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

• shval-djab CA, PC, ST ( n. ) shwal-djab ST
  1. Praying mantis; mante religieuse
     (Stagmomantis Carolina ). Mo mo kwa sen en ti betay apèpre lonng kòmsa. Ye pèl en chval-djab. Li kone dan dezè monje to rekòt. I think it’s a little insect about this long, you know. They call it a praying mantis. It’s usually in the field you know, eating your crop. (PC) See examples
  2. Locust; criquet, acridien.
     En chval-djab se nwa avèk dezèl rouj. Ye manj tou kikchoj vèr. A locust is black with red wings. They eat everything green. (CA) See examples
• shviy No sources ( n. ) shwiv PC shwiy PC shiviy PC shwil CA [in sense 1:] shwiy de pyé PC jwif dépyé CA
  1. Ankle; cheville.
     Sa se ta chwiy deu pye. That is your ankle. (PC) ♦ Pou en kou d son vye moun ye te met enn sonsi on chak chwiy di pye. For an apoplectic fit, old folks used to put a leech on each ankle. (LA) See examples
  2. Dowel used to attach two pieces of wood; cheville en bois (qui sert à attacher deux morceaux de bois).
     Ye met en chiviy andan 1. They put a dowel in it. (PC) See examples
• shviyé PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To fasten two pieces of wood together with a dowel; cheviller.
• shwazi CA, NE, PC ( v.tr. ) shwazé PC
  1. To choose; choisir.
     Bouki, sa ti veu? Se twa ki gen p chwazi . Bouki, what do you want? It is up to you to choose. (NE); To gen en monyè to ka chwazi sa to gen p koupe pou kantite la grenn to gen. You have a way you can choose what you want to cut according to the quantity of seed you have. (PC) ♦ Kofer si nou zot bon pou nomè yé, nou zot pa bon pou soisi eine dan nou zot mem. Why is it that if we are good enough to nominate them, we aren’t good enough to choose one of our own? (T14) See examples
• shwini PC ( n. ) shwaini PC shwiñin CA
  1. Harrow, small cultivator; petite herse.
     Si to pa gen en PLANTER to jète lagrenn-la ave lamen e chwini le e vini, le e krouvi li. If you don’t have a mechanical planter you throw the grain by hand, and the harrow comes along and covers it up. (PC) See examples
• shwèt CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Florida screech owl; espèce de chouette.
     (Otus asio floridanus). En chwèt sa hèl en kri ke fe drèse to chfe-ye desi to latèt. A screech owl lets out a cry that makes your hair stand up. (CA) ♦ Si to tonne ein chouette chanter au ras to lamaison, quéquenne dans to fonmille gain mouri. If you hear an owl hooting near your house, a member of your family will die. (BD) See examples
  2. Mischievous girl, bad girl; jeune fille espiègle, méchante.
     Se en tit chwèt. Li pa bon. Se en tit sòrsyès. She is a bad little girl. She’s not good. She’s a little witch. (CA) See examples
  3. Old witch; vieille femme méchante.
     Vyey chwèt-la li gen en veri desi so ne. The old witch has a wart on her nose. (CA) See examples
• shya No sources ( int. )
  1. Rats! Shucks!; Mince!
     ♦ Mais chia! Bête-là té loin, bete-là té djà parti. But rats! the animal was far away, he was already gone. (T23) See examples
• shyin BT ( adj. )
  1. Greedy, stingy; avare.
     Se chyen, se chyen! He’s so greedy! (BT) See examples
• shyin gen, MO 60 ( n. )
