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dawaagonebijige vai s/he plows snow, blows snow; s/he pushes snow off

dawaagone'an vti clear the snow off it (with something), shovel the snow off it

(detransitive) dawaagone'ige vai s/he clears snow (with something), shovels snow
dawaagone'ige vai s/he clears snow (with something), shovels snow

dawaagoneshkige vai s/he clears space or path in snow with feet

dawaakizo vai it (animate) has a passage burned through it

dawaakizwi vta [NI] burn a passage through it (animate)

dawaanimad vii the wind slows down for a little bit; there's a break in the wind

dawibidoon vti2 pull it apart to form a gap

Paired with: dawibizh vta

(detransitive) dawibijige vai s/he pulls things apart to form a gap
dawibijige vai s/he pulls things apart to form a gap

dawibizh vta pull h/ apart to form a gap

Paired with: dawibidoon vti2

dawiga'ige vai s/he clears off (things) with an ax

dawigaabawi vai s/he makes room standing

dawikweni vai s/he moves h/ (own) head to make room

dawise vai s/he has time, is free (to do something)

dawisidoon vti2 put it somewhere to make a space, put it out of the way

Paired with: dawishim vta

dawishim vta put h/ somewhere to make space, put h/ out of the way

Paired with: dawisidoon vti2

dawishkan vti make room for or in it (with foot or body)

Paired with: dawishkaw vta

dawishkaw vta make room for h/ (with body)

Paired with: dawishkan vti

dazaabam vta refrain from doing or saying something because of seeing h/ present

dazhe vai s/he (an animal) lives in a certain place

dazhi- pv rel in a certain place; of a certain place; there

dazhibatoo vai s/he runs in a certain place

dazhibii'ige vai s/he writes in a certain place

dazhigaabawi vai s/he stands in a certain place

dazhigi vai s/he grows in a certain place

Paired with: dazhigin vii

dazhigidaazo vai s/he is angry in a certain place, is mad in a certain place

dazhigin vii it grows in a certain place

Paired with: dazhigi vai

dazhim vta talk, gossip about h/

Paired with: dazhindan vti

(reciprocal) dazhindiwag vai they talk about, gossip about each other
(derived noun) dazhindiwin ni gossip
(reflexive) dazhindizo vai s/he talks about h/ self (detransitive) dazhinge vai s/he talks about people, gossips
dazhindan vti talk, gossip about it, discuss it

Paired with: dazhim vta

(verb of undergoing) dazhinjigaade vii it is talked, gossiped about (by someone), "they" talk, gossip about it (verb of undergoing) dazhinjigaazo vai s/he is talked, gossiped about (by someone), "they" talk, gossip about h/
dazhindiwag vai they talk about, gossip about each other

dazhindiwin ni gossip

dazhindizo vai s/he talks about h/ self

dazhinge vai s/he talks about people, gossips

dazhinjigaade vii it is talked, gossiped about (by someone), "they" talk, gossip about it

dazhinjigaazo vai s/he is talked, gossiped about (by someone), "they" talk, gossip about h/

dazhisin vii it lies in a certain place

Paired with: dazhishin vai

dazhishimo vai s/he dances in a certain place

dazhishin vai
  1. s/he lies in a certain place
  2. s/he is buried in a certain place

Paired with: dazhisin vii

dazhitaa vai
  1. s/he takes time, spends time, stays in a certain place
  2. s/he works, plays (in a certain place)

dazhiikan vti work at it or on it; be involved, occupied, engaged with it

Paired with: dazhiikaw vta

(verb of undergoing) dazhiikigaade vii it is worked on, worked at (by someone), "they" work on it, at it (verb of undergoing) dazhiikigaazo vai s/he is worked on, worked at (by someone), "they" work on, work at h/
dazhiikaw vta be involved, occupied, engaged with h/; work at h/

Paired with: dazhiikan vti

(reciprocal) dazhiikodaadiwag vai they are involved with, are engaged with, deal with each other
dazhiike vai s/he takes time, spends time, stays in a certain place; s/he plays in a certain place

dazhiikigaade vii it is worked on, worked at (by someone), "they" work on it, at it

dazhiikigaazo vai s/he is worked on, worked at (by someone), "they" work on, work at h/

dazhiikodaadiwag vai they are involved with, are engaged with, deal with each other

dazhobidoon vti2 spread it out flat (with hands)

Paired with: dazhobizh vta

dazhobizh vta spread h/ out flat (with hands)

