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

• travèrsé CA, PC ( v.tr. ) travèrs CA
  1. To cross; traverser.
     Boug-la travèrse larivyè dan son chalon. The guy crossed the river in his rowboat. (PC); Ye travèrse lamèr. Ye mene lez Afrik bòr isit e ye vann ye. They crossed the sea. They brought Africans here and they sold them. (CA) ♦ Li voyagé longtemps jisqua li vini coté même rivière li té traversé avec Compair Lapin en haut ein di bois. He travelled a long time until he came to the same river that he had crossed with Brer Rabbit on a piece of wood. (FO T15) See examples
  2. To take s.o. across; faire traverser qn.
     Feri-la travèrs flèv. Li travèrse moun, oto, tou kikchoj. The ferry crosses the river. It took across people, cars, all kinds of things. (CA) ♦ Li dit cocodrille la: —Traversé moin, cocodrille, traversé moin. Cocodrille dit: —Monté on mo dos, ma traversé toi. He said to the alligator, ‘Take me across, alligator, take me across.’ The alligator said, ‘Get on my back, I’ll take you across.’ (FO T15) See examples
• tri BT, PC, ST ( n. ) latri PC latriy BT, PC
  1. Sow; truie.
     En kochon se en mal. En momon se en latriy. A hog is a male. The female is called a sow. (BT); Sa ki e mennen de ti kochon, se en latri. En latriy. The one that gives birth to baby pigs is a sow. (PC); Mo popa elve en ta kochon e li te tchonbon tou tri-le dan en gro pak. My dad raised pigs and he kept all the sows in a big pen. (ST) See examples
• tribinn CA ( n. )
  1. Choir loft; galerie, tribune (dans une église).
     Chantèz-ye chante desi tribin-la an aryèr legliz-la. The singers sang in the choir loft in the back of the church. (CA) See examples
• trik No sources ( n. )
  1. Trick, practical joke; farce, mauvais tour.
     ♦ Ye konprann ke lapen te jwe en trik on ye. They understood that Rabbit had played a trick on them. (JR) See examples
• triko CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Undershirt; maillot.
     Se en triko ki f en fen, ena de triko pou livè, li epe epe. Men triko nou gen astè, li klè klè, to pel sen en TEESHIRT, la to gen gen en lòt chimiz ON TOP OF THAT, parey kòm si to gen en kalson. It’s a thin undershirt, there are tee-shirts for the winter, they’re very thick. But the tee-shirts we have now, they are light, you have to wear another shirt on top of them, just like you wear underpants. (PC) See examples
  2. Sweater; tricot, pullover.
     En triko to gen pou pase sa desi latèt pou mèt li. Li ouvèr pa ni devan ni dèryèr. A sweater you have to put on over your head. It’s not open either in front or in back. (CA) See examples
