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
-
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
-
tayon
PC
(
n.
)
-
Blade; lame.
Tayon dè lach. The blade of an axe. (PC)
See examples
-
tayé
PC
(
n.
)
-
Beating, whipping; rincée, rossée, correction.
En bon rense, en bon rens, se en bo taye . A good thrashing is a good beating. (PC)
See examples
-
tayé
CA, MO 60, PC, ST
(
v.tr.
)
tay
PC
-
To cut out, to trim; tailler.
Mo gen pou taye romen-la. I have to cut the dress out (of the cloth). (PC); M ape fe en pantalon e en fwa ke mo mèt mo patron desi mo letof mo taye li. I’m making a pair of pants and once I put my pattern on top of my material, I cut it out. (CA)
See examples
-
To beat, whip; rosser, fouetter, battre.
Pou taye li ye se fouye è trou, e fe li kouche an so vannt, pèche blese ti bebe-la, ye se taye li. To whip her they would dig a hole and have her lie down on her stomach, to keep from harming the child, and they would whip her. (PC) ♦ »Man Miramis, dit-il tremblant et effaré, pa taillé moin! ma obéi.» ‘Mrs. Miramis,’ he said, trembling and frightened, ‘do not whip me! I will obey.’ (ME)
See examples
-
To spank; donner une fessée à.
Si en piti vini andan ye te taye li e fe li kouri bèk dan so lit. If a child came in there they spanked him and made him go back to his bed. (PC); Si to rèst pa trankin, m a taye twa. If you don’t stay still, I'll spank you. (CA) ♦ Mo va taillé toi et mené toi dihors pou la gniappe. I will whip you and put you outside on top of it. (FO T2) Conjug: tayra v.fut. Will whip; taillera. Vou pètèt tayra li men, se la ou te bezòn koupe so tchi. Perhaps you will give the child a spanking, that’s when you should whip his behind. (PC)
See examples
-
tetay
ST
(
n.
)
-
Bug, insect; insecte, bestiole.
Sa se en gro teutay! That’s a big bug! (ST)
See examples
-
ti
No sources
(
adj.
)
-
Little, small; petit. REM: This form occurs in certain nominal compounds. For the usual adjective form, see piti.
-
ti-garson
CA
(
n.
)
-
Grandson; petit-fils.
-
tifòid
PC
(
n.
)
tifòyid
PC
-
Typhoid (fever); fièvre typhoïde.
♦[Pou] tifoid, fe bouyi di mongilye. Donn en ti tas a kafe trwa jwa par jour. For typhoid, boil some marsh elder. Give [the sick person] a small coffee cup of that three times a day. [‘ typhoide ’] (BI) •lafyèv tifoid n.phr. Typhoid (fever); fièvre typhoïde, ci. fyèv
See examples
-
tig
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Tiger; tigre.
Ye di ye se de tig, bèbtis-ye. They say they are tigers, those Baptists. (PC); En tig gen de tach. Li takte. A tiger has spots. He’s spotted. (CA)
See examples
-
proper n. Brer Tiger (folktale character); Compère Tigre (personnage dans les contes).
♦ Ein zou Compair Tigue, ki pli brave, pran couraze et parti avé so ti gasson pou couri fé visite à Compair Cabri. One day, Brer Tiger, who was braver, gathered his courage and left with his little boy to pay a visit to Brer Goat. (T8)
See examples
-
tigri
BT
(
n.
)
-
Card game played with 32 cards; jeu de cartes joué avec 32 cartes.
Nou te konne jwe tigri pou larjan. We used to play tigri for money. (BT)
See examples
-
tij
No sources
(
n.
)
latij
CA, PC
-
Stem, stalk; tige.
