efate

T - t

ta₁ excl. thanks. See: faftae; psawi.

ta₂ n. aunt, father's sister (mother's sister is iak) Note: added to last syllable of some names e.g. ta + ana = tana, ta + lilo = talo. Category: human relations.

ta₃ PVC. still.

ta₄ Variant: tap. PVC. not. Used with mau as the second part of the negation.

ta= pron. we (1st person dual inclusive realis Subject).

taa vintr. wrap a part of the body, as in wrapping a scarf around the head, e.g., Taa mp̃aun ki gkal.

taag n. seaslug, sea creature that is like a seasnail but without a shell. Category: aquatic creatures. See: litot.

taakot₁ n. axe, curved axe used in battles.

taakot₂ v. cut, with an axe (taakotkot indicates cutting many things). Variant: taakotkot.

taaloof vintr. shake hands.

taam̃anm̃aan v. scatter.

taam̃el vintr. squat, crouch.

taap̃aar n. sin, also used of an act which could be considered 'sinful'.

taapas vintr. wave, call someone over with a hand gesture.

taap̃es n. swamphen (type of bird). Porphiryo porphyrio samoensis. Category: birds.

taap̃etu vintr. kneel.

taap̃os adj. curved.

taar₁ adj. white.

1 • white. Category: colours.

taar₂ vintr. crow.

taar₃ v. broke, to not have any money.

taasak vintr. come to the shore from the sea.

taasok vambi. hug, hold against the chest, like a child.

taata₁ v. clear the ground, weed.

taata₂ n. father, address term (used by members of the kram sea clam naflak). See: tmen; apap; gka.

taatan n. burial. See: tan.

taatur vambi. meet someone on their way to your house and come back with them.

tae vambi. know.

1 • vambi. know. Also used in compounds, e.g., nrogtae recognise (hear), mrotae understand (know).

2 • aux. can, to be able to. See: metmatu.

taf vintr. exit.

1 • exit, leave.

2 • diarrhea, have diarrhea.

tafafu vintr. hatch (an egg).

tafesfes vintr. pray.

tafiif vintr. boiling.

1 • boiling, of water nai itafiif.

2 • whirlpool.

tafiif ni nlag n. whirly wind. Category: natural features.

3 • bad feeling (idiomatic).

tafin n. woman servant, slave (archaic). Category: human relations.

tafnau vambi. teach. See: fnau.

tafra n. whale.

1 • whale. Category: aquatic creatures.

2 • bundle of yams, used to take to a feast. See: nawi.

tafrafer vintr. disperse.

taftaf vintr. have diarrhoea. See: ntafwen; taf.

tafusfusrek vintr. whisper.

tafut n. fish sp. Hawkfishes (that travel with big fish). Also identified as Prettyfins. Cirrhitidae, Plesiopidae. Category: aquatic creatures.

tag n. banana, plantain banana for cooking. See: tagmetkes; tagsus; tagmol. Category: plants.

tag vambi. cry, mourn. See: tagter.

tagiter n. seaslug.

1 • nudibranch, seaslug. Category: aquatic creatures.

2 • spirit. An omen of impending death. When you hear the voice of tagiter calling at sea, someone has died. Tagiter is a spirit (ntwam). Category: other supernatural.

v. cry out (of animals or devils), a call which is a sign that someone will die. See: tag.

tagmetkes n. banana, cooking banana. Category: plants.

tagmol n. banana species. Category: plants.

tagralim n. moth sp. Black with white marks. See: mer. Category: insects, grubs etc..

tagsus n. banana species. Category: plants.

tai₁ n. brother. See: p̃al. Category: human relations.

tai₂ vambi. cut, taiktof - cut down.

tak₁ vambi. husk a coconut.

tak₂ n. age-mate, someone the same age as you.

tak₃ vambi. kick with your toes; stub your toes; trip.

tak= Variant: tak. pron. we (1st person dual inclusive irrealis Subject).

takai= pron. we two (1st person dual inclusive perfect Subject).

takau vambi. trip.

takel vintr. crooked.

takelkel n. millipede. Category: insects, grubs etc..

takerker n. Grey fantail (type of bird). Category: birds.

takinrog vintr. listen.

takinrog wi vintr. concentrate.

taklep n. child, first born. Category: human relations.

takmaloput n. child, middle born. Category: human relations.

takotkot.mp3#

takotp̃au n. wreath. Category: human artefact.

takrik n. child, last born. Category: human relations.

taktaak vintr. sway.

