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

• souvnir CA ( n. ) souvnur CA souvni PC
  1. Memory; souvenir.
     Si mo pa wa twa ankò mo gen to souvni. If I never see you again I have a memory of you. (PC) See examples
  2. Souvenir; souvenir, petit cadeau en souvenir.
     Li dòn man en souvnir pou raple li. He gave me a souvenir to remember him. (CA) See examples
• sovaj CA ( adj. ) shovay PC shovaj PC
  1. Native American, Indian; indien américain.
     Mo pons pakònn sètè zafè chovay. I think the word pecan is an Indian word. (PC) See examples
  2. Wild; sauvage, farouche.
     ♦ Pa si tan, zoli Madamme; mo tchoué jiche ein denne chowage. Not so many, pretty lady; I only killed one wild turkey. (T6) •’béte sauvage’ n.phr. Wild animal; animal farouche, cf. bèt •kann chovaj n.phr. Wild cane; canne sauvage, cf. kann •lozey sovaj n. Wood sorrel; oseille des bois. cf. lozey See examples
• sovaj CA ( n. ) shovay PC shovaj PC
  1. Native American, Indian; Indien américain.
     Ben tou chovay-ye te kònen parle franse. Isi la, chovay-ye isi. All of the Indians used to speak French—the Indians here. (PC); Li té jamais ‘tendu li té ein sauvage et passer ein jour sans se soûler prenait pas tout so courage. He had never heard that he was a savage, and spending a day without getting drunk did not take a big effort. (DC) ♦ Kan li konmanse bwa, li tann en tren dèryè li e li wa li te antoure par enn bann sovaj. When he began to drink, he heard a noise behind him and he saw that he was surrounded by a band of Indians. (JR) See examples
  2. Indian (i.e. the languages of the Native Americans); indien (les langues des Indiens américains.
     Kreyòl se pa en bon fronse, MIXED UP avek chovay e tou zafè-sa-ye. Creole is not a good French, it’s all mixed up with Indian and all of that. (PC) See examples
• sovajès No sources ( n. )
  1. Indian woman, squaw; squaw, femme amérindienne.
     ♦ Mam, mo va metté ain costume Chawagesse, et lé zotte a palé habillé com djiabe. I’m going to wear an Indian woman costume, and the others will dress as devils. (WO) See examples
• sové CA, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To save; sauver.
     Ye te sove li. They would have saved her. (PC); To brav pou ale sote dan dolo pou sove so lavi. Li t ap neye. You’re brave to go jump in the water to save his life. He was drowning. (CA) ♦ Ma vini (ouâ ) vous pou no tiré in plan pou sauvé yé. I’ve come to see you for us to make a plan to save them. (T9) See examples
• Spañol No sources ( n. )
  1. Lèspagnòl (CA). Spaniard; Espagnol.
     ‘Spagnol e’tein ti brin trop jaloux. Spaniards are just a little bit jealous. (DC); Ena diferan nasyon, de Pòrtoriken, Lèspagnòl, Arichmèn. There are different ethnic groups, Puerto Ricans, Spanish, Irishmen. (CA) ♦ Si ein l’allemand vini parlé avé ein Français ou ein Méricain, li pa lé compranne, pas plis ké si l’Anglais té parlé avé ein Pagnol ké pa compranne nanglais. If a German comes to speak with a Frenchman or an American, he will not understand, any more than if an Englishman were to speak with a Spaniard who does not understand English. (FO 1887) See examples
• splida PC ( n. ) splira PC
  1. Splitter (the part of the plow that actually opens the furrow); (la partie de la charrue qui ouvre le sillon).
     Vou pren en splida, vou ouv ron-leu. E la vou pren en dis, dòn li latè . You take a splitter and open the row. Then you take a disk and put earth back into it. (PC) See examples
• spot PC ( v.intr. ) spod PC
  1. To be a playboy, play the field; courir les femmes.
     To p ole marye. To di t ole spot. You don’t want to get married. You say you want to play the field. (PC) See examples
• spèktak No sources ( n. )
