Entries | Nukuoro Living Dictionary

Entries

nui— coconut tree (mature)
dii— shine (sun)
gobugobu— splash (or make noise like splashing) repeatedly
hagatevelia— cause to bristle
hagaasanga— to create a watercourse between islets on the atoll
laa— branch (of a tree)
ssai— wrap or cover completely
ginigini— pinch (repeatedly)
kave huaamee— take the whole thing
dangada gohu— ignorant person
aalo lote moana— a disturbance (local) of air
i de -- sogosogo— apiece, each
hhole— peel (something)
duu-lellele— apodous sea cucumber
lanea— much, plenty
hagamogomgo— cause to be muscular
hale haahine— a house of prostitution
hagassui— urinate (piss)
mee gaha dea— a coconut which is nearly mature
hagahahine— treat as a woman
mmala luu mada— stinging of one's eyes (e.g., from salt water)
dala— plant sp.: shrub sp. (ximenia americana l.)
seni ahiahi— go to bed early (in the evening)
hulu— ten (in enumeration and compounds only)
hai mogomogo— muscular, strong; physically active; daring (show off)
saavale ina— fish or meat which is watery in texture and bad tasting
gai ginigini— to eat small bits at a time (particularly for meat)
dangalebu de me— bad weather
alodahi hugadoo— everything, everybody, each and every
maailaba— axis (or long thing through the center of something)
hagatoo donu— promise, swear to the truth of
duli— knee(s)
kave— take, receive
mahi— strong, powerful; energized, lively
hagadubu hue vini— the name of a certain type of string figure
dauaalu— always borrowing or begging
dili aalanga— exhausted (physically or mentally)
hagahana age— recook for several days
baa ange— close to, near to
gaegaehala— a growth of still immature breadfruit on trees
massiva— ninety
lausese— pants
dee baa tae— stay for only a very short time
dua alohagi— fishing line of a size appropriate for trolling
babaiangi— a type of cloud formation (dark but not threatening rain)
miili aheahe— a version of the game called miili
libo ange de henua— feel dizzy or faint, vertigo
gai de baibu— smoke cigarettes
dee hanga— don't move away from the reef
godi— to trim
mahagi— (fruit) picked off (or caused to fall by wind)
ma— and, with
givigivi— bird sp.: ruddy turnstone (arenaria interpres)
hagaaloalo-uli— cause to become dark (of fully mature coconut meat)
laohie age— improving condition (of weather)
lailai— fish sp.
mmau— mastered, memorized, known by heart; <pl. of mau2>
delaa laa— that there was it
holo— swallow
mmudi— sprinkling (of rain)
moa— bird sp.
sao de leo— clear in elocution or in one's singing voice
gano— flesh of, meat of
deai ange soo laangi— i'll get you
nguu— squid
uaua vaaligi— capillary, small blood vessel
lima sisi— little finger
ila— mole, freckle
alaala— sleep fitfully
sali daadaa— to sweat
ngaangaailu— hair (on the head)
ango— pearl
lengi— bloated, inflated, swollen up, bulging
atangada— generation, age set
hagadugu lalo— self-deprecatory, downgrade
lebu— paint (something); put color on, color (something)
amaadeu— our (plural, exclusive; for plural, alienable noun)
luu adaau— our (dual, inclusive; for dual, alienable noun)
anaa naa loo— those seem to be
balabalagula— habitually clumsy
anei naa— these (here) only
hagabuulei— put a ring on (someone)
duuhuli— a type of wave
ivi-a-daea— shoulder blade
bunaa hoe— an eddy left by a paddle stroke
sahe— any material used to absorb a menstrual flow
kii age— move upward; reach a certain age
magau de laa— weakness of the sun's rays (for drying)
duaa dodo— labor pains (of women in childbirth)
gogoo— bird sp.: japanese snipe (capella hardwickii), plural
dee galemu— never mind, don't bother
duu keli— firmly in place, earnestly
hagatala gee— wanting always to hagatala
oha— break (transitive), destroy, damage, ruin
honu— green turtle
hageli— a sort of sound in ancient chants
hagaodea— the time at which it is midday
moni velovelo— a canoe with men going spear fishing
massala— clear-headed
pigi— be stuck
