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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séduizant
No sources
(
adj.
)
-
Seductive; séduisant.
♦ Quant à moin, mo sûr mo zajfair, mo si belle, si séduisante. As for me, I am sure of myself, I am so beautiful, so seductive. (T33)
See examples
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ségon
CA, PC
(
n.
)
segòn
PC
sègon
PC
-
Second; seconde.
Dan dœ sègon li koupe li. In two seconds she cut it. (PC)
See examples
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ségon
CA
(
num.ord.
)
ségan
PC
laségon
BT
zègon
MO 60
zgon
MO 60
zègòn
MO 60
-
Second; second, deuxième.
La zègòn jwa. The second time. (MO 60) ♦ Ye rantre kote enn òt boutik e an rantran segon Arichmenn-la tannde konmi-la mannde en pratik, «Pou di sou moutard-la?» They went into another store, and upon entering the second Irishman heard the clerk ask a customer, ‘Do you want ten cents worth of mustard?’ (JR) •sègond-men adj.phr. (PC). Second-hand, used; d’occasion. Kou achte vye cha, sègond men. He went to buy an old secondhand car. (PC)
See examples
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pron. The second (one); le deuxième.
♦ »Sa se to premyen louvraj, 99 Madanm Djab di li. «Kan Pa tournen m'a donn twa segon-la.'' ‘That is your first task,’ Madame Devil said. ‘When you come back I’ll give you the second one.’ (JR)
See examples
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ségonin
CA
(
v.tr.
)
-
To soak; tremper, mettre à l’eau.
Mo frote mo lenj byen. Mo segonen li. Mo rense li e mo chese li. I scrubbed my laundry well. I soaked it. I rinsed it and dried it. (CA)
See examples
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ségré
PC
(
adj.
)
ségrè
MO 60
-
Secret; secret.
Nan, pa absoluman, pa segre. No, it’s not absolutely secret. (PC)
See examples
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ségré
NE
(
n.
)
ségrè
MO 60
-
Secret; secret.
Li rakont so sœr en segre. He tells his sister a secret. (NE) ♦ Mo di vou zot tou clair et net, mo belle, oui, c'est Dénise. Gardé sécret c'est ein bêtise qui mo pas connin fait. I'll tell you all plainly, my girlfriend is Denise. Keeping a secret is a foolishness that I don’t know how to commit. (T11)
See examples
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sélé
CA, PC
(
v.tr.
)
-
To saddle; seller.
Sele to chvo. To saddle your horse. (PC); Nou gen pou sèrvi chval-la. Vyen ède man sele li. We have to use the horse. Come help me saddle him. (CA) ♦ Limin torches, crié vengeance et liberté, sellé Zambi, tan vou la ville. I must light the torches, shout vengeance and freedom, saddle Zombi, and wait for you in town. (TM)
See examples
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sélébré
No sources
(
v.tr.
)
-
To celebrate; célébrer.
♦ Lendemin tout moune té réini et yé célébré la noce Compair Lapin avec Mamzelle Lapin Blanc. The next day everyone got together and they celebrated the wedding of Brer Rabbit and Miss White Rabbit. (FO T15)
See examples
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séléra
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Rascal, scoundrel; scélérat.
♦ ''Vini icite, céléra! Vini mo mangé toi tou cru. ‘‘ Come over hère, scoundrel. Come over here so I can eat you raw. (ME); Pardi! cé pa étonnan si ain brave é onète jeunomme tournin fou, can li apranne que so moman cé ain célérate ki mérité yé pende li. Of course it’s not surprising if a fine and honest young man goes crazy when he learns that his mother was a scoundrel who deserved to be hanged. (ME 91)
See examples
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séléri
PC
(
n.
)
-
Celery; céleri.
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sémin
No sources
(
v.tr.
)
-
To surround, close in around/on, circle; cerner, entourer.
♦ No té cré qué no té cemain li dans coin. We thought we had surrounded him in his comer. (T23)
See examples
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To draw a circle around, circle; cerner, entourer, encercler.
♦ Pou geri en dart, to sèrn dart-la avek to pous e to di menm pryèr ke to di pou en kout soley. For ringworm, you draw circles around the ringworm with your thumb and you say the same prayer that you say for sunstroke. (BI)
See examples
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séparasyon
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Separation; séparation.