  1. Show; spectacle.
     ♦ Li pardonnin moin dé bon coeur et commencin parlé spectacle. He forgave me goodheartedly and began to talk about the show. (T38) See examples
• spérit PC ( n. ) spèrik PC spèrit PC spérik PC
  1. Spirit; esprit. •Spèrit Bondje
     n.phr. (PC). Spirit of God; l’Esprit de Dieu. Spèrit Bondjè mantre li sa. The Spirit of God showed him that. (PC) See examples
  2. Spirit, ghost; fantôme, revenant, esprit.
     Mo ja seye wa spèrik. Mo jame wa enn dan mo lavi. Me mo frè di li wa so paren, so marenn, e tou kicho. I have tried to see spirits. I have never seen one in my life. But my brother says he has seen his godfather, his godmother and all. (PC) See examples
• spésyal CA ( adj. )
  1. Special; spécial.
     Misyonèr-la vyen pou done lamisyon. Se pa no prèt ki dòn lamisyon. Se spesyal. Se tou life se lamisyon. The missionary comes to conduct retreats. It’s not our priests that conduct retreats. It’s special. That’s all he handles is retreats. (CA) See examples
• stasyon BT, CA ( n. ) léstasyon CA
  1. Depot, train station; gare.
     Depo, stasyon se la monm chòz . A depot and a station are the same thing. (BT); Si no t ole telegrafe kèkchoz , no te blije ale dan stasyon pou voye mèsaj-la. If we wanted to telegraph something, we had to go to the station to send the message. (CA) See examples
• statu CA ( n. )
  1. Statue; statue.
     Se lastatu lalibèrte ke reprezant USA. It’s the statue of Liberty that represents the USA. (CA) ♦ Tout moune connin que cé moin qui Président pour lasouscription pour statue en caoutchouc Miché Kellogg. Everyone knows that I am the president for the subscription for the rubber statue of Mr. Kellogg. (T34) See examples
• stil CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Still; alambic.
     Kan ye ote wiski , nonm fe stil, fe wiski mai. When they outlawed whiskey, men made stills to make corn whiskey. (PC) See examples
• stimbot No sources ( n. )
  1. Steamboat; bateau à vapeur.
     ♦ Yé voyé marchandise dans gros papa steambots. They sent the merchandise in big old steamboats. (T27); «Mo parié va rivé coté stimbotte-là divan nouzotte. «I wager that you will reach the steamboat before us. (ME) See examples
• stipéfé No sources ( adj. )
  1. Stupifîed; stupéfait.
     ♦ Tout stipéfait mo pas répond; alors yé fou moin ein secousse. Stupified, I did not answer; so they shook me. (T39) See examples
• stov CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Stove, oven; four.
     Piti-la touche stov-la, e li brile so lamen. The child touched the stove and he burned his hand. (PC); To pas lenj evèk en fèr a pase. To mèt li an stov pou chofe li. You iron clothes with an iron. You put it on the stove to heat it. (CA) ♦ Mo gros stove noi'apé chanter. My big black stove is singing. (BD) •stov on fèr n.phr. (PC). Cast-iron stove; four en fer ouvré. Nou te kwi ave dibwa, e le stov on fèr. E nou te gen kat plak on l stov. E to te me te chodjyèr on l plak. We used to cook with wood and cast-iron stoves. And we had four burners on the stove. And you put your kettles on the burners. (PC) See examples
• stupid No sources ( adj. )
  1. Stupid, dumb; stupide, bête.
     ♦ Mire yé rend moin stupide. Staring at them made me stupid. (T37) See examples
• stènn BT ( v.tr. ) stènd MO 60
  1. To put up with, stand, bear; supporter, endurer.
     Gen en ti FAN mo me anddan ma chanm le swar. Mo pi pa stenn le zafèr frèt. I have a little fan that I put in my room at night. I can’t stand things that are cold. (BT) ♦ Yé té senti bon et Jean Sotte gardé yé longtemps; so labouche t’apé baver. Li té pas ca stenne ça. Those cakes smelled good and Foolish John looked at them a long while; his mouth was watering. He couldn’t stand it. (BD) See examples
• stòr NE ( n. ) sto BT
  1. Store; magasin.
     Me nou te pa kour anddan le sto achte tou kèkchoz kòm astœr. But we didn’t go and buy everything at the store like we do now. (BT) See examples
