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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

g= pf you [the one or ones spoken to; the second person]; your [the one or ones spoken to; the second person]

ga- pv tns future tense

See also: gad- pv tns

gabadoo vai s/he goes over a portage

(derived noun) gabadoowin ni portaging; a portage
gabadoodaabii'iwe vai s/he drives over a portage

gabadoowin ni a portage; portaging

gabaya'ii adv loc [N] for a long time

See also: gabeya'ii adv tmp

gabaa vai s/he gets off (a vehicle or boat), disembarks

(causative) gabaa' vta get h/ off, let h/ off (a vehicle or boat), help h/ disembark
gabaabatoo vai s/he gets off [a boat or vehicle] running

gabaachigan ni [BL] something boiled

gabaachiganamik na [BL] a boiled beaver

gabaachigaade vii it is cooked by boiling (by someone), "they" cook it by boiling

gabaachigaazo vai it (animate) is cooked by boiling (by someone), "they" cook it (animate) by boiling

gabaagwaashkwani vai s/he jumps off or out [of a boat or vehicle]

gabaa' vta get h/ off, let h/ off (a vehicle or boat), help h/ disembark

Paired with: gabaatoon vti2

gabaanaazha' vta tell h/ to get off, tell h/ to disembark

gabaanizha' vta tell h/ to get off a vehicle or boat

gabaashim vta cook it (animate) (by boiling)

Paired with: gabaatoon vti2

gabaatoon vti2 cook it (by boiling)

Paired with: gabaashim vta

(verb of undergoing) gabaachigaade vii it is cooked by boiling (by someone), "they" cook it by boiling (verb of undergoing) gabaachigaazo vai it (animate) is cooked by boiling (by someone), "they" cook it (animate) by boiling (derived noun) gabaachigan ni [BL] something boiled
gabaatoon vti2 take it off a boat

Paired with: gabaa' vta

gabaawebin vta throw h/ or it (animate) off a boat or vehicle

Paired with: gabaawebinan vti

gabaawebinan vti throw it off a boat or vehicle

Paired with: gabaawebin vta

gabaawebishkan vti kick, shove it off a vehicle or boat (with foot or body)

Paired with: gabaawebishkaw vta

gabaawebishkaw vta kick, shove h/ or it (animate) off a vehicle or boat (with foot or body)

Paired with: gabaawebishkan vti

gabe- pv lex throughout; whole extent of

gabe-ayi'ii adv loc a long time; throughout it

gabe-biboon adv tmp all winter

gabe-dagwaagi adv tmp all fall

gabe-dibik adv tmp all night; overnight

gabe-gikendaasoowigamig ni a college, a university

gabe-giizhig adv tmp all day

See also: gabe-giizhik adv tmp

gabe-giizhik adv tmp all day

See also: gabe-giizhig adv tmp

gabe-ishkwaa-naawakwe adv tmp all afternoon

gabe-niibin adv tmp all summer

gabe-onaagosh adv tmp all evening

See also: gabenaagosh adv tmp

gabe-zhebaa adv tmp all morning

gabe-ziigwan adv tmp all spring

gabedibikwe vai s/he spends the whole night

gabe'adoo vai

gabe'adwaadan vti

gabekana adv loc at the end of the road or trail

gabenaw vta beat, defeat h/ (in a game)

(detransitive) gabenaage vai s/he scores, wins (in a game)
gabenaage vai s/he scores, wins (in a game)

gabenaagosh adv tmp all evening

See also: gabe-onaagosh adv tmp

gabeshi vai s/he camps, sets up camp

(derived noun) gabeshiwin ni a campsite, a camp
gabeshiwin ni a campsite, a camp

gabeshkan vti go to the end of it; pass by or through to the end of it; complete, pass through it; succeed in it

gabeshkaa vai s/he goes, comes to the end

gabeya'ii adv tmp for a long time

See also: gabaya'ii adv loc [N]

gabeyaaboono vai s/he slides all the way (on some medium such as water or snow)

gabikan vti pass it; get over or through it

Paired with: gabikaw vta

gabikaw vta pass h/

Paired with: gabikan vti

(detransitive) gabikaage vai s/he passes (people)
gabikaage vai s/he passes (people)

gabikooba' vta run past h/

gabikooshimo vai s/he dances past someone

gad- pv tns future tense

► ga- pv tns

gadiskaakonan vti [BL] unbutton it

See also: gidiskaakonan vti [S]