Se mye ye pran en separasyon ke ye reste ansanm. It’s better for them to get separated than to stay together. (CA)
See examples
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Dividing wall, partition; paroi.
Lamezon sa l i te bati, te gen en separasyon-la. When we built this house, there was a partition there. (PC)
See examples
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séparé
CA, PC
(
v.tr.,
v.intr.,
adv.
)
séparé
PC
sèpar
PC
sépar
BT
-
To separate; séparer.
Lagradjanm se sa ki separ lakwis et pui le janm. The back of the knee is what separates the thigh from the lower leg. (BT); Li se ranje to en lasyet. Li te dòn twa plen, mè pròch pa separe, JUST tou kichò dan mèm lasyet-la. He would prepare you a plate. He would give you a lot, but (with the different foods) hardly separated, just everything in the same plate. (PC)
See examples
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To divide up, partition; mettre une paroi.
No te gen en gro kabinen, mo popa separe sa. Li pran enn pou fe en DINING ROOM, e li pron lòt-la en kwen, so ladepons. We used to have a big back room, my father divided it up (with partitions). He took one part to use as a dining room, he took another comer for a pantry. (PC)To separate, be separated from; quitter, se séparer (de). Tan mo separe mo vini dan Chèmen Nef, e mo rèste dan lamezon e blan e mo elve ye piti. When I left my parents I came to New Roads, and I lived in a house with a white family and I raised their kids. (PC); Ye separe me ye tyen pa rankun. They are separated but they don’t hold a grudge. (CA) ♦ Mé roi là té pa olé, non mem, li pa olé tandi raison pou séparé avé so fille. But the king did not want to hear, no indeed, he didn’t want to hear reasons for separating from his daughter. (T7)Separately; séparément. Ye fe ye separe. They do them separately. (PC)
See examples
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séran
PC
(
adj.
)
shéran
CA
-
Tight (with money); gredin.
Li lenm pa depanse so larjan. Li cheran. He doesn’t like to spend his money. He’s tight. (CA)
See examples
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séray
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Noise; bruit.
Lamezon-sa-la, li donnen. Pèrsòn pa kapa rete andan la. Ye tan en seray tou tan andan la. That house is haunted. No one can live in it. They hear a noise all the time in there. (PC); Ye te gen en gro seray lòt kote. Ye peche man dòrmi. There was a lot of noise across the way. They prevented me from sleeping. (CA) •mènè seray v.phr. (NE); mènen seray (CA). To make noise; faire du bruit. Pa Bouki monyèr mènè seray. Sa-fe le poul-la komonse vini trakase e ye-mèm ye komonse mènè seray. Brer Bouki made a bit of noise. So the hens began to worry and they too started making noise. (NE)
See examples
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sérin
PC
(
n.
)
dolo sérin
PC
srin
CA
-
Dew; rosée.
Ènan seren an latè-la. There is dew on the ground. (PC); Mo mouye mo pye parskè zèb-la te plen sren bo maten. My feet got wet because the grass was full of dew this morning. (CA) ♦ Si soley te donn mwen mal de tet mo te met dolo seren on o mo latet sa rete mal de tet. If the sun gave me a headache I would put some dew on my head and that would stop the headache. (LA)
See examples
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sérinad
CA
(
n.
)
-
Serenade; sérénade.
Sete so lafet . Ye don li en bo serenad. It was her birthday. They gave her a nice serenade. (CA) ♦ Vou zot va fai zein sérénade pou porter moin bonner. You all will sing a serenade to bring me good luck. (T11)
See examples
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séring
PC
(
n.
)
-
Syringe; seringue.
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séré
CA, MO 60, PC
(
adj.
)
-
Tight; serré.
Li gen de broken delase. Si to las e sa tro sere, sa fe bobo. She’s got her ankle boots unlaced. If you lace them too tight, it makes sores. (CA); So nen tro sère anho. His nose is too thin on top. (MO 60) ♦ Macaque là porté kilotte, serré com vous jamais oir. The monkey was wearing trousers as tight as you’ve ever seen. (T36)
See examples
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Tight, difficult (financially); difficile (financièrement).
Zafè te sere , boug. Things were tight, man (i.e. money and goods were scarce). (PC)
See examples
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séré
CA, PC
(
v.tr.
)
sèr
PC
sèri
PC
sèré
PC
-
To tighten, pull tight; serrer.