Mon mari vòye man deroz avek longn latij. My husband sent me roses with long stems. (CA) ♦ Pou] lamaladi kèr, met en lakle nèf ki jame sèrvi, en latich jiromon jonn, e en nwa miskad don en ti fisel; to mar sa otour to kou . For heart disease, put a new key that has never been used, the stem of a yellow pumpkin, and a nutmeg on a string and tie that around your neck. ['l'atiche'] (BI)
See examples
-
tikèt
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Ticket; billet.
Mo i lachans. Ye dòn man en tikèt pou ale wa laplòt I got lucky. They gave me a ticket to go to the ballgame. (CA) •Le soir, las dé rodailler, mo prand ein tiquette aux théâte. In the evening, tired of gallivanting, I bought a ticket for the theater. (T38)
See examples
-
Traffic ticket; contravention, procès-verbal.
Polis-la lenm ekri en tikèt The policeman likes to write a ticket. (PC) ting onom. Ding-dong! Ding! •Faut vos levé bonne her, et pis coûté l'horloge... Sitôt li sonain «ting»... bardez, zamis, parti. You have to get up early, and listen to the clock... As soon as it rings, ding-dong, hurry, my friends, get going. (T26)
See examples
-
tink
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Tank, cistern; citerne, réservoir.
Li tonmb dan l tenk. He fell into the tank. (PC); Mo te gen de gro tenk dolo an ariyèr lamezon. I had two big tanks of water behind the house. (CA)
See examples
-
tinkina
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Cinchona (tree, bark); quinquina (arbre, écorce).
♦ [Pou] di son tro ba, pronn lapoud tenkina, met sa don lekòrch en mrizye. For low blood pressure, take some powdered bark of the cinchona tree, and put it in the bark of a wild cherry tree. (BI)
See examples
-
tinmbré
BT
(
adj.
)
-
Crazy; fou, insensé, timbré.
To wa sa-lœ, se motche tenmbre. You see this one, he’s half crazy. (BT)
See examples
-
tirayé
CA
(
v.
)
-
To argue; se disputer.
Ye t ape tiraye e ye jete lalanp-la partè. They were arguing and they knocked the lamp on the floor. (CA) •tiraye an v.phr. (CA; PC). To shoot at; tirer sur. Ina plen moun ki e tiraye an no boug-sa-la. There were a lot of people shooting at our men (in the Civil War). (PC)
See examples
-
tirwar
ST
(
n.
)
tirwa
CA, PC
-
Drawer; tiroir.
Li met papye-a dan tirwa-la. He put the paper in the drawer. (PC) ; To jis foure lenj dan to tirwa. You just stuff clothes in your drawer. (CA)
See examples
-
tiré
No sources
(
v.tr.,
v.intr.
)
-
To shoot; tirer.
Astèr ye pran en karabin, ye tir li. Nowadays they take a carbine and shoot it (i.e. the pig). (BT); Li tir si kou. Me chak fwa l a tire en kou, t a ole li bèk l a tire en lot. It shoots six shots. But each time it shoots, you pull it back it’ll shoot another. (PC); Li te gen so fizi armen e li te gen so dwa anlè gachèt-la e li te pare pou tire. He had his shotgun loaded and he had his finger on the trigger and he was ready to shoot. (CA) •Anmeriken-la trape so fizi e tire li an trèvè so kò. Li tchwe li fre. The American grabbed his rifle and shot him through his body. He killed him cold. (JR) •tire kanik v.phr. (CA; ST). To shoot marbles; caler des billes. Nou te tire kanik avèk ti garson-le. We would shoot marbles with the boys. (ST)
See examples
-
To throw; jeter.
Ina deu, enn chari e pi na en flouk. Kant i rant dan latèr li tir latè le deu bòr. There are two different ones, a single and a double plow. When you push it into the ground it throws dirt on both sides. (BT); Tire DICE komon ye di sa, tire ye. Throw the dice, as they say, throw them. (PC) •E vou pronn trwa pwanye mayi e vou tir sa onm ba so lit. And you take three handfuls of corn and you throw it under his bed. (BI)
See examples
-
To pull out, draw out, extract; sortir, retirer, extraire.
