Search the dictionary Advanced Search

How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

maajiijigaazo vai s/he is taken away (by someone), "they" take h/ away' s/he is taken along (by someone), "they" take it along

maajiikan vti start working on it

Paired with: maajiikaw vta

maajiikaw vta start working on h/

(reciprocal) maajiikodaadiwag vai they start fighting with each other
maajiikodaadiwag vai they start fighting with each other

maajiikwazhiwe vai s/he paddles off, swims off (as a fish)

maajiinizha' vta chase h/ off, chase h/ away

maajiishimo vai s/he dances away, starts off dancing

maajiishkaa vii it starts to move

Paired with: maajiishkaa vai

(causative) maajiishkaatoon vti2 start it
maajiishkaachigan ni a starter
maajiishkaa vai s/he or it (animate) starts to move

Paired with: maajiishkaa vii

maajiishkaachigan ni a starter

maajiishkaa' vta start h/ (e.g., a car, clock)

Paired with: maajiishkaatoon vti2

maajiishkaatoon vti2 start it

Paired with: maajiishkaa' vta

maajiishkaachigan ni a starter
maajiiwane vai s/he starts off carrying a pack

maajiiwanen vai + o start off carrying it (a pack)

maajiiwidoon vti2 carry, take it away

Paired with: maajiiwizh vta

(verb of undergoing) maajiiwijigaade vii it is taken away, carried away (by someone), "they" take, carry it away (verb of undergoing) maajiiwijigaazo vai s/he or it (animate) is taken away, carried away (by someone), "they" take, carry h/ or it (animate) away
maajiiwijigaade vii it is taken away, carried away (by someone), "they" take, carry it away

maajiiwijigaazo vai s/he or it (animate) is taken away, carried away (by someone), "they" take, carry h/ or it (animate) away

maajiiwizh vta carry, take h/ away

Paired with: maajiiwidoon vti2

maajiiyaaboozo vai

maajiiyaadaga'oodoon vti2 pull, tow it away through the water

maajiiyaadagaa vai [S] s/he starts off swimming

maajiiyaadagaako vai s/he starts off on the ice

maajiiyaa'ogo vai [BL]

maajiiyaandawe vai s/he starts to climb

maajiiyaasin vii it starts to blow away

maajiiyaazhagaame vai s/he starts off along the shore

maajiiyoode vai s/he starts to crawl off

maajiizh vta take h/ or it (animate) away, take h/ or it (animate) along

Paired with: maajiidoon vti2

(detransitive) maajiizhiwe vai s/he takes people away, takes people along
maajiizhiwe vai s/he takes people away, takes people along

maakamanji'o vai s/he feels an injury

maakidooskwan vai s/he has a lame elbow

maakigaade vai s/he has a lame leg

maaki' vta injure h/

maakinaw vta shoot and wound h/

(detransitive) maakinaage vai s/he shoots and wounds game
maakinazh vta injure h/; wound h/

maakinaage vai s/he shoots and wounds game

maakinike vai s/he has a lame arm or lame arms

maakininjii vai h/ hand is injured, is maimed

maakise vai s/he limps

maakishin vai s/he is injured by falling or by hitting against something

maakishkaa vai s/he limps

maakishkoode vii it is marred, is nicked, is dented

Paired with: maakishkoozo vai

maakishkoozo vai it (animate) is marred, is nicked, is dented; s/he is wounded

Paired with: maakishkoode vii

maakizi vai s/he is lame, has an old injury

maakizide vai s/he has a lame foot

maamakaadakamig pc disc amazing! astonishing!

maamakaadendam vai2 s/he is amazed, is astonished

maamakaadendan vti be amazed at, be astonished at, wonder at it

Paired with: maamakaadenim vta

maamakaadendaagozi vai s/he is amazing, is astonishing, is a wonder

Paired with: maamakaadendaagwad vii

maamakaadendaagwad vii it is amazing, is astonishing, is a wonder

Paired with: maamakaadendaagozi vai

maamakaadenim vta be amazed at, be astonished at, wonder at h/

Paired with: maamakaadendan vti

(reflexive) maamakaadenindizo vai s/he is amazed at, astonished at h/ self
maamakaadenindizo vai s/he is amazed at, astonished at h/ self

