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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

beshibii'igaade vii it is marked with a line or stripe (by someone), "they" mark it with a line or stripe

beshibii'igaazo vai h/ is marked with a line or stripe (by someone), "they" mark it with a line or stripe

beshibii'ige vai s/he marks things with a line or stripe

beshibii'wi vta [NI] mark h/ or it (animate) with a stripe

Paired with: beshibii'an vti

beshidaamikaneshin vai s/he gets or has a cut on h/ chin or jaw

beshidooneshin vai s/he gets or has a cut on h/ mouth

beshigaadeshin vai s/he gets or has a cut on h/ leg

beshigwaadan vti sew a border on it

Paired with: beshigwaazh vta

beshigwaajigan ni border or trim sewn on something

beshigwaazh vta sew a border on it (animate)

Paired with: beshigwaadan vti

beshinikeshin vai s/he gets or has a cut on h/ arm

beshininjiishin vai s/he gets or has a cut on h/ hand

beshizh vta make a cut or slit on h/ or it (animate)

Paired with: beshizhan vti See also: beshizhwi vta [NI]

beshizhan vti make a cut or slit on it

Paired with: beshizh vta ; beshizhwi vta [NI]

beshizi vai s/he has a line, has a stripe

Paired with: beshaa vii

beshizideshin vai s/he gets or has a cut on h/ foot

beshizhwi vta [NI] make a cut or slit on h/ or it (animate)

Paired with: beshizhan vti See also: beshizh vta

beshiigad vii it (sheet-like) has a stripe, has a line

Paired with: beshiigizi vai

beshiigizi vai it (animate; sheet-like) has a stripe, has a line

Paired with: beshiigad vii

beshiingweshin vai s/he gets or has a cut on h/ face

beshk na [BL] a nighthawk

[
common nighthawk
; 
Chordeiles minor
]

See also: beshkwe na

beshkwe na a nighthawk

[
common nighthawk
; 
Chordeiles minor
]

See also: beshk na [BL]

besho adv loc near, nearby, close

besho- pv lex close, near, nearby, not far; short [of a season]

besho-biboon vii it is a short winter

besho-giizhigad vii it is a short day; there are short days

beshonaagozi vai s/he appears to be close

Paired with: beshonaagwad vii

beshonaagwad vii it appears to be close

Paired with: beshonaagozi vai

beshotan vti be in close hearing of it, hear it coming closer

Paired with: beshotaw vta

beshotaw vta be in close hearing of h/, hear h/ coming closer

Paired with: beshotan vti

beshowad vii it is close, is near, is nearby

beshwaji' vta be close friends with h/

beshwaabam vta see h/ nearby, be in close view of h/, catch sight of h/

Paired with: beshwaabandan vti

beshwaabandan vti see it nearby, be in close view of it, catch sight of it

Paired with: beshwaabam vta

beshwendan vti think it to be near or soon

Paired with: beshwenim vta

beshwendaagozi vai s/he is thought near

Paired with: beshwendaagwad vii

beshwendaagwad vii it is thought near

Paired with: beshwendaagozi vai

beshwenim vta think h/ to be near or near soon

Paired with: beshwendan vti

beshwewidam vai2 s/he is heard making sound nearby

bezhig qnt num
  1. one
  2. a certain one

bezhigo vai s/he is alone, is one, is the only one, is single

bezhigo- pv qnt one

bezhigo-diba'iganeyaa vii [BL] it is one o'clock

bezhigo-dibaabiishkoojiganezi vai s/he or it (animate) weighs one pound

bezhigokawe vai

bezhigozigwam qnt num one block of ice

bezhigoobi vai one sits, is at home

bezhigoobii'igan na an ace

bezhigoogaabawi vai one (animate) stands; s/he stands alone

bezhigooge vai s/he lives alone

bezhigookam vai2 s/he is alone in a canoe

bezhigookan vti work on something alone

Paired with: bezhigookaw vta

bezhigookaw vta fight h/ alone; work on h/ alone

Paired with: bezhigookan vti

bezhigoopide vii one (inanimate) is tied

Paired with: bezhigoopizo vai

bezhigoopidoon vti2 tie one of it

Paired with: bezhigoopizh vta

bezhigoopizh vta tie, hitch one (animate)

Paired with: bezhigoopidoon vti2

bezhigoopizo vai one (animate) is tied, is hitched

Paired with: bezhigoopide vii

bezhigooshin vai s/he lies alone

bezhigwaginzo vai [BL] it is the first (of the month)

bezhigwan vii it is one; it is the only one; it is the same

bezhigwanong adv loc in one place; one place

bezhigwaabik na one dollar

bezhigwaabiig adv num one strand, one string

bezhigwaabiigin vta use one strand of it (animate), sew with it (a single thread)

Paired with: bezhigwaabiiginan vti

bezhigwaabiiginan vti use one strand of it

bezhigwaatig qnt num one stick-like object

bezhigweg qnt num one piece of something sheet-like

bezikaa vai s/he moves slowly, runs late

bezikaabatoo vai s/he runs slowly

bezhizhooniyaans na a dime; [BL] a quarter

bi- pv dir here; hither; this way; toward the speaker; up to now

bi-izhaa vai s/he comes

bi-naagozi vai s/he appears; s/he comes into view

Paired with: bi-naagwad vii

bi-naagwad vii it appears; it comes into view

Paired with: bi-naagozi vai

bibagadin vii it is frozen thin

Paired with: bibagaji vai

bibagadowe vai s/he has short thin fur

bibagaji vai it (animate) is frozen thin

Paired with: bibagadin vii

bibagakwad vii it is a thin cloud or cloud cover

bibaganagekozi vai it (animate) has thin bark

bibaganagekwad vii it has thin bark

Paired with: bibaganagekozi vai

bibagaa vii it is thin

Paired with: bibagizi vai

bibagaabikad vii it (mineral) is thin

Paired with: bibagaabikizi vai

bibagaabikizi vai it (animate; mineral) is thin

Paired with: bibagaabikad vii

bibagaabiigad vii it (string-like) is thin

Paired with: bibagaabiigizi vai

bibagaabiigizi vai it (animate; string-like) is thin

Paired with: bibagaabiigad vii

bibagaakozi vai it (animate; stick-like) is thin

Paired with: bibagaakwad vii

bibagaakwad vii it (stick-like) is thin

Paired with: bibagaakozi vai

bibagaakwadin vii it freezes thin, is frozen thin

Paired with: bibagaakwaji vai

bibagaakwaji vai s/he freezes thin, is frozen thin

Paired with: bibagaakwadin vii

bibagikodan vti slice it thin

Paired with: bibagikozh vta

bibagikonaye vai s/he wears a thin layer of clothes

bibagikozh vta slice h/ thin

Paired with: bibagikodan vti

bibagisin vii it lies in a thin layer

Paired with: bibagishin vai

bibagishin vai s/he lies in a thin layer

Paired with: bibagisin vii

bibagizh vta cut h/ thin

Paired with: bibagizhan vti

bibagizhan vti cut it thin

Paired with: bibagizh vta

bibagizi vai it (animate) is thin

Paired with: bibagaa vii

bibagizigwaa vii it (something slab-like) is thin; there is thin ice

bibagiigad vii it (sheet-like) is thin

Paired with: bibagiigizi vai

bibagiigizi vai it (animate; sheet-like) is thin

Paired with: bibagiigad vii

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.