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maazhibide vii it runs, operates poorly (as a machine)

Paired with: maazhibizo vai

maazhibizo vai s/he runs poorly, operates poorly (as a machine)

Paired with: maazhibide vii

maazhibii'an vti write it badly

(detransitive) maazhibii'ige vai s/he writes badly (verb of undergoing) maazhibii'igaade vii it is written badly (by someone)
maazhibii'igaade vii it is written badly (by someone)

maazhibii'ige vai s/he writes badly

maazhichige vai s/he does something wrong, does something bad

maazhide'e vai s/he has heartburn

maazhigaabawi vai s/he is not in good standing; s/he stands in a bad position

maazhigiizhwe vai s/he has abnormal speech; s/he has difficulty speaking

maazhigondaagan vai [ML] s/he has a poor voice

See also: maazhigondaagane vai [N]

maazhigondaagane vai [N] s/he has a poor voice

See also: maazhigondaagan vai [ML]

maazhigwaadan vti sew it poorly

Paired with: maazhigwaazh vta

maazhigwaade vii it is poorly sewn

Paired with: maazhigwaazo vai

maazhigwaaso vai s/he sews poorly

maazhigwaazh vta sew h/ poorly

Paired with: maazhigwaadan vti

maazhigwaazo vai it (animate) is poorly sewn

Paired with: maazhigwaade vii

maazhi' vta overpower h/

maazhijiwan vii it flows poorly

maazhimaagodoondane vai h/ heel stinks or heels stink

maazhimaagozi vai s/he smells bad

Paired with: maazhimaagwad vii

maazhimaagozide vai s/he has smelly feet, has stinky feet

maazhimaagwad vii it smells bad

Paired with: maazhimaagozi vai

maazhimaagwanaamo vai s/he has bad breath

maazhimaagwaabide vai s/he has smelly rotten teeth

maazhimaagwaagamin vii it (a liquid) stinks

maazhimaam vta find the smell of h/ bad

Paired with: maazhimaandan vti

maazhimaandan vti find it smells bad

Paired with: maazhimaam vta

maazhimaas vta spread a stink by cooking or burning h/

Paired with: maazhimaasan vti

maazhimaasan vti spread a stink by cooking or burning it

Paired with: maazhimaas vta

maazhimaasige vai s/he spreads a stink by cooking or burning something

maazhimaaso vai s/he has a bad aroma, smells bad burning or cooking

Paired with: maazhimaate vii

maazhimaaswi vta [NI]

► maazhimaas vta

maazhimaate vii it has a bad aroma, smells bad burning or cooking

Paired with: maazhimaaso vai

maazhingwaam vai s/he sleeps uncomfortably

maazhinikaade vii it has an ugly name

Paired with: maazhinikaazo vai

maazhinikaazo vai s/he has an ugly name

Paired with: maazhinikaade vii

maazhip vta find h/ tastes bad, dislike the taste of h/

Paired with: maazhipidan vti

maazhipidan vti find it tastes bad, dislike the taste of it

maazhipogozi vai s/he tastes bad

Paired with: maazhipogwad vii

maazhipogwad vii it tastes bad

Paired with: maazhipogozi vai

maazhise vai s/he has things go wrong, has bad luck

maazhisin vii it gets spoiled, turns bad

Paired with: maazhishin vai

maazhishin vai s/he lies uncomfortably

Paired with: maazhisin vii

maazhizide vai s/he has a deformed foot or deformed feet

mechiboode vii it wears down, is worn (from abrasion)

Paired with: mechiboozo vai

mechiboozo vai s/he wears down, is worn (from abrasion)

Paired with: mechiboode vii

mechigwebizo vai s/he gets sore from being rubbed by something tied or worn at the neck

megade vai s/he burps

(verb of addiction) megadeshki vai s/he always is burping (causative) megade' vta burp h/ megadeshkaw vta (inverse only) something makes h/ burp
megade' vta burp h/

megadeshkaw vta (inverse only) something makes h/ burp

megadeshki vai s/he always is burping

megwayaak adv loc in the woods

megwaa adv tmp while; during; right now

megwaa- pv lex while; during; right now

megwaagonag adv loc right in the snow

megwaashkaw vta meet, encounter, run across or into h/ accidentally

megwe- pv lex among; in the midst of

megwe-aya'ii adv loc in among it

megwe-dibik adv tmp during the night, in the middle of the night

megwejiishkiwag adv loc in the mud

megwekob adv loc in the brush, in a thicket

mekadewikonaye na a priest

mekadewikonayed na-v a priest

Paired with: makadewikonaye na

mekadewikonayewikwe na a nun

mekadewikonayewinini na a priest

memaangishens na a mule

meme na a pileated woodpecker

[
pileated woodpecker
; 
Dryocopus pileatus
]

memegwesi na a hairy-faced bank-dwelling dwarf spirit

memengwaa na a butterfly

memeshkod adv man in turn, in exchange

memeshkwad adv man in turns, alternately

See also: memeshkod adv man

memeshkwadoonamaadiwag vai they exchange things with each other

memeshkwajiiwag vai they take turns

memidaaswi qnt num ten each

memindage adv man especially, particularly, above all, of course

memindage go adv man especially, particularly, above all, of course

See also: memindage adv man

memookiwidoo na a pocket gopher

[
plains pocket gopher
; 
Geomys bursarius
]

memwech adv man just that, exactly, it is so

See also: gaawiin memwech adv man ; gego memwech adv pred

menwaagamig ni-v a soft drink; pop

meskwanagekozid na-v cinnamon

meskwananiisi na [BL] a red-tailed hawk

[
red-tailed hawk
; 
Buteo jamaicensis
]

meskwaazhigwaneshi na a redhorse (fish)

[
Moxostoma spp.
]

meshkodakizine vai s/he changes h/ shoes

meshkodendam vai2 [BL] s/he changes h/ (own) mind

meshkodendamo' vta change h/ mind, make h/ change h/ mind

meshkodoon vta trade, exchange h/

Paired with: meshkodoonan vti See also: meshkwadoon vta

meshkodoonamaw vta trade, exchange (it) with h/

See also: meshkwadoonamaw vta

meshkodoonamaage vai s/he trades, exchanges (it) with (people)

See also: meshkwadoonamaage vai

meshkodoonan vti exchange it

Paired with: meshkodoon vta See also: meshkwadoonan vti

(benefactive) meshkodoonamaw vta trade, exchange (it) with h/
(detransitive) meshkodoonamaage vai s/he trades, exchanges (it) with (people)
meshkojibidoon vti2 change, switch it (with the hands)

Paired with: meshkojibizh vta

meshkojibizh vta change, switch it (animate) (with the hands)

Paired with: meshkojibidoon vti2

meshkojikanebizo vai [BL] s/he changes lanes

meshkojikonaye vai [BL] s/he changes clothes

meshkojikonaye' vta [BL] change h/ clothes

meshkojisidoon vti2 replace it

Paired with: meshkojishim vta

meshkojishim vta change one for other of it (animate), replace it (animate)

Paired with: meshkojisidoon vti2

meshkwad adv man in turn, in exchange

meshkwadabi vai s/he switches h/ seat

meshkwadoon vta trade, exchange h/

Paired with: meshkwadoonan vti See also: meshkodoon vta

meshkwadoonamaw vta trade, exchange (it) with h/

See also: meshkodoonamaw vta

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.

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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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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.