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mayaawakizo vai it (animate) stands upright

Paired with: mayaawakide vii

mayaawibani'o vai s/he gets h/self upright fast, jumps upright, straightens h/ self back up (as from a fall)

mayaawibidoon vti2 pull it up straight

Paired with: mayaawibizh vta

mayaawibizh vta pull h/ up straight

Paired with: mayaawibidoon vti2

mayaawikweni vai s/he puts h/ head up (when in a sitting or lying position)

mayaawin vta hold or turn h/ or it (animate) upright, hold or turn h/ or it (animate) straight up

Paired with: mayaawinan vti

mayaawinan vti hold or turn it upright, hold or turn it straight up

Paired with: mayaawin vta

mayaawisidoon vti2 put or set it upright, put or set it straight up; correct it (something expressed in speech or writing)

Paired with: mayaawishim vta

mayaawishim vta put or set h/ or it (animate) upright, put or set h/ or it (animate) straight up

Paired with: mayaawisidoon vti2

mayaawishkwaand adv loc right at the door

mayaawizi vai s/he is upright, perks up, comes alive

mazaanag na chaff from wild rice [plural]

mazaanaatig na nettle, thistle, thorn

(verb of abundance) mazaanaatigokaa vii there are (a lot of) thistles, burrs, thorns
mazaanaatigokaa vii there are (a lot of) thistles, burrs, thorns

mazhi vta have sexual intercourse with h/

mazina'amaw vta owe (it) to h/, get credit from h/, charge (it) (on an account with h/)

mazina'an vti buy it on credit, charge it to an account

(detransitive) mazina'ige vai s/he owes something, gets or has credit, buys on credit, charges to an account, goes into debt
(derived noun) mazina'igewin ni something owed: a bill, a debt, credit
(benefactive) mazina'amaw vta owe (it) to h/, get credit from h/, charge (it) (on an account with h/)
mazina'igan ni a book, a letter, a document, a paper

(verb of possession) omazina'igani vai s/he has a book or books, has a document or documents
mazina'igan na a playing card

mazina'igani-makak ni a cardboard box

mazina'igani-mashkimodens ni a paper sack, a paper bag

mazina'igani-zhooniyaa na paper money

mazina'iganiiwi-makak ni a mailbox

mazina'iganiiwi-mashkimod ni a mailbag

mazina'iganiiwidaabaan na a mail truck

mazina'iganiiwigamig ni a post office

mazina'iganiiwikwe na female mail deliverer; female post office clerk

mazina'iganiiwinini na a postman

(verb of being) mazina'iganiiwininiiwi vai s/he is a postman
mazina'iganiiwininiiwi vai s/he is a postman

mazina'igaans ni a small book or document: a ticket, a license

mazina'ige vai s/he owes something, gets or has credit, buys on credit, charges to an account, goes into debt

mazina'igewin ni something owed: a bill, a debt, credit

mazinanoweshin vai

mazinashkibijigan na a doll of hay or grass

mazinaabidoo'an vti bead it on a loom

(derived noun) mazinaabidoo'igan ni an item of woven beadwork (detransitive) mazinaabidoo'ige vai s/he beads things on a loom (verb of undergoing) mazinaabidoo'igaade vii it is decorated with with loom beadwork (by someone) (verb of undergoing) mazinaabidoo'igaazo vai it (animate) is decorated with loom beadwork (by someone); s/he is wearing loomed beadwork
mazinaabidoo'igan ni an item of woven beadwork

mazinaabidoo'iganaatig ni a bead loom

mazinaabidoo'igani-naabikaagan ni [BL] a loom-woven beaded necklace

mazinaabidoo'igaade vii it is decorated with with loom beadwork (by someone)

mazinaabidoo'igaazo vai s/he is wearing loomed beadwork; it (animate) is decorated with loom beadwork (by someone)

mazinaabidoo'ige vai s/he beads things on a loom

mazinaabidoo'igeyaatig ni [BL] a bead loom

mazinaabikinigan ni a rock painting

mazinaabikiwebinan vti type it

(detransitive) mazinaabikiwebinige vai s/he types (derived noun) mazinaabikiwebinigan ni a typewriter, a computer
mazinaabikiwebinigan ni a typewriter, a computer

mazinaabikiwebinige vai s/he types

mazinaadin vta make an image of h/

mazinaagonesin vii it leaves an mark, image, design, or pattern in the snow

mazinaagoneshin vai s/he or it (animate) leaves an imprint, design, or pattern lying in the snow; s/he makes a snow angel

mazinaagoneshinowin ni a pattern or design left by lying in the snow; a snow angel

