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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

wing
n
wing
oningwiigan nid its wing

break wing
bookoningwii vai s/he breaks h/ wing, has a broken wing

bookoningwiishin vai s/he breaks h/ wing falling or hitting against

broken wing
bookoningwii vai s/he breaks h/ wing, has a broken wing

close wings
zipwaangeni vai s/he closes h/ wings

lift wings
ombaangeni vai s/he lifts h/ wings

long wings
ginwaakoningwii vai s/he has long wings

shake wings
bapawaangeni vai s/he shakes h/ wings

spread wings
dazhwaangeni vai it (animate) spreads out its wings

striped wings
bepeshiningwii vai s/he has striped wings

wink
vi
wink
jiibiingweni vai s/he winks

jiibiingwetaw vta [BL] wink at h/

jiichiibiingwetaw vta wink at h/

Winnebago
n
Winnebago
wiinibiigoo na a Hochunk (Winnebago)

winning
n
winning
bakinaagewin ni winnings, jackpot

winnow
vt
winnow
nooshkaatoon vti2 winnow it [wild rice]

nooshkaachige vai s/he winnows things, winnows wild rice

nooshkaatamaw vta winnow (it) for h/

nooshkaachigaade vii it is winnowed (by someone), "they" winnow it

winnowing tray
n
winnowing tray
nooshkaachinaagan ni a winnowing tray, a winnowing basket

winter
n
winter
biboon vii it is winter

biboonagad vii it is a winter, it (a year) passes

► daso-biboonagad vii

after midwinter
giiwe-biboon vii it is after midwinter, is late winter

all winter
gabe-biboon adv tmp all winter

every winter
endaso-biboon adv tmp every winter

last winter
biboonong adv tmp last winter

late winter
giiwe-biboon vii it is after midwinter, is late winter

long winter
biichi-biboon vii it is a long winter

short winter
besho-biboon vii it is a short winter

spend the winter
biboonishi vai s/he spends the winter somewhere

winter before last
awas-biboonong adv tmp [ML] winter before last

See also: awasi-biboonong adv tmp

wipe
vt
wipe by hand
giziin vta wipe h/ (by hand)

Paired with: giziinan vti

giziinan vti wipe it (by hand)

Paired with: giziin vta

wipe using something
gaasii' vta wipe h/ (using something)

Paired with: gaasii'an vti

gaasii'an vti wipe it (using something)

Paired with: gaasii' vta

gaasii'ige vai s/he wipes things (using something)

wipe after defecating
giziindime'o vai s/he wipes h/ self after defecating

wipe dishes
gaasiinaagane vai s/he wipes dishes

wipe face
giziingwe'o vai s/he wipes h/ (own) face (with something)

wipe floor
giziisaginan vti wash it (a floor); wipe it (a floor)

giziisaginige vai [BL] s/he wipes the floor; [BL] s/he washes the floor

See also: giziibiigisaginige vai

giziisaginamaw vta wash the floor for h/; wipe the floor for h/

wipe hands
gaasiininjii vai s/he wipes h/ (own) hands

giziininjii vai s/he wipes h/ (own) hands; s/he washes (own) h/ hands

wipe mouth
gaasiidoone'o vai s/he wipes h/ (own) mouth

wire
n
snare wire
agoodwaaganeyaab ni snare wire, snare

nagwaaganeyaab ni snare wire, snare

wire
biiwaabikoons ni
  1. wire
  2. a can, a tin
  3. a telephone

wire cutter
n
wire cutter

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.