Entries | Nukuoro Living Dictionary

Entries

moolau lodo— having a short temper
duu hakaa— a piece of coconut husk
ngii— a high-pitched sound
balagula— clumsy
mee saabini uga— reel of fishing line (lit. thing to wrap fishing line)
sanga— fornicate, have sexual intercourse
bili i de lodo— unforgotten
maasina— moon, light (not darkness)
haaula— set on fire
dubuna daane— grandfather(s)
hhuna— hide at one time
damaa-manu— bird sp.: sharp-tailed sandpiper (erolia acuminata)
dabeo— unclean, unkempt
osia— taken for planting
mee daadaa— carved object; the act of carving
bilibili— having a tendency to be caught or hung up on something so as unable to fall (as a felled tree)
langadala— (a piece of) thatch made from coconut palm frond
malali de biho— bald
ava— relief, be relieved
deeai— an emphatic form of no
hadinga— crook of the knee or elbow
daadaa— carve (something)
gabinivali— a kind of ancient song
hano gi oona— very, exceedingly
dango— grab (in order to restrain, e.g., a person), fall upon
denaa laa— that is it there
hagalanea— cause to increase in quantity; greedy
dauaadea— clear (with nothing in the way); unobstructed; cleared (of obstructions)
dahuli de vae— dislocated ankle
haahaangoda— to fish first in one place, then in another
hadu hagamogomogo— gem (lit. precious rock)
mmasa— dry (something), be dry
hoohanga— a nest (of birds); pumice stone (found as driftwood)
hagamaasei ange— make smaller (away from one)
daledale— repeatedly touch lightly
sahudu— fish sp.: sea bass
huga— fine threads or strands
maadau hholu— a fishhook made of wire
hai me madua— act grown up
taina daane o dogu bodu— brother-in-law
giligili— coral rubble; (human) skin in an unhealthy condition
moumousi— repeatedly being defeated, lose (battle, game, etc.) next above (below)
giado— outrigger boom
hagatanga— release; let out slack (in a line)
hagadau-me— enemy; dispute (with someone), argue
lugulugu— fish sp.
doo ingoo go...— your name is...
doo de hatuli— the 'falling of thunder', clapping of thunder
se aha deenaa?— what is that (by you)?
elegia— bird species
manu vaaligi— insect (small)
dae— guts, intestines, buttocks
ngaengae— to become dizzy in the water
hakolona— mollusk sp.: auger shell (terebridae sp.)
kaa— a type of sound, made to attract birds
angi— blow gently (of wind); a disturbance (of the water)
dige— rotate
saelea— walked upon
ono lau— six hundred
gili langi— a type of cloud (not associated with rain)
lau manu— leaf of a plant
mada age (iho)— take from the bottom (top); take the worst or smallest (best or biggest)
doo ngaiho— the blowing of the wind from the north
adilo— the core of a body boil; the beginning of a fire
hagasogosogoisi— greatly reduce in number, make much fewer
valea— moldy; to have been in place for a long time
maasae— hatched
abo sala— mean (by nature), unkind
hhou— insist upon
hagadaemahadia— put too much weight on
golo age— continually remember an incident with a view toward revenge voluntarily
de hai— how; the way (that something is done)
be aha naa huu— whatever; if ever
helui— diminution of
dangi hhadu— cry for effect
laohie de mee— good weather (dry)
neveneve— spider
ioonga— way of giving
halehale gaiaa— cloying insincere humility
dinae o ssaiolo— ballooning of a sail
hagamaamaalama— shine on continuously
madaangahulu ma lua— twelve
llou— hang down or bent down (of branches, palm fronds, or fishing poles)
hagadulagi— imitate, illustrate, give an example; fashion something to be like something else
gilaau— they (dual)
dagi ala— go around aimlessly
hagalollolo— lubricate
duu hagasabasaba— to stand in a place from which one is liable to fall
hadu mangeo— cushion starfish
aloalo gaadinga— the part of a coconut's meat next to the sap
bulaga-a-leo— fish sp., tang
agiagi— bird sp.: fairy tern (Gygis alba)
mada gide— sharp-eyed, good at finding things
hagaholi— begin to form (something)
hale langadala— thatch-roofed house (of palm frond thatch)
maisi— peeled off
hai lodo— resentful
soasoa— increasing in number (people)
moni hai gubenga— a canoe rigged for a type of fishing
tala hai sala— confess one's sins or errors