  1. Dog; chien.
     Dèpi tan mo viv, sète toujou konm sa, ole bat konm chyen e chat. My whole life it’s always been like that, they’ve wanted to fight like cats and dogs. (PC); Chyen-la te anraje. Ye te gen pou mèt en mizo an so ladjèl pou peche li mòrd moun. The dog was rabid. They had to put a muzzle on his mouth to keep him from biting people. (CA); Mo fiy mare so chyen ora so lamezon. My daughter tied her dog close to the house. (ST) ♦ Compè Loup té vini maig' comme Coucou a force chiens-yé té swégné moutons-yé. Brer Wolf was getting as skinny as a cuckoo bird, so well were the dogs watching the sheep. (FO T15) •gro chyen n.phr. (CA; NE; PC). 1) Big shot, big bug, important person, bigwig; gros chien, gros bonnet, personne importante. To gen en gro pozisyon dèn. To en gro chyen. You have an important position, then. You’re a big shot. (PC); Nom-sa-la krwa li en gro chyen. Li gen en ta larjan. That man thinks he’s a big shot. He’s got a lot of money. (CA) 2) Large landowner; propriétaire de grandes terres. Ena le Blon ke no pèl le gro chyen. There are the white people that we call the big dogs. (NE) •chyen a pèrdri n.phr. (BT). Bird dog; chien dressé pour la chasse aux oiseaux. En chyen a pèrdri , se diferan. I va santi la tras me i va pa jape. A bird dog, that’s different. He’ll catch the scent but he won’t bark. (BT) •chyen tayo n.phr. Mutt, dog of mixed breed; chien de race mixte, chien bâtard, cf. tayo See examples
  2. Hog, glutton; goinfre, glouton.
     To tro chyen twa. To boure twa tro. You’re too gluttonous. You eat too much. (CA) See examples
  3. Hammer (of gun); chien (de fusil).
     To armen li ka t e PULL LEVER-la, men lantan pase ye te gen chyen. To pel sa en chyen an kreyòl. You cock it when you’re pulling the lever, but a long time ago they had a hammer. (PC) See examples
• shyin-dan PC ( n. )
  1. Tall paspalum, Dallis grass; chiendent. (Paspalum dilatatum Poir.). REM: (Read 1963:26, Holmes 1990: 13). The SF and CanF term chiendent refers to a different plant, ‘couch grass ( Agropyron repens L.)’
     Nou pe piyoche chyen-dan. Rache chyen-dan dan dekann-ye. We hoe the Dallis grass, weed it out. (PC) ♦ Pou peche lafyev bouyi rasin chyendon kouron don dolo pi bwa kon to swaf. To prevent a fever boil the root of the tall paspalum in water and drink that when you are thirsty. (LA) See examples
• shyin-sho CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Hotdog; hotdog.
     Kan enave lafwar, ye te vann ti chyen-cho e vye moun-ye te manj sa. When they had a fair they would sell hot dogs and old people would eat them. (CA) See examples
• shyé PC ( v.intr. ) shiyé CA, PC shié CA
  1. To shit, defecate; chien
     Sa se en ta lamèrd. That is a pile of shit. (PC) •fe chie v.phr. (PC); fe chiye (PC). To irritate, annoy; faire chier. Life li chie plu mal. He annoyed him even more. (PC) •chie konm Anri Kat v.phr. (PC). To have shot one’s wad, have had it (e.g. said of a duck that’s been shot); chier comme Henri IV. See examples
• shèd CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Cowshed; vacherie.
     Mo mèt mo lavach dan en chèd. I put my cows in a cowshed. (PC); Kan lapli t ap tonbe, lavach-ye ye te tou galope pou reste anba chèd-la. When the rain would fall, the cows would all ran to stay under the cowshed. (CA) See examples
• shèf No sources ( n. )
  1. Leader; chef, leader.
     ♦ Li vancé coté chef néléphants et pi li mandé li la permission resté dans so pays. He approached the leader of the elephants and asked him for permission to remain in his country. (FO T15) See examples
• shèj CA, NE, PC ( n. ) lashèj BT, CA, PC lashœj PC shej PC lashéz NE shèz CA
  1. Chair; chaise.
     Prann lachez, fiy-la di...Pran lòt lachez-la. Take the chair, the girl said...Take the other chair. (NE); N ape penturè so-tchenn tab e se chèj. We were painting her table and chairs. (PC); Mo rob pri ondon chèj-la. My dress is caught in the chair. (NE); Kèl chèz mo va asit deudan? Which chair am I going to sit on? (CA) ♦ Si to tourn en lachez on en pat don to lamezon sa pòt «bèd lòk». If you turn a chair on one leg inside your house that brings you bad luck. (LA) •chèj boure n.phr. (CA; PC). Stuffed chair; chaise rembourrée. Sè enn chèj boure. That’s a stuffed chair. (PC) •chèj ho n.phr. (CA). High chair; chaise haute. Mo te gen la chèj ho pou ye. Ye te manje andan la kan ye te vini apeupre nèf mwa. I had a high chair for them. They ate in that when they were around nine months old. (CA) See examples
