Entries | Nukuoro Living Dictionary

Entries

limalima— dexterous; quick
baaua— fish sp., rabbitfish
oha de ganomada— to work on a craft item (e.g., a canoe) with a model in mind of the finished product which is different from that of the person who began the work
maluu— soft
ga aha— and then did what
paa i tua tinae— have an empty stomach
mada dabuvae— toenail
sivi— give up
hagadibadiba de lima— to wiggle one's hand
hagannagi— lean against
maaua— poisoned (by food)
goloa hebagi— arms (tools of war)
galabe— sea cucumber sp. (several spp.)
augaua— infected
hagalagolago— cause to increase in numbers, multiply
hagausinga— rain cloud (includes all cumulus types)
masolesole— scratched or abraded in several places
hagalaangaa— teach to plait (mats, etc.)
hagadaulooloa— prolong, extend
alomasige— hasten to go or come
iloo— know, understand, be sure of
beibei— more-or-less alike
aahee laa— which were those
aoaonga— way of staying up until daybreak
labua— knead thoroughly
hagaleo— to produce sound
gide eidu— to see a vision, hallucinate
doa agalala— very big giant
magau— die, dead, death; unconscious
bigo— bent; bedridden with illness
bauanga— worth, value
henga— the name of a name-group
beebaa— book
singano— the flower of a pandanus tree
manongi— fragrant; fragrance (esp. of flowers or perfume)
mou— age grade (those reaching adolescence within a few years of each other); a mnemonic chant enumerating the names of the islets, flora, fauna, chief priests, etc.;
mahamaha— pretty, beautiful; look as though appropriate, seemly
haa-alaala— the fourth number of a counting game played to determine who is "it"
bau— to be worth it
manu noodagi— a plant which has been noodagi
modimodi— walk stealthily in a crouch
laangi dabeo— a day which is rainy and stormy
daaligidia— to have been moved about by the wind
hagaloma de me— calm weather, with no noise
siva llau— nine hundred
lenga— a preparation made from ango and doidoi (q.v.)
hagadeeai— refuse to
tangada hai me dabu— cult priest
aalohi— the portion of the atoll lagoon just lagoonward of the fringing reef
hagabuni mai— gather
hhaa— blossom forth
huudanga— way of singing
molomolo de biho— round-headed
hagausiusi de me— a sky covered with rain clouds
dau looloa— to tie at the end of a long tether
hedau— tree sp.: alexandrian laurel tree (calophyllum inophyllum l.)
sila— look for
golomagi lodo— self-controlled
dagalia— trampled down (from people walking on); thoroughfare
hagabahhaa— to exhale suddenly; making exhalation noises
bole gi de gai— eat ravenously
daudahi— only, alone (just one)
dagaa— a leader (for a fishline, made of pipturus argenteus)
dala— appendage, fin, spine (extending from a fish, etc.)
odaoda— driftwood (any sort)
hale daumaha— church building
manamanadua— keep remembering
mee hagasahu vai— gutter (under the eaves of a house)
llilo mai— decreasing (in number); becoming less
adamai— remember, recall
duu malaelae— an open field having no trees
lunga ange— up more
matolu— thirty
bane— the flat top of the shark's snout
dama daohi— an adopted child
magi haahine— menstruation
hagagaagaa— behave like a baby
galo— look at, stare
sulu de laa— the setting of the sun
hege— the name of a name-group
koli— scrape off (with one's finger), scratch up
hagadagodo gee ina— change
hagadiidii— help to urinate (e.g., by taking a baby outside)
bogi— to plant taro slips
dai deeai donu— almost none at all
hagavvale— spirit possession
paa ono pagola— punished for his bad deeds
maseu— to scatter (when in a group)
sausaunga— continually have an unpleasant body odor
hua-laagau— plant sp., tropical almond (terminalia catappa l.)
boda— straggly (hair or feathers)
mmilimmili— to sift; rub between fingers
hagasao— let out (something), disburse (money)
hagalueia— vomit
aasii— drum
hagamadumadua— to act as though very old
dau age— to beach (a canoe) on land; reach land
moso— bird sp.: starling (apolonis opacus)
dee beaha— okay, so-so; all right, it's nothing
dungu— smell (something)
hagassege i hegau— proscrastinate (about work); refuse to participate in work