mazinaakide vii it is pictured, is photographed

Paired with: mazinaakizo vai

mazinaakiz vta take a picture of, photograph h/

Paired with: mazinaakizan vti

mazinaakizan vti take a picture of, photograph it

Paired with: mazinaakiz vta

(detransitive) mazinaakizige vai s/he takes a picture or pictures, photographs things
(derived noun) mazinaakizigan ni
  1. a camera
  2. a picture, a photograph
mazinaakizigan ni
  1. a camera
  2. a picture, a photograph

mazinaakizige vai s/he takes a picture or pictures, photographs things

mazinaakizo vai s/he or it (animate) is pictured, is photographed

Paired with: mazinaakide vii

(derived noun) mazinaakizon ni a picture (of someone), a photograph (of someone) (derived noun) mazinaakizowin ni a picture (of someone), a photograph (of someone)
mazinaakizon ni a picture (of someone), a photograph (of someone)

mazinaakizowin ni a picture (of someone), a photograph (of someone)

mazinaakizwi vta [NI]

► mazinaakiz vta

mazinaanakwad vii it is fancy cloud

mazinaanakwagoode vii it (cloud) forms an image

mazinaande vii it has a multicolored design, has a colorful pattern

Paired with: mazinaanzo vai

mazinaanzo vai s/he has a muticolored design, has a colorful pattern

Paired with: mazinaande vii

mazinaate vii it is an image formed by light; it is projected

mazinaatebiigisin vii it is reflected in the water

Paired with: mazinaatebiigishin vai

mazinaatebiigishin vai s/he casts a shadow on the water, is reflected in the water

Paired with: mazinaatebiigisin vii

mazinaatebiisin vii it is reflected in the water

Paired with: mazinaatebiishin vai

mazinaatebiishin vai s/he or it (animate) is reflected in the water

mazinaatese vii it is a movie

mazinaatesewigamig ni a movie theater

mazinaatesewin vii

mazinaatesidoon vti2 project an image of, film it

(detransitive) mazinaatesijige vai s/he shows a movie, watches a movie (derived noun) mazinaatesijigan ni a television
mazinaatesijigan ni a television

mazinaatesijige vai s/he shows a movie, watches a movie

mazinaateshin vai s/he is in a movie; s/he is on television; s/he casts a shadow

mazinaateshinowin ni a shadow

mazinaatewebinigan ni a movie projector

mazinibaganjigan ni a dental pictograph on a leaf

mazinibaganjige vai s/he makes a dental pictograph on a leaf

mazinibii' vta draw, paint a picture of h/

Paired with: mazinibii'an vti See also: mazinibii'wi vta [BL]

mazinibii'amaw vta draw (it) for h/

mazinibii'an vti draw it

Paired with: mazinibii' vta

(benefactive) mazinibii'amaw vta draw (it) for h/ (detransitive) mazinibii'ige vai s/he draws, paints a picture of something (verb of undergoing) mazinibii'igaade vii it is drawn (by someone), "they" draw it (verb of undergoing) mazinibii'igaazo vai s/he is drawn (by someone), "they" draw h/ (derived noun) mazinibii'igan ni something drawn: a drawing, a sketch, a design
mazinibii'igan ni something drawn: a drawing, a sketch, a design

mazinibii'iganaak ni [S] something to draw with: crayon, colored marker, chalk

mazinibii'iganaak na [BL] something to draw with: crayon, colored marker, chalk

See also: mazinibii'iganaak ni [S]

mazinibii'igaade vii it is drawn (by someone), "they" draw it

mazinibii'igaazo vai s/he is drawn (by someone), "they" draw h/

mazinibii'ige vai s/he draws, paints a picture of something

mazinibii'ige-mazina'igan ni (a sheet of) art or craft paper

mazinibii'igewikwe na a (female) artist

mazinibii'igewinini na a (male) artist

mazinibii'wi vta [BL] draw a picture of h/ or it (animate)

Paired with: mazinibii'an vti See also: mazinibii' vta

mazinichigan na a statue, a figurine, an effigy, a doll

mazinichigaade vii it is repesented or depicted in an image; it is decorated

mazinichigaazo vai s/he is represented or depicted in an image

mazinichige vai s/he makes a decoration

mazinigwaadan vti embroider, bead it

Paired with: mazinigwaazh vta

mazinigwaade vii it is sewn with designs, is embroidered

Paired with: mazinigwaazo vai

mazinigwaaso vai s/he embroiders, beads something

(derived noun) mazinigwaasowin ni an embroidered craft item
mazinigwaasowin ni an embroidered craft item

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.