1 • sway when walking, as when drunk. See: tartaar.

2 • roll, of a boat in the waves.

taktak ninai n. Australian grey duck (type of bird). Anas superciliosa. Category: birds.

taktak₁ n. duck (type of bird). Category: birds.

taktak₂ n. fish sp. Bird wrasse. Gomphosus varius. See: patru. Category: aquatic creatures.

takto n. river eel. See: mra. Category: aquatic creatures.

takto ninai Variant: nmra. n. fish sp. saltwater eel. Category: aquatic creatures.

takwer₁ n. sea-snake, black and white. Sea krait. Laticauda colubrina. Category: other animals.

takwer₂ n. ray sp. Dark ray. Category: aquatic creatures.

talag vambi. shine.

talaklak n. whisper. Category: body part or product.

talau n. yam sp., sweet, has spines along the ground around the root. Category: plants.

talel vintr. dodge, avoid.

talgolig n. dizzy.

taligftin n. otitis, inflammation of the ear. Category: body part or product.

taligme n. fish sp. Surgeonfishes, big one is called p̃arsor. See: tiftif; wel; rom̃. Acanthuridae. Category: aquatic creatures.

taligter n. White-eyed moray, has 'ears'. Siderea grisea. Category: aquatic creatures.

talm̃at n. garden. Category: plants.

talm̃at faum n. newly planted garden.

talm̃at tau, talm̃at fus n. garden left fallow.

talof vintr. jump out of the way of something.

talpuk n. crowd, group.

taltel n. roll of pandanus (naki) leaves. After they have been cured in an earth oven and dried in the sun, the edges are stripped and rolled into large (300mm) rolls. Category: human artefact.

tam̃as n. halo, ring around the moon (archaic).

tametpel n. fish sp. Starck's demoiselle or Blackvent damsel. Chrysiptera starcki, Dischistodus melanotus. See: naik; nrimen. Category: aquatic creatures.

tam̃ra n. starfish. Ophidiasteridae. Category: aquatic creatures.

tan vintr. bury. See: ofa; taatan.

tanre vambi. stir in a circular motion, unlike walnre which involves stirring from the bottom to the top. See: walnre.

tanu vambi. spit.

ntanuen Variant: ntanu. n inposs. spit.

tanum̃ vintr. put meat (of any kind, including seafood) on laplap. See: kof.

tanun v. set, of the moon setting (for the sun setting use mtar). See: mtar.

tao₁ vambi. 1 • leave, let go.

2 • divorce.

tao₂ vambi. bake.

taos vambi. follow.

1 • follow.

2 • similar to.

taos prep. like.

taosikin like, similar to.

tap₁ adj. taboo, forbidden.

tap₂ vintr. lean.

tapam vintr. carry under the arm.

tapiak Variant: tapia. vintr. 1 • beginning weaving a mat with crossed pair.

2 • lean something against something, like leaning a piece of wood against the wall.

tap̃ir n. tree used to make lak, joints between nsem 'outrigger' and nakiat 'crossmember' on a canoe. This is a small tree, less than 10ft tall, also used to make a rough broom. Leaves can be used to numb the mouth when you have a toothache. Category: plants.

tapmarin n. tree sp. Glochidion ramiflorum. Category: plants.

tap̃o vintr. capsize, tip over.

tapol vintr. steer a canoe by paddling. See: tlei; wal.

tapsik vintr. clean ground.

tap̃u n. heap, to mound up together or group together e.g. tap̃u nasok, 'heap of rubbish', tap̃u natam̃ol, 'crowd of people' or tap̃u naik, 'school of fish'.

tap̃uerkot n. plant sp. used as a hedge, leaves eaten. Category: plants.

tarag n. net. Category: human artefact.

tare vintr. turn, as in an object turning, or being turned. See: nre.

tarim n. armlet, coloured armlet for a chief. Category: human artefact. See: leel.

tarir n. necklace worn by a chief.

tarisal n. driftwood.

taro n. bird which eats chilli and so its meat is spicy to eat. Category: birds.

tarp̃ek v. fall. See main entry: tarup̃.

tarp̃otik adj. noisy.

tartaar vintr. walk crooked, stagger. See: taktak.

tarup̃ vintr. fall, stumble.

tarp̃ek vtr. fall over.

tas vambi. shave.