• trin CA, NE, PC, ST ( n. ) ditrin NE
  1. Noise; bruit.
     Mo tannde en tren. I heard a noise. (PC) ♦ Kan li kanmanse bwa, li tann en tren dèryè li e li wa li te antoure par enn ban sovaj. When he began to drink he heard a noise behind him and he saw that he was surrounded by a band of savages. (JR) •fe tren v.phr. (PC); fe di tren (BT). 1) To make noise; faire du bruit. Zirandèl se de ti zwazo nwa ki vyen dan lachimnen, ye fe tren tou lanwi. Purple martins are little black birds that get into the chimney and make noise all night long. (PC); On di sa a le piti osi. Arèt mène konm sa; arète f e di tren. They tell that to kids too; ‘Stop behaving like that! Stop making noise!’ (BT) ♦ Li fait si gros di train tout moune réveillé et yé vini oua ça li t'apé fait. He made so much noise that everyone woke up and came to see what he was doing. (BD) 2) To fuss, complain; se plaindre. (PC) •mennen di tren v.phr. (CA; PC). To make noise; faire du bruit. L e begle. Li e mènen en bann ta tren. It (the bull) is bellowing. It’s making a great deal of noise. (PC) ♦ Li ouvri lapòt an dizan ye pou pa mennen di tren. He opened the door while telling them not to make any noise. (JR) See examples
  2. Quarrel, dispute, argument; dispute, brouille, querelle. (NE) •gagnin train
     v.phr. To have a quarrel; se brouiller, se quereller. ♦ Tan mo té lib, jamin Bourriquet ni Doctair Macaque sayé gagnin train avé moin. When I was free, Bourriquet and Dr. Monkey never tried to quarrel with me. (FO 1887) See examples
  3. Pace; allure, train. •alle tou so train
     v.phr. To go/be at full pace; aller de tout son train. ♦ 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 put a bundle of pine wood so that when the ball was going at full tilt, the house looked like a big bonfire. (T40) •an tren adj.phr. (CA). In good health, in good shape; en bonne forme. Mo an tren jodi. I'm feeling good to day. (CA) ♦ Eh! Compair Bouki , vou ben en train jordi; fé bon lachache? Hey, Brer Bouki, you are in fine shape this morning; did you have a good hunt? (T6) •antren v.aux. To be doing sth.; être en train de (faire qch). cf. antren See examples
• trinké CA ( v. )
  1. To toast; trinquer.
     Ena lanos. No va trenke no vèr a la marye. There’s the wedding. We’re going to toast the bride. (CA) ♦ Trinquez , trinquez . Bois ça, Toutoute; ça bon di vin, ça va donne vouzotte la force. Toast, toast. Drink that, Toutoute; that’s a good wine, it will give you strength. (WO) See examples
• tripoté CA ( v.intr. )
  1. To go back and forth; aller et venir.
     Li mèt so lafich . Li p ole pèrsonn tripote an so latè. He put up a notice. He doesn’t want anyone going back and forth over his property. (CA) See examples
• tripé CA ( v.tr. )
  1. To disembowel; éventrer.
     To kapab tripe en volay en lapen. T ape ote letrip andan ye. You can gut a chicken or a rabbit. You’re taking out the intestines. (CA) ♦ Compair Taureau...té fait serment li sré tripé ti bougue la qui té trahi li. Brer Bull...swore to disembowel the little guy that had betrayed him. (FO T2) See examples
• tris CA, PC, ST ( adj. )
  1. Sad; triste.
     Se tris, ena de plas nou pase aò ye pa fini ote dibri-la, aò STORM-la te pase. It’s sad, there are still some places that we went through where they haven’t finished clearing out the debris from when the storm went through. (PC); Mo kouzin gen en garson ki byen malad. Mo chagren pou li parskè li si tris tou-l-tan. My cousin has a son who is very sick. I feel bad for her because she’s said all the time. (ST) ♦ Mo quitté li presse en pleurant, pasqué resté té fait moin triste. I left him almost crying, because staying was making me sad. (T37) See examples
• trit PC ( n. )
  1. Treat (candy, fruit, etc.) which a boy bought for his girl at a dance; bonbon qu’un garçon achetait pour offrir à sa partenaire de danse.
     Kan to danse ave en kavalye, en ti jin onm k t e danse ave, li gen pran to lamen mennen twa kote latab pran to trit. When you’re dancing with a partner, a young man that you’re dancing with, he takes your hand and takes you to the table to get your treat. (PC) See examples
• triyé CA, PC ( v.tr. ) triy PC
  1. To sort, sort out; trier.
     Mo te gen tou mo dorir-ye melanje ansanm e mo t ole triye ye pou mèt mo bouk-d-òrey dan en bwat e mo chenn dan lòt, brasle dan lòt. I had all my gold jewelry mixed up together and I wanted to sort them out to put my earrings in one box, my chains in another, my bracelets in another. (CA) See examples
• tro gen, MO 60 ( adv. )