• shèn BT ( n. ) lashèn PC shènn PC lashènn CA, PC
  1. Chain; chaîne.
     Vou atle mile , vou gen en chenn , vou kroche leu pèlannyen apre la chenn. You attach the mules, you have a chain, you attach the singletree to the chain. (PC); En tre gen de lachenn tache e en bayon pou mèt andan ladjèl mile ou chval. A trace has two chains attached and a bit to put in the horse’s or mule’s mouth. (CA) ♦Li tan en lachenn grouye on so grenyen. He heard a chain rattling in his attic. (JR) See examples
  2. Chain which holds the cane in the wagon, sling chain; chaîne qui sert à tenir les cannes dans la charrette
     . Ape to plen wagon-la to mare l e lachenn-la pou tchombo dekann-ye, pèche ye paye. After you fill the wagon you attach the chain to hold the cane in place and keep them from scattering. (PC) See examples
• shèn ST ( n. ) shènn PC
  1. Oak tree; chêne.
     Chenn, mo te bich pa chenn , sa sa di. Oak, I didn’t cut down any oaks, those are hard. (PC) ♦Li grimpé dans la téte ein chéne qui té dévant la maison. He climbed to the top of an oak tree that was in front of the house. (FO T18) •chèn vèr n.phr. (ST). Live oak; chêne vert. ( Quercus virginiana). Ye gen en ta zwazo dan narb chèn vèr. There are a lot of birds in the live oak tree. (ST) See examples
• shèr CA, NE ( adj., adv., n. ) shè BT, NE, PC
  1. Expensive; cher.
     Me ye chè isi. But they are expensive here. (PC); Mo vonn no dyible ven-sen sou plyi chèr. I sold our wheat twenty-five cents more expensive. (NE); Pri li mande man te tro chèr. The price he asked of me was too high. (CA) See examples
  2. Dear; cher.
     Mo chèr padna. My dear friend. (NE); Mo chèr marenn. My dear godmother. (CA) ♦ Oh! Pardon , mo cher Bouki, pas jété moin dans zéronce. Oh! Excuse me, my dear Bouki, don’t throw me in the briar patch. (FO T13)Dearly; cher. ♦ Rappelé toi to va payer ben cher tous to menteries. Remember that you will pay dearly for all your lies. (FO T2) •’pran cher’ v.phr. To charge a lot; faire payer beaucoup. ♦ Cé ein bon ti navoca, li pas pran cher. He is a good little lawyer and does not charge dear. (FO 1887)Dear, honey (term of endearment); cher, chéri. O leu kòrne , kòme, chè , le bal deu mezon , ye te violon. La muzik dousmon e la muzik vit , ye te mèle sa. Oh, the coronets, the coronets, my dear, at house dances they had violins. Slow music, fast music, they mixed in both of them. (BT) ♦ Tendé di vent , ma chère , mais c'est pas zouragan. Hear the wind, my dear, but it’s not a hurricane. (T27) See examples
• shèrmin CA ( n. )
  1. Charmer; charmeur.
     Se en chèrmen. Li konen chèrmen twa. Tròs pa li. He’s a charmer. He knows how to charm you. Don’t trust him. (CA) See examples
• shèrmin CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To charm; charmer, enchanter.
     En sèrpan sa chèrmen en pèrsonn. A snake charms a person. (CA) See examples
• shèrpont CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Carpentry; charpenterie.
     En charpantye, li va pran en TRADE pou LEARN kanman pou travay la chèrpont. A carpenter, he’s going to take up a trade to learn how to do carpentry. (PC); Li t ape fe la chèrpont e li trape en pikan anba so zonng. He was doing carpentry and he got a splinter under his nail. (CA) See examples
