Entries | Nukuoro Living Dictionary

Entries

baasi masui— left side, left-handed
lango— fly, flying ant, wasp; any similar flying insect
tua de baba— lower back (of a human)
libolibo ange— drunk, dizzy, crazy
galeve maimai— fresh (unfermented) sap of the coconut tree (taken from the inflorescence)
palo— a watery area extending into a land area (e.g., a bay)
ada— picture, image, reflection, shadow; movie
dalaa ubu— charcoal from the coconut shell
lloa— group of long pieces of timber
sali gee— flow away
dahinga— way of shaving
biho— head; body of a trolling lure
gadagada-a-vaga— a very small tuna
dangada agoago— teacher, preacher
lili— rippling (of the surface of the sea)
hagalili— a type of prepared food (like dalogo but without the immature coconut meat)
duu mmea— sea cucumber species
galo hilo— not cooked completely
baa— father (informal)
hagau dalolo— fish sp.
nguua— be making a faint sound
maadolu— thick (e.g., fabric, paper, hair); heavy or dense (rain)
se mee pilo aha— don't bother
dugu gee— put aside, set aside; treat (a person) differently from others
hainamanilaluoo— secret friend of the opposite sex
hano ai— attend (e.g., church services)
ili taalanga— talkative, chatterbox, talk at great length
honu de maasina— full moon
ahulu— fish sp.: goat fish
labaai— the confluence, on the reef, of a big wave and the backwash
malinongia— be calmed (e.g., seas)
daba de ganomada— instantaneous, in the blinking of an eye
gai i taiao— have breakfast
sabini— to wrap around
luu odaadeu— our (plural, inclusive; for dual, inalienable noun)
manumanuhi— frequently hemorrhage
mmade aalanga— exhausted (physically or mentally)
hagapago donu— fortunate result
manu-solo-maanu— jellyfish-like animal in the shape of a flower that burrows into the sand when touched
maua— able to, obtained, gotten, caught
alualu— fish, hunt (during the day)
manu dabeo— trees and shrubs which grow as weeds
sua saele— search for by rooting around
malo gahu— collared shirt
lote vvela— the hottest part (of the day, of a fire, etc.)
oluu— your (plural; for plural noun)
hagaganimuli— to treat as a child younger than the eldest
hagamaalama— brighten, illuminate
lebelebe— fish sp.: jack
leia— be jumped upon; be landed upon
galeve— the sap of the coconut tree (taken from the inflorescence)
hoohoa— pl. of the side of humans below the hips
kona loo— too much
gima— mollusk sp., horsehoof clam (hippopus hippopus)
tee langi— sky
bado— duck
molimoli ngaadai— a distribution of the catch of a communal fishing expedition
goso— bothered, annoyed
usu— nose
bonodiiage— to have trouble breathing
henua gelegele— atoll (lit. sand island)
gide malie— get in the habit of
duu baeao— piece of coconut husk
hagabaa— to crack (as a nut)
tuudae— defecate
ialona— a type of string figure
mada dabu— affinal relatives who are maa or saulaba to each other <and therefore between whom respect and avoidance are enjoined>; avoidance relationship
mada giivia— dim light
labodo-daubulebule— eel sp.
hesilihagi gee— to have to pass each other on intersecting courses by a considerable distance
hagaaugaunga— state of becoming infected
dilo— the immature leaf of any plant, except of the coconut
anei dagodo— these are the circumstances...
mai— arrive
denaa ange— this there is another one
baa iho— low (in altitude)
heduu— star, planet
hagaheloongoi— compare; act as an intermediary or mediator; get acquainted with
odo— to roof (a house), to thatch (a house)
massogosogolia— to have been by oneself
kino made— hate vehemently, completely disgusted
gaahagi— the useless tuber-like growths on the arrowroot (bie)
kilaa— there
aloha— love; compassion; affection
biliisi— bridge
gannui mada balabala— meat inside a young green coconut which is soft and mushy
hagaida de gauvae— to bare one's teeth (by opening the lips to expose the whole set of teeth)
basa— speak, talk
bebe de lodo— state of anxiety (psychological condition)
lloba— fluttering rapidly (of a sail in the breeze);
limilimi— coral sp.: brain coral
haahaula age de me— become bright (with morning sunlight)
tauveni— fish sp.
dau ange— depend upon (e.g., for sustenance)
daia gi magau— be killed
madohi iho— to reach halfway down
galoa— attractive to members of the opposite sex
too donu— certain, sure, graceful, definitely
llaga— take a single step
hagadabena ange— prepare for
duugau— legs at the base of a canoe mast
