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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

ginaabem nad your (sg) husband

ginaa'ogo vai s/he is stranded in a boat

ginaan nad [ML] your calf (of the leg)

ginaan nid [LL] [RL] your calf (of the leg)

ginebig na a snake

(verb of being) ginebigowi vai s/he is a snake
ginebigobag ni a fern

ginebigowi vai s/he is a snake

ginebigwayaan na a snakeskin

ginebigwaatig na

giniba'an vii

ginibam vta eat it (animate) quickly

Paired with: ginibandan vti

ginibandan vti eat it quickly

Paired with: ginibam vta

(detransitive) ginibanjige vai s/he eats quickly
ginibanjige vai s/he eats quickly

ginibashkime vai s/he weaves snowshoe webbing quickly

ginibawinzo vai s/he picks berries quickly

ginibaakide vii it burns quickly

Paired with: ginibaakizo vai

ginibaakizige vai s/he gets drunk fast

ginibaakizo vai s/he burns quickly

Paired with: ginibaakide vii

ginibi- pv lex quick, quickly

ginibide vii it cooks quickly

Paired with: ginibizo vai

ginibigi vai s/he or it (animate) grows fast

Paired with: ginibigin vii

ginibigin vii it grows fast

Paired with: ginibigi vai

ginibine vai s/he dies quickly

ginibise vii it goes fast, runs out fast

ginibizhan vti cut it quickly

Paired with: ginibizhwi vta [NI]

ginibizekwe vai s/he cooks fast

ginibizo vai it (animate) cooks quickly

Paired with: ginibide vii

ginibizhwi vta [NI] cut h/ or it (animate) quickly

Paired with: ginibizhan vti

ginigawin vta mix it (animate) in

Paired with: ginigawinan vti

ginigawinan vti mix it in

Paired with: ginigawin vta

(detransitive) ginigawinige vai s/he mixes things (verb of undergoing) ginigawinigaade vii it is mixed in (by someone), "they" mix it in (verb of undergoing) ginigawinigaazo vai s/he is mixed in (by someone), "they" mix h/ in
ginigawinigaade vii it is mixed in (by someone), "they" mix it in

ginigawinigaazo vai s/he is mixed in (by someone), "they" mix h/ in

ginigawinige vai s/he mixes things

ginigawisin vii it is mixed

ginigawiwebin vta mix h/ by shaking

Paired with: ginigawiwebinan vti

ginigawiwebinan vti mix it by shaking

Paired with: ginigawiwebin vta

ginik nid your arm

gining nid your armpit

giningwan nad your son-in-law

giningwanis nad your nephew (cross-nephew: a male's sister's son or a female's brother's son)

gininj nid your hand, finger

ginisinaa'ogo vai s/he is windbound, is held back from travel on the water by the wind or waves

ginishiwag nad your testicles

giniw na golden eagle

[
Aquilia chrysaetos
]

giniwazison ni [BL] a golden eagle's nest

giniwigwan na a golden eagle feather

giniigi'ig nad your parent

giniijaanis nad your (sg.) child

giniin pc disc behold!

giniishk nad your gland (lymph node)

ginjiba' vta flee from, run away from h/

(detransitive) ginjiba'iwe vai s/he flees from people, runs away from people
ginjiba'iwe vai s/he flees from people, runs away from people

ginjida' vta tap h/ in, pound h/ in

Paired with: ginjida'an vti

ginjida'an vti tap it in, pound it in

Paired with: ginjida' vta

ginjida'wi vta [NI]

► ginjida' vta

ginjinda'an vti [RL] tap it in, pound it in

See also: ginjida'an vti

ginokoozhe vai s/he has a long bill

ginominagad vii it (globular) is long

ginoshenh nad your aunt (parallel aunt: mother's sister); your stepmother

ginow nid [ML] your cheek

ginozigwaa vii it (slab-like) is long

ginoodaawangaa vii it is a long stretch of sand beach

ginoodinaa vii it is a long hill

ginoogamaa vii it is a long lake

ginoogan nid your hip

ginoo' vta make h/ long

Paired with: ginwaatoon vti2

ginookamigaa vii it is a long stretch of ground

ginoomon vii it (road or trail) is long

ginoonagad vii it (canoe or boat) is long

See also: ginwaakoonagad vii ; ginwaakojiiyoonagad vii

ginoonagizi vai it (animate; vehicle) is long

Paired with: ginoonagad vii

ginoondawaan ni a long lodge

ginoosagad vii it (useful wood) is long

ginoosagaa vii it has a long floor area, is a long room

ginootigweyaa vii it is a long river

ginoozhe na a northern, a northern pike

[
Esox lucius
]

ginoozi vai s/he is tall, is long

Paired with: ginwaa vii

ginwanashkidii vai s/he (a bird) has a long tail

ginwanaamo vai s/he takes a long deep breath

ginwashkad vii it (plant, grass) has a long stalk, is long, is tall

ginwashkidii vai it (animate; a bird) has a long tail

ginwashkiigaa vii it is a long stretch of muskeg

ginwaa vii it is long, is tall

Paired with: ginoozi vai

ginwaabikad vii it is long (as something mineral)

Paired with: ginwaabikizi vai

ginwaabikizi vai s/he is long (as something mineral)

Paired with: ginwaabikad vii

ginwaabiigad vii it (string-like) is long

Paired with: ginwaabiigizi vai

ginwaabiigaanowe vai s/he has a long stringy tail

ginwaabiigigwe vai s/he has a long thin neck

See also: genwaabiigigwed na-v

ginwaabiigijiizi vai s/he is long-bodied, has a long torso

ginwaabiigizh vta cut it (animate; string-like) long

Paired with: ginwaabiigizhan vti See also: ginwaabiigizhwi vta [NI]

ginwaabiigizhan vti cut it (string-like) long

Paired with: ginwaabiigizh vta ; ginwaabiigizhwi vta [NI]

(detransitive) ginwaabiigizhige vai s/he cuts (string-like) things long (verb of undergoing) ginwaabiigizhigaade vii it (string-like) is cut long (by someone), "they" cut it (string-like) long (verb of undergoing) ginwaabiigizhigaazo vai it (animate; string-like) is cut long (by someone), "they" cut it (animate; string-like) long
ginwaabiigizi vai it (animate; string-like) is long

Paired with: ginwaabiigad vii

ginwaabiigizhigaade vii it (string-like) is cut long (by someone), "they" cut it (string-like) long

ginwaabiigizhigaazo vai it (animate; string-like) is cut long (by someone), "they" cut it (animate; string-like) long

ginwaabiigizhige vai s/he cuts (string-like) things long

ginwaabiigizhwi vta [NI] cut it (animate; string-like) long

Paired with: ginwaabiigizhan vti See also: ginwaabiigizh vta

ginwaajimo vai

ginwaajimowin ni

ginwaako- pv lex long and stick-like

ginwaako-apabiwin ni a couch; a bench

ginwaakodaamikane vai s/he has a long protruding chin

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.