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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

giishkiingwe vai s/he has a cut on h/ face

giishkiingweshin vai s/he falls and cuts h/ face

giishklishin vai s/he gets cut on something

giishkowe vai s/he stops crying; s/he stops making vocal noise

(causative) giishkowe' vta make h/ stop crying
giishkowe' vta make h/ stop crying

giishpin adv gram if

giitagoode vai she takes off her dress

giitagwen vta remove h/ from a snare

giitakizine vai [BL] s/he takes h/ shoes or moccasins off

giitakizine' vta take the shoes or moccasins off h/

giitazhigane vai s/he takes off h/ socks

giitazhigane' vta take off h/ socks

giitaa nad your brother-in-law (a man's brother-in-law)

giitaabikin vta remove h/ from a trap

giitaagime vai s/he takes off h/ snowshoe

giitaagime' vta take off h/ snowshoe

giitaakwa'wi vta take it (animate) off a board

giiwana'amaazo vai s/he sings in a disordered or crazy way

giiwanaadagaa vai s/he swims around in a crazy disordered way

giiwanaadingwaam vai s/he has a bad dream, had a nightmare

giiwanaadizi vai s/he is crazy, is insane

giiwanaadiziiwigamig ni a mental hospital

giiwanaajimo vai s/he lies, tells a false story

(applicative) giiwanaajimotaw vta tell lies to h/; lie to, deceive h/
(reciprocal) giiwanaajimotaadiwag vai they lie to each other; they tell lies to each other
giiwanaajimotaw vta lie to, deceive h/; tell lies to h/

giiwanaajimotaadiwag vai they tell lies to each other; they lie to each other

giiwanim vta lie to, deceive h/

giiwanimo vai s/he lies, deceives

(verb of addiction) giiwanimoshki vai s/he is always lying, is a habitual liar
giiwanimoshki vai s/he is always lying, is a habitual liar

giiwanimotaw vta lie to h/

giiwanonodaw vta

giiwashizi vai s/he is orphaned, is homeless

giiwashiziiwigamig ni an orphanage, a homeless shelter

giiwashkoozh vta stun h/

giiwashkoozo vai s/he is shot and stunned

giiwashkwe vai s/he is dizzy, feels unsteady

giiwashkwebani'o vai [BL] s/he makes h/ self dizzy spinning around

giiwashkwebazh vta get h/ drunk

giiwashkwebizo vai s/he feels dizzy driving or riding, is carsick

giiwashkwebii vai s/he is drunk

(verb of pretending) giiwashkwebiikaazo vai s/he pretends to be drunk (verb of addiction) giiwashkwebiishki vai s/he is a drunk
giiwashkwebiibizo vai s/he drives while drunk, is a drunk driver

giiwashkwebiikaazo vai s/he pretends to be drunk

giiwashkwebiishki vai s/he is a drunk

giiwashkwebiiwinaagozi vai s/he looks drunk

giiwashkweganaam vta hit and stun h/, knock h/ senseless

giiwashkwe'ogo vai s/he is seasick

giiwashkwenaw vta shoot and stun h/

giiwashkwenaandam vai2 s/he is dizzy from being hungry

giiwashkwengoshi vai s/he has a nightmare

giiwashkwenoozo vai s/he gets dizzy from smoking

giiwashkweshin vai s/he is stunned, knocked senseless in a fall or on impact with something

giiwashkweshkaw vta knock h/ dizzy by kicking or bumping

giiwashkweshkoozo vai

giiwashkweyaabandam vai2 s/he is dizzy, feels unsteady

giiwashkweyaadizi vai s/he is crazy, is insane

giiwashkweyaakizo vai s/he is dizzy from the heat

giiwashkweyaanimad vii the wind blows from every direction

giiwashkweyendam vai2 s/he is confused, is in shock, is scared witless

giiwe vai s/he goes home, returns

(verb of pretending) giiwekaazo vai s/he pretends to go home
giiwe- pv lex past the middle of a season

giiwe-biboon vii it is after midwinter, is late winter

giiwe-niibin vii it is after mid-summer, is late summer

giiweba'igo vai s/he rides home, drives home (drawn by horse or dog)

giiweba'iwe vai s/he runs home in flight

giiwebatoo vai s/he runs back, runs home

(applicative) giiwebatwaadan vti run home with it
giiwebatwaadan vti run home with it

giiwebide vii

giiwebizo vai s/he or it (animate) speeds, drives, flies home

Paired with: giiwebide vii

(causative) giiwebizo' vta [N] drive h/ or it (animate) back, drive h/ or it (animate) home; take h/ home by motor
giiwebizo' vta [N] drive h/ or it (animate) back, drive h/ or it (animate) home; take h/ home by motor

Paired with: giiwebizotoon vti2

giiwebizonitoon vti2 [N] drive it home

Paired with: giiwebizo' vta [N]

giiwebizotoon vti2 drive it back, drive it home

Paired with: giiwebizo' vta [N]

giiwedaabaadan vti drag it home

Paired with: giiwedaabaazh vta

giiwedaabaazh vta drag h/ home

giiwedaabii vai s/he goes home pulling or dragging a load

giiwedaabii'iwe vai s/he or it (animate) speeds, drives, flies home

giiwedemo vai s/he goes home crying

giiwedin ni north; the north wind

giiwedin vii there is a north wind

giiwedinong in, at, to the north

► giiwedin ni

giiwegidaazo vai s/he goes home angry, goes home mad

giiwe'adoo vai s/he walks back on a path or trail, walks home on a path or trail

giiwe'amaazo vai s/he goes home singing

giiwe'o vai s/he goes home by boat

giiwe'oodoon vti2 take it home by boat

Paired with: giiwe'oozh vta

giiwe'oonidizo vai s/he takes h/ self home by boat

giiwe'oozh vta transport h/ home by boat

Paired with: giiwe'oodoon vti2

giiwekaazo vai s/he pretends to go home

giiwekii vai s/he returns to h/ country

giiwekwazhiwe vai s/he paddles home, paddles back

giiwenamaw vta give presents to h/ in exchange

giiwenaazha' vta tell h/ to go home

giiwenh pc disc so it is said; so the story goes

giiwenige vai [ML] s/he has a give-away for relatives of the deceased on the anniversary of the death in completion of mourning

giiwenizha' vta send h/ home

Paired with: giiwenizha'an vti

giiwenizha'amaw vta send it home to h/

giiwenizha'an vti send it home

Paired with: giiwenizha' vta

(detransitive) giiwenizha'ige vai s/he sends things home (benefactive) giiwenizha'amaw vta send it home to h/
giiwenizha'ige vai s/he sends things home

giiwenizha'wi vta [BL]

► giiwenizha' vta

giiwenizhikaw vta chase h/ home

giiwewane vai s/he carries a pack home

giiwewanen vai + o

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.