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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

bigishkishin vai it (animate) breaks up against something

Paired with: bigishkisin vii

bigishkiz vta cook h/ to pieces

Paired with: bigishkizan vti

bigishkizh vta cut it (animate) into small pieces, dice it (animate)

Paired with: bigishkizhan vti See also: bigishkizhwi vta [NI]

bigishkizhan vti cut it to pieces

Paired with: bigishkizh vta

(detransitive) bigishkizhige vai s/he cuts things to pieces (verb of undergoing) bigishkizhigaade vii it is cut to pieces (by someone), "they" cut it to pieces
bigishkizan vti cook it to pieces

Paired with: bigishkiz vta

bigishkizhigaade vii it is cut to pieces (by someone), "they" cut it to pieces

bigishkizhige vai s/he cuts things to pieces

bigishkizhwi vta [NI] cut it (animate) into small pieces, dice it (animate)

Paired with: bigishkizhan vti See also: bigishkizh vta

bigiw ni pitch, tar

(verb of making) bigiike vai s/he applies pitch, tar, or putty
(applicative) bigiikaadan vti apply pitch, tar or putty to it
(verb of undergoing) bigiikaajigaade vii it is tarred, pitched (by someone), "they" tar, pitch it
(verb of being) bigiiwan vii it has pitch, resin, or gum on it (verb of being) bigiiwi vai s/he has pitch, resin, or gum on h/
bigiwaakosag na a pitch tree

bigiwaandagozi vai it (animate) is pitchy, has sticky pitch

bigiwizigan ni maple taffy

bigiwizige vai s/he makes taffy

bigii- pv lex pitch, tar

bigii-miikana ni an asphalt road

bigiikaadan vti apply pitch, tar or putty to it

bigiikaajigaade vii it is tarred, pitched (by someone), "they" tar, pitch it

bigiike vai s/he applies pitch, tar, or putty

bigiins na chewing gum

bigiiwan vii it has pitch, resin, or gum on it

Paired with: bigiiwi vai

bigiiwi vai s/he has pitch, resin, or gum on h/

Paired with: bigiiwan vii

bigoshens na [RL] a gnat

(verb of abundance) bigoshensikaa vii there are (many) gnats
bigoshensikaa vii there are (many) gnats

bigwadakamig adv loc [NI] in the wilderness

See also: bagwadakamig adv loc

bijiinag adv tmp after a while, eventually, finally; just now; recently

bijiinaago adv tmp yesterday

bikojii vai s/he is paunchy, is pot-bellied

bikokobaa vii it is a clump of brush

bikominagad vii it (something small and round) is round like a ball, is globular

bikominagijaane vai s/he has a bulbous nose

bikonagizhii vai s/he has a potbelly

bikosin vii it lies like a lump or bump

Paired with: bikoshin vai

bikoshin vai s/he lies like a bump or lump

Paired with: bikosin vii

bikoojaan ni a ball of twine or yarn

bikwadaawangaa vii it is sand dune or sand hill

bikwadinaa vii it is a knoll, is a hill

bikwak ni an arrow

(verb of making) bikwakoke vai s/he makes arrows (verb of possession) obikwako vai s/he has an arrow or arrows
bikwakamigaa vii there is a hump or mound in the ground

bikwakoke vai s/he makes arrows

bikwaabate vii it billows (as smoke)

bikwaabikadinaa vii there is a rocky hill or hills

bikwaabikaa vii it is a rocky mound or hill

bikwaabiigad vii it (string-like) has a knot, has a lump on it

bikwaabiigizi vai it (animate; string-like) has a knot, has a lump on it

Paired with: bikwaabiigad vii

bikwaagonebizotoon vti2 drive it making a snow pile

bikwaagone'an vti put it in a snow pile (using something)

Paired with: bikwaagone'wi vta

(detransitive) bikwaagone'ige vai s/he makes a snow pile (using something) (derived noun) bikwaagone'igan ni a snow pile
bikwaagone'igan ni a snow pile

bikwaagone'ige vai s/he makes a snow pile (using something)

bikwaagone'wi vta put it (animate) in a snow pile (using something)

