Entries | Nukuoro Living Dictionary

Entries

alahenua— plot of (bush) land, acreage
dala-galoi— fish sp.: puffer
mahana— hot (objects, weather); warm
moloa— knotted (of hair)
au— your (singular; for plural, alienable noun)
hagasehua— to make a total of 1000 coconuts
hai daadaa— the relationship between siblings
e aha goe— how about
tama ulungi— coxswain of a canoe rigged for the pole fishing of tuna, who also handles the pole
gadunga— fire-plow
bodu o taane— wife
malanga— lifted up; departed (as a ship); separate from; separated from
bee— flatus, the sound of flatulence
lilo bule— covered up completely
kalo— stir up
gaahanga— a rope used to assist in climbing
dilimangali— to catch flying fish
ssae— rip, tear, deflower (a virgin)
haganaa— to calm down someone who is excited or unhappy
molo— a noose for fishing
alahage— wake up (from sleep)
hagadegelia— <var. of hagadegea>
dee heloongoi— misunderstand one another; mismated (not matched properly); not fit; not able to get along with
tea— white
dangi hagahadihadi— wail loudly (when crying)
gili— skin; bark (of a tree)
loage— go (up or toward the village, or land) <pl>
nodi— to tie a knot in the hair
abiabi— pull up slowly or gently with one's fingers
delaa maa— that there was about (approximately)
hale— house, dwelling, building
sagana— watch carefully, keep an eye on
denei ange— this is another one
laba— flash (as of lightning)
massogosogo— go or do by oneself; a one-man canoe
mangila— plant sp.
gamedi vai salo— a type of bowl
dee mmuu— silent
hhuu— chuckle
hodooligi— chief (of the island)
diimadamadanoa— the ninth child of a couple
henua i lalo (alodahi)— world (lands other than Nukuoro)
tama legalega eidu— pupil of the eye; a cry of a bird or human that sounds like the cry of a baby; the name of a ghost
galani— almost finished, nearly finished;
gada-laagau-ngaadai— fish sp.
ssui o de hine— amniotic fluid
hagapasalia— convince (several people) completely
tugolo— information (by definition, true) acquired from one's parents
danu— bury, sink from view
goloa labagau— carpenter's tools
dangada hai valaai— shaman; someone who does traditional medicine
sui hagahoou— change of personality (for the better)
gaasia— coral sp.: (looks like a flower)
dai hieunu— thirsty
hagabinga— name (something)
sae iho— tear from the top down; break through the bush (coming downhill)
heloongoi— fit together with (match) each other; have an understanding with one another (e.g., as do lovers); understand one another
ubu hhoa— type of prepared food dish made from taro cooked in a half coconut shell
angeange laa— the one following the one in question
hidu-limu— the seventh number of a counting game played to determine who is "it"
duai— old (in the past)
maanadu gelo— profound thoughts
buusi— cat
hai kai— show-off, proud
buibui— cage; fence
hai de hagamaanadu— remembrance, observance of (e.g., a holiday)
haahaango— wake up (someone) insistently
hagadaga— go from one place to another, and another, etc.
hagagili— cause to have skin disease
dele— move from one place to another; to sail (a canoe); be transmitted; slipout of one's hands (e.g., a line on which a big fish has been caught)
dodi— have a limp (physical condition)
dada soosoa— to put outrigger float lashings on the canoe
mada udua— the point of a promontory or peninsula (esp. if large)
daga— go from one place to another in a group
tagi— chief
hagammene dua— go backwards (esp. a canoe)
mada dahi— having a single point or blade
hagavvela— be hot
kino— hate
hagadaumee— enemy
siisiia— fished in (place)
llanga— weave
naba— a slip of the tongue
tangada mange— now you've done it!
muia— be gathered around (something)
ginadoa— a boil on the body that is hard and painful, and which will not come to a head
henua— island, land; country
daamada— begin
daa gaiaa— to murder someone so that others don't see
pono— to close; lid, cap
madaangudu— converse with
gimaadeu— we (plural, exclusive)
leengia— jump on; be flown into
boobodo— occurring at short intervals
sae de hadu— make a grater (by punching holes in sheet metal)
dagi gee— lead away from
bini dali gadaha— a method of braiding fibers of the coconut leaf rachi into string to make a bird snare; six-ply braiding (of rope)
baa— touch (two or more things), be in contact, make contact with uniformly