• shèrshé BT, CA, NE, PC ( v.tr. ) sharshé CA, MO 60, NE, PC sashé PC
  1. To look for; chercher.
     Ye tou gòn , sache en pè louvraj, mo pans. They’ve all gone to look for work, I think. (PC) ♦ Personne pas allé vini chercher toi icite. No one will corne looking for you here. (FO T15) •’allé cherché’ v.phr. To go get, fetch; aller chercher. ♦ Bon courore parti la course pou allé charché zozo là. The good runner took off running to go get the bird. (T7) •kouri chèrche v.phr. (CA; PC); kouri chèrch, va pou chache (PC). To go get, fetch; aller chercher. Mo di ‘m e kouri chèrch Lebo ‘, te ret dan lamanch a Rougon. I said I’m going to get Lebeau, he lives on Rougon Lane.’ (PC) ♦ Couri cherché dolo tchiède dan ain gran bakié. Go get a bucket of lukewarm water. (ME) •chèrche pou v.phr. (CA); chèche pour (PC); charche, chèrche (apre) (NE); chèche pou (PC). To look for; chercher. Mo gen en matou. Li toujou ap chèrche poufemèl. I’ve got a tomcat. He’s always looking for females. (CA) •va chèrche v.phr. (BT; PC). To go get, fetch; aller chercher. Va chèrche vye bout matenyenng-la dan kwen pou mwen. Go get that old thing in the corner for me. (PC); Va chèrche mon lasit m ole koupe le pat mon lachèj. Go get my saw. I want to cut the legs off my chair. (BT) ♦ Si to ole la vyann pou manje , va chèche li konm mwen. If you want meat to eat, go get some like I do. (JR) •vini chèrche v.phr. (PC); vini chach, vyen chach (PC). To come get; venir chercher. M a vini chèrche twa e mennen twa bèk. I’m going to come get you and take you back. (PC) ♦ Kan soleil lévé, Compair Bouki vini charché so do lo. At sunrise, Brer Rabbit came to get his water. (T3) •voye chèche v.phr. To send for; faire venir, cf. voye •chèche tren v.phr. (PC). To look for an argument; chercher noise, chercher la dispute. Se li ki e chèche tren. He’s the one looking for an argument. (PC) See examples
  2. To try (to find out); chercher (à savoir).
     Ka en a kekenn mouri , I e charche ekan ye gen veye pou li vini chante. When someone died he tried to find out when there would be a wake so he could come and sing. (PC) See examples
• shé gen, MO 60 ( prep. ) sé PC
  1. At the home of; chez.
     MISS CHANDLER èvite nonm-leu pou dine che li. Miss Chandler invited the man to dinner at her place. (BT); Yé té ensévli li en d’dans la maison cé mo grand-popa. They prepared her body in my grandfather’s house. (GY); Li jamen che li. Li toujou ap rodaye. He’s never home. He’s always on the road. (CA); Chemen pou vini che mwen kouvèr avèk kayou. The road to my house is covered with gravel. (ST) ♦ C’est ben, couté alors: Néléphant conté vini taqué Lion chez li. Okay, listen: Elephant planned to come and attack Lion at his home. (FO T15) See examples
• shé No sources ( n. )
  1. Tail; queue, cf. ke
• shéfrout BT ( adv. )
  1. Far away; loin d’ici.
     Li gonn laba tchefrout. He left far away to no one knows where. (BT) See examples
• shék PC ( n. ) chèk NE
  1. Check; chèque.
     Kon nou fini moule nou koton, ye dòn nou mari en tchek pou so koton. When we’ve milled our cotton, they give our husbands a check for their cotton. (PC) See examples
• shéri CA ( n. )
  1. Dear, sweetheart; chéri(e).
     Mo te pèl mo mari 'mo chéri'. I called my husband ‘my dear’. (CA) See examples
• shérif CA, MO 60, PC ( n. ) shèrif PC
  1. Sheriff; shérif.
     Ki i la plas dè chrrif? Who got the sheriff’s job? (MO 60); Ye gen en nelèksyon. Ye ape galope pou cherif. They’re having an election. They’re running for sheriff. (CA) ♦ Li défende Jean Sotte couri , ménacé li marré li ou ben fait sheriff jété li dans prison. He forbad Foolish John to leave, and threatened to tie him up or else have the sheriff throw him in prison. (FO T18) See examples
• shéshèr No sources ( n., n.phr. ) shéshèr disik PC
  1. Sugar dryer; sécheur de sucre.
     Li ste enn chechèr disik. He was a sugar dryer. (PC) See examples
• shésé CA ( v., v.tr., v.intr. ) shèshé BT, CA, PC shèysh PC, CA shèsé PC, CA shès CA, PC sèsh PC shèsh PC shésh PC shéshé PC
