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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

bakwezhigaazo vai s/he or it (animate) has a piece cut off (by someone), "they" cut a piece off h/ or it (animate)

bakwezhige vai s/he cuts pieces off something

bamendan vti care for it

Paired with: bamenim vta

bamenim vta care for h/

Paired with: bamendan vti

(reflexive) bamenindizo vai s/he takes care of h/ self, is self-reliant
bamenindizo vai s/he takes care of h/ self, is self-reliant

bami' vta take care of, look after, support, provide for, adopt h/

Paired with: bamitoon vti2

(reflexive) bami'idizo vai s/he takes care of h/ self, is self-reliant (detransitive) bami'iwe vai s/he takes care of people, is a care-giver bami'aagan na a supported one, an adopted one; a pet
bami'aagan na a supported one, an adopted one; a pet

bami'aagaans na a pet

bami'aawaso vai s/he takes care of a child or children

bami'idizo vai s/he takes care of h/ self, is self-reliant

bami'iwe vai s/he takes care of people, is a care-giver

bamitoon vti2 take care of, protect, keep it

Paired with: bami' vta

bamoonzhe vai

banaganaam vta miss hitting h/

Paired with: banaganaandan vti

banaganaandan vti miss hitting it

Paired with: banaganaam vta

banagwaazh vta miss snaring h/

banagwaazo vai s/he escapes being snared

bana' vta miss h/ (using something)

Paired with: bana'an vti

bana'am vai2 lose; s/he misses and loses, didn't win

bana'an vti miss it (using something)

Paired with: bana' vta

bana'e vai s/he misses the target

banajaanh na a baby bird, a nestling

banam vta bite or chew it (animate) and have it drop

banangonike vai s/he has a floppy arm or arms

banangwaabiigad vii [BL] it (string-like) is slack

See also: binangwaabiigad vii

banangwaabiigibide vii [BL] it (something string-like) gets loose in operation

bananjigan ni a food scrap dropped from the mouth; ort

bananjige vai s/he bites or chews something and has it drop

banaskobagaabaawe vii rain opens up the buds to new leaves or flowers

banaskoninjiin vta open up h/ hand or paw; straighten out h/ hand or paw

banaskoninjiini vai [BL] s/he straightens out h/ hand or paw; s/he opens up h/ hand or paw

banaskwaabiigibidoon vti2 straighten out the kinks in it (string-like)

banaskwiiwagitaa vai s/he stretches h/ muscles, exercises

banaskwiiwagitaawigamig ni a fitness center, a gym for working out

banaabam vta lose sight of h/ suddenly

Paired with: banaabandan vti

banaabandan vti lose sight of it suddenly

Paired with: banaabam vta

banaadad vii it is spoiled, is rotten, is ruined, is destroyed

Paired with: banaadizi vai See also: wanaadad vii [BL]

banaadaagamisin vii it (a liquid) spoils, is spoiled, is ruined

banaadendam vai2 s/he is discouraged, is in despair, thinks things hopeless

banaadendan vti be discouraged about it, be in despair about it, think it is hopeless

Paired with: banaadenim vta

banaadenim vta despair of h/; lose hope in h/

Paired with: banaadendan vti

banaadizi vai
  1. it (animate) is spoiled, is ruined
  2. s/he dies, is dead

Paired with: banaadad vii See also: wanaadizi vai [BL]

banaajibidoon vti2 spoil, ruin, damage it (with hands)

Paired with: banaajibizh vta

banaajibizh vta spoil, ruin, damage h/ (with hands)

Paired with: banaajibidoon vti2

banaajiboode vii it is ruined by being cut wrong with a saw

banaaji' vta spoil, ruin, damage h/ or it (animate)

