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

• vèrvé PC ( adj. ) varvé CA
  1. Spotted, speckled; tacheté.
     Pwason-la tou varve. Li gen tou plen tach. The fish is all speckled. It’s got lots of spots. (CA) See examples
• vètrinin CA ( n. )
  1. Veterinarian; vétérinaire.
     To va chèrche en vetrinen kan to chval malad. You go get a veterinarian when your horse is sick. (CA) See examples
• véra BT, CA, PC, ST ( n. )
  1. Male pig, boar; verrat.
     En vera, t a kenz, ven tri, ti gad en vera, kan te tri va vini an galòp. A boar, you’ve got fifteen or twenty sows and you keep a boar for when the sows are in heat. (BT); To se gen pou chatre en vera e lese li en sèrten tan dan en pak avon to tchwe li si t ole manje li. Lavyann-la tro fòr. You’d have to castrate a male pig and leave him awhile in a pen before you kill him if you want to eat him. The meat is too strong. (CA) See examples
• véri NE ( n. )
  1. Wart; verrue.
     Vyey chwèt-la gen en veri desi so ne. The old witch has a wart on her nose. (CA) ♦ Konte verir-ye, la di en nòtr pè e en Sali Mari. Count the warts and then say an Our Father and a Hail Mary. [ ‘verrure’ ] (BI) See examples
• vérité PC ( n. ) lavèrité CA, PC, ST
  1. Truth; vérité.
     Ye kònen tou zafè-sa-ye te pa la verite, tou moun te kònen. They knew all of those things weren’t true, everyone knew that. (PC); La vèrite va toujou kontante twa. Manti pa. The truth will always make you happy. Don’t lie. (CA) • »Non, maite, mo pa vanteur, moin; ça mo di vou cé la vérité. « No, master, I’m no braggart. What I’m telling you is the truth. (ME) See examples
• vérminn CA, PC ( n. ) vèrmi CA
  1. Vermin; vermine.
     Vèrmin anmbèt moun tou partou , ye dan lamezon ye dan jarden. Vermin bother people everywhere, they are in the house and in the garden. (PC); Se en ti vèrmin ki manj lenj. Mit-ye rès dan limidite e ye manj lenj imid. That’s a little pest that eats clothes. Moths live in dampness and they eat damp clothes. (CA) •vèrmin farin n.phr. (ST). Weevil; charançon. See examples
  2. Germs; microbes.
     No te lave tou no lenj dan dolo cho pou tchwe vèrmin-ye. We used to wash our clothes in hot water to kill the germs. (CA) See examples
• vérou No sources ( n. )
  1. Bolt; verrou.
     •Mo capab racomodé ain lessieu é tou ça qui cacé dan ain voiture: croché, vèrou, charnière, gon, piton, tou ça cé kichoge ki connin moin. I can repair an axle and anything that is broken on a carriage; hooks, bolts, hinges, eye-bolts, I know about all of that. (ME) See examples
• véso CA ( n. )
  1. Container; récipient.
     Meri-la andan to veso e mè li andan glasyè-la. Put the rice in your container and put it in the refrigerator. (CA) See examples
• vésèl CA ( n. ) lavésél PC lavéséyl PC lavèsèl CA lavésèl CA
  1. Dishes; vaisselle.
     En gar-monje? Se pou met to laveseyl... A china cabinet? That is for storing your dishes... (PC); Lavèsèl se fe an lafayans. Dishes are made of pottery. (CA) ♦ Li quilbité la table, cassé la vaisselle avec gobelets et bouteilles. He knocked over the table, broke the dishes with the goblets and bottles. (FO T2) •fèr-blan vesèl n.phr. Dishpan; bassine à vaisselle. cf. fèr-blan See examples
• vétivér No sources ( n. )
  1. Vétiver (a tall grass); vétiver. (vetiveria zizanioies)
     ♦ Mari napas trouvé dan vetivere. «You won’t find a husband in a haycock» (lit. in vetiver). (TN) See examples
• véy No sources ( n. )
  1. Eve, the day before; le jour d’ avant, veille, •la vey Pak
     n.phr. (CA). Easter vigil; la veille des Pâques. •la vey la Tousen n.phr. (CA). All Hallow’s Eve, Halloween; la veille de la Toussaint. ♦ «Es ke se vre zo pal a mennwi on la very la Tousen ? ‘‘ Is it true that you all [animals] speak at midnight on Halloween?’ (JR) •la vey jour deu Nwal n.phr. (PC). Christmas Eve; la veille de Noël. See examples
• véyayé BT ( v. )