  1. To dry; sécher.
     To te ramas defev-ye e chèche ye e gen ye pou to manje, e pou li plante lannen apre la. You gathered beans and dried them to eat and to plant the next year. (PC); Kan sete chese sete blan. When it dried it was white. (CA) ♦ Lese nou wa si to pe chese lak-la. Let us see if you can dry up the lake. (JR)To dry out, dry up; se dessécher, évaporer. Dolo cheche andan mo pent. The water dried up in my cup. (CA) See examples
• shétif CA, PC ( adj. ) shèti PC shéti MO 60
  1. Feeble; chétif, faible.
     Britalize, se kan to fe mal a keken pli chetif ke twa. Beating is when you hurt someone weaker than you. (CA) ♦ So moman té p’olé laissé li fait ça à cause li té si piti et si chétif. His mother didn’t want him to do that because he was so small and so feeble. (BD) See examples
  2. Small; petit.
     Mo cheti men mo fo. I am small but I am strong. (PC) See examples
• shévrèt BT, CA, NE, PC ( n. ) shèvrèt CA, PC shèvrèt CA, PC shevrèt CA, PC shavrèt BT
  1. Shrimp; crevette.
     Ka to fe en gòmbo fevi, to ka me sosis, chevret... When you make an okra gumbo you can add sausage, or shrimp... (PC) ♦ Là, mo kouri ho té mo sak civraite ki té dan dolo. Then I went to remove my sack of shrimp that was in the water. (T17) •gòmbo tcheuvrèt n.phr. Shrimp gumbo; gombo aux crevettes, cf. gonbo •chèvrèt sek n.phr. (CA; PC); chevrèt sèk (BT). Dried shrimp; crevette séchée. Chevret sek ye fe en ban ganmbo. Dried shrimp make a good gumbo. (PC) •cheuvrèt deu mèr n.phr. (PC). Sea shrimp; crevette de mer. •cheuvrèt flœv n.phr. (PC); cheuvrèt flev (CA). Shrimp found in the Mississippi River; crevette du fleuve Mississippi. Cheuvrèt flev gen en gou sikre. River shrimp have a sweet taste. (CA) •cheuvrèt lak n.phr. (CA). Lake shrimp; crevette de lac. Cheuvrèt lak, se pir. Sa pa gen gou kòm cheuvrèt flev. Lake shrimp are pure. They don’t taste like river shrimp. (CA) •chèvrèt lavaz n.phr. (PC); cheuvrèt lavaz (CA). Grass shrimp; espèce de crevette. La pwason i rès kache dan lavaz-1 pou monje chèvrèt-ye. Pli èna lavaz se plu èna chèvrèt ki a rèste andan 1. Fish remain hidden in the mud in order to eat the (mud) shrimp. The more mud there is, the more shrimp there are hiding in it. (PC); Cheuvrèt lavaz ye rès pito andan labatir. Ye va pa andan dolo frèch. Grass shrimp stay mostly in shallow water near the edge of the levee. They don’t go into the cool water. (CA) •chevrèt vèr n.phr. (NE; PC). Fresh shrimp, raw shrimp; crevette fraîche, crevette crue. Zon-de-fwa mo mè chevrèt vèr e chevrèt sèk. Sometimes I use fresh shrimp and other times I use dried shrimp. (NE); E t a trape chevret-la, chevret-la se en chevret vè. And the shrimp that you catch will be fresh shrimp. (PC) See examples
• shévrœy NE ( n. ) shèvréy CA, PC shevrœy PC shévréy PC, NE shivrèy NE shèvrèy MO 60
  1. Roe deer, roebuck, deer; chevreuil, cerf.
     To konen pele to chyen avèk en bourgo kan li ap lanse en chevrey. You can call your dog with a horn when he’s chasing a deer. (CA) ♦ Quand Compair Lapin rivé dans ein bois li trouvé ein ti chivreil qui té mouri. When Brer Rabbit arrived in a woods he found a dead deer. (FO T2) See examples
  2. proper n. Brer Deer (folktale character); Compère Chevreuil (personnage dans les contes).
