Entries | Nukuoro Living Dictionary

Entries

pagola— bad luck, punishment
buluu— blue
buibui— keep in (e.g., pigs); keep out (e.g., wind); soak (in water)
bigobigo— bent up (having several bends)
muli sua hadu— reefward of the storm beach; beach rock
daane gasia— a person who is useful to others
hano de leebunga— run (of a color); fade (of a color)
mouli danuaa— easy living, a good life
dagadagai— tending to move jerkily, flail (one's legs), flounder about
baba age— be decided about
abuabulu— easily sinkable
loolodo— deep holes in the lagoon reef
soodo— lead (metal), bullet
ilosia— wormy or maggoty (of something decayed)
daiao— morning; tomorrow
daumaha daahili— song service (in church)
de mee naa— that one (by you)
hhuda— open one's eyes; awaken for a short time
sua hadu umu— stones (dead coral) used in the earth oven
langa de gauanga— to lift up the leg of an opponent in wrestling
ne hia— how many has it been
magi de henua— have a cold, fever
mangoo-biho-lua— fish sp.: shark sp.
geu de madangi— a change of wind direction
dama doo— a fetus which has been aborted or miscarried
hai de hai— stubborn, willful
danedane— an extensive infection of a fungus infection of the skin (consisting of superficial white spots)
bolobolo— long boat-like basket made from coconut palm
baabaa gadea— to steer a canoe to the side away from its outrigger (opp. of baabaa ama)
hagaduu dala— angry and ready to fight
ganomada— eye
salahagi— an expedition to look for valuable drifting objects, either in the lagoon or in the open sea near the atoll
hodu— sighted, appear
oo— a ration of food for a long canoe voyage
iloo iho— realize, know
bua leu— ovaries and fallopian tubes
gu oo ina mai— shout to announce important news (e.g., to announce the arrival of a ship)
hagaualoha— poor (not rich)
made— dead (of plants only); numb, paralyzed; go out (of a fire)
saali— a type of rope (used for climbing breadfruit trees)
tale ange— sharpen (knife)
hagakona— become (or make) much worse
danudanu— to bury a great many, to keep going down (so that it becomes hidden from view)
hagaduu— build
mahanahanasia— warmed up
sulegi— work (in a group) busily
saa— a share of food (esp. for children)
soaa lodo— the paddlers of a canoe which is engaged in catching flying fish
uhe— wasteful of taro when peeling it
malamalali— becoming more and more smooth
baabaa— flat
unahi— scale (of a fish)
lele tua— to pull a back muscle (or pinch a nerve) and thus collapse
danea— to have a fungus infection of the skin (consisting of superficial white spots)
seene malili— coins
noomeemea— a wave of sufficient force to wash over normally dry land; tidal wave
lau daala buni— hundred dollar bill
adaau— our (dual, inclusive; for plural, alienable noun)
mili— fruitful, fructiferous
magi— sick, ill; disease, sickness, illness
ngago— egg; brain
olaadeu— their (for plural, inalienable noun)
haangoda dua beau— a fishing method (used on the seaward reef during the day) employing a line, with hermit crabs for bait)
gohu de lodo— ignorant
buge— a bump on a tree trunk
aloo anahee— for how long has this been going on
olaa— a sound expressing surprise or disapproval
ahiahi— late afternoon; early evening (time of day when fires are lit)
dada mamu— an impatient fisherman
loomosi— kill someone by holding him under the water until he is drowned
lillili— easily angered, short tempered
saabai— lift up and carry; carry (a burden)
mangoo— shark (generic)
maalava— the fatty part of the turtle
hadugolaa— any stone of volcanic origin <imported from volcanic islands>
halehale dagodo— guarded condition or prognosis (of a sick person); unsettled (of a situation, the weather, etc.)
baa i de madangi— be hit (usually forcefully) by wind
galigi— covered all over with
laulau— serving dish basket made from coconut palm
maadegadega— a young bird (still unable to fly) of any bird sp.
mada— front
hagaida— to bare one's teeth (by opening the lips)
hai baasi— take sides against, oppose
odiodi— long since finished, done or gone; long since, a long time ago
hagaulu— fish sp.: shark sp.
pala boo maasina— the time of the month when rain is most likely to occur (1st quarter)
hagaalo-uli— cause to be dark (of fully mature coconut meat)
hagabaasi— do toward one side
musa— the sound of many little school fish feeding at the surface of the water