  1. Too; trop.
     Va laba paye le patat, ye tro tou d en ta, ke ye pe chèche. Go scatter the potatoes, they’re too heaped up, so that they’ll dry out. (BT); Pri li mande man te tro chèr. The price he asked of me was too high. (CA); Mo manke lamés. Mo arive tro tar. I missed Mass. I got there too late. (ST) ♦ ''Titia té tro blanche, dit-elle, pou ain nesclave. « Titia was too white, she said, to be a slave. (ME) See examples
  2. Too much, too many; trop, trop de.
     To gen trop piman anndan 1. You’ve got too much spice in there. (PC); Piti-lœ otour isi lenmen amize nou me ye fe tro dutren. The children around here like to entertain us but they make too much noise. (ST); Piti-la gen tro joujou o planche. The child has too many toys on the floor. (CA) ♦ Vié neg l'habitation ca janmain gaingnain trop. Old plantation blacks never have too much. (T27) •tro bokou quant. (CA; PC). Too many, too much; trop, trop de. Enan tro bokou moun komen, se sa. There are too many common people, that is the problem. (PC) ♦ Michié Bouki, mo pove gacon manzé tro boucou gombo çaoui avé zambalaya; ca donné li colik. Mr. Bouki, my poor son ate too much raccoon gumbo and jambalaya; that gave him colic. (T3) See examples
• tronpé No sources ( v.tr., v.refl. )
  1. To trick, fool; tromper.
     Ye di piti-ye se sòti dan dechou, ye ti tronpe nouzòt. They told us that little children came from cabbages, they tricked us. (PC) ♦ Florimond té imité Nita si bien qué tout moune té trompé. Florimond imitated Nita so well that everyone was fooled. (FO T20) See examples
  2. To cheat on (one’s spouse); tromper (son mari, sa femme).
     L ape tranpe an so madam. Li fe komèrs. He’s cheating on his wife. He’s running around. (CA) ♦ Mari la té si colère oua so fame té trompé li qué li mette li déhors. The husband was so angry to see that his wife had cheated on him that he put her out. (FO T27) See examples
  3. To cheat, swindle; frauder, escroquer.
     Mo dòn li en di pyas me li pa rann man lamonnen kòm li te sipoze. Li tranpe man. I gave him ten dollars but he didn’t give me change like he was supposed to. He cheated me. (CA). To be mistaken, be wrong; se tromper, avoir tort. ♦ Mo tronpe mwen , se pa mo chwal. I was mistaken, it’s not my horse. (DU) See examples
• tronpét CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Trumpet; trompette.
     En kòmen se en tronpèt, en lenstriman. A comet is a trumpet, a musical instrument. (CA) See examples
• tropik CA, PC ( adj. )
  1. Dropsical, hydropic(al); hydropique.
     Li tropik. She has dropsy. (PC); To disan tòrnen an dolo kan to te tropik. Your blood would turn to water when you were dropsical. (CA) See examples
• tropik No sources ( n. )
  1. Apoplexy; apoplexie.
     ♦ Madamme Ranhoutan té si tan bazourdi, li manqué trapé ein lataque tropisie. Mrs. Orangutan was so stunned that she nearly had an apoplectic fit. (T6) See examples
• trou CA, MO 60, PC, ST ( n. )
  1. Hole; trou.
     Li fouyè en trou e li met poto-la anndan trou-la. He dug a hole and he put the post in the hole. (PC); L ap koule. Li dwat èt gen en trou andan li. It’s leaking. There must be a hole in it. (CA); So kilot te plen trou. His pants were full of holes. (ST) ♦ Pronn en morso di plon. Fe en ti trou don li e met li o tour to kou avek en ti fisel. Get a piece of lead. Make a little hole in it and put it around your neck with a string. (BI) • trou dan (so) dan n.phr. (PC). Cavity; carie. •trou dolo n.phr. (CA). Pond; étang. See examples
• troub CA, PC ( adj. ) troup BT troublé CA, PC
  1. Muddy, cloudy (of liquid); trouble, boueux.
     Se parèy kòm si pran en syo dolo troub. It’s like if you have a bucket of muddy water. (PC); Kan no te trap dolo dan pi, dolo te toujou troub apre lapli. When we would get water in the well, the water was always muddy after the rain. (CA) See examples
  2. Blurry; estompé, flou.
     Na de fwa me zyeu wa troup. There are times when my vision is blurry. (BT) See examples
• troublé PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To disturb; troubler.