  1. To pay careful attention (to); veiller, faire attention (à).
     Mo galope en BARBERSHOP pour ventsèt on, pase en ta d traka a veyaye, fe l moun garde joli. I ran a barbershop for twenty-seven years, I worried a lot about being careful to make people look good. (BT) See examples
• véyèz CA ( n. )
  1. Nightlight; veilleuse.
     Kan enave en ti bebe dan chanm, no te gen en ti veyèz pou wa lanwit. When there was a little baby in the bedroom, we had a nightlight to see at night. (CA) See examples
• véyé CA, PC ( n. )
  1. Wake; veillée (de corps).
     Mo kouri en veye on lil, e se sa ye chante kreyòl. I went to a wake on the Island, and that’s when they sang in Creole. (PC) ♦ Ma woir toi assoir ché Martha. Ya pa lé gaignin ain bel la veillée... Gumbo, jambon, café, volaille. I’ll see you tonight at Martha’s. They’re going to have a lovely wake... Gumbo, ham, coffee, poultry. (WO) See examples
  2. Evening party; fête nocturne.
     Enave en gran veye andan gro lamezon devan lalve. Sete lafèt pou kèken. There was a big evening party in the big house in front of the levee. It was someone’s birthday. (CA) See examples
• véyé CA, NE, PC ( v.tr. ) véy NE, PC véyi PC vèyé PC
  1. To watch over a body at a wake; veiller (un corps).
     Mo ppa te chant kreyòl, tou tan. Aben ye te chant sa kan te, moun mouri ye te veyi ye, dan tan-sa moun te kone veyi. My father used to sing in Creole all the time. And they used to sing that when someone died, in those days they held wakes for the dead. (PC); Jij de pe li mouri. Ye va veye li aswa dan legliz . The justice of the the peace died. They’re going to hold a wake for him tonight in church. (CA) • En ranjè souye fe en pari avek en ami ke li te pe veye en kò tou lanwi dan legliz. A shoemaker made a bet with a friend that he could watch over a dead body all night in the church. (JR) See examples
  2. To visit s.o. at night and stay up talking; rendre visite à qn la nuit et ne pas se coucher. (PC)
  3. To watch out, be careful; veiller à.
     •Antouène, si nous pas bien veillé, Milates va metté nous en dedans . Antoine, if we don’t watch out, the mulattoes will trick us. (T35) See examples
• vòl ST ( n. )
  1. Theft; vol.
     Lalwa trape trwa ti garson dan en kou-t-vòl. The law caught three little boys in the act of stealing. (ST) ♦ Lœ rwa donn li so kenz san pyas ye e mannde li si li kapab fe dòt vot. The king gave him his fifteen hundred dollars and asked whether he could make other thefts. (JR) See examples
• vòl ST ( n. )
  1. Flight; vol (dans les airs).
     Vòl zwazo-ye. A flight of birds. (ST) ♦ Li pran so vol et couri jouké on pli gran cype dan diboi. He took flight and went to perch on the biggest cypress tree in the woods. (T8) See examples
• vòl-o-van No sources ( n. )
  1. Vol-au-vent; vol-au-vent.
     ♦ Mo gaignin gombo, la dinde, patate crasées, un gro morceau vol au ven dé zuitte. I’ll have gumbo, turkey, mashed potatoes, a big piece of oyster vol-au-vent. (WO) See examples
• vòltijé BT, CA, ST ( v.tr. ) voltijé CA, NE, ST voltij NE votijé CA
  1. To scatter, spread out; éparpiller.
     ♦ Yé voltigé la cendre et piment et la prise et ça té aveuglé yé. They scattered the ashes and the pepper and snuff and that blinded them. (FO T15) See examples
  2. To flutter, fiy; voltiger.
     Ye te vini laba-la jwe laplòt dan le savonn-l; lakeu chmij e t ape voltije dan lèr. They came down there to play baseball in the meadow; their shirttails were fluttering in the air. (BT); Kon SUPERMAN vini on tivi, na èn ki mèt li en CAPE kom-sa epi li krwa li te pe vòltije kòm SUPERMAN. When they showed ‘Superman’ on TV, one of them put on a cape and he thought he was flying like Superman. (NE); Mo wa en papiyon votije. Li jòn e nwa. I see a butterfly flying around. It’s yellow and black. (CA) ♦ Ein ti zozo dans l main vaut mié qué plein ti zozos quapé voltigé dans bois. A little bird in the hand is better than a lot of little birds flying around in the woods. (FO T15) See examples
