Entries | Nukuoro Living Dictionary

Entries

hano mouli— disappear alive, especially into another world
daa de masavaa— time's up it is time for...
ovea— disheveled (as the chicken feathers on a much-used trolling lure)
bulaga— plant sp. swamp taro (cyrtosperma chamissonis)
hakii— move away completely; get out of the way
kave e hakide— take someone in order to train or teach him
valu— eight
gavaligi— fish sp.
sala— mistake, error, accident
baieu— mollusk sp.: clam sp.
manavasaa— scared, afraid, fearful, worried
dee gamalie— do very attentively
modu mai (adu, ange)— become one's (your, their) exclusive possession
au ga sano— i give up
muna daemaha— words which hurt
doonga a lima— one's own tools, or tools with which one is familiar
gamugamu— coral sp.
mee dili dai— any current which flows away from the atoll
hagadamana— treat someone as a father or other senior male relative
balu gauanga— trembling of legs
dangada ngauda— a person who rarely goes fishing, landlubber
lodo bale— helpful (sort of person)
hagadubu o madaligi— the name of a certain type of string figure
langolango— inclined to throw one's legs over those sleeping nearby (when sleeping)
hagaadaada— getting to be near daybreak
songagi— a bad sort of person
ngaungau— plant sp.: elephant ear (alocasia)
hai de ingoo— make a good name for oneself (by one's ingratiating behavior)
ginigini looloa— a game played by children
iillangi— mollusk sp., conus litteratus
delaa loo— that was it
hagadaha— to stay at a distance; to keep one's distance
hagadubu o manu— the name of a certain type of string figure
labu ssenga— to run into trouble (owing to one's misdeeds)
mudimudi— walk stealthily in a crouch
gu aha— why
bangulu— a part of a traditional loom
dagahi ange gi de --— serve as a side dish for
badii— fish sp., scad
mudumudu-odaoda— fish sp.: damselfish
dangau-sissisi— var. of fish sp., snapper
sua— root up (soil); wrestling holds; rowing motion
aalaa ange huu— that there (pl.) much more only
sseva— scarce (applied usually only to flying fish)
basa senga— speak senselessly
lodo baubau— unhappy, angry, upset, sad
daa taahili— sing a melody
iganibongi— fish sp.
doga— a (live) coral formation
hhui age— eat a snack
danuaa age— improved,better
langaa lodo— a sudden access of emotion
hanohano dua— suffer a setback; almost fall; gorge oneself; stagger backwards (e.g., under load)
llobo— to put something in something else
molimoli— to take up slack in a line with hitches in order to maintain tension on something being hauled
dahu— start a fire (or an engine); build a fire
dino— a share of, allotment, portion
odi sango— completely cleaned up or finished; all gone; each and every one all gone
hasi made— to cut a taro corm from its stalk so far up the stalk that it won't grow a new corm when it is planted
daa sseu— a way of forming the body of a canoe
hagadonu— trust, believe; interpret; support as a witness
magi dabeo— menstruation
duu munimuni— hide and seek (game)
hagaahee— when (near future)
angaanga magau— dead body
dau balabala— slack (of rope)
hagasebaga— make a total of ten billion
se hono— fit well or properly
moomoa— the shoot from a germinating coconut
bua moe— virgin
mada duulanga— an important position (spatially)
madalua ma lima— twenty five
hagadubu maduu paa— the name of a certain type of string figure
degidegi— having a kind or generous nature
madegi— be jerked
gava dea— reef heron - white phase
hadi aho— var. of steep (inclination)
dolodolo o de ava— the phosphorescence on both sides of the atoll channel, marking it at night
henua abasasa— land of the Europeans (including America, Japan, etc.)
hagallongo de lau nui— to obtain oracular information by listening to the sounds made by coconut leaves
ubu— hard brown coconut shell (used as a cup)
lahalaha— wide
hagaboo— greet; take leave of
bingibingi— plant sp.: tree sp.: hernandia tree (hernandia sonora l.)
hagadubu— pay; respect, honor
huubuudoi— fat and squat and ugly
haangoda de boo— a method of fishing (at night, beyond the reef)
moana dugidugi— far from any land, in the open sea
sili gee— stand out from (others in a group) in distance or height
moele— a lie
gii talinga— tinnitus
gugu ange— able to look after others; able to withstand
gage saali— to climb a breadfruit tree using a type of rope specifically used for climbing breadfruit trees
bigi— be caught between two or more other things
maoli— a suspicion which proves to be true
dali— wait for, along with
maeva— move from one place to another
bulabula— testicles; look here and there; to have a lot of spots; twinkling (of many stars or phosphorescent insects, etc.)