     ♦ M’apé boi’dans courant-la, vingt pas plis bas qué toi. Alo’s, to oua bein, mo pas ca troubler to dolo. I am drinking in the current twenty paces below you. So you see, I can’t disturb your water. (BD) See examples
  2. To trouble, upset; troubler.
     ♦ Ah! qué jour, Miché Carion, mo té si troublé, mo té croi entende canon. Oh, what a day, Mr. Carillon, I am so troubled that I think I hear cannons. (T34) See examples
• trouloulou No sources ( n. )
  1. Fiddler crab; crabe appelant.
     ♦(GC2) See examples
  2. Free male quadroon; quarteron masculin libre.
     ♦(GC2) See examples
• troup ST ( n. )
  1. Flock; troupeau.
     Kan to wa en troup dezwa ape voitire dan lèr, se en sign ki tan fret fini. When you see a flock of geese flying in the air, it’s a sign that the cold weather is over. (ST) ♦ Ròklò pase devan lamezon rwa-la avek en troup mouton. Roclos went by the king’s house with a flock of sheep. (JR) 2, Troop; troupe. ♦ Mo oua troup blan et mo oua troup koulair. I saw a white troop and I saw a black troop. (T14) See examples
• troupo No sources ( n. )
  1. Flock, herd; troupeau.
     ♦ Li tendé ein berger apé vini avec so troupeau. He heard a shepherd coming with his flock. (FO T26) See examples
• trouvé gen ( v., v.tr., v.aux., v.intr. ) trouv CA, NE, PC
  1. To find; trouver.
     Inave pa ase d fonm blanch pour ye trouve Chaken enn fonm. There were not enough white women for each of them to find a wife. (BT); Li trouve li-mem onsent. She found herself to be pregnant. (ST); Si to pa debat, to va pa trouve louvraj. If you don’t make an effort, you won’t find work. (CA) ♦ Mo té olé conté vou vagnan kichoge hé mo zonglé jika mo trivé ein monyien pou fé. I wanted to tell you a neat little thing, and I reflected until I found a way to do it. (TI 3) 2. To find, think, feel; trouver, être de l’avis. Mè mo STILL trouv sè te pa ase fò pou mon. But I still think that it wasn’t strong enough for me. (PC); Mo trouv mo wa pa byen avèk mo linèt-ye. I find I don’t see so well with my glasses. (CA) ♦ Compair Lapin donnin li quéque dézef, et Compair Bouki trouvé yé si bon li té oulé connin ou li té prend yé. Brer Rabbit gave him some eggs, and Brer Bouki found them so good that he wanted to know where he had gotten them. (FO T11)1. (Copula formerly used in passives). Yèr mo te trouve peye. I was paid yesterday. (NE); Nom-la trouve tchwe par en chval. The man had been killed by a horse. (ST) REM: According to NE, this usage is old-fashioned. 2. To happen to, chance to; arriver, se trouver. ♦ Dans méme moment la Compair Lapin trouvé passé tout proche. At the same moment Brer Rabbit happened to go by. (FO T3) REM: NE 1985: 269 notes that this use no longer occurs.1. To be pregnant; être enceinte. Fòm-sa-la ape trouve. That woman is going to have a baby. (NE) •trouve en bebe v.phr. To have a baby; accoucher d’un enfant, cf. bebe 2. To be located, situated; se trouver. Aou sa trouv on la Fòls Rivyè ? Where is it (located) on False River? (PC) See examples
• trwa CA, MO 60, NE, PC, ST ( num.card. ) trwò BT
  1. Three; trois.
     Baton kanndi te lanng konm sa p senk sou. La ye se kase l an trwa. The stick was about that long for five cents. They broke it in three pieces. (PC); Mo te gen pou leve a trwaz-èr du maten pou petri mo lapat dipen. I had to get up at three o’clock in the morning to knead my bread dough. (CA); Lalin en kar, en demi ou trwa kar. The moon is a quarter, a half, or three quarters. (ST) ♦ Quand li vié, li pronne ein déconne et li marché en haut trois pattes. When he is elderly he gets a cane and walks on three legs. (BD) See examples
• trwa-kar No sources ( n. )
  1. Small White, Virginia Crown-Beard; une petite fleur blanche qui pousse dans les bois. (Verbesina virginica); Triangle Sedge; une espèce de plante. (Scirpus olneyi, Hickman 1940: 159).
