Search the dictionary Advanced Search

How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

agaashiinyikaazo vai s/he makes h/ self small

agaawaa adv deg barely; hardly

See also: agaawaa adv deg

agaawaa go adv man barely; hardly

See also: agaawaa adv deg

agaawaadan vti wish for, hope for, want, desire it (something difficult to get)

Paired with: agaawaazh vta

agaawaadendam s/he is disappointed by how much s/he gets

agaawaazh vta wish for, hope for, want, desire h/ or it (animate) (someone/something difficult to get)

Paired with: agaawaadan vti

agidajiw adv loc [ML] on top of a mountain

agidakamig adv loc on top of the ground

See also: ogidakamig adv loc ; wagidakamig adv loc

agidasin adv loc on top of a rock

agidaabik adv loc on top of something mineral (e.g., metal, glass, rock)

agidaajiwan adv loc [ML] upstream

See also: ogidaajiwan adv loc

agidaaki adv loc [ML] on top of a hill

agidaakiiwe vai [ML] s/he goes uphill, climbs up to the top

agidaakiiwebatoo vai [ML] s/he runs uphill

agidibiig adv loc on top of the water

agidigamig adv loc on top of the house

agidiskwam adv loc on top of the ice

agidoonag adv loc [ML] on top of a canoe or boat

See also: ogidoonag adv loc

agig na phlegm

(verb of abundance) agigokaa vai s/he has a cold
(derived noun) agigokaawin ni a cold
agigokaa vai s/he has a cold

agigokaawin ni a cold

agijayi'ii adv loc on top, on top of

agiji- pv lex on top, on top of

agim vta count h/

Paired with: agindan vti

agindamaw vta count (it) for h/; read (it) for h/

agindamaage vai s/he counts (something) for people; s/he reads (something) for people

agindan vti count it; read it

Paired with: agim vta

(detransitive) agindaaso vai s/he counts; s/he reads
(verb of undergoing) aginjigaade vii
  1. it is counted (by someone), "they" count it
  2. it is read (by someone), "they" read it
 (verb of undergoing) aginjigaazo vai s/he or it (animate) is counted (by someone) (benefactive) agindamaw vta count (it) for h/; read (it) for h/
(detransitive) agindamaage vai s/he counts (something) for people; s/he reads (something) for people
agindaaso vai s/he counts; s/he reads

agindaasoowigamig ni a library

aginde vii it is counted; it has a cost or price

Paired with: aginzo vai

aginjibagwesi na [NI] a goldfinch

[
American goldfinch
; 
Carduelis tristis
]

aginjigaade vii
  1. it is counted (by someone), "they" count it
  2. it is read (by someone), "they" read it

aginjigaazo vai s/he or it (animate) is counted (by someone)

Paired with: aginjigaade vii

aginzo vai s/he is a member; it (animate) has a cost or price

Paired with: aginde vii

agiw pron dem those (animate plural)

agobizh vta bandage or plaster h/

agobizo vai s/he wears a bandage or plaster

(derived noun) agobizon ni a bandage; a poultice; a medicinal plaster
agobizon ni a medicinal plaster; a poultice; a bandage

agobizonens ni bandaid

agogi vai it (animate) grows attached to something

Paired with: agogin vii

agogin vii it grows attached to something

Paired with: agogi vai

agogwaadan vti sew it on something

Paired with: agogwaazh vta

agogwaade vii it is sewn on something

Paired with: agogwaazo vai

agogwaajigan ni something sewn or appliqued, trim

agogwaaso vai s/he sews something on

agogwaazh vta sew it (animate) on something

Paired with: agogwaadan vti

agogwaazo vai it (animate) is sewn on something

Paired with: agogwaade vii

agokadoon vti2 attach it, stick it on

Paired with: agokazh vta

agokazh vta attach h/, stick h/ on

Paired with: agokadoon vti2

agoke vii it sticks on, adheres

Paired with: agoke vai

agoke vai s/he sticks on, adheres

Paired with: agoke vii

agokiwas vta glue h/; paste something on h/

Paired with: agokiwasan vti

agokiwasamaw vta glue (it), paste (it) on for h/

agokiwasan vti glue it, paste it on

Paired with: agokiwas vta

(benefactive) agokiwasamaw vta glue (it), paste (it) on for h/ (detransitive) agokiwasige vai s/he glues things, paste things on (verb of undergoing) agokiwasigaade vii it is glued, is pasted on (by someone) (verb of undergoing) agokiwasigaazo vai it (animate) is glued, pasted on (by someone) (derived noun) agokiwasigan ni something that makes things stick: glue, paste, adhesive tape
agokiwasigan ni something that makes things stick: glue, paste, adhesive tape