Si boulon-la vyen LOOSE anho la to gen pou sere. If the bolt becomes loose up there you have to tighten it. (PC); Tourn lavis-la byen, sere li, e li va rèste byen. Turn the screw and tighten it well and it will stay well. (CA) ♦ Li sere so zepron. Bouki pati, la pousyè paye. He tightened his spurs. Bouki left, and the dust flew. (LA) •sere lamen v.phr. (CA). To shake hands; serrer la main (à qn). Kan mo wa li pou la premye jwa , li sere mo lamen. When I saw him for the first time, he shook my hand. (CA) ♦ Yé serré la main et yé séparé. They shook hands and they separated. (FO T15)
See examples
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To stock, keep, store, hoard, save; garder, mettre en réserve, emmagasiner, épargner.
Mo gen kètchòz sère pou twa , monmon! I have something put away for you, Missy! (BT); Larjan pa fe pou sere. Se pou sa ye ran, pou roule. Money is not made to be saved. That is why coins are round, so they can roll. (PC); Mo sère mo lafisèl pou sèrvi en lot jwa. I saved my string to use another time. (CA)
See examples
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To lock away, contain; serrer.
♦ Tout marchandise cila la li serré dans conscience Yankee a c’theure. All of that merchandise is locked away in the Yankees’ consciences now. (T34)
See examples
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To pack in, squeeze in; serrer.
Mo foule mo sak difwon pou sere mo difwon pou kouvèr mo patat. I packed down my bag of hay to pack in my hay to cover my potatoes. (CA) •sère kòm sardin adj.phr. Packed like sardines; serré comme des sardines. ♦ Boat té serré com sardine). The boat was packed like sardines). (T37)
See examples
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sérémoni
CA
(
n.
)
-
Ceremony, formality; cérémonie.
Li te gen en bo seremoni pou so maryaj. She had a nice ceremony for her marriage. (CA) ♦ Renard di li vini, vini comme viés zamis, pas fait cérémonie. Fox told him to come, come like an old friend, without ceremony. (T20) •’maite cérémon’ n.phr. Master of ceremonies; maître des cérémonies. ♦ So cocher Louis té maite cérémoni. His coachman Louis was the master of ceremonies. (T10)
See examples
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séyon
CA, PC
(
n.
)
sinyon
PC
-
Furrow, row; sillon, raie.
Pou koton se mol, to mol to koton, la ye vyen e chari, ye laboure sa ankò la, se tan pou lebay koton. La y fe de gro seyon. For cotton the word is ‘molding’, you ‘mold’ your cotton. Then they come along with a plow, they plow it again, and then it’s time for the layby. Then they make big furrows. (PC)
See examples
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séyé
No sources
(
v.
)
-
To try; essayer, cf. éséyé
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sézon
BT, CA, MO 60, PC
(
n.
)
lasézon
CA
sizon
PC
-
Season; saison.
Manje lapen den sezon a l òt. Otreman k sa, na manje le lapen jus l ivèr. Done ye lachans pou ye èlve. They’d eat rabbits from one season to the next. Other than that, we only ate rabbits in the winter, to give them a chance to breed. (BT); Le kat sezon. The four seasons. (PC); Fey-la vèr. Li konen èt mayèr maran. Se depon lasezon. The leaf is green. It can be sort of brown. It depends on the season. (CA) ♦ Marchand charrette vini après laroulaison, quand y oté vende quichose yé conain la saison. The cart merchant comes after the cane harvest, when they want to sell something they know the right season. (T27) •an sezon adj.phr. (CA; PC). In heat; en rut, en chaleur. Kan vach-ye te an sezon, ye te mennen bèf-la. When cows were in heat, they would bring the bull. (CA)
See examples
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Hunting season; la saison de la chasse.
Èna en sèzon pou lapen, èna en sizon pou kirey. There is one season for hunting rabbits and another season for squirrels. (PC)
See examples
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Seasoning, spice; épice, assaisonnement.
Mèt pa lasezon ondan lan. They didn’t put any spice in that. (PC)
See examples
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sézoné
NE
(
v.tr.
)
sézonin
CA
sézonnin
CA
sizonin
CA
sizonnin
PC
sizlé
PC
sizné
PC
sézannin
PC
sizannin
PC
sézonnè
PC
-
To season; assaisonner.