Mo te gen GEORGIA COW, mo te wa tire dile. I used to have a Georgia cow that I drew milk from. (PC); Tire kart. To draw cards. (CA) •Pou frison potrin met de sonsi pou tire dison ontour kote, sa kalme to ladoulè. For pneumonia, put on leeches to draw the blood out, and that will calm your pain. (LA) •tire en lakous v.phr. (CA). To race, have a race; faire la course. Anon tire lakours e wa kèl ki va gongnen. Let’s have a race and see which one is going to win. (CA) •Zo kapab tire en lakous, e sila ki a rive isi premyen dimanch ma marye avek li. You could have a race, and the one who arrives here first, I’ll marry him on Sunday. (JR) •tire (so) fotografi v.phr. To take one’s picture; prendre une photo, cf. fotografi •tire en portre v.phr. To take a picture; prendre une photo. cf. portre •tire de vis v.phr. To tell jokes; raconter des blagues. cf. vis •tire en plan v.phr. To plan, make, draw up, a plan; planifier, formuler un plan, tirer des plans. ♦ Nous autes femmes et pitits apé crévé faim et mo vini (ouâ) vous pou no tiré in plan pou sauvé yé. Our wives and children are dying of hunger, and I have come to see you so we can draw up a plan to save them. (T9) •tire pay v.phr. (ST). To draw straws; tirer à la courte paille. Nou te jwe lekòl dan lete. Tou moun t ole èt metrès lekol. No se gen pou tire pay pou konen ki se èt metrès lekòl. We would play school in the summer. Everyone wanted to be the teacher. We would draw straws to see who would be the teacher. (ST)
See examples
-
To lift, raise; soulever.
Kon mo t ape tire l balye kom-sa-la, mo wa li. As I was raising the broom like that I saw him. (NE)
See examples
-
To milk; traire.
Nou te tire le vach a lamen! We used to milk cows by hand. (NE) ♦ [Pou] koklich en ti bebe, fe en jumon ki gen en ti poulen soufle don so figir. La, tir li e fe ti bebe-la bwa so di le cho. For the whooping cough of a child, make a mare which has a foal breathe in his face. Then milk her and have the little baby drink her milk. (BI)To turn, become (reddish, greenish, etc.); devenir, tourner, tirer sur (le rouge, le vert, etc.). ♦ [Pou] vomisman, vou met en kirelye lafarin fronse don dolo, e enn fwa li tir o klèr, vou bwa li. For vomiting, you put a spoonful of wheat flour in water, and once it starts to turn light you drink it. (BI)
See examples
-
tiròr
No sources
(
n.
)
tirè
CA
tirèr
MO 60
-
Shooter, marksman; tireur.
Li konen koman pou vize. Se en bon tiré. He knows how to aim. He’s a good marksman. (CA) •Li pêlé bon tirore ki mêté ein ti bombe dan so fizi. He called a good marksman who put a little bomb in his rifle. (T7)
See examples
-
tish
BT
(
v.tr.
)
-
To teach; enseigner.
Si mo dan la vilaj mo titch kètakizm. If I’m in town I teach catechism. (BT)
See examples
-
tisé
No sources
(
v.tr.
)
-
To weave; tisser.
•Faut pas li coude chimise yé, jisse tissé yé. She would must not sew the shirts, only weave them. (FO T23)
See examples
-
tit-anfan
BT
(
n.
)
tiz-anfan
CA
-
Grandchild, grandson; petit-fils, petite-fille.
Gar, sa mo tit-anfan achte . Look what my grandchild bought me. (BT); Mo tiz-anfan menen so ti bèl wa en gem laplòt. My grandson took his girlfriend to see a baseball game. (CA) •tiz-anfan n.phr. pitiz-anfan (CA). Grandchildren; petits-enfants. Mo gen juch pitiz-anfan astè. Tou mo piti-ye gran astè. I just have little grandchildren now. All of my kids are adults now. (CA) •gran-tiz-anfan n.phr. (CA). Great-grandchildren; arrière-petits-enfants. cf. gran
See examples
-
tit-fly
ST
(
n.
