Entries | Nukuoro Living Dictionary

Entries

honga de mouli— during the lifetime of
buliaamou— long for, homesick
tangada sisi— secretary
taane sauaa— shark (euphemism; lit. 'powerful man')
gaiaa dau bodu— commit adultery
saidule— wrapped up or covered up completely
teungaalodo— middle (of something round); center
mmasa bagubagu— hard and curled up owing to dryness
gimoo— fish sp.: silversides (the native term is applied to several spp.)
doo mee— plant things
ngadau— year; age (of a person)
diba— portion, share (of something); part (of something); fraction (in arithmetic)
kala— smarting of skin which has been cut, or of an abrasion, when in contact with seawater, etc.
saelesaele— to wander around continually (from past time to the present)
heboohagi mai— found fighting
dogaa— bashful, ashamed, shy, embarrassed
gili belu— dead skin (can be peeled without pain)
sagulaa-dagua— fish sp.: type of sailfish or marlin
aamia— sufficient for the purpose or need
baalanga uli— cast iron
moea— a person who is able to catch many flying fish (because the fish seem not to awaken at his approach)
basabasalia— be talked about frequently
gava— cut open
kangi— sharp (as a knife), pointed
langa— lift, raise up; copy out (by hand); ship from one place to another
gumedi hadu— a bowl (pottery)
sou daane— a sudden strong gust of wind
maalo age— have become energetic, eager, wide awake
dungagi— nod (one's head)
moomodu— collapse completely
dau hoohanga— the season during which birds lay eggs
dagugu— fish sp., damselfish, snapper
aha ai— what for
oo iho (age)— able to enter, going up (down)
hanga benu— to extract pandanus seeds by splitting the fruit
samouli— Nukuoro deity, goddess of life
gida ma gida— each individual...
laanningi— sleeveless shirt
savini— run, move fast (as fish, or a canoe)
gai— eat (transitive); food
aoa-laosedi— gorgonian (coelenterate), false blackcoral
daaganga— way of travelling
magi luduludu— the tremor (as though chilled) of a sick person
mai moni— a type of fishhook (made from pearl shell)
hai me mulegi— to show off (esp. in front of members of the opposite sex)
ssele i de niho— damn it!
gau de henua— natives
hai dama— pregnant
noho dodo— coagulation of blood
sou— a gust of wind
maamaaua— frequently maaua
laagii— decoration, ornamentation
sebugi— billions
lae— forehead
ahu— islet
gava uli— reef heron - grey phase
dodo ina— bloody (as of garments)
dee masae de leo— lose one's voice (from straining one's vocal cords)
alo malie— coconut meat (fully mature) of good quality for eating
doo— your (singular; for singular, inalienable noun)
huugaabungubungu— very plump
hanu mee— secret friend of the opposite sex
madamada— half-cooked
dauaa— wrinkled
buubuulia— to divine (for omens)
dagodo hai sala— fornication
bugolo— coral sp.: faviid coral
basa hagassee— speak so as to change the impression one's previous words have made
gaha dea— having almost ripe coconuts (whose husk fibers are white)
sigo— to catch (e.g., a ball); pull in a line; move a canoe to another spot when fishing (i.e., to pull in one's lines first); to climb a tree without using climbing aids
kai— propensity of fish to bite (a whole school at once)
gagai— propensity of fish to bite (one at a time)
lodo gaiaa— competitive, envious, desirous of retaliating
gaha biigi— a rope for tying pigs
moona— for him/her (inalienable)
longoaa— <= longaa>
hagadaula— to anchor
lava ai donu huu— forget it
mee aha ai— what for
gegeno— alligator, crocodile
moe— round, spherical, circular; loop
ula— aflame, burning
anailaanei— today (past)
bodubodu— particles of rotting wood or thatch, etc.
mammami— delicious, tasty
haonga— hole
bagibagi— <occurs only in phrases>
kailuu— frog, toad
duudae— feces
hai mee— industrious
minede— minute
togo lua— second (of people)
gaaui— take (someone) along (esp. carrying, etc.)
beabeau— choppy seas
gelu-agau— fish sp.: tang
dele de gada— smile
sassabe— about to leave, prepare to leave
doo tahulinga— bad-mannered
gai modo— eat when still unripe
ssau— blow (of the wind)
gau dahi— a method of fishing for tuna (angling with a single baited hook)
diinei mai dege— to round off a sharp edge
moou— for you (sg) (inalienable)
odi— gone, finished, used up
unumanga— drinking party
aliali— the barely formed gelatinous layer inside the immature coconut