     ♦ »M’a parye twa di pyas m’a bat twa galope, ‘‘ Torti dit a Chevrey en jou. «Fe pa mo ri apre twa, ‘‘ Chevrey reponn. ‘I bet you ten bucks I can beat you in a race,’ Tortoise said to Brer Deer one day. ‘Don’t make me laugh at you,’ Brer Deer answered. (JR) See examples
• shòk PC ( n. )
  1. Blackbird; merle.
• shòkòt PC ( n. ) chòkò PC
  1. Bun (in hair); chignon.
     En tchòkòt se kòm en fonm fou so chève onsonm, e f ou en bouboul dèryè. A bun is when a woman puts her hair together, and makes a ball in the back. (PC) See examples
• shòp NE ( n. )
  1. Shop; magasin, boutique.
     Chòp-la fremè jòrdi. The shop is closed today. (NE) See examples
• shòris NE ( n. )
  1. Chorizo, sausage; saucisse, chorizo.
     M ajèt mo letchòris. I buy my chorizos. (NE) ♦ Yé té gagnin des tas énormes de chorisses. They had huge piles of chorizos. (T40) See examples
• shòt PC, ST ( n. )
  1. Shot, injection; piqûre.
     Doktè-la don mwen en chòt. The doctor gave me a shot. (ST) See examples
• si PC ( pron.indef. )
  1. This; ceci.
     O, manje sa, manje si! Oh, eat that, eat this! (PC); Ka mo te jenn mo fe si e mo fe sa. When I was young I did this and that. (PC) See examples
• si CA, MO 60, PC, ST ( adv. )
  1. [In comparisons]. As; aussi.
     ♦ Li té pli gros qu'eine souris, mais pas si gros qu’ein éléfant. He is bigger than a mouse, but not as big as an elephant. (T36) •si vit konm conj. As soon as; aussitôt que. •Ye rantre dan en pirog Batis te prepare pou ye, e si vit konm Batis rantre dan pirog-la, li kanmanse pagaye vit. They got into a pirogue that Baptiste had prepared for them, and as soon as Baptiste got into the pirogue, he started to paddle fast. (JR) See examples
  2. So, so much, such; si, tellement.
     Le lanm dolo te si ho, ye kilbite ye pirog. The waves were so high they knocked over their pirogue. (CA); Sa pa gen move gou, mè li san si mal. It doesn’t have a bad taste, but it smells so bad. (PC) •La levé qui asteur si vide, dé provisions té si chargé. The levee which is now so empty was so loaded with supplies. (T37) See examples
• si gen, MO 60 ( conj. )
  1. If; si.
     Si mo te pase bout-la, se te pa fe diferans. If I had gone that way it wouldn’t have made any difference. (NE); BE DOG GONE si mo mo konpran sa. Doggone if I can understand that. (PC); Si to gen en karle, to mè sa andan en bake. If you have a trap, you put it in a tub. (CA); Bondyeu pardonnen moun si ye priye e mande pardon. God forgives people if they pray and ask for forgiveness. (ST) •Si mo sre ramase tou lonpen ye mo sre gen en ta lavyonn pou mo piti ye. If I gathered all of those rabbits I would have a lot of meat for my children. (DU) •si li te pa pou exp. (PC). If it weren’t for, if not for; si ce n’était pour, sans. Mo pa kwa mon te èt prèt si li te pa pou prèt-sa-la. I don’t think I would have become a priest if it weren’t for that priest. (PC) •si se sa exp. (PC). In that case; dans ce cas-là. Si se sa li pe et la. In that case, he won’t be there. (PC) •si se pa exp. (PC). For example; par exemple. Lantan pase, tou dibwa to se wa, ye te gen kechò pou monje an dibwa, si se pa soko, si se pa plakmin. A long time ago all the woods you would see, there was something to eat in the woods, for example muscadine grapes, for example persimmons. (PC) •si to ple exp. (CA; NE); si vou ple (CA; ST). Please; s’il te plaît. Dòn le ti fiy ye rob, si to ple! Give the little girls their dresses, please! (NE); Asi vou, si vou ple. Please sit down. (ST) •Li di, Konpè Tig, si vou ple, mo wagon, mo kouchkouch e mo chwal ye tou rontre don latè. Si vou ple, vou vini fouye ye pou mwen. He said, ‘Brer Tiger, please, my wagon and my couscous and my horse have sunk into the ground. Please come dig them out for me.’ ['.si vou plait' ] (DU) •si ... o non conj. (PC). Whether ... or not; si ... ou non. Si li diplon o pa, sè en pye dekann. Se mèm zafè. Whether it’s first year sugar cane or not, it’s still sugar cane. It’s the same thing. (PC) See examples