1 • shave, cut hair from skin.

2 • take bark off a tree.

tasai vambi. cut the way through bush.

tasal n. basket (pandanus or coconut). Category: human artefact. See: fuelig; nroog; likat; sp̃ol; tip̃el; polpol; nlafkir; napor; sarpotpot.

tasar n. fish sp. deep sea fish. Category: aquatic creatures.

tasil n. chief's assistant, warrior. Category: human relations.

tasoklas n. crab's lowest legs which cover its rear end. Category: aquatic creatures.

tastes n. plane, spokeshave. Category: human artefact.

tasur n. king tide.

tatakaal n. plant with flower which opens at 11.00 am, about a foot high, single leaves. Flower can be used as medicine when you spit blood. A white variant can be used as a broom. Category: plants.

tataras n. plant sp. medicine can be made of the leaves. Category: plants.

tau vintr. bear.

taulu vambi. marry, of a man marrying a woman. See: lak; tousok; ptour.

taum̃of vintr. sacrifice.

taurua n. fish sp. Whitespotted surgeonfish. Acanthurua striatus, Acanthurus olivaceous. Category: aquatic creatures.

tausees n. baby. See: teesa; nanin. Category: human relations.

tauso vintr. commit adultery.

te- det. article, used to make nouns out of adjectives and verbs, like temlaap from mlaap, 'last', means 'the last one'.

teemakoren Variant: teemakor. n inposs. sisters, group of sisters (including women whose parents are siblings). Category: human relations.

teemat n. corpse. See: naat mat. Category: body part or product.

teem̃iit n. balls, testicles. See: polon; p̃ura; tep̃al; tep̃al. Category: body part or product.

teem̃okm̃ok n. dentist. Category: human relations.

teem̃ol n. animal (generic), creature. Category: other animals.

teemotmot n. bandage. Category: human artefact.

teemp̃alun n. brothers, a group of brothers (men whose parents are siblings). Category: human relations.

teemtakun n. respect relationship. Used to describe the way that one behaved with in-laws, for example avoiding being near to them, and using the dual form instead of the singular when talking to an in-law (e.g. akam rakmai fam 'you (dual) come and eat'). (Tokelau Takau recalls this from her youth but it is no longer practised).

teemtmen n. father and his child. Category: human relations.

teesa nanwei n. boy, son. Category: human relations.

teesa napu n. bastard, illegitimate child (lit. 'child of the road'). Category: human relations.

teesa nmatu n. girl, daughter. Category: human relations.

teesa n. child. A daughter or a girl is teesa nmatu and a son or a boy is teesa nanwei. See: nan; tausees.

teesa sees n. child, baby. Category: human relations.

teetwei prep. before.

tef₁ vambi. 1 • cut, small cut.

2 • circumcise. See: mas.

tef₂ vambi. carve (wood, or meat).

tef₃ vintr. call of the Kingfisher, it brings luck if you hear it.

tefkau n. mat, made from coconut leaf, used for walls of houses. Category: human artefact.

tefla adv. similar.

tefra vintr. line up, put things in a line.

tego dem. that.

tekatpi n. meat, any kind. Refers to meat needed to balance a meal which is otherwise vegetables.

tekor n. shield, made of wood. Category: human artefact. See: siil₂.

teleekor n. guard, person who guards something. Category: human relations.

telele n. television , glasses (lit: the thing to look at or with).

telit v. explode, light up.

telomlom n. camera.

tus ni telomlom n. photo album. Category: human artefact.

tem̃anrogon.mp3#

tem̃anrogon adj. alone, on their own. See: kineu skei.

tem̃rak v. establish, build, erect.

tenag dem. that. See: tenen.

tenen dem. that. See: tenag.

teni prep. of, belonging to.

tenrtenr vintr. sleep walk, talk in your sleep.

tep̃ adj. empty, dried up, as rivers do.

tep̃al n. balls, testicles. See: plon; p̃ura; teem̃iit. Category: body part or product.

tepei adj. first.