• wa gen, MO 60 ( v.tr. ) vwa BT, PC war ST
  1. To see; voir.
     M ole wa si ye ja e komanse. I want to see if it has started yet. (PC); Mo jamè yi lokazyon pou wa RICHARD. I have never had the chance to see Richard. (NE); To wa gro bilding? Do you see the big building? (BT); Ye jich ape kache parskè ye p ole moun wa ye ape bo. They’re just hiding because they don’t want anyone to see them kissing. (CA); To pike mo zyeu-ye, sa fe mo pa kapab war. You poked out my eyes, so I cannot see. (ST) ♦ Ti garçon la ... couché par terre divant cabane la et li oua dans lafente laporte tout ça yé fait dans cabane la. The little boy ... lay down on the ground in front of the house and he saw through a crack in the door what they were doing inside the house. (FO T27) •fe wa v.phr. (PC). To explain; expliquer. Lès mon fe vou wa. Let me explain it to you. (PC) •n a wa exp. (PC). We’ll see; on verra. N a wa, n a wa. Pa kònen astè-la, ben n a wa, n a konnen lenmdi. We’ll see, we'll see. We don’t know now, but we’11 see, we’ll know on Monday. (PC) •’oua boute’ v.phr. To get the best of; l’emporter sur qn. ♦ To oua, dé boug layé, compair Lapin avè Maite Rénard, cé dé canaille, mo gagnin pou oua yé boute, ou ben ya bimin moin. You see these two fellows Brer Rabbit and Master Fox, they are scoundrels. I must get the best of them, or they will beat me. (FO 1887) •to wa exp. (NE; PC). You see, you understand; tu vois. Aben to wa, mo momon e mo popa ye te dan SAINT ROSE la. Well you see, my mom and dad, they were in St. Rose. (PC) •vyen war v.phr. (BT; PC). Come see! Viens voir! Mo gen en poltre di onho lamur. Vyen war. I have a picture on the wall. Come see it! (BT); Vyen war isi! Come over here! (PC) •wa pa v.phr. (PC). To be blind; être aveugle. An kreòl e di ‘li wa pa. Li wa pa. ‘ An kreol. Men an fronse se aveug. In Creole we just say ‘He doesn’t see.’ But in French you say ‘He is blind.’ (PC) •wa pou v.phr. (MO 60). 1) To search for, look for; chercher. (MO 60) ♦ Ye tournen pou wa pou li e ye rankontre avek en etranje. They went back to look for him and they met up with a stranger. (JR) 2) To see about; voir à. Nouzòt ale oua pou gen en neta. We’re going to see about getting a job. (MO 60) Conjug, a) an wayan pres.part. Seeing; en voyant. • An wayan enn chans pou trape li en bon dmen, li di, «Vini trèr mwen et t’a wa to menm. ‘‘ Seeing a chance to get a good dinner, she said, ‘Come milk me and you’ll see for yourself.’ (JR) Conjug, b) vi past, saw; vit. Ena dei monn ke kra ke euzot vi en dragon me se pa vre. Se just enn imajinasyon. Se pa naturèl. Some people think they saw a dragon but it's not true. It's just imagination. It's not natural. (CA) See examples
  2. To experience, live through; vivre.
     Mo m pa wa SLAVERY '. I didn’t experience slavery. (PC) See examples
• wa-tou-di-ryin PC ( n. )
  1. Chamber pot; pot de chambre.
• wagon CA, PC ( n. ) waginn CA wègon MO 60
  1. Four-wheeled wagon, especially for transporting sugar cane; wagon à quatre roues utilisé dans le transport de la canne à sucre.