guani— a type of fish trap (with net sides)
salibaadaa— a type of low cloud
dee anga— forgetful, absent-minded
manu lauligi— decorative plants used to build boundary walls
luu aagu— my (for dual, alienable noun)
sogoisi— few
mogomogo— muscle (of the body)
galo saele— look around (moving one's body about)
aha laa— I wonder why
hagabuulinga— group of animate things
sauvalovalo— echo
se goo— adept at
hagasaele— think
dagua— fish sp., yellowfin tuna
maholehole— scraped, scaled (fish)
de gai i mua— favorite food
hagateve— bristle, ready for a fight (of animals)
huevini— a type of string figure
mmilosanga— a confluence of currents (from below the surface of the sea)
basa hagamao lalo— speak humbly
oo tanga— too big (clothes), spacious
nngolo— a steady sound (e.g., of a machine, of rain, or of vibration)
nngaoa— noisy (a loud, individually perceived, noise)
bongaa hala— any long and hollow object (e.g., a pipe or a hose)
levango— fight
tili— send
doo de gauanga— dislocated thigh bone
alasala— vicious
musu— whispering
hagamalo— provide clothes for
hagadanuaa magavaa— make peace between people, conciliate
hagadau vaasuu— be attracted to or like each other (of members of the opposite sex)
deganoe— part of the female genitalia
agaaga— having lots of roots
hadu-uaua— mollusk sp.: spondylus sp.
mee hagasili— a plant which is allowed to grow extra large (for some reason)
hagaabasasa— act like or emulate Europeans
damaa velo— good at spearing fish
hagabudu— gather
degi ange— forgive (someone), pardon (someone)
dagu— my (for singular, alienable noun)
hagaodia— finish up, be last
laagau hagadauaadea— a cross beam lashed to a tree to facilitate climbing it
llohi— erosion of sand or soil (esp. of the beach by wave action)
aalaa loo— those (there) were the ones
gano moana— open sea, far away from any land
mataodao— fish sp.: cornetfish
sinasinaina— having white hair
bagege— clumsy, move jerkily (while stumbling)
daadaa— sibling (mostly children's talk)
hagaaoa— to have purposely stayed up until daybreak
ihee— where
lodo kabi— filled to capacity
magi nngahu— asthma
bie— Plant sp.: Polynesian arrowroot (Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) O.K.).
gai ngaadahi— a distribution of fish to the whole island population
duu taua— outbreak of war
masagage— good at fighting
gai moumou— wasteful of food
galamada— eye(s)
duulua— fish sp.: jack
hidi bido dane— slow-moving or slow-working person
dola— erection (of penis)
mee hanga dalogo— ingredients of coconut ice cream made entirely from a young coconut
dibadiba— unstable; rocking, as a boat
adudai— the Mortlocks (lit. "islands to the west of Nukuoro")
giado taelodo— the outrigger booms toward the center of the canoe
gauanga— thigh
hagavaiduu— to act as though one were lazy
moni— canoe
lava— rich
nege— move (something) a little way over
denei muhuu— how about this one
gubu madila— a joint of bamboo
gadea— the side of the canoe away from the outrigger float
hakaogao— to sit on one buttock
ubu haohao— type of prepared food made from taro and coconut cream
dabu— holy, sacred; forbidden
loba— a type of mat
llanea— plenty; a lot, many
ngadolia— to have come to the end
honga-gelegele— defecate, shit
baa donu— skillful at fighting (opp. of baa sala)
hidu malama— July ('seventh month')
a— proper name marker
diidii— penis; urinate
mataia— soreness of the eyes after a fishing expedition (from the glare of the sun)
hale gai— restaurant
hagabungubungulia— cause to be expanded
hagaheohi— to correct (someone or something)
sisi baalasi— printing (block letters)
aloalo-uli— becoming dark (of fully mature coconut meat)
ga noho— after a time
gaagoo— chicken
galeve vii— fermented sap of the coconut tree (taken from the inflorescence), palm toddy
duu beleala— immature coconut apple
mee doe— remain
de mee laa— that one (over there)
manu aabi— kite
manu laosedi— sea animal; marine invertebrates

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