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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

apiitenimo vai s/he is so proud of h/ self

apiitenindizo vai s/he thinks of h/ self to a certain extent

apiitinigozi vai s/he weighs so much, is so heavy

Paired with: apiitinigwad vii

apiitinigwad vii it weighs so much, is so heavy

Paired with: apiitinigozi vai

apiitizi vai s/he is a certain age, is so old or young

Paired with: apiitaa vii

apiitizo vai it (animate) is cooked a certain extent or at a certain speed

apiitowe vai s/he has a voice of a certain intensity, has so loud a voice

apiitoonagad vii it (canoe or boat) is so deep, is so high

asab na a net

(verb of making) asabike vai s/he makes nets (verb of possession) odasabii vai s/he has a net or nets
asabaa vii it has small holes, is a mesh

Paired with: asabizi vai

asabaab ni thread, cord

asabaabik ni metal screen or mesh

asabaabikad vii it (mineral) has small holes, is perforated

Paired with: asabaabikizi vai

asabaabikizi vai it (mineral, animate) has small holes, is perforated

Paired with: asabaabikad vii

asabaabis na [BL] thread, cord

(verb of possession) odasabaabisi vai [BL] s/he has thread
asabaabisens na thread, cord

asabaabiiwaatig ni a spool (for thread)

asabikaanaak na a net shuttle

See also: asabikaanaak ni

asabikaanaak ni a net shuttle

See also: asabikaanaak na

asabike vai s/he makes nets

asabikeshiinh na a spider

asabikeyaab na net twine

asabishkaa vii it gets full of holes

asabishkoode vii it is shot full of holes

Paired with: asabishkoozo vai

asabishkoozo vai s/he is shot full of holes

Paired with: asabishkoode vii

asabizi vai it (animate) has small holes, is a mesh

Paired with: asabaa vii

asabii-nibewinens ni [BL] a mesh-sided bassinet

asabiiwazh ni a coarsely woven bag: a burlap bag, a gunny sack

asanii vai s/he (a tree) has bark hard to get off

asanjigo vai s/he stores, caches, stashes, deposits something

(derived noun) asanjigowin ni a cache, a stash; a stash
asanjigon vai + o s/he caches (it)

asanjigon ni a cache, a stash

asanjigowin ni a cache, a stash; a stash

asanjigoowigamig ni a structure for storage: a storage lodge, a shed, a storage room

asasawemin ni a chokecherry

[
Prunus virginiana
]

asasaweminaganzh na [NI] a chokecherry bush or tree

[
Prunus virginiana
]

See also: asasaweminagaawanzh na

asasaweminagaawanzh na a chokecherry bush or tree

[
Prunus virginiana
]

asasaweminaaboo ni chokecherry tea

asasawemini-baashkiminasigan ni chokecherry sauce, chokecherry jelly

asawaan ni an arrow with arrowhead and feathers

asaa'wens na [BL] a perch

See also: asaawens na

asaawe na a perch

[
yellow perch
; 
Perca flavescens
]

See also: asaawens na

asaawens na a perch

[
yellow perch
; 
Perca flavescens
]

asekaadan vti tan it; pull and stretch it (a hide)

asekaan na a tanned hide

asekaan ni [NI] a tanned hide

asekaazh vta tan it (animate: a hide); pull and stretch it (animate; a hide) to tan it

aseke vai s/he tans hides; s/he pulls and stretches a hide

(applicative) asekaazh vta pull and stretch it (animate; a hide) to tan it; tan it (animate: a hide) (applicative) asekaadan vti pull and stretch it (a hide); tan it (derived noun) asekewin ni tanning
asekewin ni tanning

asemaa na tobacco

(verb of making) asemaake vai s/he works with tobacco, offers tobacco
(applicative) asemaakaazh vta offer tobacco to h/ (benefactive) asemaakaw vta offer tobacco to h/
(verb of possession) odasemaami vai s/he has tobacco (verb of possession) odasemaawi vai s/he has tobacco (derived noun) asemaans na a cigarette
(verb of possession) odasemaansimi vai s/he has a cigarette or cigarettes
asemaa-adaawewigamig ni a tobacco store

asemaa-mashkimodens ni [diminutive]: a tobacco pouch

asemaa-opwaagaans na a cigarette

See also: asemaawipwaagaans na

asemaakaw vta offer tobacco to h/

asemaakaadan vti offer tobacco to it

asemaakaazh vta offer tobacco to h/

asemaake vai s/he works with tobacco, offers tobacco

asemaans na a cigarette

See also: opwaagaans na

(verb of possession) odasemaansimi vai s/he has a cigarette or cigarettes
asemaawazh ni [BL] [diminutive]: a tobacco pouch; a tobacco bag