mada galava— spear foreshaft
sogosogo— alone, only, by oneself; each; orphaned
aho— fishing line of the sort used for skipjack tuna fishing
maunga— way of becoming accustomed to
oa— gunwales (at the top of the canoe)
se ungaa husi gee— do something different from that which was intended
didianga— the manner of wearing one's grass skirt
doo sala— accidentally
daemahaanga— heaviness, sadness, unhappiness
siga de mamu— an escape of fish from a fishing net (through its holes)
tili moumou— waste (by not using)
madaangahulu mano— ten thousand
kivi— skinny (people, animals)
i ama— on the same side of a canoe as the outrigger float
daaligi— do something seriously; be moved about; a jerky movement, caused by the wind (e.g., the flapping of a sail); work seriously
nngali— to take a bite out of something held in the hand (food only)
vaasuu ai— steadily like someone or something, feel affection for (cf. vaasuu)
de laangi adu ange laa— the day after tomorrow
bido muna— word
dala-hagalulu-madangi— bird sp.: tern (a vagrant sp., rarely seen)
hagalodo— to stimulate a desire for
mao denga ssave— a scarcity of ssave
goloa hagadaahao— recreational equipment
saga gee— glide away from; extend out in space
tuhi hagadegi— praise with all one's heart (esp. god)
haangoda de agau— a method of fishing (with a line on the reef)
gai gi de mahi— eat as much as possible
hai daalanga— talkative, chatterbox, talk animatedly
maselesele— straight-edged
mainu— bait (on the hook)
ssabe— leave, go away
dagidogoisi— very few for each one
hhela— spread one's legs wide apart at one time
dai deeai— almost none
mmae tinae— convulsed with laughter
de vai— pond (a specific pool of water)
hai me mule me— habitually slow or late
tiinonga o tangada— undesirable personal characteristics
hagasaa— quarrel (like children)
hagagapua— to create large fissures or depressions in the reef (incomplete channels)
gelegele dea— sand
sugi talinga— piercing of the ear (for insertion of an ornament)
baalasi ange— compete hard against (as in team sports)
maaileele— die, dead (persons or animals)
limamalie— good at massaging
hagammau de ngudu— argumentative in a disrepectful way
basaa— be talked into
daa hagalele— unscheduled, unplanned
deai mee ao ai— useless
hagadabanimeeli— to make payment for medical treatment
hadu-maadau— coral sp.
hagagabugabu— create a channel through land (by wind or wave action)
longo duli— deaf
gamu— cut (something)
luu ono— his/her (for dual, inalienable noun)
bibi-maadau— mollusk sp.: arcophagia scobinata
duu lua— to have the strength or capacity of two persons; to take on two persons in a fight
kano mugamuga— a crunching noise made when masticating certain foods (like cucumbers)
avaava— full of holes
manenga— fish sp.
hagahaigamaiana— treat as important
dangada baoa— dead person buried at sea who washesback up on shore
hine dau bodu— married woman
damaa hine— girl, young woman, daughter
hakauanga— a handle of something
galo sugi mada— glimpse
baabaa ama— to steer a canoe to its outrigger side (opp. of baabaa gadea)
daumaha hagaulu— the church service at which new members are accepted
molimoli i tuu gaha— to express coconut oil out of the residue (oda) from which some oil has already been expressed
ga hia— how many will it be
daungaangalu— high-watermark
hagasegesege ange— allow someone to do as he pleases
mago— bad weather (high wind or rain, or rough seas)
malanga age— lifted up from; come up (e.g., weeds)
ngadala— fish sp.: grouper, seabass (the native term is applied to many species)
boo hagadanu malama— the nights on which the quarter moon is obscured by rain
maanga booi— a fingerful of booi
mailiili— fast moving (over a considerable duration of time)
galu— viscous sputum
hoe— a canoe paddle
hagahala— sleeping mat
adu— ant
vaenga o de langi— Milky Way
dama dagidahi— the only child of a couple
dee adahaia— very; very bad
madala— be unfastened; be untied; bloomed
lava— finish
laangi— day
daguu— axe
madalua ma siva— twenty nine
dama ulungi— a man good at catching tuna with a fishing pole
haa— coconut palm frond
dahulinga— custom, habit
sugi vae— lower leg (between the ankle and the knee)
lanibene— separation in coconut oil (when it is aging)
suuduuduu— defecate (children's language)
nohu— fish sp.: stone-fish
badotodi— move jerkily
magimagi— prone to illness

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