Entries | Nukuoro Living Dictionary

Entries

keli— root around (disturbing the coral layer of a yard by shuffling, or by pawing the ground)
hola— to spread out, or layout flat, something which is folded, piled up, or bent, etc.
adu— fish sp.: skipjack tuna
go ai doo ingoo?— what's your name?
sauligi— a type of adze (with a rotatable head)
vaa-— can, be able to
iga-adagahi— fish sp.: hawkfish (2 sorts)
hodahoda— gasp for breath (more than once)
duuli— surround
hili de hau— make a hau
dee maleva— not present, absent
gage de henua— invade
mahumahu— becoming mahu
doo i hainga a me— wait for a long time (beyond the time expected)
ssele— cut (something); make an incision
isiisi luu gauasa— to tear from limb to limb
gaanoni— an omen of death
dangadangalebu— becoming rougher (of seas)
madolidoli— of unusual age or size
maana— for him/her (alienable)
llea— say loudly
anaa laa— these (there) which were there
haahaanialo— to put a bracing cross-beam on in several places
dalia-dodo— mollusk sp.: chlamys schmeltzi
luduludu— trembling
mahaahaa— <pl. of mahaa>
dama donu— a natural child
gina— fish sp.: rainbow runner
ebuebua— covered with ebuebu
honohono— having patches in several places
baagava— violent in word or action
gaehala— immature breadfruit; an aerial root of a pandanus tree which is used as a jump rope
noho muli— overloaded in the stern (of a canoe)
dangau-laha— fish sp., snapper
daane e manege— a person who is capable at almost anything
ssave de loolodo— flying fish inside the lagoon
dodo— blood
hagabiho— cause to become a leader
gabanibaonga— room (of a house)
sai— group of (e.g., agu sai 'my children')
maege— raised up
manu gaugau— plant sp.: a variety of taro
sasa gee— impetuous in act or movement (leading to frequent error)
dele de longo— spread news or rumors
doli age— obtain the smallest first
oho iho— come ashore early in the morning
gubo— work with concentration in the midst of a group
gide gauligi— to see from the perspective of a small child
baageaa mai— fall ill, become sick or weak
hagadodi— walk with a limp (permanently)
hagaava— make a channel
daa gi magau— beat to death; kill
dangau-paava— fish sp., snapper
hagabasabasalia— cause to be convinced
idi— to husk (a coconut) with one's teeth
mee madaali— a ripe coconut of poor quality
lugu me— having a tendency to take by force
ngadoa— to have come to the end
hagaduu me— miserly
ngadolo— a landslide or similar movement of things
daabeduge saele— to bat around
sigale saele— search for
daa mouli— take life away from
dahea iho— drift toward the place where the speaker is not
sege de gauanga— dislocated thigh bone
sabalia— be in a precarious situation
ma— for (someone); benefactive
uhado— large white worm species
masana— good (quality)
ngudu maimai— flattery or other communication by which one attempts to ingratiate oneself; unctuous, cloying, winsome
haaele— adopt, raise (a child)
maatala— easily unfastened or untied
gadaha— bird sp.: great frigate bird (fregata minor)
dao— bake
giligili— stone
donga— plant sp.: oriental mangrove (bruguiera gymnorhiza)
Unu— the name of a star; the name of a folk tale character
selu— to comb (hair)
haiva dee agona— sexual activity (lit. the activity which is not taught)
lodo laanui— large in volume or capacity, spacious inside
goloa— gear, tools, goods, supplies
aloha ai— love intensely; feel sorry for or sympathetic toward
au— I, me
mahaa— broken up, cracked, burst
golo me— unforgiving
denaa donu— that is it for sure
ise ngaio— needlefish
gubu dao— a join of the spear shaft which is made of two pieces of wood
dahi angeange— another
angaanga— body
hagamanida— lift (something) up
salulu— the noise of an explosion or loud report (as when two things collide)
salaa— fish sp.: flying fish
alamoi— June
hhanga dalogo— to make coconut ice cream made entirely from a young coconut
naa gaalava— so what
labulabu sala— fail to take hold of (or do) properly (leading to an accident, or other unfortunate outcome)
tai unu— thirsty
sali de usu— runny nose
hagadiinonga— treat as having supernatural power