(reflexive) gadiskaakonidizo vai [BL] s/he unbuttons h/ self
gadiskaakonidizo vai [BL] s/he unbuttons h/ self

See also: gidiskaakonidizo vai [S]

gadiskaapi vai s/he can't hold back h/ laughter, break out in laughter

gadiskibidoon vti2 [BL] disconnect it [pulling]; split it open (with hands), pull it apart and open; pull the plug on it

Paired with: gadiskibizh vta [BL] See also: gidiskibidoon vti2 [S]

gadiskibizh vta [BL] disconnect it (animate); split it (animate) open (with hands), pull it (animate) apart and open

Paired with: gadiskibidoon vti2 [BL] See also: gidiskibizh vta

gagagwejim vta keep asking h/

gaganoodan vti

gaganoonidiwag vai they talk to each other, have a conversation

gaganoozh vta talk to h/, have a conversation with h/

gagaandashkina' vta force h/ to eat more

gagaanjinawe' vta irritate, provoke, tease h/

(detransitive) gagaanjinawe'iwe vai s/he irritates, provokes, teases people
gagaanjinawe'iwe vai s/he irritates, provokes, teases people

gagaanjinawem vta irritate, provoke, tease h/ (by speech)

(reciprocal) gagaanjinawendiwag vai they irritate, provoke, tease each other (by speech) (detransitive) gagaanjinawenge vai s/he teases, irritates, harasses people (by speech)
gagaanjinawendiwag vai they irritate, provoke, tease each other (by speech)

gagaanjinawenge vai s/he teases, irritates, harasses people (by speech)

gagaanoganzhii vai s/he has long nails, claws

gagaanogaade vai s/he has long legs

gagaanominagadoon vii they (inanimate; globular) are long

gagaanominagiziwag vai they (animate; something small and round) are long

gagaanonagweyaa vii it has long sleeves

gagaanotawage vai s/he has long ears

gagaanooziwag vai they are tall, are long

gagaanwa'amii vai s/he takes long steps

gagaanwaabide vai s/he has long teeth

See also: gagaanwaakwaabide vai

gagaanwaabiigadoon vii they (something string-like) are long

gagaanwaabiigi- pv lex long and stringy (especially plural)

gagaanwaabiigi-bakwezhigan na spaghetti

gagaanwaabiigitawage vai s/he has long floppy ears

gagaanwaakoganzhii vai s/he has long nails or claws

gagaanwaakogaade vai s/he has long legs

gagaanwaakonike vai s/he has long arms

gagaanwaakoninjii vai s/he has long hands, has long fingers

gagaanwaakozide vai s/he has long feet or (hind) paws

gagaanwaakozidekawe vai s/he leaves long-footed tracks

gagaanwaakoziwag vai they (something animate and stick-like) are long

Paired with: gagaanwaakwadoon vii

gagaanwaakwadoon vii they (something stick-like) are long, are tall

Paired with: gagaanwaakoziwag vai

gagaanwaakwaabide vai s/he has long teeth

See also: gagaanwaabide vai

gagaanwaanikwe vai s/he has long hair

gagaanwaawan vii they are long

Paired with: gagaanooziwag vai

gagaanwegi' vta make them (animate; sheet-like) long

Paired with: gagaanwegitoon vti2

gagaanwegitoon vti2 make them (inanimate; sheet-like) long

Paired with: gagaanwegi' vta

gagaanzitam vai2 s/he disobeys instructions

gagaanzitan vti disobey it

Paired with: gagaanzitaw vta

gagaanzitaw vta act contrary to h/ instructions

Paired with: gagaanzitan vti

gagaanzom vta persuade, urge, encourage, convince h/

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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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.