• sud NE ( n. ) sid CA, NE si CA
  1. South; sud.
     Le zwa e kanar se pase; ye t ape kouri don l sud aou se te plu cho. The geese and ducks went away; they flew south where it was warmer. (NE); Se pa dan l si, se dan l nòr. It’s not in the south, it’s in the north. (CA) ♦ A chak fwa en nyaj nwa lev don sid epi li kouri don nòrwès na gen lapli pou sir lonnmen. Every time a black cloud rises in the south and goes northwest we’ll have rain for sure the next day. (LA) See examples
• suivi No sources ( adj. )
  1. Consecutive, in a row; de suite.
     ♦ Fe li vale trwa grenn-ye trwa zon suivi. Make him swallow the three seeds three years in a row. (BI) See examples
• suk No sources ( n. ) disik CA, NE, PC dusuk PC disikr PC dusik PC le suk PC dèsik PC dzisik BT
  1. Sugar; sucre.
     Mo pa kapab bwa li san disik e disik-la fe mo gra. I can’t drink it without sugar and sugar makes me fat. (CA) ♦ Mo mait li dja voyé boucauts disique laville. My master has already sent the casks of sugar into town. (T27) •disik blan n.phr. (PC). White, refined sugar; sucre blanc, •disik jón n.phr. disik jòn, disik zon (PC). 1) Brown sugar; cassonade. (PC) 2) Raw sugar; sucre brut. (PC) •sik ròf n.phr. (MO 60). Unrefined sugar; sucre brut. See examples
  2. Diabetes; diabète.
     Si to gen dzisik, to genmp sonye to-mèm. If you have diabetes, you have to take care of yourself. (BT) •l suk dan (so) duson n.phr. (BT); disik dan mo disan (PC). Diabetes; diabète. Mo te gen disik-la. Mo te gen disik dan mo disan. I had diabetes, I had sugar in my blood. (PC) •gen l suk v.phr. (BT); gen disik (CA). To be diabetic, have diabetes; être diabète. Li gen l suk, l suk dan so duson. En dyèt ina vent an. She has diabetes, she has sugar in her blood. She’s been on a diet for twenty years. (BT) See examples
• sukrœri PC ( n. ) sikléri CA, NE sukléri NE sukleri PC lasiklèri PC lasikléri PC lasikréri CA laskléri CA
  1. Sugar refinery, sugar mill; sucrerie.
     Lantan pase, ye te pa gen en lasikleri kòm ye gen la. In the past they didn’t have sugar refineries like they have now. (PC); Enave kat lasikreri desi la Vachri. Ena pi enn ki rès. There were four sugar refineries in Vacherie. There’s not one left. (CA) ♦ Mo te sòrti lasikleri. I left the sugar mill. (TP) See examples
• sulki BT ( n. )
  1. Sulky (horse-drawn vehicle); sulky (voiture attelé).
     Sulki, jus deu rou. A ‘sulky’ only has two wheels. (BT) See examples
• supozé PC ( v., v.aux., v.intr., adj., adv. ) sipozé CA, NE, PC, ST sipòz NE syipoz MO 72 spozé PC
  1. To be supposed to (do sth.); être censé (faire qch.).
     Si to anfamiy, to pa supoze pent. If you’re pregnant you’re not supposed to paint. (BT); To pa ka kite li kouri dan pla-ye paski l a pètèt pren en pè plus ki li spoze pou. You can’t let him get into the plates of food because he might take a little more than he’s supposed to. (PC); En sigonn, li sipoze menen bebe. A stork is supposed to bring babies. (CA); Mo vwazin gen so lamòrè dan larme. Ye sipoze pou marye dan jen. My neighbor has her boyfriend in the army. They’re supposed to get married in June. (ST) See examples
