirty. (CA); Li t ape sèrvi tou kalite paròl sal. He was using all kinds of dirty words. (NE) ♦ Couri dans poulailler, prend six dézefs sales. Pas prend dézefs propres, mo piti ça va porté toi malhére. Go into the henhouse, take six dirty eggs. Don’t take clean eggs, my child, they will bring you bad luck. (FO T19)
See examples
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sal
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Room; salle.
♦ Dans fond lasalle les misiciens t apé cordé yé l'instruments. In the back of the room musicians were stringing their instruments. (T40) •sal a manje n.phr. (CA; ST). Dining room; salle a manger. Mo gen mo boufe e en latab avèk sis chèj dan mo sal a manje. I’ve got my sideboard and a table with six chairs in my dining room. (CA) ♦ Ça fé mo labouche coulé chaque fois qué mo pensé à bon quichoses là yé qué mo ouar dans salle à manger soir là. That makes my mouth water every time I think about the good things that I saw in the dining room that evening. (T40) •’salle dé dansé' n.phr. Dance hall; salle de danse. Yé t’habitude guetter à la porte pou' empêcher les nèg ' noirs renter en d'dans la salle dé danse. They used to wait at the door to keep blacks from coming into the dance hall. (GY)
See examples
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Parlor, living room; salle de séjour, salon. (PC)
-
salad
CA
(
n.
)
lasalad
CA
-
Salad; salade.
M ap ale fe mwa en lasalad defri. I’m going to make me a fruit salad. (CA) ♦ Mo trouvé li, mais vié cognac té trop saisonné so salade. I found him, but the old cognac had seasoned his salad too much. (T34)
See examples
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sali
CA, ST
(
v.tr.
)
-
To dirty, get dirty; (se) salir.
Kan li bav, li sali tou mo kòrsaj. When he drools, he gets my blouse all dirty. (CA) ♦ Mo stove pas gain aucain dibois, tous mo chaudiè yé tout salies. My stove has no wood, and all of my kettles are dirty. (BD)
See examples
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salité
PC
(
n.
)
lasalté
PC, ST
salté
CA
-
Dirt; saleté.
Ènè en lo lasalte andan isi la. Planche-la sal. So lenj sal. There’s a lot of dirt in here. The floor is dirty. His clothes are dirty. (PC); Nètwa to pye deyò. To va pa menen salte dan lamezon. Clean your feet outside. You’re not bringing dirt into the house. (CA)
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-
Dirty trick; sale tour.
♦ Se pou sa latche a Lapen kourt jiska zordi. Se pas ke li te seye jwe en salte on Kokodri. That is why Rabbit’s tail is short even today. It’s because he tried to play a trick on Crocodile. (JR)
See examples
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saliv
No sources
(
n.
)
lasaliv
CA
-
Saliva; salive.
So lasaliv ape koule apre so labouch. His saliva was running down his mouth. (CA) ♦ Pou de glonn, to pas to dwa don to saliv, la to pas to dwa don laswi ki don lachimine. For swollen glands, you run your finger through your saliva, then you put your finger in the soot of the fireplace. (BI)
See examples
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salmi
No sources
(
n.,
v.phr.
)
’fé éinn salmi avé'
No sources
-
To make mincemeat of s.o.; réduire qn en bouillie.
♦ Mo garanti toi lé roi va fé ein salmi avé toi. I assure you that the king will make hash with you. (FO 1887)
See examples
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salon
CA
(
n.
)
-
Living room; salon.
No te gen en ti salon pou resevwa moun. We had a little living room to receive people. (CA) ♦ Quand nous entré nous trouvé que salon té déjà plein moun. When we went in we found that the living room was already full of people. (T40)
See examples
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salopri
CA
(
int.
)
-
Shucks, doggone it! Mince, zut!
Salopri! Li ensilte man. Doggone it! He insulted me. (CA)
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salopri
CA, ST
(
n.,
adj.
)
-
Rascal, scoundrel; canaille, coquin.
Se enn salopri. En salopri a fè nenpòrt kèkchoz . He is a scoundrel. A scoundrel will do anything. (CA)Dirty rotten, lousy; sale, minable. ♦ Mais mo sé p'oté ein saloperie répas si yé té 'taché moin. But I wouldn’t want a dirty rotten meal if they tied me up. (BD)
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saloun
MO 60
(
n.
)
souloun
CA, PC
-
Bar, pub, saloon; bar, saloon.