1 • first.

2 • eldest, firstborn. Category: human relations.

3 • most important. See: pei.

teplag adj. warped.

tep̃las n. coconut wadding, the split coconut from which one has taken the germinated coconut. Category: plants.

tep̃lasnakin Variant: tep̃lasnak. nail.

n inposs. fingernail. Category: body part or product.

tepsirsir n. toy, plaything. Category: human artefact.

ter₁ v. throw, backhanded throw.

ter₂ vambi. iron.

ter₃ vintr. glide, as of a bird.

ter₄ v. warning that someone will die called out by the spirit called Tagiter. See: tagiter.

termau adv. for good.

tet n. sister (address term). Category: human relations.

tetau n. small baby. Category: human relations.

tete Variant: te. some.

quantifier. some.

tetrasfiu n. shellfish sp. Astraea rhodostoma. Category: aquatic creatures.

tfa n. thunder. Category: natural features.

tfag vambi. build, pile up.

tfale₁ interrog. how.

tfale₂ interrog. which.

tfarer vintr. break, of waves breaking on the shore. See: mlag.

tfarfar n. fat, grease. Category: body part or product.

tfei See main entry: tef.

tgof vambi. push away, to get up off something and pushing away from it.

tia vambi. turn, stretch oneself.

tiawi n. ancestors, old people. Category: human relations.

tiei vintr. start weaving.

tiel vintr. laugh loudly.

tien vintr. pregnant (of animals) and derogatory if used of people. See: plak.

tifli iskei num. hundred, one hundred. Category: numeral.

tiftif n. fish sp. Butterflyfishes and some Angelfishes. Note that any fish with long dorsal fins can be called nlae: sail, hence tiftif nlae for Bannerfish. Chaetodontidae, Pomacanthidae. See: map̃eriat; taligme.

tiftif wel rom Surgeon fish sp. Category: aquatic creatures.

tigpiel vintr. exchange.

tigtig vintr. hop.

tiikor n. fence.

1 • fence, small fence to keep animals out.

2 • wall of house.

3 • ridge made next to laplap to prevent things falling into the laplap.

4 • shield, made of wood. Category: human artefact.

tiip̃ vintr. lean.

1 • lean on a walking stick.

2 • push a boat along with a pole.

tiisoksok adj. crowded; be full (as of a fat person); be full (as of a basket).

tik₁ vintr. bang, noise of something sudden. See: nres.

tik₂ vintr interject. 1 • no, nothing.

2 • not have.

tik₃ Variant: tk. v. 1 • fight.

2 • have sex with, literally to bang.

ftik vintr. Usage: euphemistic sex, to have sex with. Use ftik instead of tki to avoid embarrassment.

tikfu vambi. split, as in a nut or hard fruit. See: pkafu.

tiktik n. shellfish sp. shellfish, like a trochus, but green. Category: aquatic creatures.

til vambi. say, tell. See: pes; na.

tilmaar n. shellfish sp. Hebrew Cone, cone shellfish, distinguished by black squared marking. Also identified as Nielsen's Cone. Conus ebraeus, Conus nielsenae. Category: aquatic creatures.

tilm̃ar vintr. spin.

tilm̃ori v adj. tell truth, honest, to be honest.

tilsa v. criticise.

tilsei v. 1 • admit, declare, announce.

2 • prophesy.

tilsoksok v. promise.

tilusus v. describe.

1 • describe.