)
ti-fîy
PC, ST
-
Granddaughter; petite-fille.
Mo gen en ti-fiy. I have a granddaughter. (PC)
See examples
-
titis
CA, PC, ST
(
n.
)
titit
CA
-
Small bird (generic usage); petit oiseau (usage générique). (PC)
♦ Si to pa fé ça, mo di toi, mo tranglé toi com titice. If you don’t do that, I tell you, I’ll strangle you like a small bird. (T8)
See examples
-
Hummingbird; colibri.
En titis se en ti zozo ki votij tou-l-tan. A hummingbird is a little bird that flies all the time. (CA)
See examples
-
Ruby or golden-crowned kinglet; espèce d’oiseau. (CA)
-
tivi
NE
(
n.
)
-
TV, television; télé, télévision.
Ye di se le tivi ki dòn le moun le move diresyon. They say it’s TV that sets a bad example for people. (NE)
See examples
-
tiyo
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Pipe, tube; tuyau.
Ye ponp li dan en tiyo dan l chon. They pump it through a pipe into the field. (PC); Sa pran de tiyo pou mennen dolo dan la mezon. It takes pipes to bring water into the house. (CA)
See examples
-
Drinking straw; paille (pour boire).
♦ Pou di son klè to met de klou rouye den boutey dolo pi to bwa sa apre chak repa en gro gòrje avek en tiyo. For thin blood you put rusty nails in a bottle of water, and you drink a big mouthful of that after each meal with a straw. (LA)
See examples
-
tiyon
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Headscarf, madras handkerchief twisted into a turban; fanchon, fichu, foulard de Madras roulé en forme de turban.
Kan safe fre, mo mare mo tiyon desi mo latèt. When it’s cold out, I tie my scarf on my head. (CA) ♦ Yé acheté lézottes nous popa pou ein tignon rouge, in bouteille tafia ou in vié fisi. They bought others from our ancestors for a red scarf, a bottle of rum or an old rifle. (FO T20)
See examples
-
tizon
CA
(
n.
)
-
Firebrand; tison.
Tizon-yen dife-la no te sèr sa pou limen no lalanp kan no te pa gen zalimèt. The firebrands, we used to use them to light our lamps when we didn’t have matches. (CA) ♦ Tan pri, Compair Zoâ, guété Compair Lapin, jika mo couri charché tizon difé. Please, Brer Goose, watch Brer Rabbit while I go get a firebrand. (T3)
See examples
-
tizàn*
No sources
(
n.
)
tizann
CA
latizann
CA, PC, ST
latizòn
PC
latizonn
PC
latizènn
ST
-
Herbal tea; tisane.
Li fe en latizann. He made an herbal tea. (PC); No te fe tizann avèk ti lòrye e no te bwa sa avèk no soupe. We would make herb tea with bay laurel and we would drink that with supper. (CA) ♦ Pou peche lafyev, bwa tizonn to fe vek mai tonn e kafe vè. To cure fever, drink an herbal tea made with sweet corn and green coffee, [ 'tisonne' ] (BD)
See examples
-
to
gen, MO 60
(
pron.
)
t [+vowel]
gen
tu
BT, PC
ti
BT
tou
PC
-
subj. You; tu.
