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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

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

giiwewidamaw vta take, carry (it) home for h/

See also: giiwewidaw vta

giiwewidaw vta take, carry (it) home for h/

See also: giiwewidamaw vta

giiwewidoon vti2 take, carry it home; take, carry it back

Paired with: giiwewizh vta

(benefactive) giiwewidaw vta take, carry (it) home for h/ (benefactive) giiwewidamaw vta take, carry (it) home for h/ (detransitive) giiwewijige vai s/he carries, takes things home (verb of undergoing) giiwewijigaade vii it is carried, taken home (by someone), "they" carry, take it home (verb of undergoing) giiwewijigaazo vai s/he is carried, taken home (by someone), "they" carry, take h/ home
giiwewijigaade vii it is carried, taken home (by someone), "they" carry, take it home

giiwewijigaazo vai s/he is carried, taken home (by someone), "they" carry, take h/ home

giiwewijige vai s/he carries, takes things home

giiwewine vai s/he goes home sick

giiwewizh vta take, carry h/ home

Paired with: giiwewidoon vti2

giiweyaadagaako vai s/he goes home on the ice

giiweyaadagaazii vai s/he wades home

giiweyaagiwebishkige vai [BL] s/he bicycles home, rides home on a bicycle; s/he bicycles back, rides a bicycle back

giiweyaapi vai s/he goes home laughing

giiweyendam vai2 s/he thinks about returning or going home

giiweyoode vai s/he crawls back, crawls home

giiweyoom vta carry h/ home on back

Paired with: giiweyoondan vti

giiweyoondan vti carry it home on back

Paired with: giiweyoom vta

giiwine vai s/he is wounded and suffering, moans from from extreme pain, is in death throes

giiwitaa- pv lex around something

giiwitaa-aya'ii adv loc all around it

See also: giiwitaa-ayi'ii adv loc

giiwitaa-ayi'ii adv loc all around it

See also: giiwitaa-aya'ii adv loc

giiwitaa-wiish adv loc

giiwitaa-zaaga'igan adv loc around the lake

giiwitaabatoo vai s/he runs around in a circle

giiwitaabide vii it speeds, drives, flies around in circle

Paired with: giiwitaabizo vai

giiwitaabiwag vai they sit in a circle

giiwitaabizo vai s/he speeds, drives, flies around in circle

Paired with: giiwitaabide vii

giiwitaabizonike vai [RL] s/he drives in a circle

giiwitaagaabawiwag vai they stand in a circle

giiwitaamon vii it (road or trail) goes around in a circle

giiwitaase vii it flies around in a circle

Paired with: giiwitaase vai

giiwitaase vai s/he flies around in a circle

Paired with: giiwitaase vii

giiwitaasidoon vti2 lay it down around

Paired with: giiwitaashim vta

giiwitaashim vta lay h/ down around

Paired with: giiwitaasidoon vti2

giiwitaashimo vai s/he dances around in circle

giiwitaashkan vti walk around it

Paired with: giiwitaashkaw vta

giiwitaashkaw vta walk around h/

Paired with: giiwitaashkan vti

giiwitaashkaa vai s/he goes around in a circle

giiwitaashkode adv loc around the fire

giiwitaawi- pv lex all around

giiwitaawi-zaaga'igan adv loc all around the lake

giiwitaawose vai s/he walks around something

giiwitaaya'ii adv loc all around it

See also: giiwitaa-aya'ii adv loc

giiwitaayaadagaa vai [S] s/he swims around in circle

See also: giiwitaayaadage vai [BL]

giiwitaayaadage vai [BL] s/he swims in a circle

See also: giiwitaayaadagaa vai [S]

giiwitaayaazhagaame vai s/he walks around a lake; s/he walks around the edge

giiwizi vai s/he is orphaned, is homeless

giiwose vai s/he hunts

See also: giiyose vai

giiwosewasim na a hunting dog

giiwosewinini na a hunter

See also: giiyosewinini na

giiwoon na a heart suite card

See also: giiyoon na

giiyaw nid your body

giiyawen'enh nad your namesake

giiyaabi adv tmp [RL] still, yet

See also: geyaabi adv tmp

giiyose vai s/he hunts

See also: giiwose vai

giiyosewasim na a hunting dog

See also: giiwosewasim na

giiyosewinini na a hunter

See also: giiwosewinini na

giiyoon na a heart suite card

See also: giiwoon na

giizhadowe vai s/he has prime fur (at end of the season)

giizhakidoon vti2 finish setting it up

Paired with: giizhakizh vta

giizhakizh vta finish setting h/ up

Paired with: giizhakidoon vti2

giizhapakwe vai s/he finishes putting on a roof

giizhapidoon vti2 finish tying it

Paired with: giizhapizh vta

giizhapizh vta finish tying h/ or it (animate)

giizhapizhwi vta [NI]

► giizhapizh vta

giizhashkimaazh vta finish weaving webbing in h/ (snowshoe)

giizhashkime vai s/he finishes weaving snowshoe webbing

(applicative) giizhashkimaazh vta finish weaving webbing in h/ (snowshoe)
giizhaa adv tmp already; beforehand; in advance; ahead of time

giizhaabide vai s/he has a full set of baby teeth

giizhaabikide vii it (mineral) finishes heating up, is preheated

giizhaadodan vti finish telling it

Paired with: giizhaajim vta

giizhaajim vta finish telling about h/

Paired with: giizhaadodan vti

giizhaajimo vai s/he finishes a story, tells all (of a story)

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.