Vye moun-ye lez òt fwa, ye te va dan souloun TWENTY-FOUR HOURS, tou lanwit tou joumè e bwa. Old people of the past, they went into a saloon twenty-four hours a day, all day and all night long, to drink. (PC)
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salpèt
CA
(
n.
)
-
Saltpeter; salpètre.
Ye te mèt salpèt andan lavyann kochon pou peche li gate. They put saltpeter in pork to prevent it from spoiling. (CA) ♦ [Pou] mal èstoma, met di salpetr don dolo e la bwar sa. For a stomachache, put some saltpeter in water and drink that. (BI)
See examples
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salwé
CA
(
v.tr.
)
-
To greet, bow to; saluer, s’incliner devant.
Mo wa mo kouzen dan chemen-la e mo salwe li. I saw my cousin on the road and I greeted him. (CA) ♦ Jour là, nou cou saloué madame comme ain lareine. That day, we greeted the lady like a queen. (T27) •Sali Mari n. (CA). Hail Mary; Je vous salue, Marie, ♦ mo resit trwa Sali Mari. I recite three Hail Marys. (BD); ' jé vous sali Marie [ je vou sali mari ]' Hail Mary. (BI)
See examples
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salé
CA, MO 60
(
adj.
)
-
Salted; salé.
Biskwi soda pa sale. Mo manj sila ke pa gen disèl. Soda crackers are not salted. I eat the ones that have no salt. (CA); Dolo sale. Salty water. (MO 60) •lavyan sale n.phr. Salted meat; viande salée, cf. vyann
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salé
CA, PC
(
v.tr.
)
sal
CA
-
To salt; saler.
Tou le smenn ye se tchwe en kochon, e nou se gen frich, e ye se sale en parti. Every week they slaughtered a pig, and we would have some fresh, and then they would salt a part of it. (PC); To sal to zèf mole. You salt your soft-boiled eggs. (CA)
See examples
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samdi
CA
(
n.
)
somdi
NE
sanmdi
PC
somdi
CA
-
Saturday; samedi.
Mo krwa se lòt sanmdi pase ye tere 1. I think they buried him the Saturday before last. (PC); Ye sa gen en lafwar somdi e dimonch. There will be a church fair Saturday and Sunday. (CA) ♦ Voyé nou zot gazait la samdit ki vien. Send us the newspaper next Saturday. (T17)
See examples
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san
CA, MO 60, PC
(
adv.
)
son
NE
-
Without; sans.
Ye donn mwen en tas kafe san dusuk. They gave me a cup of coffee without sugar. (PC); No te pa kapab ale andan legliz san chapo anlèr latèt. We couldn’t go to church without a hat on our heads. (CA) ♦ Sans rien di, yé poignin Saint Magloire, in bon vié neg congo. Without saying anything they grabbed Saint Magloire, a good old black fellow. (T34) •fe san v.phr. To do without; se passer de. Mo te pa gen. Mo fe san . I didn’t have any. I did without. (CA) •san defans adj.phr. Helpless, defenseless; sans défense, cf. defans •son (ke) conj. (NE). Without; sans que. Mo peu pa fe sa son li wa mon . I can’t do it without him seeing me. (NE) ♦ Asteur ein tout piti macaque...chapé sans Bouki oua li. Now a tiny little monkey...escaped without Bouki seeing him. (FO T8)
See examples
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san
CA, MO 60, PC
(
n.
)
disan
CA, PC
dusan
PC
dison
NE, PC
duson
BT
-
Blood; sang.
E si to koupe to janm o to bra e disan è sengnen... And if you cut your leg or your arm and it’s bleeding... (PC); En lablèt a rantre dan to poulaye tchwe to poul-ye e sise ye disan. A mink will go into the henhouse to kill your chickens and suck their blood. (CA) ♦ Tou mo sang glacé dans mo veine. All of my blood froze in my veins. (T39) •dison ho n.phr. Hypertension/ high blood pressure; hypertension. ♦ [Pou] di son ho, mele lakrenm tart avek di souf, di sel a pirje e di myel. For high blood pressure, mix cream of tartar with sulfur, purging salt and honey. (BI) •disan klè n.phr. (PC). Anemia, iron-poor blood (?); anémie. REM: Condition which causes one to be weak. Term found in Jarreau 1930. •dusan dou n.phr. (PC). Diabetes; diabète. (PC) •fe so disan cho v.phr. (PC). To anger (lit. to heat the blood); mettre en colère, fâcher (litt. chauffer le sang). Mo di kofè t ole kouri mache dèryè la, t a fe to disan cho. I said, ‘Why do you want to look in the garden, to walk back there? It will just make you mad.’ (PC) •fe disan bouyi v.phr. (ST). To make the blood boil; faire bouillir le sang. Ye fe man si kolèr sa fe disan bouyi. They made me so mad it made my blood boil. (ST) •move disan n.phr. (CA; PC; ST). 1) Any disease of the blood, e.g. syphilis; nimporte quelle maladie sanguine, p.ex. syphilis. (CA; PC; ST) 2) Anemia; anémie. ♦ Pou move son ye te bouyi trwa ou kat laliyonn chasparey pi ye te bwa sa. For anemia, they used to boil three or four salsaparilla vines and drink that. (LA) 3) Meanness; méchanceté. Li pa bon. Li gen move disan. He’s not good. He’s mean. (CA)
See examples
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san
CA, PC
(
num.card.