Si to di li ke-chòj ondon kreol. If you tell him something in Creole. (NE); Ekan ena dolo ho e to va pa wa boskoyo sip, t a bokche apre li e t a tonbe. When there is a flood and you don’t see a cypress knee, you will trip on it and fall. (CA); T e pase la, t e kapote latèr bor-la; ti veuve bor-la, t e kapote bor-la, ti kontinue. You came along here, you turned the earth over to one side, you went along there, turned it over on that side, and continued on. (BT); He! Sa t ape fe la-ba? Eou t ap ale? Hey ! What are you doing over there? Where are you going? (ST) ♦ Mais faut to promené moin to va fai tout sa mo va di toi et to va pas ri arien to va oua. But you must promise me you will do everything I tell you and you will not laugh at anything you see. (T30) •to konè exp. (NE). You know; tu sais. To kone, mòm BEEN ap travaye pou BOB . You know, Mom has been working for Bob. (NE)
See examples
-
obj. You; te.
No va ale deyòr talèr. Map ale montre twa sa mo gen dan pake-la. We'll go outside shortly. I’m going to show you what I have in those packages. (CA)
See examples
-
indef One, you; on, tu.
Parske to te peu pa kouri o doktœr. Because one couldn’t go to the doctor’s. (NE)
See examples
-
to
gen
(
det.poss.
)
ton
BT, CA
to...-yé
CA, NE
té
NE
ta...lé (pl.)
NE
ta (f.)
NE
-
Your; ton, ta, tes.
To te foule to pye. You sprained your foot. (NE); Si to te bezòn en doktè to te gen met en FLAG kote ta pòt. If you needed a doctor you had to put a flag by your door. (PC); L e fe latèr kapote konm sa pou fe ton ran juch en bòr. It turns the dirt over like that to make your row even on one side. (BT); To jame kone te gran-pèr? You never knew your grandparents? (PC); Kan to plant to frèz-ye... When you plant your strawberries... (CA) ♦ Sa to gen dan to men-ye? What do you have in your hands? (JR)
See examples
-
to-kèn
No sources
(
det.poss.
)
-
Yours, your own; le tien, la tienne, les tien(ne)s.
Ma mezon pli joli ke to-kèn . My house is prettier than yours. (NE) ♦Mo ben peur ya reconnaite toi! Avec in la gueule com to quène, c’est impossib intrigué, mo croi. I'm afraid they’ll recognize you! With a face like yours, it’s impossible to scheme, I think. (T33)Your, your own; ton, ta, tes (propre(s)). Si li di to genn lave lavesel tou le jou, sa se to-tchenn louvray. Si to te gen MOP, sa se te-tchenn, si to te gen DUST, sa se to-tchenn. If she told you you had to do the dishes every day that was your job. If you had to mop that was yours, if you had to dust, that was yours. (PC)
See examples
-
todé
BT
(
n.
)
tod
BT, CA
-
Medicinal tea, toddy, grog; tisane médicinale, toddy, grog.
Ranje vou en ti tode, en ti te cho kòm en te. Fix a little herbal tea for yourself, a little hot tea. (BT)
See examples
-
tomat
CA, PC, ST
(
n.
)
-
Tomato; tomate.
Tomat-ye e vini mi anndan lafinèt-la. The tomatoes are getting ripe in front of the window. (PC) •pye tomat n.phr. (PC). Tomato plant; pied de tomates. Mo gen en pè pye tomat. I have several tomato plants. (PC) •tomat kreyòl n.phr. (CA; ST). Creole tomato; tomate créole.
See examples
-
ton
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Tone (of voice); ton (de la voix).
♦ E ben, Nonk Remi, ye pele mwen, ti gason la di ek en ten koupab, ye vini pele mwen, ye di mwen ye te genyen en pistole e lapoud laba. Well, Uncle Remus, they called me, they came to call me and they told me they have a pistol and some powder down there. (DU)
See examples
-
tonb
No sources
(
n.
)
latonb
CA
latanm
PC
-
Tomb (above-ground vault); tombeau (au dessus de la terre).
