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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

giimoozikaw vta sneak up on h/

(detransitive) giimoozikaage vai s/he sneaks up on people
giimoozikaage vai s/he sneaks up on people

giimoozitaw vta eavesdrop on h/

giin pron per you [singular]

See also: gaye giin pron per ; gegiin pron per

giineta pron per only you, just you [singular] giinitam pron per your turn, you next [singular]
giinag nid your penis

giinawaa pron per you [plural]

See also: gaye giinawaa pron per ; gegiinawaa pron per

giinetawaa pron per only you, just you [plural] giinitamawaa pron per your turn, you next [plural]
giinawind pron per we, us [inclusive]

See also: gaye giinawind pron per ; gegiinawind pron per

giinetawind pron per only we, only us; just us [inclusive] giinitamawind pron per our turn, us next [inclusive]
giinaa vii it is sharp

Paired with: giinizi vai

giinaabide vai s/he has a sharp tooth or sharp teeth

giineta pron per only you, just you [singular]

giinetawaa pron per only you, just you [plural]

giinetawind pron per only we, only us; just us [inclusive]

giingoo na [RL] a fish

See also: giigoonh na

giiniboode vii it is sharpened (by filing or sawing)

Paired with: giiniboozo vai

giiniboodoon vti2 sharpen it (by filing or grinding)

Paired with: giiniboozh vta

(derived noun) giiniboojigan ni pencil sharpener
giiniboojigan ni pencil sharpener

giiniboozh vta sharpen h/ (by filing or grinding)

Paired with: giiniboodoon vti2

giiniboozo vai s/he is sharpened (by filing or sawing)

giinim nad (if you are male) your sister-in-law; (if you are female) your brother-in-law

giinimoshenh nad your cross-cousin (of the opposite sex to you): your mother's brother's child, your father's sister's child ; your sweetheart

giinindib nid your brain

giinitam pron per your turn, you next [singular]

giinitamawaa pron per your turn, you next [plural]

giinitamawind pron per our turn, us next [inclusive]

giinizi vai it (animate) is sharp

Paired with: giinaa vii

giinizis nid your (strand of) hair

giinzob nid your gall bladder

giipanagekozi vai it (animate) has scaly bark

giipininjii vai s/he has a chapped hand or chapped hands

giipizide vai s/he has a chapped foot or chapped feet

giipiingwe vai s/he has a chapped face

giishkada'an vti chop it off

(derived noun) giishkada'igan ni a cleaver
giishkada'igan ni a cleaver

giishkadaawangaa vii it is a sand bank

giishkadaawangaa'an vii the waves make a sand bank

giishkadinaa vii it is a cliff, is a steep bank

giishka' vta chop h/ off

Paired with: giishka'an vti

giishka'an vti chop it off

Paired with: giishka' vta

giishka'aakwe vai s/he is logging, cuts timber

giishka'aakwewigamig ni a lumber camp

giishka'aakwewinini na a logger, a lumberjack

giishka'isaan ni cut firewood

giishka'ise vai s/he cuts firewood

(derived noun) giishka'isaan ni cut firewood
giishkakamigaa vii it is a bank or steep face of earth

giishkam vta bite through h/ cleanly

Paired with: giishkandan vti

giishkanakad ni a stump

giishkanakadosag na a tree broken off at the top

giishkanaamo vai h/ breath is cut short

giishkandan vti bite through it cleanly

Paired with: giishkam vta

giishkanokii vai s/he finishes a job, retires from work

giishkashkimod ni a cedar bark bag

giishkashkosiwezhigani-moozhwaagan ni (a pair of) garden shears

giishkaabaagwe vai s/he is thirsty

giishkaabikaa vii it is a steep rock face

giishkaagonagaa vii it is a snow bank

giishkaagone'igan ni a snow bank made by a plow

giishkaajimo vai s/he finishes telling something, ends the story

giishkaakiiweyaa vii it is a steep hill

giishkaamikaa vii there is a drop-off

giishkaanakwagoode vii it is a cloud bank

giishkaanowe vai s/he has a cut-off tail

giishkaanowebizh vta break off h/ tail (with hands)

giishkaanowezh vta cut h/ (animal) tail off

giishkaanowezhwi vta [BL]

► giishkaanowezh vta

giishkaazhibikaa vii there is a rock cliff

giishkibidoon vti2 tear it off

Paired with: giishkibizh vta

(detransitive) giishkibijige vai s/he tears things off (verb of undergoing) giishkibijigaade vii it is torn off (by someone), "they" tear it off (verb of undergoing) giishkibijigaazo vai s/he is torn off (by someone), "they" tear h/ off
giishkibijigaade vii it is torn off (by someone), "they" tear it off

giishkibijigaazo vai s/he is torn off (by someone), "they" tear h/ off

giishkibijige vai s/he tears things off

giishkibizh vta tear it (animate) off

Paired with: giishkibidoon vti2

giishkiboodaw vta saw (it) off for h/

giishkiboodoon vti2 saw it off

Paired with: giishkiboozh vta

giishkiboodaw vta saw (it) off for h/ (detransitive) giishkiboojige vai s/he saws things off (derived noun) giishkiboojigan ni a cross-cut saw
giishkiboojigan ni a cross-cut saw

giishkiboojiganaak ni [BL] a saw horse; framing member of a Swede saw (bow saw, buck saw)

giishkiboojiganeyaab ni a saw chain

See also: bimibidewi-giishkiboojiganeyaab ni

giishkiboojige vai s/he saws things off

giishkiboozh vta saw h/ off

Paired with: giishkiboodoon vti2

giishkidoondaneshin vai s/he cuts h/ heel on something

giishkiga' vta chop h/ off with ax

Paired with: giishkiga'an vti

(benefactive) giishkiga'amaw vta chop (it) off for h/ (detransitive) giishkiga'ige vai s/he chops (things) off (verb of undergoing) giishkiga'igaade vii it is chopped off (by someone) (with ax) (verb of undergoing) giishkiga'igaazo vai s/he is chopped off (by someone) (with ax)
giishkiga'amaw vta chop (it) off for h/

giishkiga'an vti chop it off (with ax)

Paired with: giishkiga' vta

giishkiga'igaade vii it is chopped off (by someone) (with ax)

giishkiga'igaazo vai s/he is chopped off (by someone) (with ax)

giishkiga'ige vai s/he chops (things) off

giishkiganjigan ni a chewed-off stump

giishkiganzhiikonidizo vai s/he cuts h/ (own) nails

giishkiganzhiikozh vta cut h/ nails

(reflexive) giishkiganzhiikonidizo vai s/he cuts h/ (own) nails
giishkigaade vai s/he has a leg or legs cut off

giishkigaade-giboodiyegwaazon ni [RL] (a pair of) shorts

giishkigaadeshin vai s/he falls and cuts h/ leg

giishkigaadezhwi vta [NI] cut off h/ leg

giishkigidigweshin vai s/he falls and cuts h/ knee

giishkigweganaam vta strike off h/ head

giishkigwezhwi vta [NI] cut h/ head off

giishkijii-magoodaas ni [BL] a skirt

giishkijii-midaas ni [BL] (a pair of) shorts

giishkijiin vta hug, embrace h/

(reciprocal) giishkijiinidiwag vai they hug, embrace
giishkijiinidiwag vai they hug, embrace

giishkijiiwagooday ni a skirt

giishkikaa vii it tears, rips

Paired with: giishkikaa vai

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.