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madwewechige vai s/he makes things sound, plays (music)

madwewe'o vai he (partridge) drums

madwewetaw vta play music for h/

madwewetoon vti2 make it sound, play it

(detransitive) madwewechige vai s/he makes things sound, plays (music) (benefactive) madwewetaw vta play music for h/ (derived noun) madwewechigan ni a musical instrument (especially a keyboard instrument): a piano, an organ
madweyaabideshin vai h/ teeth chatter

madweyaabidewaji vai h/ teeth chatter from the cold

madweyaabikise vai s/he (something mineral or metal) clinks, clangs, rattles, rings

Paired with: madweyaabikise vii

madweyaabikise vii it (something mineral or metal) clinks, clangs, rattles, rings

Paired with: madweyaabikise vai

madweyaabikisin vii it is heard hitting (as or on rock or metal), clangs, rings

Paired with: madweyaabikishin vai

madweyaabikishin vai s/he is heard hitting (as or on rock or metal), clangs, rings

Paired with: madweyaabikisin vii

madweyaabiiga'ige vai s/he plays a violin

madweyaabiigibidoon vti2 strum, play it (a guitar)

(detransitive) madweyaabiigibijige vai s/he strums something, plays a guitar (derived noun) madweyaabiigibijigan ni a guitar
madweyaabiigibijigan ni a guitar

madweyaabiigibijigani-biiwaabikoons ni a guitar string

madweyaabiigibijige vai s/he strums something, plays a guitar

madweyaadagaa vai s/he is heard swimming

See also: madweyaadage vai [BL]

madweyaadagaazii vai s/he is heard wading, "you" can hear h/ wading

madweyaadage vai [BL] s/he is heard swimming

See also: madweyaadagaa vai

madweyaagone vai s/he is heard going through the snow, "you" can hear h/ going through the snow

madweyaajiwande vii it is heard boiling

Paired with: madweyaajiwanzo vai

madweyaajiwanzo vai s/he (a kettle) is heard boiling

Paired with: madweyaajiwande vii

madweyaakide vii it is heard burning, "you" can hear it burning

Paired with: madweyaakizo vai

madweyaakizo vai s/he is heard burning, "you" can hear h/ burning

Paired with: madweyaakide vii

madweyaakwadin vii it (something stick-like) is heard cracking in the cold

madweyaakwa'ige vai s/he knocks on wood, knocks on the door

madweyaakwaji vai is (animate; something stick-like or solid) heard cracking from the cold

Paired with: madweyaakwadin vii

madweyaandagaasin vii the boughs can be heard blowing in the wind

madweyaanike vai s/he is heard digging

madweyaanimad vii it is audible wind, "you" can hear the wind

madweyaasin vii it is heard blowing in the wind

Paired with: madweyaashi vai

madweyaashi vai it (animate) is heard blowing in the wind; s/he or it (animate) is heard soaring, sailing

Paired with: madweyaasin vii

madweyaashkaa vii waves can be heard, "you" can hear the waves

madweyoone'ige vai s/he makes noise on a canoe or boat

madwezan vti crack it (mineral) with fire or blasting

(detransitive) madwezige vai s/he is heard firing
madwezhaazo vai s/he can be heard urinating

madwezige vai s/he is heard firing

madwezigoshkaa vii ice moves making noise

madwezigwadin vii the sound of ice cracking is heard

madwezigwa'ige vai s/he is heard chopping ice

magozigoshin vai it (animate; a sled or sled runner) is iced up; s/he or it (animate) is coated with ice

magoodaas ni [BL] a dress

(verb of making) magoodaasike vai s/he makes a dress or dresses
magoodaasike vai s/he makes a dress or dresses

magwaagoneshin vai s/he lies covered with snow, is covered with snow (so only h/ shape or contour can be seen)

magwegigidigweshin vai

magwegishin vai s/he lies as a mound under blanket (sheet-like)

ma'ibimaan

ma'iingan na a wolf

[
timberwolf / gray wolf
; 
Canis lupus
]

(verb of being) ma'iinganiwi vai s/he is a wolf
ma'iinganasim na a German shepherd

ma'iinganaanow ni a wolf's tail

ma'iingani-nagwaagan ni a wolf snare

ma'iinganiwayaan na a wolf hide

ma'iinganiwi vai s/he is a wolf

maji- pv lex bad

maji-izhi vta speak ill of or to h/; swear at h/

maji-izhiwebizi vai s/he misbehaves, behaves improperly, is naughty, is evil

maji-manidoo na an evil spirit, a devil

maji-manidoowaadizi vai s/he is evil, is possessed by an evil spirit

maji-mashkiki ni poison; bad medicine: a remedy or spell having or intended to have negative results

majigiizhwe vai s/he swears

majigoodenh ni a dress

majinaagozi vai s/he looks bad, looks poor, looks inadequate

Paired with: majinaagwad vii

majinaagwad vii it looks bad, looks poor, looks inadequate

Paired with: majinaagozi vai

majitan vti dislike the sound of it

makade ni black gunpowder

makade- pv lex black; dark (color)

makade-aniibiish ni black tea

makade-aniibiishi-ozhaawishkwaa vii [NI] it is dark green

makade-bakwezhigan na unbleached flour

makade-bigiw na tar, asphalt

makade-ma'iingan na a black wolf

makade-manidoominens na a black bead

makade-manoomin ni black wild rice

makade-mashkikiwaabo ni [BL] coffee

See also: makade-mashkikiwaaboo ni [MN]

makade-mashkikiwaaboo ni [MN] coffee

See also: makade-mashkikiwaabo ni [BL]

makade-miigwan na a black feather

See also: makadewigwan na

makade-ozaawadowe vai s/he has dark-brown fur

makade-ozhaawishkozi vai [NI]

Paired with: makade-ozhaawishkwaa vii [NI]

makade-ozhaawishkwaa vii [NI] it is dark blue, is navy blue

Paired with: makade-ozhaawishkozi vai [NI]

makade-waagosh na a black fox

[
red fox
; 
Vulpes vulpes
]

makadeke vai s/he blackens h/ face with charcoal (as when fasting for a vision)

makadekoozh vta blacken h/ face with charcoal when fasting

makademashkikiwaabo ni coffee

► makade-mashkikiwaabo ni [BL]

makademashkikiwaaboo ni coffee

► makade-mashkikiwaaboo ni [MN]

makademik na a black beaver

makadepwaaganasin na black pipestone

makadewadaawangaa vii there is black sand, a black beach

makadewadis vta dye, color it (animate) black

Paired with: makadewadisan vti

makadewadisan vti dye, color it black

makadewadiso vai s/he is dyed black

Paired with: makadewadite vii

makadewadite vii it is dyed black

Paired with: makadewadiso vai

makadewadowe vai s/he has black fur, has dark fur

makadewakamigaa vii it is black ground

makadewamik na a black beaver

makadewanagekozi vai it (animate) has dark bark

Paired with: makadewanagekwad vii

makadewanagekwad vii it has dark bark

Paired with: makadewanagekozi vai

makadewazhe vai s/he has dark sklin, black skin

makadewaa vii it (canoe) is black, is dark (in color)

Paired with: makadewizi vai

makadewaabate vii it emits black smoke

makadewaabikad vii it is black (as something mineral)

Paired with: makadewaabikizi vai

makadewaabikizi vai
  1. s/he is black (as something mineral)
  2. s/he is in eclipse, there is an eclipse (of the sun or moon)

Paired with: makadewaabikad vii

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.