Paired with: banaajitoon vti2

banaajisin vii it spoils, gets spoiled

Paired with: banaajishin vai See also: wanaajisin vii [BL]

banaajishin vai it (animate) spoils, gets spoiled

Paired with: banaajisin vii See also: wanaajishin [BL]

banaajitoon vti2 spoil, ruin, destroy it

Paired with: banaaji' vta

banaakwii vai s/he misses catching on to a branch or a railing

banaandawe vai s/he misses and falls climbing on something

bande vii it is singed

Paired with: banzo vai

bangakide vii it is a quiet house or lodge

bangan vii it is peaceful; it is quiet

bangate vii it is quiet, peaceful inside

bangibiisaa vii it is a cloudburst; the rain pours down

See also: bangibiisaan vii [BL]

bangibiisaan vii [BL] it is a cloudburst; the rain pours down

See also: bangibiisaa vii

bangibiisaanishi vai s/he gets caught in a rain shower

bangigaa vii it drips down

bangisaasin vii the wind makes it fall

bangisidaabii vai s/he drops h/ load, drops something from h/ load

bangisidaabiin vai drop it (a load), drop it from a load

bangisidoon vti2 drop it; let it fall

Paired with: bangishim vta

bangisin vii it falls

Paired with: bangishin vai

bangiskwe vai s/he is dripping blood

bangishim vta drop h/ or it (animate); let h/ or it (animate) fall

Paired with: bangisidoon vti2

bangishimo vai it (animate; the sun) sets

bangishimon vii it sets as the sun, is sunset

bangishin vai s/he or it (animate) falls

Paired with: bangisin vii

bangishipon vii snow comes down all of a sudden

bangitoo vai s/he gets quiet, quiets down

bangii adv qnt a little; a little bit; few

bangiishenh adv qnt a very little bit; just a little

bangiishenhwagiziwag vai they are very few, there are very few of them

bangiiwagad vii
  1. there is a little bit of it
  2. plural) there are few of them

Paired with: bangiiwagizi vai

bangiiwagizi vai
  1. there is a little bit of h/
  2. (plural) there are few of them

Paired with: bangiiwagad vii

banikoodoon vti2 miss trapping it

Paired with: banikoozh vta

(detransitive) banikoojige vai s/he has h/ traps set off but left empty, miss catching something in a trap
banikoojige vai s/he has h/ traps set off but left empty, miss catching something in a trap

banikoozh vta miss h/ in a trap

Paired with: banikoodoon vti2

banikoozo vai s/he sets off a trap and escapes

banin vta let h/ drop, have h/ fall out of the hand

Paired with: baninan vti

baninan vti let it drop, have it drop out of the hand

Paired with: banin vta

(detransitive) baninige vai s/he lets things drop, has things drop out of h/ hand (verb of undergoing) baninigaade vii it is dropped (by someone), "they" let it drop (verb of undergoing) baninigaazo vai s/he or it (animate) is dropped (by someone), "they" let h/ or it (animate) drop
baninigaade vii it is dropped (by someone), "they" let it drop

baninigaazo vai s/he or it (animate) is dropped (by someone), "they" let h/ or it (animate) drop

baninige vai s/he lets things drop, has things drop out of h/ hand

banitan vti mishear it

Paired with: banitaw vta

banitaw vta mishear h/; misunderstand what s/he says

Paired with: banitan vti

banizi vai s/he misses out

banizi' vta leave h/ out; make h/ miss out

banoom vta drop h/ or it (animate) from your back

Paired with: banoondan vti

banoomigo vai s/he falls off a horse

banoondan vti drop it from your back

Paired with: bimoom vta

banzan vti singe it

Paired with: banzo vta

(detransitive) banzige vai s/he singes something, burns feathers
banzige vai s/he singes something, burns feathers

banzo vta singe h/

Paired with: banzan vti

banzo vai it (animate) is singed

Paired with: bande vii

bapagone'an vti drill holes in it, make holes in it (using something)

bapagone'wi vta

bapagoneyaa vii it has holes in it

bapagoshkaa vii it has holes, gets holes (in it)

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.