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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

full
[whole]
adj
full moon
miziweyaabikizi vai s/he is full (as something mineral; e.g., the moon)

michaabikizi vai
  1. it (animate; mineral ) is big
  2. it is full (of the moon), there is a full moon

Paired with: michaabikad vii

full
[containing a lot]
adj
full of smoke
gibwanaamode vii it is full of smoke

Paired with: gibwanaamozo vai

● FULL OF SOLIDS
full (of solids)
mooshkine vai s/he is full (of solids), fills a place

See also: mooshkine vii

mooshkine vii it is full (of solids)

Paired with: mooshkine vai

half full (of solids)
aabitooshkine vii it is half full (of solids)

Paired with: aabitooshkine vai

aabitooshkine vai it (animate) is half full (of solids); s/he fills something half full

Paired with: aabitooshkine vii

aabitooshkinadoon vti2 [S] fill it half full (with solids)

Paired with: aabitooshkina' vta See also: aabitooshkinatoon vti2 [RL]

aabitooshkinatoon vti2 [RL] fill it half full (with solids)

Paired with: aabitooshkina' vta See also: aabitooshkinadoon vti2 [S]

aabitooshkina' vta fill h/ half full (with solids)

Paired with: aabitooshkinadoon vti2 [S]

overfull (with solids)
onzaamashkine vii it is overfull (with solids)

Paired with: onzaamashkine vai

onzaamashkine vai s/he is overfull (with solids)

● FULL OF LIQUID
half full (of liquid)
aabitoobii vii
  1. it is half full (of liquid)
  2. it (a liquid) fills something half-full

Paired with: aabitoobii vai

aabitoobii vai s/he or it (animate) is half full (of liquid)

Paired with: aabitoobii vii

aabitoobadoon vti2 fill it half full (with liquid)

Paired with: aabitoobazh vta

aabitoobazh vta fill h/ half full (with liquid)

Paired with: aabitoobadoon vti2

full (of liquid)
mooshkinebii vii it is full (of liquid)

mooshkinebii vai it (animate) is full (of liquid)

Paired with: mooshkinebii vii

full
[food]
adj
full
debisinii vai s/he has enough to eat, eats enough, is full

See also: de-wiisini vai

de-wiisini vai s/he has enough to eat, eats enough, is full

See also: debisinii vai

nibeshkine vai s/he goes to sleep from being full

fun
n
just for fun
anishaa adv man just for fun; just for nothing; not really; without purpose

make fun
baapinendan vti lack respect for it; make fun of, ridicule it

Paired with: baapinenim vta

baapinenim vta lack respect for h/; make fun of, ridicule h/

Paired with: baapinendan vti

baapinenindiwag vai they make fun of, ridicule each other; they lack respect for each other

fun
adj
fun
minwendaagozi vai s/he is likeable, is agreeable, is fun

Paired with: minwendaagwad vii

minwendaagwad vii it is likeable, is fun

Paired with: minwendaagozi vai

funeral
n
conducting a funeral
maajaa'iwewin ni conducting a funeral

conduct a funeral
maajaa' vta hold a funeral for h/

speaker at a funeral
maajaa'iwewinini na a speaker at a funeral

fungus
n
fungus
wazhashkwedo na fungus

wazhashkwedow na fungus; a mushroom; a pine cone

funny
adj
funny
wawiyazh adv man comical; funny

look funny
wawiyazhinaagozi vai s/he looks cute, looks funny (comical)

Paired with: wawiyazhinaagwad vii

wawiyazhinaagwad vii it looks cute, looks funny (comical)

Paired with: wawiyazhinaagozi vai

sound funny
wawiyazhitaagozi vai s/he sounds cute, sounds funny (comical)

Paired with: wawiyazhitaagwad vii

wawiyazhitaagwad vii it sounds cute, sounds funny (comical)

Paired with: wawiyazhitaagozi vai

think funny
wawiyadenim vta think h/ or it (animate) funny or cute

Paired with: wawiyadendan vti

wawiyadendan vti think it funny or cute

Paired with: wawiyadenim vta

wawiyadendaagozi vai s/he is thought cute, thought funny (comical)

Paired with: wawiyadendaagwad vii

wawiyadendaagwad vii it is thought cute, thought funny (comical)

Paired with: wawiyadendaagozi vai

fur
n
Verbs describing fur may share a medial element /-adow-/.
fur for trade
adaawaagan ni something for sale, merchandise; fur for trade

black fur
makadewadowe vai s/he has black fur, has dark fur

brown fur
ozaawadowe vai s/he has brown or yellow fur

dark fur
makadewadowe vai s/he has black fur, has dark fur

dark-brown fur
makade-ozaawadowe vai s/he has dark-brown fur

deep fur
ishpadowe vai s/he has deep fur

grey fur
waabadowe vai s/he has grey fur

nice fur
minwadowe vai s/he has nice fur

lose fur
binadowe vai s/he loses fur, sheds

prime fur
giizhadowe vai s/he has prime fur (at end of the season)

red fur
miskwadowe vai s/he has red or reddish fur

thin fur
dabasadowe vai s/he has short thin fur

bibagadowe vai s/he has short thin fur

white fur
waabishkadowe vai s/he has white fur

yellow fur
ozaawadowe vai s/he has brown or yellow fur

furious
adj
furious
onzaamigidaazo vai s/he is extremely angry, is irate, is furious

The Ojibwe People's Dictionary is developed and maintained by:
Nora Livesay, Editor
John D. Nichols, Founder and Linguistic Editor

with support and collaboration from the University of Minnesota's Department of American Indian Studies and University Libraries.

Additional Resources

Many of the words in the Ojibwe People's Dictionary have related resources. Click through to the full dictionary entry to hear audio recordings, see images, read documents and watch videos. Here's a key to resource icons.

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Speakers & Regions Key

Individual speakers and speakers from different regions use different words when speaking. Each audio recording is marked with the initials of the Ojibwe speaker. Click on a speaker's initials to go to the speaker's bio page. If an Ojibwe word is particular to a certain region, it will be marked with a region code. Click on the region code to go to the Regions page.