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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

bisikaage vai s/he bumps into, collides with (someone)

bisikodaadiwag vai they bump into, collide with each other

bisitaw vta be offended by what h/ says about you

biskagoodoon vti2 hang it up folded

biskamon vii it (road, trail) makes a hairpin turn

biskane vii it catches fire, ignites, blazes

biskanebidoon vti2 switch it on

biskanesidoon vti2 light it by striking

biskaa vii it is bent over, folded

biskaabikin vta fold, bend it (animate; metal) over (by hand)

Paired with: biskaabikinan vti

biskaabikinan vti fold, bend it (metal) over (by hand)

Paired with: biskaabikin vta

(detransitive) biskaabikinige vai s/he folds, bends (metal) over (by hand)
biskaabikinige vai s/he folds, bends (metal) over (by hand)

biskaabii vai s/he makes a round trip in one day

biskaabiibizo vai s/he makes a round trip driving

biskaabiigad vii it (string-like) is bent, is folded

biskaabiiginan vti fold it (string-like)

biskaabiigisidoon vti2 bend it (string-like) back on itself

biskaakonebijigan ni a switch

biskaanowe vai s/he has a up-turned tail

biskaanoweni vai s/he (an animal) turns up h/ tail

biskibidoon vti2 bend it over, fold it (with hands)

Paired with: biskibizh vta

(detransitive) biskibijige vai s/he bends, folds things (with hands) (verb of undergoing) biskibijigaade vii it is bent over, folded (by someone) (with hands), "they" bent it over, fold it (with hands) (verb of undergoing) biskibijigaazo vai s/he is bent over, folded (by someone) (with hands), "they" bend h/ over, fold h/ (with hands)
biskibijigaade vii it is bent over, folded (by someone) (with hands), "they" bent it over, fold it (with hands)

biskibijigaazo vai s/he is bent over, folded (by someone) (with hands), "they" bend h/ over, fold h/ (with hands)

biskibijige vai s/he bends, folds things (with hands)

biskibizh vta bend it (animate) over, fold it (animate) (with hands)

Paired with: biskibidoon vti2

biskigamaa vii the lake has a sharp bend in it

biskigaadeni vai s/he bends, flexes,h/ leg

biskigaamo vai s/he is so fat s/he's bent over

biskigwaadan vti fold and sew, hem it

Paired with: biskigwaazh vta

biskigwaade vii it is folded and sewn, is hemmed

Paired with: biskigwaazo vai

biskigwaazh vta fold and sew, hem h/

Paired with: biskigwaadan vti

biskigwaazo vai it (animate) is folded and sewn, is hemmed

Paired with: biskigwaade vii

biskijiigaabawi vai s/he stands bent over at the waist

biskijiitaa vai s/he bends, folds, flexes h/ body

biskin vta bend h/ over, bow h/

Paired with: biskinan vti

biskinan vti bend it over, bow it

Paired with: biskin vta

(verb of undergoing) biskinigaade vii it is bent over, folded (by someone) (with hands), "they" bent it over, fold it (with hands) (detransitive) biskinige vai s/he folds things
biskinigaade vii it is bent over, folded (by someone) (with hands), "they" bent it over, fold it (with hands)

biskinige vai s/he folds things

biskinikeni vai s/he bends, flexes h/ arm

biskininjiini vai s/he bends h/ fingers or hand over

biskise vii it folds over (by itself)

biskitawageni vai s/he wiggles h/ ears

biskitenan vti fold it (sheet-like)

biskitenaagan ni a sap bucket of folded birch bark; [BL] a birch bark basket

(verb of making) biskitenaaganike vai s/he makes a biskitenaagan (a birch bark sap bucket); [BL] s/he makes a birch bark basket
biskitenaaganike vai s/he makes a biskitenaagan (a birch bark sap bucket); [BL] s/he makes a birch bark basket

biskitigweyaa vii the river has a sharp bend in it

biskizideni vai s/he bends, flexes h/ foot

biskiigad vii it (sheet-like) is bent, is olded

Paired with: biskiigizi vai

biskiigibidoon vti2 fold it (sheet-like) (with hands)

Paired with: biskiigibizh vta

biskiigibizh vta fold it (animate; sheet-like) (with hands)