huaamee— young green��coconut
daha— place near (someone); environs of
maanuga— a wound or large sore (on the body)
dauagi— dry in the sun
daane dagidahi— a person having unique skills or traits of personality
de aha— which is it
doo ange— pack up (things)
malemo— drown
doonga— tools, equipment (incl. fishing gear)
daaligidanga— the slope of a canoe's keel
dangi hagaeaea— wail (when crying)
inaho— a school consisting of a certain reef fish sp. (laumele)
milosanga— the way in which a current flows
madalua ma haa— twenty four
maile— plant sp.: maile-scented fern (polypodium scolopendria burm. f.)
kadi gauvae— to clench one's teeth (from cold)
hagadau kino— hate each other
nonu— filter, sift
llava— finished (pl.); wealthy (pl.); wrap (independent form); meat or fish (for a meal)
kangi baasi lua— double-edged
ngani— going around in a complete circle
hai bao— divided into compartments
baubau— bad
midia— dream about
tinana o dogu bodu— mother-in-law
llagu— claw
bolili— a type of prepared food
baa galele— fishing lure of pearl shell, used in galele fishing
silisili— stopped, ended; drawing to an end
pasalia— be talked about (many persons or things)
hau— necklace, wreath, crown
duai— bench fitted with a tool to grate coconuts
sambagidaa— plant species with small white flowers
madea— identify, recognize
hili— make a nest or raft or platform, etc., with sticks
maava— yawn
dalanga a kai— a story which is not true
hagamidimidi— having a strong undertow
doe— leftover, remain
hegabidi— packed closely together; crowded together in a small place
dalaa mada— prow spray of a ship
hagaeligi— treat as a captain of a modern ship
gu soe donu— unmistakably, for certain
hua daahili— sing a song
manugia— to appear from time to time on the surface of the water
lodo dama— immature in affect
lau maalie— neat-appearing hair or feathers
haingaa me— work requiring a large work force
doo ngaage— south wind
dada age— raise (a flag)
bakau dahi de manu— not to go fishing when other groups are going
hagao ngaohie— inexpensive
ngudu-me— boundary of a taro plot
sigi— transfer (from one place to another), transplant; a technique of finishing a mat edge; to assist in the delivery of a baby (by manually extracting it from the birth canal); to tack a canoe (by transferring the mast from one end of the canoe to the other)
loha— bird species
tea age laangi— dawn
hai gi de mahi— do or take by force, rape
hagabasaa— be talked into
ivi ngongo— collar bone
au ga humai nei— "i'm going on my way now..."
halaasola— mollusk sp., clam sp. (a type of clam sp.: tridacna maxima)
gai holoholo— eat fast
dee vasu— fearless (socially); inconsiderate
hegide mada— early morning, before daybreak (when one can just barely recognize a person)
ssuilebelebe— completely wet all over
buni ange lodo— paralyzed by fear; acute anxiety attack
hagaadugau— arrange things in a row or line
massagalala— burned (food)
laangi i mua anaahi— day before yesterday
nngana— loud (noise)
gasa— run aground
mahana age— heartburn
haaligi— wrap from under, wrap around; to wrap something (e.g., a present)
denga— the (for plural noun); many (more than two)
biini— pen
ma de hia e doe— a chanted expression, on the last word of which a work group chanting it lifts a heavy object
dooa— planted
hala— pandanus plant, pandanus tree
lauvinivini— having kinky hair
mee hhadu hugadoo— it's a lie
gai de henua— native food (not imported)
dangaloa— earthworm
buudunga— pile of, group of
unusaagi— deception
duha— divide among, division (in arithmetic)
viivii— to put an infant to sleep by singing a lullaby
gau mai moni— foreigners (lit., 'people who came in canoes')
loma— very calm, silent
buni lunga ma lalo— a pitch black night
hagadogaa dangada— embarrass people by one's actions
tugu— crouch
lale— fish sp. (the native term is applied to many spp.)
dangau-ngudu-aahua— var. of fish sp., snapper
hagalima (ina)— make a total of five
hulei— to have done the act of hhule
magaahi— embers
leuleu— becoming ripe
pii— splashed, sprinkled
gumedi vai solo— a type of bowl
gamua— covered with coral (any kind)

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