  2. Must, is supposed to, is reputed to be; devoir, être censé, avoir la réputation d’être.
     Taba Vèdjini syipoz èt lèmèyèr taba ena. Virginia tobacco is supposed to be the best that there is. (MO 72)To suppose; supposer. Mo sipòz li la. I suppose that he is there. (NE) ♦ Nous autes femmes et pitits apé crévé faim et mo vini (ouâ) vous pou no tiré in plan pou sauvé yé, sipposè no té vende no momans! Our women and children are dying of hunger and I have come to see you so we can make a plan to save them. Suppose we sell our mothers. (T9) suprèm adj. Supreme; suprême. •lakou suprèm n.phr. The Supreme Court; la Cour Suprême, cf. kour sur 1 adj., adv. (NE; PC); sir (CA; MO 60; NE; PC); non sir (PC); sirmon (NE).Sure; sûr. Mo sur ke li t ape sonye se betay byen. I’m sure that he was taking good care of his animals. (NE); Mo sir ke li te vini parskè li lèse mo lamal desi latab. I’m sure he came because he left my mail on the table. (CA) ♦ Mo sir qué quand yé oi c'était serpent sonnettes yé bardé la maison, yé té trop per, pauve bêtes. I’m sure that as soon as they see it was a rattlesnake, they would have fled the house, they’d have been too scared, poor dears. (T23)Surely, really; sûrement. Mo te sir ENJOY mo-mèm avèk li. I sure enjoyed myself with her. (NE) ♦ Konm to galop vit! To sir meyè ke mwen zordi-sa-la; tchèn to larjan. How fast you run! You sure are better than me today; here is your money. (JR) •byen sur adv.phr. (CA; NE). Certainly, of course; bien sûr. Ye te met en peu lalesi, byen sur fale pa met tro. They put in a little acid, of course you couldn’t add too much. (NE) •pou sur adv.phr. (PC). For sure; sûrement, pour sûr. Mo konnen pou sur. I know for sure. (PC) See examples
• supèrb No sources ( n. )
  1. Superb; superbe.
     ♦ «... fé ain tan superbe pou parrain rivé. ‘‘ The weather is beautiful for when the godfather arrives. (ME) See examples
• supèrstisyon CA ( n. )
  1. Superstition; superstition.
     Atann ichka lalin fèb pou geri levèr. Se tou de supèrstisyon astè. Wait until the new moon to cure worms. Those are all superstitions now. (CA) See examples
• supòrté PC ( v.tr. ) siporté CA, PC sipòrt CA
  1. To support, hold up; supporter, soutenir, entretenir.
     Nou te gen gade pou travay. Sa ki te gen supòrte no menm? We had to look for work. Who was going to take care of us? (PC); Solivo sipòrt grègnen. Se de mòso dibwa. Rafters hold up the attic. It’s pieces of wood. (CA) See examples
  2. To stand, bear, put up with, tolerate; supporter, endurer.
     Mo gen de bo bouk-d-òrey me mo pa kapab siporte sa andan me zòrey. I’ve got some beautiful earrings but I can’t stand them on my ears. (CA) ♦ Mo pe pa siporte sa tou mo lavi. I can’t stand this my whole life. (JR) See examples
• sur No sources ( prep. ) sir CA
  1. On; sur.
     To mèt li dan MICROWAVE-la e kan li cho, to mèt li sir dubœr e dupen. You put it in the microwave, and when it’s hot you put it on bread and butter. (CA); Vye tan pase, ye te mete bidon-ye sir latèt. In the olden days, they wore tophats on their heads. (CA) ♦ So bo-pèr mande li pou mennen li wa laplas ou li te travaye. E, ye kouri sour landemen. His father in law asked him to show him the place where he worked. And they went there on the next day. (JR) See examples
• surtou CA ( adv. ) sirtou NE
  1. Especially, above all; surtout.
     Mo parl kreol sirtou avèk mo momon. I speak Creole especially with my mother. (NE); To gen pou fo tansyon to pa glise, Surtou kan lapli tonb. Se glisan. You have to be careful you don’t slip, especially when it’s raining. It’s slippery. (CA) ♦ Li té faim, sitout; réna'ds toujo' gain faim. He was especially hungry; foxes are always hungry. (BD) See examples
• survéyé CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To watch for, keep an eye out for; guetter.
     Mo dòr pa. Mo surveye. M ap gete. I don’t sleep. I keep an eye on things. I’m watching. (CA) ♦ Faut nous surveillé li et prémier qua oua li, faut pas nous raté li. We must watch out for him, and the first one to spot him must not miss. (FO T1) See examples
• sué CA, PC ( v.intr. ) swé CA, NE soué PC, ST souwé PC
  1. To sweat; suer, transpirer.
     Le fey ye bon pou lafyev, ye sre WRAP en moun ave sa. Avek le fey ye pou fe ye souwe. Palmachristi leaves are good for a fever. They would wrap a sick person in those to make him sweat. (PC); Mo te menne en rechans an tou ka mo swe. I brought a change of clothes in case I sweat. (CA) ♦ Li choué gros gouttes doleau. He sweated great drops of water. (B D) See examples
• swa No sources ( conj. ) swa...o PC swa..swa PC swa...oubin PC swa...ou BT swa...ou (swa) NE