Se en lavyonn ti san bon ka to gen li byen sizonnen. That’s a meat [turtle] that smells really good when you season it right. (PC); Mo koup mo janmbon par moso e mo mèt li dan mo bin pou sizonen yen. I cut my meat and I put it in my beans to season them. (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. (T37)
See examples
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sézònman
No sources
(
n.
)
lasizonnin
PC
lasizannman
PC
lasizònman
PC
lasizonnman
PC
lasizonnmon
PC
lasèzannmon
PC
sézmon
PC
sizànmon
PC
sézonnmon
PC
lasézònman
CA
asézònman
MO 60
-
Seasoning; assaisonnement.
Se dison ye pran FROM to kochon, e to meyl plen lasèzannmon ondon la, e dusel, e to pran en trip FROM kochon-la. To netwaye li pròp, e to me dison-lan andon lan, e la to kwi li. (It is made with) blood that you get from a pig, and you mix a lot of seasoning in there, and salt. And you get some pig intestines and clean them well, and you put (the mixture) in there, and then you cook it. (PC); Ye gen sèrdin dan lwil e andan lasezònman. There are sardines in oil and sardines in herbs. (CA)
See examples
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sòk
BT
(
n.
)
-
Plowshare; soc.
Se l sòk ki koup latèr. It’s the plowshare that cuts into the earth. (BT)
See examples
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sòl
CA
(
n.
)
sòl
PC
-
Willow tree; saule.
Dibwa-sa-a se en soi. That tree is a willow tree. (PC); Ena de soi ki te leve dan milye koule-la. There are weeping willows which came up in the middle of the pond. (CA) ♦ [Pou] deronjmon, pronn de kalite lekòrch konm frenn e sòl, avek larasin kontak e en ti kirelye di sel opsonm. For diarrhea, take two kinds of bark like ash or willow, with some greenbrier roots and a teaspoonful of Epsom salt, [ 'saule’ ] (BI)
See examples
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sòl
PC
(
n.
)
-
Sill, soleplate (support beneath a house on which pilings rest); sole (pièce ou bloc sur lequel on dresse les piliers sous une maison).
Sa se ta sòl, se èn sòl. Na de mon ki pèl li œn pyès . That is your sill. Some people call it a [pyès]. (PC)
See examples
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sònèt
CA
(
n.
)
sonèt
CA, PC
sonné
PC
sonnét
PC
-
Rattlesnake; serpent à sonnettes.
Enave en doktèr isit ke manje sa. Li di mon enn jwa: Tu-mwa en sònèt. Mo di li non paskè sònèt-la va peutèt tue mon. There was a doctor here who ate that. He told me one time, ‘Kill me a rattlesnake.’ I told him no because the rattlesnake might kill me! (CA) ♦ Li chèche jiska li trouve en sonnèt. He searched until he found a rattlesnake. (JR)
See examples
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sòr
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Lot, fate; sort, destin.
♦ Tout chien té trouvé yé sort té malheureux, alors yé voyé ein délégation, ein bande chien pou mandé Bon Djé pou li méliorer yé condition. All of the dogs found their fate miserable, so they sent a delegation, a pack of dogs to ask God to improve their condition. (FO T15)
See examples
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sòrshyé
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Wizard, warlock; sorcier.
♦ Tchoulé, vié sorchié, s’écria-1-elle instinctivement. Back up, old wizard, she cried out instinctively. (TM)
See examples
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sòrsyèr
ST
(
n.
)
sòrsyé
CA
sòrsyès
CA
-
Witch; sorcière.
En sòrsye fe lougarou tou lanwit e kan soley sòr li ot so lapo e li vini kretyen. A witch wanders around all night and when the sun comes out, she takes off her skin and becomes a Christian. (CA) ♦ Pove madame la mouri et so mari marié avec ein lotte madame qui té ein sorcière et qui té bien méchant. The poor woman died and her husband married another woman who was a witch and who was very wicked. (FO T23)
See examples
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sòrt
MO 60
(
n.
)
sòr
ST
-
Sort, kind, type; sorte, espèce, type.