pee— pass wind (flatus)
badioda— the residue remaining after coconut oil has been heated; the residue remaining after arrowroot starch-making
hagaeidu— treat as god, ghost, spirit
longaa— annoyed by noise
nnoo hagamau me— insatiably acquisitive
hadu goinga— boundary stone
boo hagalele mouli— a night on which the making of noise is permitted (i.e., on certain holidays)
diimolalaaidu— the tenth child of a couple
tau ange luu mada— have noticed
malaia— have luck which is unexpected (esp. bad, in which case considered retribution for past deeds)
ssami— eat
muu— utter (words or sounds), reply (to someone)
aagonga i lalo— social class of those who know magic
basa madua— speak as an elder (treating the hearer as a child)
hoolu— prow (bottom part)
soe— straight, not crooked; level
hang gainga— urinate, urine
basa hagaeaea— stutter
valu llau— eight hundred
gaadinga gaha paa— a coconut with an unusually small-sized kernel
gada gimoo— smile (esp. for no good reason or when embarrassed)
hagadibadibalia— cause to rock back and forth to one side
bedage— shallow (bowl, basket, etc.)
gii— a high-pitched sound, soft, high-pitched crying (as by children)
ala— a section of a mat
hai ganabu— the stage in the development of a coconut tree in which the base of a coconut tree trunk begins to develop
dogi hakolona— a type of adze (with a curved blade of terebra shell)
mua iho (age)— next above (below)
donu— understand; truth, right, correct
hale hai niho— dentist's office
hagadubu manu baabaa— the name of a certain type of string figure
dauaabulu— nearly sunk
mugamuga— first stage of a green coconut; youngest coconut
lagalagai— a method of plating coconut palm fronds
tubuna ahine— grandmother
anei ange huu— this (plural) much more only
odi ai loo— that's the end! that's all!
boiboi— repeatedly displaying signs of abnormality; dizzy
mada looloa— longer in comparison with; extending farther than appears to be the case
duu gaso— vertical, straight up and down
dauaahe— gather or pleat in material; feathers of a rooster standing out on its neck (when angry); festooned with (e.g., flags)
malaelae— clear, unobstructed, uncluttered
sao de lahalaha— more wide than long
ganoanga— yellow
haamaga— hammock
sui— change, replace
llilo— able to be hooked
soosoa— outrigger float lashings (complementary to the connecting pegs)
ssave-a-bao— fish sp.: flying fish
haadinga haiava— bend in a path
hatuli— thunder
hagapuuninga— a total of
dee vaagidee— ugly, awful; extremely disappointing
hagabibi— to cook food in an earth oven for a short time (just to heat it up)
poo— touch; grab, catch
boaa— be caught in a storm
alohaha— throat (of fish only)
hagalooloa— lengthen, prolong
e maua— possible
daudali— follow (someone)
anaa ange naa— about that (here) much more (plural)
haaede— measure
mage— <var. of ma gi>
laba ngaugau— a stalk of the elephant-ear plant
galeve— alcoholic beverage made from the coconut palm
daalea— tired (pl.)
vasu— timid, shy
sugi lima— forearm
agu— my (for plural, alienable noun)
gaadinga osi— a coconut selected as a seedling
pena— take precautions
malili— scatter, fall out little by little (as hair, or sand when it is poured); powdered (soap, etc.)
malobi— nut from a tree, resembles peanut
ui de boo— pass the night
langi maakau— the sort of rain which is an omen of death
gili somo— the coconut meat of a germinating coconut (after the coconut apple has been removed)
dau gai— the season in which seasonally available food is abundant
hudaa moni— a fleet of canoes
odaau— our (dual, inclusive; for plural, inalienable noun)
gili manusomo— bark
dua gina— fishingline of a size appropriate for fish sp.: rainbowrunner fishing
sege— to slip, slide, ride or surf
geesaa— mollusk sp.: fimbria soverbii
luu odaau— our (dual, inclusive; for dual, inalienable noun)
buubuu— to divine (for omens)
gaibea haahine— female crab
lava sili— good enough; stop
dala— bird sp.: tern (a vagrant sp., rarely seen)
boi malangilangi— laugh abnormally
au hagi— an ocean current which turns away from the reef
dahulihuli donu— be careful (said to someone going fishing)
hagahhano— show someone how to wash his hands (or mouth)
hine duuhua— unmarried girl
hagasaaloa— to encounter good (or bad) fortune

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