Search the dictionary Advanced Search

How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

mookwaakizo vai s/he cries from the heat, cries from being burned

mookwaanimizi vai s/he cries from fear

mookwaapi vai [BL] s/he laughs so hard tears come to h/ eyes

mookwaapi' vta laugh so hard at h/ tears come to your eyes

mookwaapine vai s/he cries from being sick

mookwaapineshin vai s/he cries for food, cries to be fed

mookwii vai s/he whines because she can't do something

moona' vta dig h/, dig h/ up

Paired with: moona'an vti

moona'amaw vta dig (it) up for h/

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

Paired with: moona' vta ; moona'wi vta [NI]

(benefactive) moona'amaw vta dig (it) up for h/ (detransitive) moona'ige vai s/he digs things, digs things up (verb of undergoing) moona'igaade vii it is dug up (by someone), "they" dig it up (verb of undergoing) moona'igaazo vai s/he is dug up (by someone), "they" dig h/ up (derived noun) moona'igan ni a mine
moona'asinii vai s/he digs up rocks, mines ore

moona'ashkikiwe vai s/he digs medicine

moona'ashkwe vai s/he digs for herbs or roots for medicine

moona'aabikwaan ni a mine

moona'aabikwe vai s/he mines something

(derived noun) moona'aabikwaan ni a mine
moona'aabikwesi na [NI] a miner

moona'aagonaadan vti dig the snow out of it, scoop the snow off or out of it

Paired with: moona'aagonaazh vta

moona'aagonaazh vta dig the snow out of it (animate), scoop the snow off or out of it (animate)

Paired with: moona'aagonaadan vti

moona'aagone vai s/he digs out the snow, scoops the snow off or out of something

(applicative) moona'aagonaadan vti dig the snow out of it, scoop the snow off or out of it (applicative) moona'aagonaazh vta dig the snow out of it (animate), scoop the snow off or out of it (animate)
moona'aawangwewidaabaan na

moona'ibaan ni a well

moona'ibii vai s/he digs a well, digs or drills for water

moona'ibiiwinini na a well-digger

moona'igan ni a mine

moona'igaade vii it is dug up (by someone), "they" dig it up

moona'igaazo vai s/he is dug up (by someone), "they" dig h/ up

moona'ige vai s/he digs things, digs things up

moona'ipinii vai s/he digs potatoes

moona'wi vta [NI]

► moona' vta Paired with: moona'an vti

moonendan vti be suspicious of, suspect it; mistrust it

Paired with: moonenim vta

moonenim vta suspect, blame h/

Paired with: moonendan vti

moonikaan ni a cellar

moonike vai s/he digs a hole or burrow

mooningwane na a Northern flicker

[
flicker, common flicker
; 
Colaptes auratus
]

moonz na

► mooz na

moose na a grub, a worm

See also: moose gaa-bimaabiigizid na-v [NI]

(verb of abundance) moosekaa vii there are (many) bugs or worms (verb of being) moosewan vii it is wormy (verb of being) moosewi vai s/he is wormy
moose gaa-bimaabiigizid na-v [NI] an earthworm

See also: moose na ; bimaabiigizi vai

moose-manidoosh na [BL] a worm

moosekaa vii there are (many) bugs or worms

moosewan vii it is wormy

Paired with: moosewi vai

moosewaabide vai s/he has decayed teeth

moosewi vai s/he is wormy

Paired with: moosewan vii

moosewigone vai s/he has worms in h/ throat

moosewiingwe vai s/he has acne on h/ face

mooshka'an vii it is flooded; there is a flood

mooshka'ogo vai s/he has water get into lodge or tent; h/ place is flooded

mooshka'osi na a bittern; a shypoke

[
American bittern
; 
Botaurus lentiginosus
]

mooshka'oodoon vti2 add water or other liquid to it

mooshka'oozh vta add water or other liquid to it (animate)

mooshkamo vai s/he surfaces (in the water), comes up out of the water

mooshkanjise vai s/he surfaces, floats up out of the water

mooshkinachigaade vii [N] it is filled, filled in (by someone), "they" fill it, fill it in

mooshkinachige vai [N] s/he fills things

mooshkinadoon vti2 fill it (with solids)