2 • talk badly of someone, run someone down.

timen n. arrow. Category: human artefact.

tipaaru vintr. give birth, bear a child. Category: body part or product.

tip̃ek n. Boobook owl (type of bird). Category: birds.

tip̃el n. basket type. Category: human artefact. See: fuelig; nroog; likat; sp̃ol; tasal; polpol; nlafkir; napor; sarpotpot.

tip̃ot n. picture. See: nan.

tiptip v. choose. See: mtalu.

tir vintr. fish.

1 • fish from a boat. See: oraik.

2 • put something into a container.

tit vintr. dry by sun light.

tkal vambi. touch.

tkalnrog vambi. feel around, feel by touching.

tkanwan excl. so, that's the way, how.

tkapir vambi. comb.

tkar vintr. take something that someone gives you.

tkarkaar adj. restless, can't stop quiet.

tkas n. rooster (type of bird). Category: birds.

tkau₁ n. 1 • fish hook.

namet tkau n. eye of the fish hook.

vambi.

2 • fish, to fish.

3 • used by a man as an expression for catching a woman. Usage: idiomatic Category: human artefact.

tkau₂ vambi. cut, e.g. grass with a scythe.

tkau₃ vambi. pull, e.g. on the trigger of a rifle (tkau sisi).

tlai vintr. warm oneself at a fire.

tlas vambi. enough, to be.

tlei vintr. steer canoe by holding paddle still in the water. See: tapol; wal.

tm̃a vambi. point, show by finger.

tm̃alu vintr. depart.

tm̃an n. stick, used as the drill stick in for fire making. Use a hard wood, for example nap̃lel. Nmatupes is wood used by women to start fire, nam̃ernra is wood used by men to start fire. The base piece of wood does not have a name. Category: human artefact.

tm̃anruk n. blister.

1 • blister. Category: body part or product.

2 • shellfish sp. chiton. Polyplacophora. Category: aquatic creatures.

tmat adj. calm.

1 • calm, no wind.

2 • peace.

tmawot n. couple, husband and wife, two spouses. Category: human relations.

tmen Variant: tem. n inposs. father, father's brother. See: apap; gka; tata. Category: human relations, kinterm.

tm̃en n. laplap, individual pieces on a leaf.

tmo PVC. reflexive, reciprocal. Used to indicate either an action a person performs on themself, or an action performed by more than one person on others. It is formed by using tmo / tme in the preverbal complex and then the direct possesive suffix.

tmotum vintr. knock, e.g. on a door.

tnol vambi. swallow.

tnolsa choke.

tnus vintr. sting, to be stinging, an insect bite stings. See: sup̃.

to 1 • vambi. stay.

2 • aux. habitual, used with an activity that occurs habitually.

3 • aux. progressive, used with an ongoing activity.

4 • dirpart. at (directional particle). Follows a location specified by the verb.

tof₁ vambi. push. See: kis.

tof₂ n. fish sp. Rabbitfish. See: fser; tofkas; sm̃os. Siganidae. Category: aquatic creatures.

tofkas n. fish sp. Peppered rabbitfish or Coral rabbitfish. Siganidae. Category: aquatic creatures.

tog n. foreign place. Jack Kalon says tog is from the mangrove (natog) pod which floats around and goes to different places. Category: placename.

togtog n. yam, red, white, big, small (togtogm̃it) etc.

togtogm̃it n. yam sp, also togtogmiel, togtogtar. Category: plants.

tok vambi. burn.

tokape n. Green-winged ground dove (type of bird). Chalcophaps indica. Category: birds.

toklau n. wind from the sea. See: lagsu. Category: natural features.

tokleg vintr. wake up, get up.

toklos vambi. facing, in front of, with regard to, about.

toknak vintr. prepare. See: aliat toknak ‘Saturday’.

toknimakil n. yam sp, shaped like a bottle, small at the top and large at the base. Category: plants.

tokomai n. cricket. Category: insects, grubs etc..

tokor vambi. block. See: kor.

tol₁ num. three. Category: numeral.

katol adj. third.

tol₂ vambi. pass.

tolu v. turn your back on someone.

tom vambi. suck (e.g. lolly in mouth).

ton vintr. compare, measure.

too n. fowl (type of bird).

too mil n. wild fowl (big name).

too nmatu n. hen.

too ses n. chicken. Category: birds.

too waipit n. chicken with ruffled feathers, or whose feathers aren't straight.

took n. adze, narrow adze used for cutting out the inside of a canoe. See: limur kram p̃el. Category: human artefact.

toopup̃ vintr. full mouth.

toor n. shellfish sp. Pearl Oyster (general term). Pteriidae. See: flefil; ruum. Category: aquatic creatures.

toos vintr. slip, drag.

top vintr adj. big.