     Dan tan-la to te ale dekann ave wagon. In the past you hauled sugar cane with a wagon. (PC); En wagon se kouvèr e ye te sèrvi sa pou chary e dikann. En wagin, li ouvèr, se pou dikann osi, ou pou charye moun andan chan. A wagon is covered and they used it to transport sugar cane. An open wagon is for cane also, or for carrying people into the fields. (CA) •Bouki vonn so momon pou trwa bari kouchkouch sou. Li met ye don so wagon a kat chwa1. Bouki sold his mother for three barrels of couche-couche. He put them in his four-horse wagon. [ 'wagon ‘ ] (DU) See examples
• wanga CA ( n. )
  1. Spell, hex (voodoo term); sort (sorcellerie).
     Kan en piti sòr lafyèv tifoid e li te èstropye, ye te di houdou-la mete en wanga desi li. When a child ended up crippled from typhoid fever, they would say that a voodoo put a hex on him. (CA) ♦ Larenne zozos mêté wanga on toi, mo vié. The queen of the birds put a spell on you, old pal. (T8) See examples
• wap No sources ( onom. )
  1. Thud, bam! Vlan!
     ♦ Li armé so biscaïen, vizé ben, tiré boum; carancro capoté: wap! He armed his biscayen, aimed well, and shot, boom! the buzzard fell over, thud! (T6) See examples
• wara No sources ( n. )
  1. Lament; lamentation.
     ♦ Aïe! zein zens, vini fé ouarrâ pou’ pov’ St. Malo dans l’embas! Ah! Young men, come make lament for poor St. Malo in distress. (GC2) See examples
• washbot PC ( n. ) washbod PC
  1. Washboard; planche à laver.
     Mo te konnen lave ann lavèt, an mo wachbot. No te lave an no wachbot. I used to wash on a washboard. We washed on a washboard. (PC) See examples
• washman No sources ( n. )
  1. Watchman, guard; garde, gardien.
     •A la gardien lageole, li trouvé ça bin drole, li dit «Mo aussi, mo fé bal ici. « Et pi le wacheman, yé tombé ladan. To the jail warden, who found that quite funny, he said, ‘I too am dancing here.’ And then the watchmen got tricked into it. (T 10) See examples
• wawaron CA, NE, PC ( n. ) wwaran PC
  1. Bullfrog; grenouille taureau.
     Se te pa en wawaron, se te en krapo. That wasn’t a bullfrog, it was a toad. (NE); Prens-la li tournen an wawaron. The prince turned into a frog. (CA) ♦ Li t’apé 'miser li-même en V écorce ein marais. Ein ouaouaron vini côté li. He was amusing himself on the bank of a swamp. A bullfrog came up to him. (BD) See examples
• waya PC ( n. )
  1. Wire; fil en fer. (PC)
  2. Barbed wire; fil barbelé.
     Mo chimij rete trape dan waya-la. My shirt got caught on the barbed wire. (PC) See examples
• wi CA, NE, ST ( adv. ) wé NE
  1. Yes; oui.
     Mo gen en lòt onkor, wi! I have yet another one, yes. (NE) ♦ Ça vapé gardé comme ça? cé vou louvrage ki fo gardé, ou sinon baleine cila a di kichoge à vou do, oui. What are you looking at like that? It’s your work you should be looking at, otherwise this whip will have something to say to your back, oh yes! (ME) •wi wa adv.phr. Yes indeed; mais oui. ♦ Oui . oua, li té chagrin fini quitté in si gran fortine é ein si joli fame com fie lé roi. Yes, indeed, he was sorry to leave such a large fortune and such a beautiful wife as the King’s daughter. (FO 1887) See examples
• winnro CA, PC ( v.tr. )
  1. To ted, windrow; faner.
     Kan en gro fre t ape vini, zabitan pran so nom-ye pou vini winro dekare e dekare dikann. Ye kouvèr ye avèk lapay ran apre ran. When a big cold spell was coming, the landowner took his men to windrow field after field of cane. They covered them with straw row after row. (CA) See examples
• wiski CA, PC ( n. ) wishki MO 60
  1. Whiskey; whisky.
     To te bwa wiski, sète pare kòm en bon medikaman. If you drank whiskey it was just like drinking a good medicine. (PC); T ole en kòtèl djin ou en kòtèl wiski? Do you want a gin cocktail or a whiskey cocktail? (CA) ♦ Kan mo sorti, mo té apé karambolé tou koté et mo té samblé ouar plin barik ouski marké 4 JIYET. When I left I was careening from side to side, and I seemed to see a lot of barrels of whiskey marked ‘July 4’. (TI3) See examples
• wistiti No sources ( n. )
