Entries | Nukuoro Living Dictionary

Entries

togo dolu— third (of people)
daedaea— have reached many places
sobalo— fish sp.: needlefish
sulu saele— to throw oneself about (as children do when unhappy)
niigoi— wind around (of a rope, etc.)
hinangalomalie— feel happy or contented or at peace with the world
hagadili— produce offspring, raise offspring
hagapilo— let decay; allow to stink
gidigidi— short
hagadae— to give a hand net to
igauli— fish sp.: tang
baadunga— punishment
huahua ai— be in charge of, control, lead
nuui— green
lau iho laa— those of small size
duoi— parasites (intestinal) of fish
dahi daalaa— dollar bill
gumigumi— chin, beard
ihoiholia— useful for climbing down repeatedly
mada hoodanga— a depression on the windward reef
hhanga de ngudu— open one's mouth
dao bagu— dry out (fish or food to preserve it)
lalo de vae— heel
laalanga— the quality of the weave (of mat plaiting)
dunu— cook
hoda— carve out, drill out; eat out the insides of (as does a rat)
dahi i daho dangada— very popular
hai me a gimoo— to act insincerely
laangi hagamouli— Saturday (i.e., the day on which food is prepared for Sunday)
molo— to make a knot of hair
gumigumi-o-sogo— plant sp.: epiphytic fern (vittaria incurvata cav.)
aalaa ange naa— about that (pl.) (over there) much more
balagia a de gaga— fish sp., parrot fish
ngau hala— bite someone
maholaholadage— being holadage in several places
suusu— shoe
duuduu lagi— a diving plaform made from a tree stuck in a coral head
malulu— cold (referring to temperature of something)
beea— bear
mmoea— able to dive to the reef without frightening fish
moe baubau— sleep without regard to remaining decently covered; die in agony
ngaue iho— reduce (in rank, price, etc.)
sisi— mollusk sp. (neritidae)
hela— spread one's legs (esp. a woman in the act of sexual intercourse)
hagamalemolemo— <var. of hagamalemalemo>
mmoli gee— haul away from
duugiva— rough texture, of a plaited object such as a mat
gulu maimai— a type of prepared food (ripe breadfruit which has been cooked in a cooking fire)
dotodi— limping (as an action)
duudae maadau— the dust produced by working pearl shell to make a hook
daaloa— to have been stabbed (esp. accidentally by a coconut husker)
baa ssalu— carom off violently
malingi— spilled, poured out
gai lima dahi— to eat taro without fish (or fish without taro)
muna mai moni— foreign word or language
dau soa— boyfriend, girlfriend, unmarried couple
haonga o talinga— hole of the ear
aalanga— member (of the body, a house, etc.)
hagasiilangaa mada— the appearance of fish or edible animals in great numbers (an omen of death)
hai galauna— fish with a big net for fishing, requiring several persons to manipulate net
baasua— clam (sp.: tridacna maxima)
hoosenga— shy, embarrassed, bashful
badai— meddle in others' affairs
paibu— pipe
gau dagodo— the boom of a sail
gave ala— a method of weaving mats
demaau— our (dual, exclusive; for singular noun)
goloa de henua— gear of local manufacture
dahi de gumigumi— shave one's beard
gage gaahanga— to climb a coconut tree, using a rope used to assist in climbing
mada baabaa— some flat part of the taro
malianoono— fish sp.: lizardfish
daahaa modomodo— third stage of a green coconut
sali dodo— bleed
libi— do rapidly (esp. a repeated action done energetically)
haaedenga— measurement
baeao— husk of the mature coconut
ngani mai— going around in a complete circle toward oneself; fit (of clothes)
vakaa— be in trouble, in danger, or in a precarious situation
manomano— thousands and thousands
suunibongi— a coral formation resembling a man at the bottom of the lagoon; a method of pole fishing at night
luu hadu— testicles
niho gai— permanent teeth (appearing after deciduous teeth)
dabuia— to to splash water on something with the hand at one time
hhanga luu vae— spread one's legs
bigi— close to (in meaning); about to (in time)
gula— strong fire
gaavange— give (to him/them)
niho— tooth, teeth
namuaa— a sore on the lips (believed to result from missing a meal)
ilo— worm, maggot, intestinal parasite
deai mee hagalongolongo— do without hesitation
baalanga sauaa— magnet
mmasi— the ripened condition of the fruit of the pandanus (when the keys begin to fall)
uuvae— feet-first presentation of a fetus at birth