1 • big, much.

2 • swell (also toptop).

topi n. Vanuatu white-eye (type of bird). Zosterops flavifrons. Category: birds.

tor vambi. fill with liquid.

toreki Variant: torik. wait.

vambi. wait.

tortor n. heat.

1 • heat.

2 • steam. Category: natural features.

torwak vintr. anchor. Category: human artefact.

totan Variant: toktan. sit.

vintr. 1 • sit.

2 • land, come ashore.

toto vintr. grope, in a place you can't see in, like in a basket, or in the dark.

totogmal n. fish sp. Reef needlefish, garfish, red mouth. Strongylura incisa. Category: aquatic creatures.

totoluk vintr. turn your back on someone.

totur vambi. go through.

1 • go through, e.g., a door.

2 • via, by means of, as in via a letter.

tousok vambi. marry, of the pastor marrying the couple. See: lak; ptour.

tp̃ak adj. frizzy (hair).

tp̃er₁ n. fence, big fence for cows or horses. Category: human artefact.

tp̃er₂ vintr. break, as of a wave on the beach.

tp̃il vambi. burn, light (as in fire), blow up.

tp̃okor vambi. stop someone doing something.

tp̃olu vambi. send someone to take a message. See: tp̃ek.

tp̃osok v. push hard against an object, like a tree or a rock.

tp̃otunr v. nod one's head. See: tunr.

tp̃otur v. pray, say prayers before going to sleep. See: lot.

traares n. sugarcane sp. red one. See: nap̃rai; tukmel; makol; nafakton. Category: plants.

traf vambi. dig. See: kil.

trafseo v. dig a hole to plant in.

trai vambi. grate, using kai shell, or skitrai for coconuts. See: maa.

trakap n. fish sp. Squirrelfish (Threespot squirrelfish and similar). Holocentridae. See: sreniu. Category: aquatic creatures.

trakp̃og v. walk about at night.

tralosak vintr. on one's back, be.

trapelpel vintr. hurry, to go quickly. See: pelpel.

trares n. sugarcane, type of green cane.

trau preverbal modifier. 1 • seems, looks. Followed by an adjective: itrau sa it looks bad, itrau miel it looks red; or verb: itrau mur.

2 • very, really (intensifier).

3 • just, only.

traus vambi. tell. See: puserek; til; pes.

tro v. flow, bleed. See: ser.

trok vintr. agree.

1 • agree.

2 • amen.

tu₁ v. stand up, to stand.

tu₂ vditr. give (note that 'give me' is tao). See: ptu; sai; naftuan.

ptu vintr. give. See: tu.

tu= pron. we (1st person plural inclusive realis Subject).

tuaal vintr. stay for the whole day, as at a funeral.

tue vintr. make, as in making tools, or a house, or craft. But not used of cloth or mats which would use tur 'to sew'.

tuei adj. long time, old.

tui= pron. we (1st person plural inclusive perfect Subject).

tuk vambi. carry on the back, like a child, or firewood, tow behind, like a canoe.

tuk= Variant: tuk. pron. we (1st person plural inclusive irrealis Subject).

tukmel n. sugarcane sp. See: nap̃rai; traares; makol; nafakton. Category: plants.

tuktau vambi. wipe.

tul vintr. sway, in the wind or in the water. To rock something back and forth (e.g. tul ki teesa to rock the child). Also used to describe the motion of your head as you nod off to sleep.

tuleg vintr. stand, arise.

tuluk n. tuluk, a small parcel of cassava wrapped around meat and covered in leaves, cooked in an earth oven. Typically small enough to hold in the hand.