  1. Any little animal or bird; n’importe quel petit oiseau ou animal.
     ♦ Y apé sauté, dansé, pou yé fait plein piti, dipis gros l'éléphant jisqu’à ti ouistiti. They were jumping and dancing to make a lot of children, from the big elephant to the tiny animal. (T27) See examples
• wityèm NE ( num.ord. ) ouityinm BT
  1. Eighth; huitième. •wityèm (liv)
     n.phr. (NE); ouityenm (BT). Eighth grade; huitième année dans le système éducatif américain.. Anon wa, ondon le wityèm mo te gen jich trez-on la. Let’s see, in eighth grade I was only thirteen years old. (NE); Mon titch la ouityenm aprann a lir na disèt an. I’ve been teaching eighth graders to read for seventeen years. (BT) See examples
• yad PC ( n. )
  1. Yard (measure of distance or quantity); yard (mesure de distance ou de quantité).
     Letòf-la sete sen sou la yad. The material cost five cents a yard. (PC) ♦ Kan li te a pe pre san yad distans. When he was about a hundred yards off. (JR) See examples
• yink PC ( adv. ) yinkè PC
  1. Only, just; seulement, ne ... que.
     Ye pa dou ye pa eg ye yenk pa gen gou. They’re not sweet, they’re not sour, they just have no taste. (PC) ♦ Li té gagné nainc vié zaillon anho li. He only had old rags on. (T7) See examples
  2. Just, to have just; venir de.
     Ye pa di 'mo jus vini ', ye di 'mo yenk vint ‘ They don’t say T just came’, they say I only came’. (PC) REM: Speakers in PC attribute this term to the people on the Island. See examples
• yinki CA, PC ( n. ) yinkis (pl.) MO 60
  1. Yankee; Yankee.
     Yenki-ye sòti dan no, se sa l di nouzòt. The Yankees come from the north, that’s what they tell us. (PC) ♦ Yankee la yé pas bon bitin. The Yankees are not good booty. (T31) See examples
• yèr CA, ST ( adv. ) yè CA, PC
  1. Yesterday; hier.
     Li toumen yè. He came back yesterday. (PC); Mo gen en bon djab. Mo ete angaje yè. I’ve got a good job. I was hired yesterday. (CA) ♦ Jean réponde li té connin compter dézefs, qué hier li trouvé quatre et pi dé. John replied that he knew how to count eggs, and that yesterday he found four and then two. (T38) •yèr apre-midi adv.phr. Yesterday afternoon; hier après-midi. cf. apre-midi •yèr-o-swar adv.phr. (BT); yèr-o-swa (CA); yèr-o-swò (PC). Last night, yesterday night, evening; hier soir. Mo frè tonbe dan en batay yèr-o-swar. My brother got into a fight yesterday. (BT); Mo te pa san mo-mèm byen yèr-o-swò. I didn’t feel well last night. (PC); Mo te gen kolik yèr-o-swa. I had an upset stomach last night. (CA) See examples
• yé NE, PC ( det.poss. ) yœr (yé lœr) NE yèr NE
  1. Their; leur.
     Mo NURSE ye, ka ye momon te en montre lekòl. I babysat them while their mother was away teaching school. (PC); Ye te pa gen sèlmon èn lonp pou limè ye mezon. They didn’t even have a lamp to light their house. (NE); Le lanm dolo te si ho, ye kilbite ye pirog. The waves were so high they knocked over their pirogue. (CA) REM: The forms with final r are rare, only used by mesolectal speakers. ♦ Kapitenn-la mennen ye kote ye chanm. The captain led them to their rooms. (JR) See examples
• yé No sources ( art.def. ) -yé CA, NE, PC, ST yin CA, PC -yè MO 60
  1. The; les.
     Apre soley kouche, sa te fe nwar e mouch-a-fe-ye komanse soti. After the sun set, it was dark and the fireflies began to come out. (CA) REM: Neumann (pp. 56-57) notes that this form is becoming rarer and being replaced by the preposed le in BT. With a proper name, ye denotes the person in question and his/her entire family (p. 117). ♦ Tanpri, pa jete mwen dan zerons-ye dèryè vou baryè-la. Please do not throw me into the briar behind your fence.’ (JR) See examples
• yé CA, NE, PC ( pron. ) y PC yin CA, PC yè MO 60
  1. subj. They; ils, elles.