agokiwasiganeyaab ni [BL] adhesive tape

agokiwasigaade vii it is glued, is pasted on (by someone)

agokiwasigaazo vai it (animate) is glued, pasted on (by someone)

agokiwasige vai s/he glues things, paste things on

agokiwaso vai it (animate) is glued, pasted on (by someone)

agokiwate vii it is glued, is pasted on

Paired with: agokiwaso vai

agomo vai s/he or it (animate) is on or in the water, floats on the water

See also: agwamo vai

agon vta hold h/ or it (animate) up against

Paired with: agonan vti

agonan vti hold it up against

Paired with: agon vta

agonde vii it is in or on the water, floats, soaks

Paired with: agonjin vai See also: agwinde vii

agongos na
  1. a chipmunk [Tamias striatus; Eutamias minimus]
  2. a Scandinavian

agongosens na [RL] a chipmunk

agongosimo vai s/he speaks a Scandinavian language

(derived noun) agongosimowin ni a Scandinavian language: Norwegian, Swedish
agongosimowin ni a Scandinavian language: Norwegian, Swedish

agonjidoon vti2 put it in the water; soak, immerse it

Paired with: agonjim vta See also: agwanjidoon vti2 ; agwinjidoon vti2

agonjijigaade vii it is put in to soak (by someone), "they" put it in to soak

agonjijigaazo vai s/he is put in to soak, "they" put it in to soak

agonjim vta immerse, soak h/ or it (animate)

Paired with: agonjidoon vti2

agonjin vai s/he or it (animate) is in or on the water, floats, soaks

See also: agwanjin vai

agonjoonaagan ni a net float

agosimaan ni [BL] a cucurbit (a plant of the gourd family or its fruit): cucumber, gourd, melon, pumpkin, squash, watermelon

See also: gichi-agosimaan na

agozideshkaw vta step on h/ foot or paw

agozigwaji vai s/he or it (animate) freezes to the ice, is frozen to the ice

agoodakikwaan ni a kettle hanger

agoodakikwaanaak ni a kettle hanger

agoodakii vai s/he hangs up moss (to use for diapering babies)

agoodamaw vta hang (it) for h/

See also: agoodaw vta

agoodasabii vai s/he hangs up a net

agoodaw vta
  1. hang (it) for h/
  2. set a snare for h/

See also: agoodamaw vta

agoode vii it hangs, is suspended

Paired with: agoojin vai

agoodinasabaanaak ni net rack pole

agoodinasabii vai s/he hangs up the net

agoodoo vai s/he hangs a snare, sets a snare

agoodoon vti2 hang it

Paired with: agoozh vta

(detransitive) agoojige vai s/he hangs things, hangs laundry (benefactive) agoodamaw vta hang (it) for h/ (derived noun) agoojigan ni something hung: a clothesline, a Christmas present, an item for sale at a stand; something used to hang things: a hanger (benefactive) agoodaw vta
  1. hang (it) for h/
  2. set a snare for h/
agoodwaagan ni a snare

agoodwaaganeyaab ni snare wire, snare

agoojigan ni something hung: a clothesline, a Christmas present, an item for sale at a stand; something used to hang things: a hanger

agoojiganaabik ni a hanger of metal or wire: a kettle hanger

agoojiganaabikoons ni a coat hanger made of wire

agoojiganaatig ni a clothesline pole

agoojiganeyaab ni a clothesline

agoojige vai s/he hangs things, hangs laundry

agoojigewataason ni a closet

agoojin vai
  1. s/he hangs
  2. s/he is in the sky (e.g., a star, sun, or moon)

Paired with: agoode vii

agoojiwanaanaak ni a hanging rack for food drying

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.

  • Audio recordings
  • Images
  • Video
  • Documents

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.