     ♦ Pronn trwa ou kat pye trwa-kar (sa gen de rasin nwar) e fe en di te. Get three or four pieces of Virginia Crown-Beard (that plant has black roots) and make a tea from it. (BI) See examples
• trwazyinm CA, PC ( num.ord., pron. ) trazyèm CA trwazyèm MO 60
  1. Third; troisième.
     To kal trwa fwa e la trazyèm fwa se tou. To neye. You sink three times and the third time, that’s it. You drown. (CA) ♦ Li kouri fe en trwasyenm batenm, e li nonmen piti-sa-la Trwasyenm-la. He went to do a third baptism, and he named that child the Third One. (JR)(PC). The third (one); le troisième. ♦ En pe pli lwen, li wa en nòt lonpen. Li kou en ti bout onkò li wa en trwazyèm. A little bit further he saw another rabbit. He went a little further still and he saw a third. [ ‘ein troisième ’] (DU) See examples
• trwèl CA, PC ( n. ) triyéyl PC trouwèl CA
  1. Trowel; trouelle.
     To kapab sèrvi en trouwèl kan to plant to jarden. You can use a trowel when you plant your garden. (CA) See examples
• trèf CA, PC ( n. ) trév PC
  1. Clover; trèfle.
     Mo ramase le trev. I gather clover. (PC); No te trese leflèr a trèf pou fe de nik lapen. We would braid clover flowers to make rabbit nests. (CA) See examples
• trèk CA, PC ( n. ) trak CA
  1. Railroad track; voie.
     Ye gen trèk dan bout-la. There are railroad tracks at the end. (PC) 2, Tracks, trail; trace. No te gen de trak, en dan lamanch dèryèr e en pa lwan isi-la. We had two trails, one in the back lane and one not far from hère. (CA) ♦ Katafo pran trèkfarin-la e li di so ti frè-ye pou swiv li. Ye marche on trèk-la jiska ye sorti dan bwa. Catafo began to follow the trail of wheat flour and he told his little brothers to follow him. They walked on the tracks until they came out of the woods. (JR) See examples
• trèkta PC ( n. ) traktœr PC trèktè PC trèkte BT trakta CA
  1. Tractor; tracteur.
     Anvan ye te gen trèkta te lod sa ave lamen, e mile a ale li, kou kote derik e bwat cha-l. Before they had tractors they used to load that by hand, and mules would pull it to the derrick and the boxcars. (PC) See examples
• trènayé PC ( v.intr., v.tr. ) trènnayé CA, PC
  1. To move from place to place; se déplacer d’un endroit à F autre.
     La astè piti-ye gen mwayen trènaye. Mo gen piti tou partou. Nowadays young people have the means to move around a lot. I have children everywhere. (PC) See examples