Ke sòrt taba to lèm chike? What kind of tobacco do you like to chew? (MO 60) ♦ Li pélé moin tou sort non, stinkin, stilin, lézi niga; cé ça ki soké moin pli. He called me all sorts of names, stinkin’ stealin’ lazy nigger; that’s what made me angriest. (T14) •de sòrt ke conj. So that; de sorte que. ♦ En haut chaque poteau so labarrière li té metté ein paquet de bois gras de sorte qué, quand bal là t'apé allé tout so train, lamaison la té semblé ein grand du feu. Atop each fencepost he had put a bundle of kindling wood so that, when the ball was going at full tilt, the house looked like a big fire. (T40) •tout sòrt adj.phr. (MO 60); tout sòrt kalite (MO 60). All sorts of, all kinds of; toutes sortes de. Tout sòrt dè maladi. Every kind of illness. (MO 60)
See examples
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sòrti
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Show, impression, impact made on audience by performers; impression faite sur les spectateurs par les artistes.
♦ Lòt fwa ye tale fe en pli gron sòti pami moun. The next time they were going to make a bigger impression on people. (DU)
See examples
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sòrti
CA, MO 60, NE, PC
(
v.,
v.intr.,
v.aux.,
v.tr.
)
sòr
CA, NE, PC
sòti
CA, PC
soti
CA, PC
-
To go out, come out, get out; sortir.
N a èn bòs k ape sòrti on mo nepòl. There is a heat blister coming out on my shoulder. (NE); Li ale pilote dan la bou. Kan li soti, li te tou bourbe. He went stomping around in the mud. When he got out, he was all muddy. (CA) ♦ Li rete kache de jou. Lafen kroche li e li te blije sorti. He remained hidden for two days. Hunger gripped him and he was forced to come out. (JR)
See examples
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To stop, leave off; s ‘ arrêter.
♦ Kan ma sònen klonch... ta kouri travaye, e kan m a sonnen li onkò, ta sorti pou vini dmen. When I ring the bell, you will go work. And when I ring it again, you will leave off to have lunch. (JR)
See examples
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To be from, come from; venir de.
Vyè pè «H. ‘‘ Sètè en Fronse, li sòti la Frans. Old Father H. was a Frenchman, he was from France. (PC); Mo pa konen ou li sòr. I don’t know where he comes from. (CA) REM: This usage can occur with or without the preposition dan.
See examples
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To end up, come out, wind up; en sortir, en être sorti.
To pas sa on to menaj sa òt lapousiyè, e to menaj sòr briye pròp. You rub that over your furniture, and it gets rid of dust, and your furniture comes out shining. (PC); Li fe so rob maryaj. Sa soti joli. She made her wedding dress. It came out pretty. (CA) ♦ Tou so patat-ye, dekann, mai, e zonyon te mennen li en bon pri. Sa fe Batis sorti rich. All of his potatoes, sugar cane, corn, and onions brought him a good price. So Baptiste came out rich. (JR) •soti byen v.phr. (CA). To turn out well; sortier bien. •sòrti klèr v.phr. (MO 60). To make it through, have a good outcome, come out well; sortir bien. ♦ Ah ben non, vouzote allé oua comment Jean Malin sorti clair avec Compair Taureau qui té fait serment li sré tripé ti bougue la qui té trahi li. Well, no, you all will see how Clever John came out well with Brer Bull who had sworn to disembowel the guy who betrayed him. (FO T2) •’sorti sale’ v.phr. To come out badly, turn out badly; sortir mal. ♦ To tendé, dit Bouki, anon couri, pasqué na sorti sale si yé oua nous zotes apé couté yé conversation. You see, said Bouki, let’s go, because it will go badly for us if they see us listening to their conversation. (FO T1) •soti egal v.phr. (PC). To tie, break even; faire match nul, terminer à jeu égal. Mo soti egal. I broke even. (PC) •soti parey v.phr. (PC). To tie, break even; faire match nul, terminer à jeu égal. Mo soti parey, mo pa pèd. I came out even, I didn’t lose (of a game of cards). (PC)To have just; venir de. Se lamoumon a tit fiy-l, sa ki sòr rantre, èk latèt bay. That’s the little girl’s mother, the one who just came in, with the blond hair. (BT); Sa to sòrti di la, mo pa konnen aryen pou sa. What you just said, I don’t know (anything) about that. (PC)To take out, bring out; sortir, faire sortir. Apre ye moule dekann-ye, sa sòr duju-la. After they’ve ground the sugar cane, it brings out the juice. (PC) ♦ Là li çorti aine ki té samblé kom si li té pacé avé ein fair yé arpacé chimige djinkelmaine. Then he took one out that looked like it had been ironed with an iron they use on a gentleman’s Sunday shirts. (T17)
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sœl
BT, CA
(
pron.,
adj.,
adv.