  1. Either, or; soit.
     To pe mèt sa swa dan lasoup ou kwi sa dan en gran lasòs ke nou pèl STEW. You can put that in a soup or cook it in a big sauce that we call stew. (BT) See examples
• swa No sources ( n. ) laswa CA, PC léswa PC
  1. Silk; soie.
     ♦ Calalou linmin la soie, li linmin bel bel. Calalou likes silk, she likes pretty things. (WO) See examples
  2. Lint (of cotton); peluche (de coton).
     Moulen-sa-a ki moule li, li kit plen laswa on lagrenn-la. The mill which grinds it up leaves a lot of lint on the seeds. (PC) •difil laswa n.phr. Cotton thread; fil de coton. cf. fil See examples
• swa No sources ( v.cop. )
  1. cf. èt
• swa-dizon NE ( adv., adj., int. ) swa-disan PC
  1. Supposedly; soi-disant.
     Swa-dizon le kouri a Lafayèt. Supposedly he went to Lafayette. (NE); A FORTUNE TELLER, swa-disan l a di twa en lo monti. A fortune teller, supposedly she’ll tell you a lot of lies. (PC)So-called; soi-disant. (NE)You know, so to speak; pour ainsi dire. Ye trape nouzòt le vye boug swa-dizon. They came to get us, the old guys, so to speak. (NE) See examples
• swaf CA, NE, ST ( n. )
  1. Thirst; soif.
     ♦ Mo révéyé avé ein lasouafe ki té apé gratè mo gargane. I woke up with a thirst that was scratching my throat. (TI6) •(gen) swaf v.phr. (CA; NE). To be thirsty; avoir soif. Mo gen swaf. (Mo swaf.) I'm thirsty. (NE); Mo gen swaf. Mo va bwa lalimonad. I'm thirsty. I’m going to drink some lemonade. (CA) ♦ Si to gen la jonnis bouyi fey peche pi bwa dolo-la kon to swaf. If you have jaundice boil peach tree leaves and drink the water when you’re thirsty. (LA) See examples
• swagnezman No sources ( adv. )
  1. Carefully; soigneusement.
     ♦ Ain poule trouvé dézef serpan; li couvé yé bien soigneuseman é fé piti dan kokille sorti. A hen found some snake eggs; she sat on them very carefully and got the babies in the eggs to come out. (ME 90) See examples
• swanp No sources ( n. ) swonp MO 60
  1. Swamp, wetland; marécage.
     ♦ En fwa enn ave en nonm ki te konnen travaye dan laswanp. There was once a man who worked in the swamps. (JR) See examples
• swanpè No sources ( n. )
  1. Swamper, man who lives and works in the swamp; homme qui vit et travaille dans les marécages.
     ♦ Einne fois, bonne fois! Yé té gain ein swampè et so fomme qui té gain septs pitis. Once upon a time there was a swamper and his wife who had seven children. (B D) See examples
• swar CA, MO 60, PC ( n. ) swa CA, PC swò PC
  1. Evening; soir.
     Ouchka dis-èr, onz-èr du swa. Until ten o’clock, eleven o’clock at night. (CA) ♦ Ein soir li té rentré tard bien piqué, li prend babillé avec so fame. One evening he came in late and started to quarrel with his wife. (FO T15) •aswar adv.phr. (NE); aswò (PC); aswa (CA; PC); aswa-la (CA; PC). This evening, tonight; ce soir. Esk enan en plas pou nou dormi isit aswò? Is there room for us to sleep here tonight? (PC); On dire kòm si na pa aryen pou bwa isi aswar-la. It seems there’s nothing to drink here tonight. (NE); Tan-la ap fredi. S ap ale fe fre aswa-la. The weather is colling down. It’s going to be cold tonight. (CA) ♦ A soir m alé fait quart; mo mait dit mo trop vié. Tonight I’m going to keep watch; my master says I’m too old. (T27) •yèr-o-swar adv.phr. Last night, yesterday night, evening; hier soir. cf. yèr •le swa adv.phr. (PC); le swò, le swar (PC). In the evening(s), at night; le soir. Ye bwa le maten, ye bwa le midi, e ye bwa le swa. They drink in the morning, they drink at noon, and they drink in the evening. (PC); Sa-fe le swar Lapen se kouri e li se monje mai-la. Rabbit would go and he would eat the corn every night. (NE) ♦ C'était toujou les soirs mo té volé des prines. It was always in the evening that I stole plums. (T27) •tou le swa adv.phr. Every evening; tous les soirs. ♦ Pa Lapen te konnen vini vole dolo dan ye pwi tou le swa. Brer Rabbit used to come and steal water from their well every evening. (JR) See examples
• swaré CA ( n. )