  2. To run around, go from place to place; aller ça et là.
     Pa trennaye isit e laba; drwat la, dan la mezon. Ye te vyen kòrtize nouzòt kote nou lamezon. We didn’t run around here and there. [We stayed] right there at home. They came to court us at our house. (PC); Ye rès pa dan en plas. Ye toujou ap trennaye isi e laba. They don’t stay in one place. They’re always running around. (CA) trène trèn (PC); trènen, trennen (CA; PC).To drag, trail, trail along; traîner. So rob te e trennen an laté. Her dress was dragging on the ground. (PC) ♦ Latcheu Caïman té si long, et li t apé trainé tant, qué mo manqué craser li plus d'ein fois. Alligator’s tail was so long, and it was dragging around so much, that I almost crushed it more than once. (T40) •a la trèn adv.phr. (CA; ST); a la trenn (PC). 1) In disorder; en désordre. Li pa gen plas pou aryen. Tou kikchoz a la trenn. She doesn’t have room for anything. Everything is in disorder. (CA) 2) Homeless, on the street; sans abri, sans domicile fixe. (PC)To drag, pull along; traîner. Nou trènen sak mai-la. We dragged the sack of com. (PC); Li trape so pye dan rakatcha-la e chval-la trennen li juska li arete. He got his foot stuck in the stirrup and the horse dragged him until it stopped. (CA) ♦ Li té dans in carrosse tout en or, et yavait huite choals blancs qui té apé trainin carrosse la.* She was in a golden carriage, and there were eight white horses who were pulling the carriage. (FO T16) See examples
• trèno PC ( n. ) trènno BT, CA, PC
  1. Skid, land sled (farm vehicle without wheels used to transport by dragging on the ground); traîneau (véhicule agricole sans roues qui sert à transporter sur terre).
     Trenno, sa trenn deusu latèr. A sled, that drags across the ground. (BT); Kèkcho k e tro lour m me sa an trèno. Something that is too heavy, I put on the sled. (PC) See examples
• trèr No sources ( v.tr. ) trè CA, PC, CA, NE, PC tré CA
  1. To milk (a cow); traire (une vache).
     Te gen enn vach pour t trèr pou gen duleu. We had a cow to milk to get milk. (PC); Ye te travay andan lekiri pou letri. Ye te tre vach-ye. They used to work in the bam for the dairy. They would milk the cows. (CA) ♦ Li di, «Vini trèr mwen et t a wa to menm. ‘‘ She said, ‘Come milk me and you’ll see for yourself.’ (JR) See examples
• très CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Braid; tresse.
     Mo gen en gro très. I have a big braid. (PC); Mo te gen de lon très avon mo koupe mo chevey-ye. I had long braids before I cut my hair. (CA) See examples
• très PC ( n. ) tré CA, PC
  1. Trace; trait.
     En tre gen de lachenn tache e en bayon pou mèt andan ladyèl mile ou chval. A trace has two chains attached and a bit to put in the horse’s or mule’s mouth. (CA) See examples
• trèsh CA, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To thresh; battre (le blé).
     Ye te ramas duri-sa-ye apre moun-ye fini trèch diri. They went to gather rice after people had finished threshing it. (PC) See examples
• trèsha CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Thresher; batteuse.
     Trècha. Machin e galope, le e trèch, le e voyé diri, le e tonmbe la. A thrasher. The machine is running and threshing and throwing the rice which falls there. (PC) See examples
• trèsé CA, PC ( v.tr. ) trésé CA, PC très CA, PC
  1. To braid; tresser.
     To partaje so cheuve dan milyeu e to pengn li, to très li. You part her hair in the middle and you comb it, you braid it. (CA) •trese lay v.phr. (PC). To braid garlic plants; tresser Fail. See examples
  2. To plait, weave; natter, tresser.
     Enn kab, le trèse. Ti sèrv en kab pou lase de bèt ou pou tire d lo gro. A rope is plaited. You use a rope to lasso animals or to draw water. (BT); Ye très sa ansanm. They weave that together. (PC) See examples
• trèt No sources ( adj. )
  1. Treacherous, perfidious, deceitful; traître, perfide.
     ♦ Compair Bouki qui té traite et malfaisant. Brer Bouki who was treacherous and evildoing. (FO T18) See examples
• trètmon NE, PC ( n. ) trètman CA, MO 60, PC trétman ST
  1. Treatment; traitement.
     Mo ale o doktœr. Li dòn man en bon trètman. Mo san momèm byen. I went to the doctor. He gave me a good treatment. I feel well. (CA); Kamomèl, sa se en trètman. Chamomile tea, that’s a medical treatment. (ST) ♦ To pronn en fisel ki non pèr, e to di menm tretmon ke to di pou en kou t soley. You take a piece of string that is not [pèr], and you say the same formula that you say for sunstroke. (BI) See examples
• trèto CA ( n. )