geesaama— outrigger cross boom (of a canoe)
ieiangi— recovered from illness
daia— to back-handed slap or jerk of anything which moves (e.g., a hand, foot, tail, tongue, etc.); to tattoo; hit, strike, beat; to kill; completely
ngaue mai— to reduce (in price, etc.)
gau-me— gill (of a fish)
daa hagapodo— make quick trips
basa gelo— speak sagely
gau looloa gaadinga— a bunch of fully mature coconuts
lluu— mad or angry (but not showing it)
muimuia— be crowded (owing to a disorder of things)
velo de hagasii— a type of game
daa hhali— an adze stroke, used to chip out the interior of a bowl, canoe, etc.
bao— room, compartment
giidagi— relish (meat or fish, or something substituting for meat or fish, eaten with taro, etc.)
dee hagabaulia— underestimate, misjudge
mee tao— dye
hebaa— be close
mamu de lagi— the fish which live beyond the outer reef
hesuisuihagi— repeatedly exchange, trade
maluulu— cool
dinana— mother, aunt; senior female relative, person in a mothering, or motherly, relationship
i dai nei— Mortlock Islands
goinga— a boundary marker (of stone)
gai salusalu— prepare food wastefully (too much must be thrown away)
hhogi— a sharp sound, like the report of a rifle
guba-baabaa— fish sp.: cardinalfish
daula sele nui— a rope used to pull a coconut tree in the desired direction when felling it
de huu de henua— the layer of consolidated sand (without coral rubble) next to the reef base under the island
hagabigobigo— wiggle
sui de lodo— change one's mind
ngudula— fish sp.: snapper
gavada— a type of basket
tilo danuaa— good-looking, handsome; beautiful (esp. owing to having a graceful manner)
dagadagalia— heavily travelled
ssahu— inquisitive, mischievous (as a child)
haangoda ina— a suitable (place) for fishing
masa bagubagu— dry reef (at very low tide)
umidi— hungry for fish or meat
ssee de hiigai— famished, ravenous
seesee haangoda saele— look for girls
augaunga— the appearance of an infected area
hungi— tricks of self-defense (some of which are like judo or karate)
modo— unripe
hagasengaa— make a total of ten million
oho adu— go early
hadi modu— sheer drop-off (as at the edge of a cliff)
dingale— secretion of the genitalia (male or female); the milky sap on some pandanus plugs
niho kangi— tusk
hagailonga— fish sp.: damselfish
hidu lau— seven hundred
dabuvae— toe(s), footprint
dadangi— make noise repeatedly
sibasiba— to walk off-balance
bonabona— fear (as perceived somatically); having many knots tied at the end of a rope or a string to prevent its unravelling
gada-alaala— fish sp.: jack
lodo mmahi— persistent, patient, persevering
maamasa— empty, low (tide)
lao— the posterior portion of the coconut crab
bido abongi— capsize eventually
anga gi lodo— an adze blade which is set at less than a right angle to its handle
kii gee— move away from
sugi-manga— fish sp.
dogoisi loo huu— very few
mala— bald
dagi— lead, show the way, leader (of a group); extend to
siba— fish sp. (small flying fish)
ssema— jellyfish species
saele— to wander aimlessly, to walk around
sai moni— a fleet of canoes
haadodo— the connecting pegs of the outrigger float
lengisi— insect sp.: moth spp.
aahee ange— what else
hai de eidu— one of two children's games
doo i de ubu— too big in size (of clothes)
gini hua o hegau— to receive the rewards of work well done (or punishment for evil deeds)
vede— fish sp.: goatfish
ganava— plant sp., tree sp., cordia tree (cordia subcordata lam.)
alodahi laangi— every day
hai madangi— to fart
kono— grunt (once)
dao hadu— cover up (by putting on layer after layer); give too much (e.g., work) to
nohoa— occupied
hagadamadama— act like a child (as a behavior pattern)
hagaaoa— cause to have been sufficient, relieve
moo balabala— barely cooked
hai hegau— do work
hai sumu— having a diamond-shaped decoration or form, etc.
luu omaau— our (dual, exclusive; for dual, inalienable noun)
daaia— wash clothes completely; scoop upcompletely
hagaalahenua— provide land for
masaia— trapped by low water (e.g., canoes, or fish on the reef at low tide)
ngole age— use smallest first
duagi— to clean fish (taking the insides out)
aadea moana— unobstructed
aahu— the intense pain resulting from having one's skin punctured by a poisonous fish
hagadumanu— cause to look like
balia— master navigator (having also the ability to forecast the weather)
masavaa de gauligi— childhood
senga manu— stupid (like an animal)
hedogi— the sound of tapping
hagaoda— a type of prepared food
anaa ai laa— those then were those

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