maamakaadizi vai s/he amazes, astonishes

(verb of pretending) maamakaadiziikaazo vai s/he is a show-off, acts up
maamakaadiziikaazo vai s/he is a show-off, acts up

maamakaaj adv man strange, amazing, astonishing

maamakaajichige vai s/he does amazing things

maamakaajitoon vti2 do something amazing or strange to it

(detransitive) maamakaajichige vai s/he does amazing things
maamakaazaabi vai s/he stares in awe

maamakaazitaw vta be amazed at what h/ says

maamawi adv man together

maamawichige vai s/he gathers things; [pl] they get together to do something; they chip in, pool their money or resources

maamawigaabawiwag vai they stand together

maamawi' vta make them (animate) together; put them (animate) together, assemble them (animate)

Paired with: maamawitoon vti2

(reciprocal) maamawi'idiwag vai they assemble, meet together
maamawi'idiwag vai they assemble, meet together

maamawisidoon vti2 put them (inanimate) together, gather and put them (inanimate) together

Paired with: maamawishim vta

(detransitive) maamawisijige vai s/he puts things together (verb of undergoing) maamawisijigaade vii it is put together (by someone), "they" put it together
maamawisijigaade vii it is put together (by someone), "they" put it together

maamawisijige vai s/he puts things together

maamawishim vta put them (animate) together, gather and put them (animate) together

Paired with: maamawisidoon vti2

maamawitoon vti2 put them (inanimate) together, gather and put them (inanimate) together; make it together

Paired with: maamawi' vta

(detransitive) maamawichige vai s/he gathers things; [pl] they get together to do something; they chip in, pool their money or resources
maamawoo- pv lex together

maamawoobi' vta seat them (animate) together

maamawoobiwag vai they sit together, have a meeting

maamaagobizh vta keep pressing it (animate) with hand

maamaagojiibidoon vti2 squeeze it (something soft and hollow or belly-like) repeatedly; prime it

maamaagojiishkan vti pump on it (with body or foot)

maamaagon vta knead it (animate); press on it (animate) repeatedly

Paired with: maamaagonan vti

maamaagonan vti knead it; press on it repeatedly

Paired with: maamaagon vta

(detransitive) maamaagonige vai s/he kneads dough (derived noun) maamaagonigan na bannock; bannock dough
maamaagonigan na bannock; bannock dough

maamaagonige vai s/he kneads dough

maamaagoshkan vti press, squeeze it (with foot or body) off and on, pump it (with foot or body)

Paired with: maamaagoshkaw vta

maamaagoshkaw vta press, squeeze h/ (with foot or body) off and on, pump h/ (with foot or body)

Paired with: maamaagoshkan vti

maamaagwegin ni [BL] denim

maamaagweginwe-midaas na [BL] jeans

maamaakaakide vii

maameshkodendam vai [BL] s/he keeps changing h/ mind

maamigin vta collect them (animate) together, gather them (animate)

Paired with: maamiginan vti

maamiginamaw vta collect (it) together for, gather (it) for h

maamiginan vti collect them (inanimate) together, gather them (inanimate)

Paired with: maamigin vta

(benefactive) maamiginamaw vta collect (it) together for, gather (it) for h (detransitive) maamiginige vai s/he collects something (verb of undergoing) maamiginigaade vii it is collected together, "they" collect it/them together (verb of undergoing) maamiginigaazo vai h/ is collected together, "they" collect them together
maamiginigaade vii it is collected together, "they" collect it/them together

maamiginigaazo vai h/ is collected together, "they" collect them together

maamiginige vai s/he collects something

maaminonaabam vta notice, catch sight of h/

Paired with: maaminonaabandan vti

maaminonaabandan vti notice, catch sight of it

Paired with: maaminonaabam vta

maaminonendam vai2 s/he thinks about, considers, realizes, notices something

maaminonendan vti think about, consider, realize, notice it; realize that it

Paired with: maaminonenim vta

maaminonenim vta think about, consider, realize about, notice about h/

Paired with: maaminonendan vti

maamiigwechiwi' vta give each of them (animate) thanks

maamiinose vii it goes right, goes straight

maamoozhagin vta keep picking them (animate) up; keep gathering, collecting them (animate)

maanabi vai
  1. s/he sits uncomfortably
  2. s/he is an uncomfortable or unmanageable position, isn't managing well

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.

  • Audio recordings
  • Images
  • Video
  • Documents

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.