Paired with: bikwaagone'an vti

bikwaakogan ni an ankle or wrist bone or joint

bikwaakoganaan ni an ankle or wrist bone or joint

bikwaakoninjiini vai s/he makes a fist

bikwaakwad ni a ball

bikwaakwada'oodoon vti2 wind it into ball

bikwaakwado-bagamaagan ni a ball-headed club

bikwaakwado-manoomin ni chubby short-grained wild rice

bikwaakwado-ziinzibaakwad ni [BL] a sugar cube

bikwaakwadominagad vii it (something small and round, grain, berry) is chubby

bikwaakwadosin vii it lies formed into a ball

Paired with: bikwaakwadoshin vai

bikwaakwadoshin vai s/he or it (animate) lies formed into a ball

Paired with: bikwaakwadosin vii

bikwaakwadotaa vai s/he rolls h/ self into a ball

bikwaakwadozi vai s/he is round (like a ball), is chubby

bikwaakwadoons ni [BL] a baseball

bikwaakwadoonsike vai [BL] s/he plays baseball

bikwaakwadwaagonagin vta make h/ (snow) into a snowball

bikwaawigan vai [ML] s/he is hunchback

bikwaawigane vai [N] s/he is a hunchback

See also: bikwaawigan vai [ML]

bikwaawiganetaa vai s/he hunches h/ back

bikwegishin vii it lies in a hump as under a blanket or cover

bimadaawangose vai s/he walks along on sand

bimademo vai s/he goes along crying

bimadewe vai s/he goes, walks along on the snow crust

bimadinaa vii there is a ridge or range of hills or mountains extending along

bima'adoo vai s/he follows a trail along, walks along a trail

bima'adoobatoo vai s/he runs along a trail, is out for a run, is jogging

bima'adoon vti2 follow it along as a trail

Paired with: bima'azh vta

(detransitive) bima'ajige vai s/he follows something along as a trail
bima'ajige vai s/he follows something along as a trail

bima'amaazo vai s/he goes along singing

bima'an vti skim it

(detransitive) bima'ige vai s/he skims things
bima'azh vta track h/ along, follow h/ trail along

Paired with: bima'adoon vti2

bima'ige vai s/he skims things

bima'oodoo vai s/he poles a boat along

bima'oodoon vti2 pole it along in a boat; take it along in a boat

Paired with: bima'oozh vta

(detransitive) bima'oojige vai [BL] s/he takes (things) along in the water; s/he trolls; s/he guides fishermen
bima'oojige vai [BL] s/he guides fishermen; s/he takes (things) along in the water; s/he trolls

bima'ookii vai s/he poles a boat along

bima'oozh vta pole h/ along in a boat; take h/ along in a boat

Paired with: bima'oodoon vti2

bimakii'ige vai [S] s/he poles a boat along

See also: bimakii'o vai [BL]

bimakii'o vai [BL] s/he poles a boat along

See also: bimakii'ige vai [S]

bimakwazhiwe vai
  1. s/he paddles along, goes along by boat
  2. s/he swims along (as a fish)

bimamon vii it (road or trail) leads along

bimanaandam vai2 s/he goes along hungry

bimaabate vii it (smoke) goes along

bimaabaagwe vai s/he goes along, goes by thirsty

bimaabiigad vii it (string-like) extends along, is strung out

Paired with: bimaabiigizi vai

bimaabiigamon vii it leads along (as something string-like)

bimaabiigin vta string it (animate) along

Paired with: bimaabiiginan vti

bimaabiiginan vti string it along

Paired with: bimaabiigin vta

bimaabiigisin vii it (string-like) lies extended along

Paired with: bimaabiigishin vai

bimaabiigishin vai it (animate; string-like) lies extended along

Paired with: bimaabiigisin vii

bimaabiigizi vai it (animate; string-like) extends along, is strung out

Paired with: bimaabiigad 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.