dao hagamaadau— a spear with a barb
saunoa— very
dahea age— drift toward place where speaker is
ingoo— name
hagadubu o de ahi— the name of a certain type of string figure
haonga lalo de henua— cave
daumaha haangoda— prayer service held while visiting others' houses
sau makaga de madangi— the blowing of wind steadily (for a long time) from one direction
dada— fish sp.
hagamadahuuhua— cause to have pimples
dali— fibers of the coconut leaf rachi
dahea gee— drift away
balu-udu— fish sp.: snapper
dagodo gee (ma)— another thing altogether; different (from); recuperating (after an illness)
daudali i lodo— follow another's will
dogadogaa— having a tendency to be bashful, ashamed, shy, embarrassed
hoohoa laagau— drill wood to make a hole in which to insert the end of a pole (to make a joint)
maimai ange— to have been dulled (from having been struck on a hard object)
daumaha hagatoo donu— church service of dedication (in which the members renew their vows)
hai donu— do properly by accident; do on purpose
hagapago sala— unfortunate result
mada dotodo— an abrasion of the skin (red but not bleeding)
dama madua— eldest child
anaa dagodo— those are the circumstances...
udo— the soft wood around the center of a tree trunk
doolohi— chase, run after
haalala— stand leaning
hagasoosoa— to put outrigger float lashings on a canoe
kinaa— there (by you)
manuia— fortunate, lucky, blessed
gu malaia donu— to have been lucky
ulahi— fish sp.: parrot fish
ngaio— fish sp.: needlefish
maohaoha— broken up (into many pieces or groupings)
tangada sinaa ina— gray-haired person
mada libia— a very sharp point
ouou— yes yes
lohaloha— measure off in fathoms
odi ange— even (number); complete (none missing); reach the maximum
goehau— tree sp.: hibiscus tree (hibiscus tiliaceus l.)
ala— be awake, be open; bloom (of flowers)
saubaligi— graceful in dancing
sausaubaligi— always graceful in dancing
ulu-davage— Indian coral tree
tubuna— grandparent; ancestor
dee adagaigaina— a great many; serious
daasissisi— striped (with stripes)
moounga— mountain
ngali— take a bite of
daane dee lahilahia— a very special one (rarely seen)
duudua-a-de-honu— seaweed sp.
daa gee taahili— sing off-key
tuu de galeve— make palm toddy
laagau aalo saelenga— thatch rafters on the ends of a house
noholia— occupied
launui— coconut palm leaf
haaina dangada— stare at people indiscreetly (esp. strangers)
gada— laugh
doo mai de malino— completely calm
tai— almost
uaua nnui— larger blood vessels
lolo hai haahine— a love potion (applied to the clothes or body)
saibo— rush around (of a group of people)
e dee haalo— refuse to accept (something)
gili malanga— a type of skin disease
daagina— towing; dragging
luu oogu— my (for dual, inalienable noun)
mahuge— open (intransitive)
siva-dahanga— the ninth number of a counting game played to determine who is "it"
adu-balebale-i-dua— fish sp.: bonito
giigii saele— giggle
langadala tohi— a dead coconut leaf torn by the wind
maimai mai— become maimai
dua— diameter (of rope, etc.)
ganimuumuni— a type of string figure
hakai-a-bagila— mollusk sp., cerithiidae spp.
hinangalosaa— miss (somebody or something); long for (a person or place)
ssunu— suck, smoke (cigarettes)
lolo manu de boo— a type of medicine made from coconut oil and centipedes
gaadinga hai ngadi ubu— coconut with a shell of a size appropriate for use as a cooking vessel
silivaahea— wander about with no fixed abode
au— (the generic term for the major types of) currents in the open sea
hai bodu— married couple; marry
mada hoou— brand new
lodo baba— calmness, tranquility, freedom from worries
hadu golaa— sharpening tool
dui manu— a line of flying birds
hagaedeede— balance precariously
tao tangada— to immerse a person in medication
laa— a sail
buulei— ring (for a finger)
huuhuu— fish sp.: parrotfish (the native term is applied to many spp.)
hagabuulunga iho— to accuse oneself of having had sexual relations with someone else
huaahuu daalo— a type of prepared food
lodolodo— to be desirous continually
se gainga— abundant
dogoduli— crouch on all fours
hale honggelegele— bathroom, toilet, outhouse over the water
luu olaadeu— their (for dual, inalienable noun)
langona— heard, felt
ohua— characterized by having many tree trunk depressions
doloa— the name of a name-group

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