To pouri dan latè, deve, tou kichò monj twa. Den en latanm, aryen monj pa twa men to jus disparet, to tournen lapousiyè. You rot in the ground, worms and everything eat you. In a tomb, nothing eats you, but you just disappear, you tum to dust. (PC); Kan ye tere mon mari, ye mèt li dan latonb avèk so popa e so moman. When they buried my husband, they put him in a tomb with his father and mother. (CA) ♦ Li gardé temps en temps la tombe so piti garçon et délarme coulé dans so zié. From time to time he looked at his son’s grave, and tears flowed in his eyes. (FO T20)
See examples
-
tonbé
No sources
(
v.intr.,
v.cop.,
v.aux.
)
-
To fall; tomber.
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, and the pipe fell to the floor. Mom said, ‘What fell, Toute?’ (BT); Ye tchonbon mon pou pèche mon tonbe . They held me to prevent me from falling. (CA) ♦ Sir latable té ein pot dol’eau qui tombé en haut mo tête. On the table was a pitcher of water which fell on top of my head. (T39) •tonbe an feblès v.phr. (CA; PC); tanmbe an feblès, tanmbo an febles, tanm an febles (PC). To faint; s’évanouir. Ye tanm an febles. They faint. (PC); Li ap ale gen en ti bebe. Li tonbe an feblès. She’s going to have a baby. She fainted. (CA)To become; devenir, tomber. To bezwen monje kèkchoj oubyen to va tonbe malad. You have to eat something or else you’ll get sick. (NE) ♦ Ah, mo fille, to tombé mal marié. Oh, my daughter, you have married badly. (FO T19)To begin (to), start (to); commencer à. (NE) ♦ Konm ye kouche, marongwan-ye tonmbe mòd ye. As soon as they went to bed, the mosquitoes began to bite them. (JR) •tanmbe dòrmi v.phr. (PC). To fall asleep; s’endormir. Li tanmbe dòrmi, è mo te pa ka reveye li. He fell asleep, and I couldn’t wake him. (PC) •tonbe dan difikulte v.phr. (PC). To run into some trouble, fall upon hard times; tomber dans la misère, se heurter à des difficultés, cf. difikulte • tonbe dan en batay v.phr ; (BT); tonbe an batay (CA). To get into a fight; commencer à se battre, se bagarrer. Mo frè tonbe dan en batay yèr-o-swar. Ine en beug ki koupe li. My brother got into a fight last night. There was a guy who cut him. (BT) •tonbe dakòr v.phr. (CA). To agree; se mettre d’accord. Mo te pa pou sa. Me mo tonbe dakòr pou fe li. I wasn’t for it. But I agreed to do it. (CA) ♦ Mo sir tou moun a tombé dakau. I’m sure everyone will agree. (T13) •tonbe-leve adv.phr. (CA; PC). So-so ; comme ci, comme ça.
See examples
-
tonk
CA, PC, ST
(
n.
)
-
Name of a card game; nom d’un jeu de cartes.
Petet mo nonk ka jwe tonk mè mon p kònen aryen pou tonk, mo jamen jwe kat. Maybe my uncle can play [tonk], but I don’t know anything about it, I’ve never played cards. (PC)
See examples
-
tonmbo
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Tomb; tombeau.
♦ Nave en chwal ki te mouri, li te gonfle gro konm en tonmbo. There was a horse that had died, which was swollen up like a tomb. (LA)
See examples
-
tonn
BT, ST
(
n.
)
tann
ST
-
Cistern; tonne, citerne.
Pay a enn vyey tonn-la, kont lamezon, pou trape d lo pou bwar. Paille has an old cistern there, against the house, for collecting rainwater. (BT) ♦ Mo pron en vèr dolo onm ba latonn. I get a glass of water from the cistern. (BI)
See examples
-
tonn
PC
(
n.
)
-
Ton; tonne.
To gen tan pwa. En jwa to gen de mil liv o trwa mil liv o to gen de tonn. You’ve got so much weight. Once you might have two or three thousand pounds on, you might have a ton. (PC)
See examples
-
tonn-fin
PC
(
n.
)
-
Kindling; petit bois, bois d’allumage.