     Ye te pron nouzòt le nwar, ye te biche nouzòt. They took us black folks and beat us. (NE); Venson, en ti nonm. Ye vyen pa gro, ye piti , ye ba. A dwarf, a little man. They don’t get very big, they’re short. (PC) ♦ Pi yé bafré gombo avé douri yé vante plin. Then they ate up the gumbo and rice until their stomachs were full. (T3) •ye de n.phr. (PC). Both, the two of them; eux (elles) deux. Ye de rèt ansanm, ye pa manye, ye janme manye. The two of them live together, they’re not married, they’ve never been married. (PC) •ye tou n.phr. (PC). All of them, the others; tout le reste, les autres. Mo te kwa the UNITED STATES te pli rich kè ye tou. I thought the United States was richer than all other countries. (PC) See examples
  2. obj. Them, (to) them; les, leur.
     Li dòn yen en ti bren le swar konm sa. She gave them a little bit at night like that. (PC); Mo kouzen elve en ta kochon. Li angrèse ye pou vann pou krismis. My cousin raised a lot of pigs. He fattened them to sell for Christmas. (ST); 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) ♦ Ah ouache, dit Compair Lapin, mo fout pas mal yé, mo plis malin qué yé. Ta oua comme ma rangé yé tout les dé tout a l'haire. «Pshaw,’ said Brer Rabbit, T don’t care about them, I’m cleverer than they. You’ll see how I’ll fix both of them soon.’ (FO T1) See examples
  3. subj. One, people, you; on.
     To kone sa ye pèl Vye Djab? Do you know what they call the Old Devil? (NE) 4, imper.subj. It, there; il. En bon vèr dolo fre, se bon kan ye fe cho. A nice glass of cold water is good when it’s hot out. (CA) ♦ Yé fait bien frette. It was very cold. (FO T27) See examples
• yé-kèn CA, NE, PC, ST ( det.poss., pron., adj. ) yé-chèn NE, PC yé-chènn PC la-chèn PC
  1. Theirs, their own; le leur, la leur, les leurs.Their, their own; leur(s) propre(s).
     Chak tit plas gen yè-tchenn monyèr pou parle, ye parl pa tou parèy. Each little place has its own way of speaking, they don’t all speak alike. (NE) See examples
• yé-mèm CA, NE, ST ( pron. )
  1. emph. Themselves; eux-mêmes.
     Ye te ramase sa ye-mèm. They collected that themselves. (NE) See examples
  2. refl. Themselves; se.
     Ye pèl ye-mèm Kadjen. They call themselves Cajuns. (NE) ♦ Yé fait in plan pou vengé yé méme. They made a plan to avenge themselves. (FO T11) See examples
• zaboné CA ( v.intr. )
  1. To subscribe; s’abonner.
     Mo zabone gazèt e mo reswa li tou le smenn. I subscribe to the newspaper and I get it every week. (CA) ♦ Tou moune bitachion Mitaine Bergé apé parlé pou zaboné pou gaigné vou Méchantabbé. All the folks of the Mitaine Berger plantation are talking about subscribing to get the Méchacébé. (T 17) See examples
• zafèr No sources ( n. )
  1. Affair, matter, bargain, thing; affaire, bonne affaire, chose, cf. afèr
• zalimèt CA ( n. ) zalimét PC zarimét PC
  1. Match; allumette.
     Li mèt en zalimèt dan gaz e safe dife. He put a match in gas and it made a fire. (CA) ♦ Li limen lakòl ave enn alimet. He lit the alcohol with a match. (JR) See examples
• zalon No sources ( n. )
  1. Landmark, milestone; jalon.
     ♦ Vouzote apran jige jordi pou misiré chimin aura bayou; chac quate narpan mété zalon. You will get a judge today to measure the road near the bayou; every four arpents you will put a landmark. (T5) See examples
• zamand No sources ( n. )
  1. Fine; amende.
     ♦ Fau vou péhié vin saint sou , ou ma fé vou péhié zamand. You must pay twenty-five cents, or I will make you pay a fine. (T16) See examples
• zamannman No sources ( n. )
  1. Amendment; amendement.
     ♦ Na ein Kongrelèsmaine ki trivé ça ein ben bon bile, mé li té pair zans koulair té alé craivé fin; ça fé li vautré ein zamanneman pou fé tombé kribice avé lapli. There is a Congressman who found that to be a really good bill, but he was afraid that the colored folk were going to die of hunger; so he voted for an amendment to make crawfish fall with the rain. (T16) See examples
• zamidal ST ( n. ) zamida CA
  1. Tonsils; amygdales.
     Kan mo te gen trant-dez an, mo fe ote me zamida . When I was thirty-two I had my tonsils out. (CA) See examples