)
sanyt
PC
son
NE, PC
-
Hundred; cent.
Mo pa kwa m a viv pou wa sant an. I don’t think I’ll live to see a hundred years. (PC) ♦ Yé fou li plin dé cent coups de fouette. They gave him 200 lashes with the whip. (T38)
See examples
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san-frwa
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Coolheadedness, composure; sang-froid.
♦ Compair Lapin té pa perdi so sangfroid. Brer Rabbit didn’t lose his composure. (FO 1887)
See examples
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sanblé
No sources
(
v.,
v.intr.,
v.tr.
)
sanm
BT, CA, PC, ST
sonm
BT, PC
som
MO 60, PC
sonblé (som)
NE
-
To seem, look, appear; sembler, avoir l’air, paraître.
To te sanm pa kèken ke gen piti trèz an. You don’t look like someone who has a thirteen year old child. (CA); Sa som kòm si l ale fe lapli. It looks like it’s going to rain. (MO 60); Sanm kòm si, dan le jen jan-le, kichòw e kouri pli mal kè janmen. It seems as though among young folks, something is going worse than ever. (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); C’était toujou les soirs mo té volé des prines, yé té toujou semblé meyer au clair dé line. It was always in the evening that I stole prunes, they always looked better in the moonlight. (T27) •sa sanmb laplu. exp. (PC); sanm lapli (PC). It looks like rain; On dirait qu’il va pleuvoir, •fe sanblan v.phr. (PC). To pretend; faire semblant. Le e fe sanblan kòm si le e pote vye boug-la. He pretended to carry the old man. (PC) ♦ Yé tous fait semblant ri, mais li, li ri bon tchor. They all pretended to laugh, but he laughed for real. (T25) •sanm konm de gout dolo v.phr. To resemble one another like two drops of water; se ressembler comme deux gouttes d’eau. ♦ Torti kouri chèche so frè ki te menm grosè avek li, e ye te sanm konm de gout dolo. Tortoise went to get his brother, who was the same size as he was, and they look like two drops of water. (JR)
See examples
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To look alike; se ressembler.
Ye sanm. They look alike. (PC); De moun-sa-la sanm en-e-lòt. Those two people look alike. (CA)To look like, resemble; ressembler à. Sa sonm en prèt, sa-l. Li sonm sa, lamonyèr li abiye. He looks like a priest, from the way he’s dressed. (BT) ♦ Pou Bon Djié, Compair Bouki, vou samblé Djiabe! For God’s sake, Brer Bouki, you look like the devil! (T6)
See examples
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sanglé
CA
(
v.tr.
)
-
To deal, deliver (a blow); donner (un coup).
Li sangle li en kou-d-pon dan lafigi. He dealt him a punch in the face. (CA) ♦ Pi la li song le li en koud pwen don so vont. Then he dealt him a blow to the stomach. (LA)
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sanglé
No sources
(
v.tr.
)
-
To girth, strap; sangler, attacher.
♦ Compair Lapin sanglé ben so lasel, et pi pran so rakatchas avé so fouate. Brer Rabbit buckled his saddle and took his spurs and his riding whip. (T3)
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sannalé
CA, PC
(
v.intr.
)
-
To go; aller.
Dimonch, sannale lames. Sunday, leaving for mass. (PC); Bon vwayaj. Sannale. Have a good trip. Go. (CA)
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-
To go away, leave; partir, s’en aller.
Laisse moun-ça-là s’en va! ‘Mais yé pas s’en aller, yé continué tracasser. Let those people leave! But they didn’t leave, they continued to hassle us. (DC)
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