  2. When, whenever; quand, si.
     Si ye te genp trouve en fiy pou marye, pou dèt ye fom, ye s ole en fiy lakonpony. When they went to find someone to marry, to be their wife, they wanted a girl from the country. (NE) See examples
• si PC ( n. ) lasi BT, CA, PC
  1. Saw; scie.
     Va chèrche mon lasi, mo le koupe le pat mon lachèj. Go get my saw. I want to cut the legs off my chair. (BT) • lasi lamen n.phr. (CA). Handsaw; égoïne. M ap koupe en mòso dibwa avèk mo lasi lamen. I’m cutting a piece of wood with my handsaw. (CA) •lasi paspartou n.phr. (PC). Two-handled saw; passepartout. Aie lasi paspartou. To pull on the two-handled saw. (PC) •moulen a si n.phr. Sawmill; moulin à scie, scierie, cf. moulen •si latab n.phr. (PC); lasi latab (CA). Table saw; scie montée dans une table. En si latab. Sa min si on en latab. A table saw. That means the saw is in a table. (PC) See examples
• si-fé No sources ( adv. )
  1. Yes; oui, si.
     ♦ »Pé don! pa parlé comme ça, interrompit la bonne négresse. «Si fé, recommença Chant-d’Oisel; fo bien mo parlé, mo gagnin tou plin kichoge pou di vou. « ‘Be quiet, don’t talk like that,’ interrupted the good black woman. ‘But yes,’ Birdsong began again, ‘I must speak, I have so many things to tell you.’ (ME) See examples
• si-tan PC ( pron. ) si-ton NE, PC, ST
  1. So many, so much; tant.
     To pa bizdn gen en madanm y ena sitan . You don’t need to have a wife, there are so many of them (i.e. women). (PC) ♦ Kan di fe-la te ora li, sa chofe li si tan li reveye. When the fire got near it made him so hot that he woke up. (JR) See examples
  2. So many, so much; tant de.
     Ye gen si-ton pousyèr, mo te pa kapab war. There was so much dust, I could not see. (ST) ♦ Li fe si tan lapousyè, Pa Chevrey te blije vini rete li avek en lalimyè. He made so much dust that Brer Deer was forced to come and stop him with a light. (JR) •si-ton ke conj. So much (that); tant, tellement (que), si-tèlman adv. So many, so much, so; tant de, tellement de. cf. tèlman See examples
• sibit NE ( adv. ) sibitmon CA, NE
  1. Suddenly, all of a sudden; subitement, tout d’un coup.
     Li te pa malad. Li mouri sibitmon dan so dòrmi. He wasn’t sick. He died suddenly in his sleep. (CA) See examples
• siblinm BT ( n. ) siblèm BT
  1. Vegetable squash, patty pan squash; espèce de courge.
     Le siblenm sete en SQUASH. Patty pan, that was a kind of squash. (BT) See examples
• sibouy No sources ( n. )
  1. Spring onion; ciboule.
     ♦ Marchan cibouye pa capab trompé marchan zognon. The spring onion merchant cannot trick the onion merchant. (FO 1887) See examples
• sifl No sources ( v.intr. )
  1. To suffice; suffire.
     ♦ Mé siffit li té privé ça té donnin li encor pli envi boi. But it was enough for him that it was forbidden to be still more anxious to drink. (FO 1887) See examples
• siflé CA ( n. ) souflé PC
  1. Whistle; sifflet.
     Mo tannde soufle-la tou le jou. I hear the whistle every day.’ (PC); Mèt-d-ekol-la li gen en ti sifle e kan li sif piti-ye arèt helaye, fe ye komèrs. The schoolteacher has a whistle, and when he whistles, the children stop yelling. (CA) ♦ Lafée parti en lair, zeine sarpantié monté dan bato et doné ein coup dan siflet ké lafée té doné li. The fairy flew off, and the young carpenter climbed into the boat and blew into the whistle the fairy had given him. (T7) See examples
• siflé CA, MO 60, NE, PC, ST ( v. ) sif CA, NE
  1. To whistle; siffler.
     Li t ape sifle me mo jamen tande li. He was whistling but I never heard him. (CA); Pèrdri-ye sifle. Bobwhites whistle. (ST) ♦ Tan yé rivé déziéme zalon, Compair Chivreil siflé: foute! When they arrived at the second goal, Brer Deer whistled, ‘Rats!’ (T5) See examples