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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

miishiingwe vai s/he has a hairy face, is bearded

miitagiin pc disc oh that's right; oh that's what I was told

miiwag pron dem [BL] those are the ones (animate plural)

miiwa' pron dem [BL] those are ones (obviative plural)

miiwaji vai s/he can't stand the cold

miiwan pron dem that's the one (obviative)

miiwan pron dem [BL] those are the ones (inanimate plural)

miiwanaamozo vai s/he can't stand the smoke, is driven away by the smoke

miiwanaandam vai s/he can't stand being hungry, can't stay somewhere because of hunger

miiwaakizo vai s/he can't stand the heat

miiwi' vta reject, rebuff h/; drive h/ away

miiwin vta push h/ away, reject h/

Paired with: miiwinan vti

miiwinan vti push it away, reject it

Paired with: miiwin vta

(detransitive) miiwinige vai s/he pushes things away, rejects things (verb of undergoing) miiwinigaade vii it is pushed away, is rejected (by someone), "they" push it away, reject it
miiwinigaade vii it is pushed away, is rejected (by someone), "they" push it away, reject it

miiwinige vai s/he pushes things away, rejects things

miiwizagimewe vai s/he can't stand the mosquitoes, is driven away by the mosquitoes

miizh vta give (it) to h/

(reciprocal) miinidiwag vai they give (something) to each other; they have a give-away
(derived noun) miinidiwin ni a give-away
miizii vai s/he defecates, shits

miiziiwaapine vai s/he has diarrhea

miiziiwigamig ni a toilet, a bathroom, an outhouse, a privy

See also: zaaga'amoowigamig ni

miiziiwinaagan ni something to defecate in: a toilet fixture, a potty, a bed pan

moshwe na [ML] a shawl

See also: mashwe na [LL] [RL]

moshwens ni a handkerchief

See also: mashwens na [LL] [RL]

moo ni feces, excrement

moo' vta make h/ cry

moojigendam vai2 [N] s/he feels happy, feels glad

moojigizi vai [N] s/he is happy, is joyous, is glad, has a good time

mookadaawangii vai s/he or it (animate) emerges from the sand, comes out of the sand

mooka' vta dig h/ up, expose h/ (using something)

Paired with: mooka'an vti

mooka'am vai2 it (animate: the sun) rises = it is sunrise

mooka'an vti dig it up, expose it (using something)

Paired with: mooka' vta

mooka'igaade vii it is dug up, is exposed (using something)
mooka'asanjigo vai s/he digs open a cache

mooka'aawanga'wi vta

mooka'aawangibizh vta

mooka'igaade vii it is dug up, is exposed (using something)

mookamanji'o vai s/he feels an illness coming on

mookamanjitoon vti2 feel the effects of it (an illness or something consumed)

mookanite vii it emerges from the melting snow

mookawaji vai s/he cries from the cold

mookawaadan vti cry after it, cry for it (something going away or missing)

mookawaakii vai s/he cries to go along

mookawaanidiwag vai they cry after each other, cry for each other

mookawaazh vta cry to go along with h/; cry after h/, cry for h/

(reciprocal) mookawaanidiwag vai they cry after each other, cry for each other
mookawaazo vai s/he cries after someone or something

mookaabaawe vai s/he comes out, emerges in the rain or flood

mookaabiiga'ige vai s/he hooks rugs

mookaabiigibijige vai s/he pulls something string-like out from behind so it shows

mookaagonaso vai it (animate) emerges from the melting snow

Paired with: mookaagonate vii

mookaagonate vii it emerges from the melting snow

mookaagonebani'o vai s/he pops up out of the snow

mookaagonebidoon vti2 pull it up out of the snow

Paired with: mookaagonebizh vta

mookaagonebizh vta

Paired with: mookaagonebidoon vti2

mookaagone'an vti get it out of the snow (using something)

Paired with: mookaagone'wi vta [NI]

mookaagone'wi vta [NI] get it (animate) out of the snow (using something)

Paired with: mookaagone'an vti

mookaagonewebishkan vti

mookaajimo vai

mookibidoon vti2 pull it out from somewhere, pull it to the surface

Paired with: mookibizh vta

mookibizh vta pull h/ or it (animate) out from somewhere, pull h/ or it (animate) to the surface

Paired with: mookibidoon vti2

mookibii vai s/he emerges from the water

Paired with: mookibii vii

mookibii vii it emerges from the water

Paired with: mookibii vai

mookibiibidoon vti2 pull it up to surface of the water

Paired with: mookibiibizh vta

mookibiibizh vta pull h/ up to the surface of the water

Paired with: mookibiibidoon vti2

mookibiise vai s/he comes up to surface of water

mookijiwan vii it flows out of the ground; it is a spring

mookijiwanibiig ni a spring (water)

mookijiwanibiigwaabo ni spring water

mookikweni vai

mookinaagozi vai s/he or it (animate) appears out of something, is seen emerging from something

Paired with: mookinaagwad vii

mookinaagwad vii it appears out of something, is seen emerging from something

Paired with: mookinaagozi vai

mookiweba'an vti dig it up, expose it (using something forcefully)

mookiweba'igan ni a crowbar

mookii vai s/he emerges, surfaces, comes out of somewhere

(applicative) mookiitaw vta attack h/ from hiding
mookiitaw vta attack h/ from hiding

mookobizh vta make h/ cry by grabbing or holding

mookobii vai s/he cries while drinking, cries when drunk

mookodan vti carve, plane it

Paired with: mookozh vta

(detransitive) mookojige vai s/he carves things (detransitive) mookodaaso vai s/he carves, whittles, planes (wood) (derived noun) mookojigan ni a drawknife, a plane
mookodaaso vai s/he carves, whittles, planes (wood)

mookodaasoowinini na a carpenter, a carver

mookoganaam vta make h/ cry by hitting

(reciprocal) mookoganaandiwag vai they make each other cry by hitting
mookoganaandiwag vai they make each other cry by hitting

mookogidaazo vai s/he cries from anger

mookojigan ni a drawknife, a plane

mookojige vai s/he carves things

mookom vai make h/ cry by telling or singing something

mookomaan ni a knife

mookomaanaabik ni a knife blade

mookomaanaatig ni a knife handle

mookomaanens ni a table knife

mookomaani-gaashiboojigan ni a knife sharpener

mookone vai s/he cries or moans from pain or sadness

mookoshin vai s/he cries from falling down or hitting something

mookozh vta carve h/

Paired with: mookodan vti

mookozideshin vai s/he stubs h/ toe and cries

mookwaji vai s/he cries from being cold

mookwamandam vai s/he cries from pain

mookwanaandam vai2 s/he cries from being hungry

mookwaabaagwe vai s/he cries from thirst

mookwaabaawe vai s/he cries from being drenched

mookwaajimo vai s/he cries telling the news or a story

mookwaakizige vai s/he cries while drinking, cries when drunk

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.