moa— the blossom of the banana tree
hagamaamaanadu— keep reminding or keep remembering
noho senga (adu)— be ignorant (of what is happening)
vinivini— wrinkle (fabric)
dugidugi— tool used to mash food
vaivai basa— dirty or obscene language; foulmouthed, swear
sii mada daahaa— a fine jet of water
gano dea— the soft wood just under the bark of a tree
dolodolo— move from place to place; crawl
madaangahulu ma dahi— eleven
hale i lodo— rib cage, thoracic cavity
taina haahine— sister
duu kolu— stand bracing oneself
ageli— pick head lice
manaunau— act crazy or insane
saba— be in a precarious position
aha naa— let's (later)
hemuu— talk to one another
manu-a-madaligi— bird sp.: short-tailed shearwater (puffinus tenuirostris)
aso— fish sp., white tip shark
dinoanga hulu— a council (of ten) formerly having broad legislative and judicial powers on the atoll
hhao tuula— to sail so as to fill one's sails with wind (sailing crosswind)
hagamabu iho— rest for a short time
llago— mature (of a taro corm which can be used for food)
ngole iho— to use the biggest first
taina ahine— sister
hai aabi— having many rooms or sections
huaahai— expertise
mailaba— September; the hollow core of the tree trunk
hagaiho— show (someone) how to climb down
dao huge— to open an earth oven as soon as the food is cooked
lodo gi me— acquisitive, covetous
anei sili— these were enough
uu— milk
hoosenga ange— embarrassed by
gada lagau— fish sp.
ssee— to lurch, to move sideways; to wish to be carried (of a baby)
hagamalibi— rush, speed up
luu amaau— our (dual, exclusive; for dual, alienable noun)
dugu dahi— accomplish or complete something in asingle effort; fishing with a single line
luu hua— labiamajora
buni— closed up, be together (in a group, or of two individuals)
ono— fish sp.: barracuda
dagua— say
hai aha— what relationship
dau— chant (ancient)
dungagi ange— nod one's head toward (to beckon or indicate agreement, etc.)
dongi de gelegele— to peck at the sand (as do some kinds of fish when they are searching for food)
anataiao— this morning
maalie— slow
kana adu— perhaps; watch yourself
hagame ange laa— a little later
duasala— hardship, difficulty
aonga— sort or degree of daybreak
gelu-hai-usu— fish sp.: unicornfish
moana dabeo— rough seas
langi maadolu— heavy rain
duu biho— haircut; cut hair
daahili— song
llama— dried coconut leaves used to catch flying fish
babaa— a crackling sound, the sound of continuous explosions
ivi sulu— a dislocation of bones such that the ends overlap (corrected by pulling)
kaso— narrow (plural)
dumanu sala— bad situation; poor in appearance
hagameme (iho)— gradually decreasing (in noise level, force of wind, etc.)
lau henua— waves of sufficient size to wash overall land on the atoll; tidalwave
uua— neck
magulugulu— to despair (of attaining success)
manu-kono— pigeon
lau mano— hundred thousand
dada de uila— an electrical storm
gadinibidi— a type of fishhook (made from pearl shell)
gai samusamu— eat leftovers (that most people wouldthrow out)
badodi gee— to jerk violently
hai dubuna— the relationship between grandparent and grandchild
duudae goede— the inky excretion of the octopus
dotonogaa— fish sp.: goby
made— look at in an effort to identify or recognize
luu aana— his/her (for dual, alienable noun)
hagili— speak (or sing) with phelgm in one's throat
mua mai (adu, ange)— next to me (you, him)
gelegele gumi hue— fine-grained sand
duu de umada— a rainbow appearing in the sky
moaga— fish sp.: goatfish
boi a eidu— temporarily abnormal
dai deai— hardly any
savasavaa— getting closer to the time (of happening)
go hee— where
lima— five
uga— fishing line
moni dui— a canoe rigged for casting for tuna
dau lango— the season during which flies are most numerous <coincides with the breadfruit season>
saniba— fish sp.: silversides
ege— raise up (so that higher)
boo manu— to weed (a garden)
maadau daabasi— a type of fishhook
mmea be se gaagose— red hot (literally)
bonabona age— become fearful
gasigi— plant sp., hemp-leaved vitex shrub (vitex negundo var. bicolor (willd.) lam.)

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