Paired with: mooshkina' vta

(verb of undergoing) mooshkinajigaade vii it is filled, filled in (by someone), "they" fill it, fill it in
mooshkina' vta fill h/ (with solids)

Paired with: mooshkinadoon vti2 ; mooshkinatoon vti2 [N]

mooshkinajigaade vii it is filled, filled in (by someone), "they" fill it, fill it in

mooshkinatoon vti2 [N] fill it (with solids)

Paired with: mooshkina' vta See also: mooshkinadoon vti2

(detransitive) mooshkinachige vai [N] s/he fills things (verb of undergoing) mooshkinachigaade vii [N] it is filled, filled in (by someone), "they" fill it, fill it in
mooshkine vai s/he is full (of solids), fills a place

See also: mooshkine vii

mooshkine vii it is full (of solids)

Paired with: mooshkine vai

mooshkinebadoon vti2 fill it with liquid

Paired with: mooshkinebazh vta

mooshkinebazh vta fill h/ or it (animate) with liquid

Paired with: mooshkinebadoon vti2

mooshkinebiwag vai they are crowded sitting (there)

mooshkinebii vii it is full (of liquid)

mooshkinebii vai it (animate) is full (of liquid)

Paired with: mooshkinebii vii

mooshkinebii'amaw vta fill something out with writing for h/

mooshkinebii'an vti fill it out with writing

(detransitive) mooshkinebii'ige vai s/he fills out a form (benefactive) mooshkinebii'amaw vta fill something out with writing for h/
mooshkinebii'ige vai s/he fills out a form

mooshkinebiise vii it fills up (with liquid)

Paired with: mooshkinebiise vai

mooshkinebiise vii it fills up (with liquid)

mooshkinebiise vai h/ fills up (with liquid)

Paired with: mooshkinebiise vii

mooshkinegaabawiwag vai they are crowded standing (there)

mooshkinegaamo vai s/he is full of fat

mooshkineshinoog vai they are crowded lying (there)

mooshkineyaabate vii it is filled with smoke

mooshkineyaabide vai she has a full set of teeth, gets h/ wisdom teeth completing h/ set of teeth

moowens ni a small animal dropping, pellet, or turd

moowiwan vii it has shit on it

Paired with: moowiwi vai

moowiwi vai s/he has shit on h/

Paired with: moowiwan vii

mooz na a moose

[
Alces alces
]

(verb of making) moozoke vai s/he dresses a moose (verb of possession) omoonzomi vai s/he has a moose or moose
moozhag adv tmp always, often, all the time

moozhagin vta pick them (animate) up; gather, collect them (animate)

Paired with: moozhaginan vti

moozhaginamaw vta pick (them) up for h/; gather, collect (them) up for h/

moozhaginan vti pick them (inanimate) up; gather, collect them (inanimate)

Paired with: moozhagin vta

(detransitive) moozhaginige vai s/he picks up, gathers, collects things (benefactive) moozhaginamaw vta pick (them) up for h/; gather, collect (them) up for h/
moozhaginige vai s/he picks up, gathers, collects things

moozhagipinii vai s/he picks potatoes

moozhaabe na [ML] a bachelor, an unmarried man

moozhi' vta feel h/ in or on h/ body; sense h/ presence

Paired with: moozhitoon vti2

moozhi'o vai s/he feels something

moozhitoon vti2 feel it in or on h/ body

Paired with: moozhi' vta

moozo-bakwezhiganaabo ni moose gravy

moozo-bimide ni moose tallow

moozo-boodaajigan ni a moose call

moozo-moo ni moose dung

moozo-wiinin ni moose fat

moozo-wiis ni moose tripe

moozo-wiiyaas ni moose meat

moozobiiway ni

moozobwaam ni a moose hindquarter

moozode' ni a moose heart

moozodenaniw ni a moose tongue

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.