Paired with: biskiigibidoon vti2

biskiigin vta fold it (animate; sheet-like) (with hand)

Paired with: biskiiginan vti

biskiiginan vti fold it (sheet-like)

Paired with: biskiigin vta

(detransitive) biskiiginige vai s/he folds things (as something sheet-like) (verb of undergoing) biskiiginigaade vii it is folded (by someone) [as something sheet-like]
biskiiginigaade vii it is folded (by someone) [as something sheet-like]

biskiiginige vai s/he folds things (as something sheet-like)

biskiigisin vii it is folded (sheet-like)

Paired with: biskiigishin vai

biskiigishin vai s/he is folded (as something sheet-like)

Paired with: biskiigisin vii

biskiigizi vai it (animate; sheet-like) is bent, is folded

Paired with: biskiigad vii

bisom vta offend, insult h/ (by speech)

bishagam vta peel h/ with the teeth

Paired with: bishagandan vti

bishaganagekobidoon vti2 peel bark off it with the hands

bishagandan vti peel it with the teeth

Paired with: bishagam vta

bishagaakobidoon vti peel the bark off it (by hand)

Paired with: bishagaakobizh vta

bishagaakobizh vta peel the bark off it (animate) (by hand)

Paired with: bishagaakobidoon vti

bishagaakokodan vti peel bark off it (a stick) with a blade; cut bark off it

Paired with: bishagaakokozh vta

bishagaakokozh vta cut bark off it (animate; tree); peel bark off it (animate; tree) with a blade

Paired with: bishagaakokodan vti

bishagaakwa' vta peel or scrape bark off it (animate) (using something)

Paired with: bishagaakwa'an vti

bishagaakwa'an vti peel or scrape bark off it (using something)

Paired with: bishagaakwa' vta

(detransitive) bishagaakwa'ige vai s/he peels timber (using something) (derived noun) bishagaakwa'igan ni a log peeler
bishagaakwa'igan ni a log peeler

bishagaakwa'ige vai s/he peels timber (using something)

bishagaakwa'wi vta [NI]

► bishagaakwa' vta

bishagaakwam vta chew bark off h/ (a tree)

(detransitive) bishagaakwanjige vai s/he chews bark off trees
bishagaakwanjige vai s/he chews bark off trees

bishagaaso vai s/he peels from being sunburned

bishagibide vii it peels off in a machine

Paired with: bishagibizo vai

bishagibidoon vti2 peel it (with hands)

Paired with: bishagibizh vta

(detransitive) bishagibijige vai s/he peels things (with hands)
bishagibijige vai s/he peels things (with hands)

bishagibizh vta peel h/ (with hands)

Paired with: bishagibizh vta

bishagibizo vai it (animate) peels off in a machine

Paired with: bishagibide vii

bishagidooskwaneshin vai s/he skins h/ elbow on something

bishagigaadeshin vai s/he falls and scrapes h/ leg

bishagigidigweshin vai s/he skins h/ knee

bishagikodan vti peel it (with a knife)

Paired with: bishagikozh vta

bishagikojige vai s/he peels things (with a knife)

bishagikozh vta peel h/ (with a knife, pare h/

Paired with: bishagikodan vti

bishaginikeshin vai s/he falls and skins h/ arm

bishagipinii vai s/he peels potatoes

bishagise vii it peels, peels off

bishagisidoon vti2 scrape, skin it on something

Paired with: bishagishim vta

bishagishim vta scrape, skin h/ on something

Paired with: bishagisidoon vti2

bishagishkaa vii it peels off

Paired with: bishagishkaa vai

bishagishkaa vai s/he peels, peels off

Paired with: bishagishkaa vii

bishagiwebishkan vti peel it (by foot or body action)

bishagizideshin vai s/he skins h/ foot on something

bishagiingweshin vai s/he falls and skins h/ face

bishagiishkate vii it is dark indoors

bishagiishkaa vii it is dark, gets dark (as night)

bishagiishkaande vii it is dark colored

Paired with: bishagiishkaanzo vai

bishagiishkaanzo vai s/he is dark colored

Paired with: bishagiishkaande vii

bisha'igobii vai s/he peels basswood bark

bishigendam vai2

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.