Paired with: dazhobidoon vti2

dazhogaadeni vai s/he stretchs out h/ leg or legs

dazhonikeni vai s/he stretchs out h/ arm or arms

dazhonikepizo vai

dazhoshkwemagishkoodoon vti2 press it (bark) flat with weight

dazhwaabikad vii it (mineral) is spread out, is straight

Paired with: dazhwaabikizi vai

dazhwaabikinan vti spread it (mineral) by hand; straighten it (mineral) by hand

dazhwaabikizi vai it (animate; mineral) is spread out, is straight

Paired with: dazhwaabikad vii

dazhwaabiigibizh vta spread it (string-like) out (by pulling)

dazhwaabiigitaa vai s/he, it (animate; string-like) straightens out

dazhwaakizan vti

dazhwaakogaade vai s/he has h/ leg or legs spread out

dazhwaakogaadebi vai s/he sits with h/ legs spread out

dazhwaakogaadeni vai s/he spreads out h/ leg or legs

dazhwaakoninjiini vai s/he puts h/ hand out straight, extends h/ hand out

dazhwaangeni vai it (animate) spreads out its wings

dazhwaanikwe vai s/he has straight hair

dazhwaanikwe'wi vta straighten h/ hair

dazhwaanikweyaabaawe vai h/ hair straightens out in the water or rain

dazhwegad vii it (sheet-like) is flat, is spread out

Paired with: dazhwegizi vai

dazhwegaasin vii it straightens out in the wind

dazhwegin vta spread h/ out flat

Paired with: dazhweginan vti

dazhweginan vti spread it out flat

Paired with: dazhwegin vta

(detransitive) dazhweginige vai s/he spreads (things) out flat
dazhweginige vai s/he spreads (things) out flat

dazhwegisidoon vti2 lay it out spread flat

Paired with: dazhwegishim vta

dazhwegisin vii it lies spread out flat

Paired with: dazhwegishin vai

dazhwegishim vta spread it (animate; sheet-like) out

Paired with: dazhwegisidoon vti2

dazhwegishin vai s/he or it (animate) lies spread out flat

Paired with: dazhwegisin vii

dazhwegishkan vti spread it out flat (with foot or body)

Paired with: dazhwegishkaw vta

dazhwegishkaw vta spread h/ out flat (with foot or body)

Paired with: dazhwegishkan vti

dazhwegishkaa vai s/he spreads out flat, opens up flat

Paired with: dazhwegishkaa vii

dazhwegishkaa vii it spreads out flat, opens up flat

Paired with: dazhwegishkaa vai

dazhwegitaa vai it (animate) spreads itself out

dazhwegiwebinan vti spread it (something sheet-like) out with hands

dazhwegizh vta slice, cut it (animate) into sheets or filets

dazhwegizhan vti slice, cut it into sheets or filets

Paired with: dazhwegizh vta ; dazhwegizhwi vta [NI]

dazhwegizi vai it (animate; sheet-like) is flat, is spread

Paired with: dazhwegad vii

dazhwegizhwi vta [NI]

► dazhwegizh vta

daa vai s/he lives, dwells in a certain place

daa- pv tns modal preverb of possibility, necessity, or obligation: can, could, should, would, might, must

daabida adv man alike; identical; the same

daabishkoo adv gram for example; alike

daadobidoon vti2 split it open (with hands), pull it apart and open

Paired with: daadobizh vta

daadobizh vta split it (animate) open (with hands), pull it (animate) apart and open

Paired with: daadobidoon vti2

daadode vii it splits open (from heat)

Paired with: daadozo vai

daadojiide vii it bursts open (from heat)

Paired with: daadojiizo vai

daadojiizo vai it (animate; bag- or belly like) splits open (from heat)

Paired with: daadojiide vii

daadose vii it rips apart, splits apart and open

daadoshkan vti rip, split it open with foot or body

Paired with: daadoshkaw vta

daadoshkaw vta rip, split h/ open with foot or body

Paired with: daadoshkan vti

daadoshkaa vii it splits open, parts

daadowebishkan vti split it open (forcefully by foot or body)

Paired with: daadowebishkaw vta

daadowebishkaw vta split it (animate) open (forcefully by foot or body)

Paired with: daadowebishkan vti

daadozh vta cut h/ or it (animate) apart and open

Paired with: daadozhan vti See also: daadozhwi vta [NI]

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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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.