  1. Harrow; herse.
     Èna du mon ki pèl sa en trèto e dot mon ki pèl sa en dis. There are some people who call that a harrow, and others who call it a disk. (CA) See examples
• trèz CA ( num.card. )
  1. Thirteen; treize.
     To te sanm pa kèken ke gen piti trèz an. You don’t look like someone who has a thirteen year old child. (CA) ♦ To pronn en fisel ki non pèr, ... di lapriyèr si chak ne, e fe trèz ne. You take a pièce of string that is not [pèr] ... say the prayer on each knot, and make thirteen knots. (BI) See examples
• tré CA, PC ( adv. )
  1. Very; très.
     Tre byen. Very well. (PC); Lapousyèr andan. Mo lamezon tre sal. Dust comes in. My house is very dirty. (CA) ♦Yé té très pove, n'homme la té bon, fame la té mauvais. They were very poor, the man was good, and the wife was bad. (FO T17) See examples
• trépasé CA ( n. )
  1. Coma; coma.
     Ye t ape veye li e tou-d-en-kou li leve asit. Li te dan en trepase. Li te vini bèk. They were having a wake for him and all of a sudden he sat up. He had been in a coma and he came back. (CA) See examples
• trépété CA ( adj. )
  1. Mentally handicapped; attardé, faible d’esprit.
     Li trepete. Li pa kapa konpran sa k ap arive alantor li. He’s not in his right mind. He can’t understand what’s going on around him. (CA) See examples
• trés PC ( n. )
  1. Stalk, stem; tige.
     To koupe tres, to fe difwon e li. You cut the stalk and you make hay. (PC) See examples
• trété CA, NE, PC ( v.tr. ) trèté BT, MO 60, PC trèt BT, MO 60, CA
  1. To treat an illness by means of a folk cure; traiter une maladie en se servant de remèdes populaires.
     Mo gen mal o do, safe ye pou trète mon pour mon do. Li trèt to kòrdon, don twa li. To me li antour ta tay. I have a bad back, so they had to treat me for my back. He treats the string and gives it to you. You tie it around your waist. (BT) ♦ Va oir cofaire et va conain comment Docters qui cou traité tout moun trompé dans yé zajfaires. You will see why and you will know how doctors who go treat everyone get mixed up in their affairs. (T19) See examples
  2. To treat; traiter.
     Fale ye travay parey kòm le SLAVE, la ye te trete ye parey kòm le SLAVE. They had to work just like slaves, and they were treated just like slaves. (NE); Mo gen de bon vwazin. Ye trèt mon byen. I have good neighbors. They treat me well. (CA) ♦ So fille prend crié et li di li comment Compair Lapin té traité li. His daughter began to cry and told him how Brer Rabbit had treated her. (FO T15) See examples
• trétœr CA, NE ( n. ) trétè PC trétar PC trétèr NE trétèz (f.) NE trètœr BT
  1. Folk healer; traiteur, guérisseur.
     Kon mo te foule mo pye, tretœr trete èn kòrd e li fe lapriyèr desi. When I sprained my foot, the healer treated a string and he prayed over it. (NE); Lontan pase, tretœr te fe la tizann evèk lèrb malo pou geri moun. A long time ago, the folk healer made herb tea with with swamp lily to cure people. (CA) See examples
• trézòr CA ( n. )
  1. Treasure; trésor.
     Pirat-ye t ole toujou fouye latèr an dizan no vyeu paran te tere larjan e lor ou mayèr trezòr. Pirates always wanted to dig up the ground, saying our ancestors buried money and gold or some kind of treasure. (CA) ♦ ’(Ça cé mo trésor, dit-elle, ça cé kichoge ki vo plice pacé tou dilor dan moune. ‘‘ ‘That is my treasure,’ she said, ‘that is something that is worth more than all the gold in the world.’ (ME) See examples