sunusunua— be covered with oil
noho— stay, sit, stop; freeze; live (at); remain (somewhere); be situated
ngalue age— increased, augmented
buu-kangi-de-muli— mollusk sp.: cymatiidae spp., also bursa bubo
mo— for (someone); benefactive
abadai— European
lagolagoanga— way of being many
masoasoa— spacious
ssave— fish sp.: flying fish
lallala— warm oneself by the fire
deehee— how; which
giligili tai— horizon
malibi— fast
sausau— fish sp.: lion-fish
daelodo gi lunga— a large number of
hagalongaa— make noise
kobe— cough (a single time)
lou gulu— pick breadfruit
gaisaa— wasteful in preparing food, uneconomical
boi dugidugi— idiot
gide eidu ina— to see a vision, hallucinate
hagadolodolongia— slack off on (a rope) little by little
hagassahu— to try one's best to do something bad or harmful
hadumuna— lie (tell untruth)
haduhadua— rocky (full of stones)
anga— pay attention to (notice), be aware of
deenaa— that (by you)
madumadua— very old (persons); fully mature and then some
muu-madavai— fish sp. (rare)
gegeli— struggle
baalasi— press down or against; sit on (as chicken hatching eggs)
madaa gamu— the measurements and special techniques used in manufacturing duai
hegau— work, activity, occupation
sumu— a method of lashing (which is diamond-shaped) and of decorating mats (with a diamond-shaped design)
huaadangada— persons of a certain class or type
dama namu— mosquito larva
luu golee— testicles
dala-dalaa-moa— plant sp.: lycopodium phlegmaria l.
datada de galomada— twitching of an eye
sulumanga o de laa— the direction in which the sun sets
daamadaa-sele— insect sp.: water bug
hakide— to reveal oneself to someone (of a ghost); to show (familiarize with)
goolo— gold
bae mamu— fish weir
lua laangi— Tuesday
soesoe gulu— a young breadfruit tree
magi eaea— an eruption in a child's mouth, said to result from improper feeding
gai dagidagi— eat while walking; food for sale which is carried on the road
hagatili— swoop down, swoop across
hadi haho— steep (inclination)
deledele saele— walk around aimlessly; be spread allover (of news)
samouli— the spirit of a human being after his death
tangada gaiaa— thief
buadalia— cast with a sling
gaigai a usu— flatus
gai mee hagadau doa— eat as though competing against other eaters in a test of manliness (e.g., to eat fish with the scales and all)
baa— mollusk sp., pearl oyster
hadu-bunga— mollusk sp.: chama iostoma
leda— letter, mail
dalea— tired
lau hadihadi— having wavy hair
tugilima— elbow
sassano— becoming acquainted with <reduplicated form of ssano>
muna abo donu— truth
maailele— die
aamuli— descendants (in all inferior generations)
baluu— coconut crab
daane ssili dala— special one, important one
dugu dagidahi— place (or leave off) one at a time
hano muhuu loo— let's see...
daelodo dau— a large enough number to "count"
gannui koi— meat inside a young green coconut which has been scraped out of the shell to be eaten
hagagalugalua— cause to have more and more viscous sputum
hagasemada— make a total of ten thousand
baabaa luu lima— clap hands
diibanga goo dii— a game played by children (to determine who is "it")
bangabanga— fish sp.
sobaga— fish sp.: tang
basa maalie— speak moderately
abasasa— European
mamu— fish (generic term)
ssuonioni ina— sandy
hagadabu— restrict
hagahaunu— cause to drink alcoholic beverages
lima dangada ina— a patient of one healer who has been treated by another healer
odomalie— delicious (of coconut apples only)
tuugau i daha— clitoris
galo ahi— sparks
kosi-honga-agau— mollusk sp., trachycardium orbita
dabadaballahi— more-or-less thin
vini— tangled up, confused; equally matched
hagabunibuni— add together from different sources
dili dagidahi— happening continually but one at a time
daahanga ange— give pleasure to someone by giving him something
aha dea— driftwood sp. (white in the center)
dae banibani— the white excretion of the sea cucumber
hagao— buy, sell, repay
sogosogoisi— becoming fewer and fewer
hhola mai saiolo— to allow the sail to fill with wind, holding on to the boom sheet (after luffing)
magau donu i de lodo— want desperately

← →