)
sèl
CA, NE, PC
sél
PC
sel
PC
-
Only; seul.
Mo momon te CECILIA, mo popa te Garson Lwi. Si twa to pa èlve isi se sel mayè to pa konnè. Tou la fos rivyè tou cheumen nef konne nouzòt. My mother was Cécilia, my father was Garçon Louis. If you weren’t raised here, that’s the only way you wouldn’t know. Everyone in False River and New Roads knows us. (PC); Se te jich èn metrès, nave en sèl chom. There was just one teacher, there was only one classroom. (NE) ♦ Jour qu’ein seul milate va croi que nous, nègues, cé yé l'égal, jour là, to va tournin choal. The day that single mulatto believes that we are his equals, that day you will turn into a horse. (T35)The only one; le seul, la seule. Mo gen mo lot fiy-la ke sèkretèz . Se la sèl ke isit. I have my other daughter who is a secretary. She is the only one who is here. (CA)Alone; (tout) seul. ♦ Quéque temps après ça tigue couri dans bois et li laissé chien la seul quéque temps. A little while after, the tiger went into the woods and he left the dog alone for a while. (FO T12) •tou sœl adv.phr. (CA); tou sel (PC). All alone, by oneself, by itself; tout seul(e)(s). Ye pa bèzonn mwa ditou, ye ka fe li ye tou sel. They don’t need me at all, they can do it all by themselves. (PC); Na moun ki manj dechou avèk dupen mai. Man, mo manj li pito avèk diri ou tou sœl. There are people who eat cabbage with combread. I eat it instead with rice or all alone. (CA) ♦ Yé té tranquille et content et yé té cré yé tout seul. They were calm and happy and they thought they were alone. (FO T15)
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sœlman
CA
(
adv.
)
sèlmon
NE, PC
-
Just, only; seulement.
Kat pike, an chak kote. Men, ènan sèlmon de an kote lòd nonm-la debout. Four stakes on each side, but there are only two on the side where the man is standing and loading. (PC); Mo lenm pa mayonez . Mo mèt sœlman moso laletchou, tomat anlèr. I don’t like mayonnaise. I just put a piece of lettuce and tomato on top [of a ham sandwich]. (CA) ♦ Mo dis li qué jour là seulement mo té rivé dé laMobile. I told him that only that day I had arrived from Mobile. (T38) •sèlmon... pa, pa,., sèlmon adv.phr. Not even; même pas. cf. pa
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Only, but, except that; seulement.
Ront, sèlmon fe pa ditren! Come in, only don’t make any noise! (NE) ♦ Mo té kré mo té apé boa mem litcheur vié mait té done nou zot zou là ti métresse Ninine marié. Selment kottel là li té pli for. I thought I was drinking the same liquor that the old master had given us the day Ninine got married. Except that that cocktail was much stronger. (T12)
See examples
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sœr
CA, NE
(
n.
)
sèr
CA, NE, PC, ST
sœrj
PC
sè
PC
-
Sister; soeur.
Nou konm le sœrj. Nou konèn œn a lòt plus, mo krwa myeu keu nou konnen nouz - tchèn sœrj. We are like sisters. I think we know each other better than we know our own sisters. (PC); Mo te gen onz frèr e sœr. I used to have eleven brothers and sisters. (CA); Mo sèr lenmen anbrase famiy kan li vini vizite. My sister likes to hug the family when she comes to visit. (ST) ♦... Quand yé té zozo encore...yé voltigé avec yé sére loin dans lotte pays. ...When they were birds again...they flew with their sister far into another country. (FO T23)
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Nun; religieuse, (bonne) soeur.
Ni te gen en bon pret ki te res la, sèr te res la. We had a good priest who lived there, and nuns lived there. (PC); Ena de novis e de sèr andan kouvan. There are novices and sisters in the convent. (CA); 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)
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ta
CA, PC, MO 60, ST
(
n.
)
-
Pile, stack, heap; tas, amas, pile.