-
toro
CA
(
n.
)
-
Bull; taureau.
Prèt-la te garde so toro andan lasavonn-la. The priest kept his bull in the pasture. (CA) ♦ Quand taureau té dans parc michié l ' amouré té pas la. When the bull was in the meadow the man was not there. (FO T2)
See examples
-
torsh
PC
(
n.
)
-
Mud-walling; bousillage (mélange de boue et de mousse espagnole utilisée dans la construction des murs).
En tòrch, sè te lamous e labou. The mud-walling mixture was made of moss and mud. (PC)
See examples
-
torsh
No sources
(
n.
)
-
Torch; torche.
♦ 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
-
tortu
PC, ST
(
n.
)
tòrti
CA, NE, PC
torti
PC
tòti
CA, PC
tòrtou
ST
-
Turtle; tortue.
Mo pè tòrti, man mo manj pa toti, mo pè en kwi torti. I’m afraid of turtles, I don’t eat turtles, I don’t cook turtles. (PC) ♦ In michié qui té vive on bord in bayou trappé in gros tortie. A man who lived on the bank of a bayou caught a big turtle. (FO T10) •tòrti bayou n.phr. (CA; ST). Green water turtle; espèce de tortue., •tortu du n.phr. (PC); toti di, tòti dir, tòrti di (PC). Hardshell turtle; tortue à carapace dure. Mo ja tande tòrti latche, tòrti kawèn, tòrti di, tòrti mol e tou sa, e tòrti piyant. I’ve heard of snapping turtles, loggerhead turtles, hardshell turtles, softshell turtles and all that, stink turtles. (PC) •tortu gran tcheu n.phr. (PC); toti gron tchi, tortu grand tcheu, toti latche, torti latchi, tòrti latche (PC); tòrti gro tche (CA). Snapping turtle; tortue alligator. Toti gron tchi, se en bon lavyonn. Snapping turtle is a good meat. (PC) •tòrti kawenn n.phr. (CA; ST). Freshwater alligator snapping turtle, loggerhead turtle; tortue alligator d’eau douce qui ressemble a la caouanne. ( Macrochelys lacertina ) . cf. kawenn •tòrti mis n.phr. (CA). Small stink turtle; espèce de tortue. •tòrti mohilyen n.phr. (CA; ST). Jumping turtle; espèce de tortue. •tòrtu mòl n.phr. (PC); toti mol, tòrti moi (PC). Softshell turtle; tortue à carapace molle, •tòrti piyant n.phr. (CA); toti piyont, tòti piyant, tortu piyan (PC). Stink turtle; espèce de tortue. Èna de vye ti tòrti. Ye pel sa en ti tòrti piyan, to pa ka monje, ye pi. There are little old turtles. They call that a little stink turtle, you can’t eat them, they stink. (PC) •tòrti sipriyè n.phr. (CA). Snapping turtle, loggerhead turtle; tortue alligator. •tortu sòteuz n.phr. (PC); tòrti sotèz, tortu sòtœz (PC). Snapping turtle; tortue alligator. 2. proper n. Brer Tortoise (folktale character); Compère Tortue (personnage dans les contes). ♦ Li té sitan colair, li couri trivé Compair Torti au ra bayou , et li coupé so la tchié avé so la hache. He was so angry, he went to find Brer Turtle near the bayou, and he cut off his tail with his axe. (T5)
See examples
-
tou
gen, MO 60
(
adj.,
pron.,
adv.
)
tout
MO 60
-
All; tout.