(verb of possession) odasemaawazhi vai s/he has a tobacco bag
asemaawinaagan ni a tobacco tray

asemaawipwaagaans na a cigarette

See also: asemaa-opwaagaans na

asigagim vta add h/ together (e.g., money)

Paired with: asigagindan vti

asigagindan vti add it together

Paired with: asigagim vta

(detransitive) asigagindaaso vai s/he adds, totals
asigagindaaso vai s/he adds, totals

asigaawadoon vti2 haul it together

Paired with: asigaawazh vta

asigaawazh vta assemble them in a group, round them up; haul everything (animate) together

asigibii'an vti add it up

(detransitive) asigibii'ige vai s/he writes numbers, adds things up, tallies up (derived noun) asigibii'igan ni a number; a calculator
asigibii'igan ni a number; a calculator

asigibii'ige vai s/he writes numbers, adds things up, tallies up

asigibii'igewikwe na an accountant, a bookkeeper (female)

asigibii'igewinini na an accountant, a bookkeeper

asigi'idiwag vai they come together, assemble

asigin vta gather h/ up, collect h/

Paired with: asiginan vti

asiginamaw vta pick (them) up for h/; gather, collect (them) up for h/

asiginan vti gather it up, collect it

Paired with: asigin vta

(verb of undergoing) asiginigaade vii it is gathered up (by someone), "they" gather it up (verb of undergoing) asiginigaazo vai it (animate) is gathered up (by someone), "they" gather it (animate) up (benefactive) asiginamaw vta pick (them) up for h/; gather, collect (them) up for h/
asiginaak na a blackbird

[
red-winged blackbird
; 
Agelaius phoeniceus
]

asiginigaade vii it is gathered up (by someone), "they" gather it up

asiginigaazo vai it (animate) is gathered up (by someone), "they" gather it (animate) up

asigisidoon vti2 assemble it, put it together

Paired with: asigishim vta

asigishim vta put h/ together, assemble h/

Paired with: asigisidoon vti2

asigizhooniyaawe vai s/he collects money as a donation

asigobaan ni processed basswood bark fiber

asigobaani-mazinichigan na a doll of processed basswood bark fiber

asin na stone, a stone; rock, a rock

(verb of abundance) asiniikaa vii there is (a lot of) rock or stone, there are (many) rocks or stones (verb of being) asiniiwan vii
  1. it is of rock or stone
  2. it is rock-hard
 (verb of being) asiniiwi vai
  1. it (animate) is of rock or stone
  2. s/he is rock-hard
 (derived noun) asiniins na stone, a stone; rock, a rock
(verb of possession) odasiniinsimi vai s/he has gall stones
asinaab ni a net weight, a net sinker

asinii-bwaan na an Assiniboin

asinii-miikana ni a concrete paved road

asinii-opwaagan na a stone pipe

See also: asiniiwipwaagan na

asinii-opwaagan na a stone pipe

See also: asiniiwipwaagan na

asinii-waakaa'igan ni a house of stone or brick

asiniikamigaa vii it is rocky ground

asiniikaa vii there is (a lot of) rock or stone, there are (many) rocks or stones

asiniins na stone, a stone; rock, a rock

asiniiwakamigaa vii there is rocky ground, a rocky area

asiniiwan vii
  1. it is of rock or stone
  2. it is rock-hard

Paired with: asiniiwi vai

asiniiwaamikaa vii it has a rocky bottom

asiniiwi vai
  1. it (animate) is of rock or stone
  2. s/he is rock-hard

Paired with: asiniiwan vii

asiniiwipwaagan na a stone pipe

See also: asinii-opwaagan na

ashagi na [BL] a blue heron

[
great blue heron
; 
Ardea herodias
]

See also: zhashagi na

asham vta feed (it) to, serve (it) to h/

Paired with: ashandan vti

(reciprocal) ashandiwag vai
  1. they feed each other
  2. they feast each other, have a feast
(derived noun) ashandiwin ni food that is given out or distributed: community food shelf, commodity food, rations
(reflexive) ashandizo vai s/he feeds h/ self (with it) (detransitive) ashange vai s/he feeds people, feasts people, serves food

The Ojibwe People's Dictionary is developed and maintained by:
Nora Livesay, Editor
John D. Nichols, Founder and Linguistic Editor

with support and collaboration from the University of Minnesota's Department of American Indian Studies and University Libraries.

Additional Resources

Many of the words in the Ojibwe People's Dictionary have related resources. Click through to the full dictionary entry to hear audio recordings, see images, read documents and watch videos. Here's a key to resource icons.

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Speakers & Regions Key

Individual speakers and speakers from different regions use different words when speaking. Each audio recording is marked with the initials of the Ojibwe speaker. Click on a speaker's initials to go to the speaker's bio page. If an Ojibwe word is particular to a certain region, it will be marked with a region code. Click on the region code to go to the Regions page.