i mua nei— beforehand
siili— a stick used in a children's game
gaogao— hip; beside
lua lodo— undecided
tigi ai donu— none (at least up to now)
dolo— plant sp.: sugarcane
hale daane— traditional men's meeting house
hagasoesoe saele— to walk about without greeting others
buubuu a lada— a type of puzzle
gaga— fibrous brown sheath at the base of a coconut palm
ngaa— fish sp.
gilaadeu— they (plural)
dolo— creep (a very slow movement over the ground)
dagasala— fault, crime, guilt
sili muna— inquisitive (prone to ask too many questions)
buusagisagi— to be laden with scent (of air)
baba donu— properly settled
llahi— thin (pl.)
longolongo i leaala— rumor
hagahidu (ina)— the name of a person in a traditional story
anei donu— only these are the ones
laagau-doi— a driftwood sp., from the sap of which perfume is made
ssongo— stink
dama pala— a fetus which has been aborted, ugly <said jokingly>
daina daane— brother, male cousin
ogo— purlin (i.e., a horizontal beam used for supporting a roof)
busi de usu— snore
dababa— fish sp., shark sp.
haangai— feed
damana— father, uncle, senior male relative, male elder, person in a fatherly relationship
gauligi— child, young person
namu— mosquito
lau ligi— having small leaves
hua— come out in front; sing (a song); bear (fruit); a swelling (on the skin, or of dough, etc.); a swell (of the sea)
hagahale— begin to form (of a situation)
galasi— steal
liholiho— string twirled from coconut fiber, sennit
hagamanu— cause to have disease
saabini— wrap up, tie up
duugia i de gai— be tired of eating a particular kind of food
ina gi hale— a row of thatch
dala-loa— fish sp.: squirrelfish
gainga o de moana— fish (when abundant in the ocean nearby)
giivia— to have something in one's eye
mau— get, obtain, caught
taogubu— waist
ieiange— <var. of ieiangi>
kii— move away
gai hilihili— eat only certain foods prepared incertain ways by certain people; fussy (about food)
madaangahulu ma haa— fourteen
halehale dagodo lodo— nauseated
huaamee daahaa— second stage of a green coconut
damana mai i daha— stepfather
dala malo— change clothes
baasi gi taiao— forenoon (from dawn to noon)
malogahu— collared shirt
seguli— hundreds of thousands
ngalue de hakii— dislocated larynx
ulunga hala— a pillow made from a pandanus log, having various magical uses
guuduma— a (dry) elevation in the taro bog; hillock (in the taro bog only)
daihadu— hardwood in the tree trunk
tolu-malama— March (lit. 'third month')
hagabuulunga— accuse (someone) of having had sexual relations with someone else
manavanava— breathing
deleulu— good at catching tuna
gabe manava— eat sparingly (just enough to maintain one's strength), have a snack
lalo de ahinga— armpit
manava bodo— shortness of breath
dugu de gubenga— set a large net for fishing
tala baubau— confess wrongs
hagaditidi mai de moni— a canoe going so fast it rides high in water (and is planing)
ebuebu— bubbles, foam
daudau— wrestle
daalonga— a wound on the body
mee hagaodi— last one
daane i lalo— a person who fails at everything he tries
deaamonga— a unit of (twenty) coconuts for making huaahuu
hagaalukaba— cause to leave quickly, force out
ngalo— forget
dalinga— ear
mami ange— taste (of something)
galegale— white matter (the sediment in palm toddy, or the powder-like substance on a pandanus key)
gabigabia— repeatedly grubbing
daalanga— story (non-fiction)
huluhulu-manenga— the tenth number of a counting game played to determine who is "it"
hagalulu de langi— attract rain (by making certain noises)
agilau gee— extremely pugnacious
anumia— bobbing in the water
babu daaea— fish sp., snapper
danu de bela— spade up taro plots, adding mulch
valagei— whip black coral
soe iho— straight down; decided for one by the will of god
nebu— to do something so earnestly that one has no time to talk; be very busy
sabanaana— a phosphorescent flash in the water
loha— fathom (the span of one's outstretched arms)
saiolo duli magaga— a type of string figure
eleele— fish sp.: shark sp.
hhoa— crack open; break into pieces; cut a hole in
huaa gulu— breadfruit
ohu— a depression in a tree trunk
maadau gina— a type of fishhook for a type of fishing
beagi— bag
ngae— mollusk sp.: giant clam sp.
bilisimani— policeman
lote— inside

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