  1. Evening; soirée.
     T ap ale o sware aswa? Tou le samdi, ena en dans. Are you going to the party tonight? Every Saturday, there is a dance. (CA) ♦ Li passé lasoirée apé causé avec Guichard. He spent the evening chatting with Guichard. (T40) See examples
• swasant CA, PC ( num.card. ) swasont BT, NE, PC swasant-sis PC swasont-kat PC swasant-uit PC souasant-si MO 60
  1. Sixty; soixante.
     Nou genp peye swasont pyas pou mwa. We have to pay sixty dollars a month. (NE); Mo te gro gro e mon pè swasont-oui liv e poui astœ m ap se pè dòt. I was very fat and I lost 68 pounds, and now I’m trying to lose more. (BT); Li gen swasant an mwa-sa-a-la. He’s sixty years old this month. (CA) See examples
• swasant-dis No sources ( num.card. ) swazant-kinz PC swasant-diz-nèf PC swasant-diz-wit PC swasont-diz-wit PC
  1. Seventy; soixante-dix.
     Li gen swasant-diz-wit an. She is seventy-eight years old. (PC) See examples
• swayin No sources ( v.tr. )
  1. To rub, massage; frotter, masser.
     ♦ A dix zére di soir, soyain moin don do. A ten o’clock in the evening, rub my back. (FO 1887) See examples
• swi CA ( n. )
  1. Soot; suie.
     Se la swi nwa-la ki pran fe dan en chimnen an brik. It’s the black soot that catches fire in a brick chimney. (CA) ♦ Madame Compair Lapin gagnin dé piti, ein té blanc, lote té noir comme la souie chiminin . Mrs. Brer Rabbit had two babies, one was white and the other was as black as chimney soot. (FO T15) See examples
• swin CA ( n. )
  1. Care; soin.
     Li va viv lontan si ye dòn li bon swen. He’ll live a long time if they give him good care. (CA) ♦ Quand cercueil là té ouar moin li poussé ein cri pitoyable, puis li baissé li avec soin pou n'entrer en bas latable. When the coffin saw me, he gave forth a pitiful cry, then he crouched down carefully to go under the table. (T39) See examples
• swip PC ( n. )
  1. A kind of harrow; une espèce de herse.
     To ouvè en senyon la, en ti re. To ouvè la avek en ti swip, kultuvatè ou en chari, nenpòt ki manyè. You open up a little furrow, a little row. You open it with a little [swip], a cultivator or a plow, however you want to. (PC) See examples
• swiv gen ( v.tr. ) swivi CA, PC swi BT, NE suiv CA
  1. To follow; suivre.
     Kan l char-la mont disu i va ale drwat swiv le rél. When the train goes up it directly follows the rails. (BT); Piti-la lenmen swiv nou tou partou nou ale. The child likes to follow us everywhere we go. (ST) ♦ Swiv mwen e ma montre twa kanman ta trouve to nanmi. Follow me and I will show you how you can find your friend again. (JR) See examples
  2. To follow (as a sports fan); suivre (comme supporter).
     Nou te swiv BALL GAME-ye. We used to follow baseball games. (PC) See examples
  3. To understand; comprendre.
     Mo popa e momon te fe ye lapriyè an kreyòl. Mo pa kònen sa. Mo kònen seye swiv. My mother and my father said their prayers in Creole. I don’t know them. I used to try to follow along. (PC) See examples
  4. To attend (a class); suivre (un cours).
     Pou swi katechich on nave se gro ròb-la. To go to catechism class we had these big robes. (BT) See examples
  5. To follow, keep up with; suivre.
     Mo pa ka swivi tou sa. I can’t follow all of that. (PC) See examples