se mouli dangada— rascal
hitegaiaa— small, malevolent demons
hai me moolau— an habitually fast worker
hainga soe— a just law
beau— wave, the surf
dangoa— grabbed, fallen upon
hagabuni de henua— to call an all-island meeting
honumia— filled with
lodo dagidahi— have differing views (within a group of people)
ivi o de biho— skull
sula gi dahi henua— to have visited abroad
mmaunga— way of memorizing, (way of havingmemorized)
humai— come
hano goe— see what I told you
dabuna— part of the female genitalia
buu tangada— an omen of death (when a certain kind or size of fish is caught)
dama legalega— baby, infant
denga— a hump on a tree trunk (where a branch failed to flower)
malemale— areola of the breast; a boil on the body
labodo-uli— eel sp.: moray eel
duuli lua— a method of throwing one's opponent in wrestling
hagamuliagi— cause to be last
baa lahalaha— broad-chested
halehale dangada— a suspicious character
gaamai— bring to me, carry to me
galababa— a type of prepared food (made from breadfruit skin)
sege gee— slip or slide away from
hagannamu age— eat a little of
madabuunou— dull (of an edge or point)
gede aola— a type of basket
dee abo— uncomfortable (esp. socially)
hesilihagi— to pass each other on intersecting courses; dislocated (joint of the body)
sabisabini— wrap up or tie up over and over
baba iho— recently settled
hidu— seven
adugau— arrangement of things into a straight row
haau— suckle (at the breast)
hhoda— gasp for breath
dagai— move jerkily, flail (one's legs), flounder about
lodo lanea— indecisive, confused
sae— to tear (fabric, paper)
golomagi iho— to exercise great patience or restraint for one's own benefit
mmahi i de gai— eat more than seems appropriate to one's body size
daohi taelodi— keep a record of
nooligi— a small knife
hagaava age— be relieved for a short time
mmogo— insist upon
de abo donu— thank you
madaangahulu ma siva— nineteen
baasi— side
molomolo iho (age)— appear clearly
dohe— mollusk sp., bivalve sp.
sii tae— diarrhea which escapes without one realizing (caused by eating oily fish)
loi mada— teardrop
ngaangauda— habitually ngauda
haa lau— four hundred
hagamadamada ngaadahi— share equally among
manu-hai-hau— mollusk sp.
dangii— fish sp.
hagabaangoa— causing prostration
bolo— make a will (for oneself or others)
gauligi mai ange— the one next younger still
malamalau— repeatedly or continuously malau
omada— eye region (including eyes, eyelids, eyebrows)
dagalonga— path, route
liagi— dump, throwout (discard)
oha de nnoho paba— disturb the peace
hagasae gili— pierce the skin superficially
moli— carry or bring something from one place to another
hagahee mai— return
dogi hoda— a heavy adze, used for hollowing out logs and the like
boo mai ange laa— the second night following
poo mai— a unit of measurement (from the end of the extended thumb to the other side of the clenched fist)
hagamuni— hide
eligi— chief of the island (archaic); captain of a modern ship
ilaila— having more than one ila
dangada— person, human being
hagadahadaha— keep staying away
deai donu— none at all
moana ngaadai— far from land (the place from which the atoll is just barely visible)
manuhi— hemorrhage
hagailonga ange agina— assign (someone) to; use something as a landmark
e dee daadaaia— to be in no hurry
modu taalonga— to escape (of fish, after having been speared)
dugudugu iho— a technique of massage
siilinga a muna— trial or formal inquiry
vai— water, liquid
duunga gima— half of a clam shell
sseaa— chair
taina ahine madua— elder sister
dee sao age— always fail or be defeated
ula— lobster
seni alaala— sleep fitfully (esp. because one is thinking about having to arise early); wake up repeatedly owing to anxiety
alo-uli— dark color (of fully mature coconut meat)
hagaduasala— suffer, punish
dogi— adze; a tapping movement
malo maadolu— heavy clothing
daa haga bodobodo— make a quick trip
ohuohu— having many tree trunk depressions
saavini— run (plural)
noho hagamaaiongi— to sit as though stunned
vai huaamee— coconut water from a young green coconut
aoaa— hour
dee hilihili— indifferent
daulanga— port (for ships); harbor (place where boats anchor)
hagaala— make mat sections
bunei— fish sp., batfish
taadeu— our (plural, inclusive; for singular noun)
kanamalie— tasty (especially of taro)
basa ange— answer; reply; talk to
diiloo— look after; look at attentively

← →