Li foure tou l pake taba nwar don sa bouch. He put the whole packet of black tobacco in his mouth. (NE); Nou tou te gen le sak. All of us had sacks. (NE) ♦ Tout to fonmille toujou ’ gain cont'moin et même to chien. Your whole family always had something against me, even your dog. (BD) •tou-d-swit adv. (CA); tou-swit (PC). Right away, immediately; tout de suite. Le e vini tou-swit. He’ll be here right away. (PC); Li toujou vyen tou-swit. He always comes right away. (PC); Kan li arive so louvraj, li anboche tou-d-swit. When he arrived at work, he began work immediately. (CA) ♦ Qui ça yé, mo oulé to dit moin tout suite. Who is that? I want you to tell me right away. (FO T2) •tou le de adj.phr. Both; tous les deux. cf. deu •tou partou adv.phr. Everywhere; partout, cf. partou •tou par isit adv.phr. All around here; partout ici. cf. isi •tou la pron.rel. (PC); tou sa (MO 60; PC). All (that); tout ce qui/que. Tou la mo te ole, se trape chval-la. All that I wanted was to catch the horse. (PC) •tou-d-mèm adv.phr. Nonetheless, all the same; tout de même. cf. mèm •tou-du-lon adv.phr. All along; tout le long. cf. lon
See examples
-
Every, each; chaque, tout.
Tou labitasyon te gen en magazen. Each plantation had its own store. (PC) •tou moun pron. Everyone; tout le monde. cf. monn •tou kichoj pron.indef. All, everything; tout. cf. kèkchoz •tou kèken pron indef. Everyone; tout le monde. cf. kèkenn(MO 60; PC);
See examples
-
tou-l-tan
No sources
(
adv.
)
-
Always, all the time, still; toujours, tout le temps, encore, cf. tan
-
toujour
CA, MO 60, NE, ST
(
adv.
)
toujou
CA, PC
-
Always; toujours.
Sa enan WRONG ave blan e nwa? Dèpi tan mo viv sète toujou konm sa, ole bat konm chyen e chat. What is wrong with whites and blacks? All my life, it has always been that way, they’ve wanted to fight like cats and dogs. (PC); Mo toujour akle lapòrt avan mon gonn kouche. I always lock the door before I go to bed. (ST); Mo gen en matou... Li toujou ap chèrche pou femèl. I’ve got a tomcat...He’s always looking for females. (CA) ♦ Li té gagnin ein bon arien mari et té toujou apé mouri faim. She had a good-for-nothing husband and she was always starving to death. (FO T6)
See examples
-
Still; toujours, encore.
Le e viv toujou. He’s still alive. (PC); Don tou so smart, li toujour konpmn pa aryen. No matter how smart he is, he still doesn’t understand anything. (NE); Li toujou ap rèste isi. He still lives here. (CA) ♦ C’est vrai ça vous dit, mais nous pas jamin oua commissionaire nous té voyé coté vous, napé tende li toujou. What you say is true, but we have never seen the messenger that we sent to you, we are still waiting for him. (FO T15) •pa toujou adv.phr. Not yet; pas encore. ♦ Mo pa toujou di ouzòt Bouki te mo ti chwal. I still haven’t told you all that Bouki was my little horse. (JR)•pou toujour adv.phr. Forever; pour toujours. ♦ Pou moin, mo fini avec bals pou toujours. As for me, I’m done with dances forever. (T40)
See examples
-
toupi
CA, PC, ST
(
n.
)
-
Top (child’s toy); toupie.
Nounoun fe konm en toupi, li vire. Nounoune spun like a top. (PC); Nou te koutmen joue toupi kan nou te piti. Nou te tòmen li. We used to play with tops when we were little. We would spin it. (ST)
See examples
-
toupé
CA, PC
(
n.
)
-
Nerve; toupet, culot.
Mo di, nonm gen toupe. I said, ‘That man has nerve.’ (PC); Mo t ape atann e sete mo tour me keken dòt pase devan man. Ena moun ke gen toupe! I was waiting and it was my turn but someone else went in front of me. Some people have nerve! (CA) ♦ Li té même oulé zépouser eine femme blanche et créole avec ein toupet de voleur. He even wanted to marry a white Creole woman with all the nerve of a thief. (T37)
See examples