Mo paye ta-sa-la, kite li chèche. I scattered that pile (of com) to let it dry. (PC); En ta zèrb. A pile of grass. (ST) ♦ Pensez donc yé té gagnin des tas énormes de chorisses, de fromage de cochon, de pain maïs, dé patates. Think about it, they had enormous piles of sausage, head cheese, combread and potatoes. (T40) •an ta adj.phr. (PC). Coiled (up); lové. Sèrpan-la te tou an ta. The snake was coiled up. (PC) •en ta adv., adj. (BT; CA; NE; ST). Much, a lot (of); beaucoup (de). Li gen ta le vis, toujour ap tire le vis, toujour ap di le vis. He has a lot of jokes, and he is always telling them. (BT); Tou di-long o bòr chemen, enave en ta zòdi . All along the edge of the road, there was a lot of trash. (CA); En ta moun mouri isi lanne-si-la. A lot of people died here this year. (ST) ♦ La sémaine après yé té gagnin in tas jeine nommes la. The following week there were a lot of young men there. (FO T19) •ti-ta-pakonn n.phr. Little-pile-of-pecans (game); petit-tas-de-pacanes (jeu), cf. pakan
See examples
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ta
No sources
(
det.poss.
)
-
Your; ta. cf. to
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tab
BT, PC
(
n.
)
latab
CA, PC
-
Table; table.
Nou te koutum kouche don mèm li, monje on la mèm tab. We used to sleep in the same bed, eat at the same table. (BT); Me la nap an latab e no va mèt latab. Put a tablecloth on the table and we’ll set the table. (CA) ♦ Li ordonnin mené tortie on la tabe. He ordered Turtle to be put on the table. (FO T10) •a la tab prep.phr. (NE). At the table; à table. •mèt latab v.phr. To set the table; mettre le couvert. cf. mèt •ranje latab v.phr. To set the table; mettre le couvert, cf. aranje
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taba
BT, CA, MO 60, PC
(
n.
)
-
Tobacco; tabac.
Ka vou vè fimen ankò, vou trap vou pake taba vou ranpli l pip. When you want to smoke again you get your packet of tobacco and you fill the pipe. (PC); Li chike taba tou lajounen. He chews tobacco all day long. (CA) ♦ L’ot avan zhier mo té kouri asté ein trokette taba koté gro boutic Muchieu Batisse . The day before yesterday I had gone to buy a twist of tobacco in Mr. Baptiste’s big store. (T12) •taba chike n. (CA). Chewing tobacco; tabac à chiquer. Li achte taba chike. Li lenm chike taba kan li ap travaye. He bought chewing tobacco. He likes to chew tobacco when he's working. (CA)
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tabatyè
CA
(
n.
)
-
Tobacco pouch; tabatière.
Mo nonk te mèt so taba andan en ti tabatyè. My uncle put his tobacco in a little pouch. (CA)
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tabliyé
CA, PC
(
n.
)
tabliyè
PC
-
Apron; tablier.
E tabliyè, se sila pou pèche vou renj mouyè. And an apron is to keep your clothes from getting wet. (PC); Kan no t ape jwe ti madanm, no mèt de gro soulye e talon, de long rob e en tabliye. When we played house, we put on big high-heeled shoes, long dresses and an apron. (CA) ♦ Li té billé en noir avec ein gros tablier blanc qui té couvri li depuis so zépoles jusqu'à so genoux. He was dressed in black with a big white apron that covered him from his shoulders to his knees. (T40)
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tablèt
No sources
(
n.
)
tablét
CA, PC
-
Shelf; tablette, étagère.
Li gen de tablet andan l pou to pliye to lenj e met li andan. It has shelves inside it for you to fold your clothes and put them inside. (PC)
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tafya
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Tafia (kind of rum); tafia (sorte de rhum).
♦ Compair Tigue couri charché ein bouteil bon tafia. Brer Tiger went to get a good bottle of tafia. (T8)
See examples
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tak-tak
CA
(
n.
)
tòk-tòk
PC
-
Popcorn; popcorn.
Ye te dòn nou en plòt taktak. They had given us a popcorn ball. (CA) ♦ So gros latête sauté comme ain ti graine tac-tac. His big head jumped like a piece of popcorn. (T23)
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takinin
CA
(
v.tr.
)
takinn
BT
-
To tease, make fun of ; tourmenter, se moquer de, taquiner.
Mo takin pa pèrsonn. Mo byen tronkin. I don’t tease anybody. I’m very quiet. (BT); Li toujou ap takinen man o chagrinen man. Li lès pa man trankin. He’s always teasing me and annoying me. He doesn’t leave me alone. (CA)
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takoun
CA
(
n.
)
-
A type of dog; une sorte de chien.