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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

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

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

bibigwan ni a flute

bibigwe vai s/he plays the flute

(derived noun) bibigwan ni a flute
bibine- pv lex powdered, finely granulated

bibine-bakwezhigan na flour

bibineyaa vii it is powdered, is a powder

bibinezi vai s/he; it (animate) is powdered, is a powder

biboon vii it is winter

biboon qnt num a year; a winter

► daso-biboon qnt num

biboonagad vii it is a winter, it (a year) passes

► daso-biboonagad vii

biboonagizi vai s/he is a number of years old

► daso-biboonagizi vai

biboonakizine vai s/he wears winter boots or moccasins

biboonazhigan ni a winter sock

bibooni-babiinzikawaagan ni a winter coat

bibooni-bagidaabaan ni a winter setline: a fishing line with multiple hooks set under the ice

bibooni-giizis na [BL] December

bibooni-makizin ni a winter moccasin or boot

bibooni-miikana ni a winter road

biboonishi vai s/he spends the winter somewhere

biboonodaabaan na a sleigh

biboonodaabaanens na a sled

biboonong adv tmp last winter

bichi- pv lex accidentally, by accident

bichibizo vai s/he is accidentally run over

bichibo vai s/he is poisoned

(derived noun) bichibowin ni poison (applicative) bichiboozh vta poison h/
(reflexive) bichiboonidizo vai s/he poisons h/ self
bichibowin ni poison

bichiboonidizo vai s/he poisons h/ self

bichiboozh vta poison h/

bichi' vta mistake h/ for someone else; take h/ by accident

bichinan vti shoot it accidentally

Paired with: bichinaw vta

bichinaw vta shoot h/ accidentally

Paired with: bichinan vti

(detransitive) bichinaage vai s/he shoots people accidentally (reflexive) bichinaadizo vai s/he shoots h/ self accidentally
bichinaadizo vai s/he shoots h/ self accidentally

bichinaage vai s/he shoots people accidentally

bida'am vai2 it (animate; a fish) is caught in the net

bida'anaa vai s/he catches something in h/ net

bidikobizo vai s/he drives making a rumbling sound

bidikowe vai s/he has a deep voice

bidikwe vii it has a deep rumbling sound; there is a boom

bigishkada' vta pound, chop h/ to pieces (using a stick or a stick-like tool)

Paired with: bigishkada'an vti

bigishkada'an vti pound, chop it to pieces (using a stick or a stick-like tool)

Paired with: bigishkada' vta

bigishka' vta [MN] chop h/ or it (animate) up; crush h/ or it (animate) up (using something)

Paired with: bigishka'an vti See also: bigishka'wi vta [BL]

bigishka'an vti chop it up; crush it up (using something)

Paired with: bigishka' vta [MN] ; bigishka'wi vta [BL]

(verb of undergoing) bigishka'igaade vii it is chopped up, crushed up (by someone), "they" chop, crush it up (verb of undergoing) bigishka'igaazo vai s/he or it (animate) is chopped up, crushed up (by someone), "they" chop, crush h/ or it (animate) up
bigishka'igaade vii it is chopped up, crushed up (by someone), "they" chop, crush it up

bigishka'igaazo vai s/he or it (animate) is chopped up, crushed up (by someone), "they" chop, crush h/ or it (animate) up

bigishka'wi vta [BL] chop h/ or it (animate) up; crush h/ or it (animate) up (using something)

Paired with: bigishka'an vti See also: bigishka' vta [MN]

bigishkam vta chew it (animate) up

Paired with: bigishkandan vti

bigishkanad vii it is rotten, falls to pieces, decays

Paired with: bigishkanani vai

bigishkanani vai it (animate) is rotten, falls to pieces, decays

Paired with: bigishkanad vii

bigishkandamaw vta chew (it) up for h/

bigishkandan vti chew it up

Paired with: bigishkam vta

(benefactive) bigishkandamaw vta chew (it) up for h/

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.