T - t

tae   n. excrement, faeces, shit.

taelangi   n. clouds, usually little clouds.

taemwata   n. a kind of strong yam.

tahaha   n. large grasshopper.

taharo   n. little finger.

tahasi   n. stone, rock.

tahasi tiutiu   n. big stone put on top of the firewood on a cooking fire. See: dila.

tahatahasi   n.pl. stones. Mo sahe ana tahatahasi. It went up on the rocks.

tahe   vt. lift up something heavy and move it; turn or pull up something. Tamalohi na tahe na nora aka na sahesahe. The men pulled up all their boats.

tahevasi   vi. 1 • raise eyebrows in agreement, meaning 'yes'.

2 • acknowledge a greeting.

tahisa   n. male friend. Tahisaku mo boi na nom kukua. My boyfriend likes my cooking.

tahitahisa   vi. make friends. Variant: tatahisa.

tahove   vi. have very rough seas, as in hurricane weather. Ulurani nian, tarusa mo tahove. This morning, the ocean is very rough.

tahu-   n. brother-in-law. Usage: Used of sister's husband by male or female speaker); husband's brother by female speaker

tai   vt. cut something.

taitaimata   n. wasp.

taitusi   vt. cut across something, slit something.

taka   n. Barred rabbitfish, an ocean fish which grows to about 30cm. Siganus doliatus.

takahi   vt. remove, take away something.

takalulu   n. Seagrass rabbitfish, an ocean fish which grows to around 25cm. Siganus canaliculatus.

takataka   n. 1 • a kind of big lizard.

2 • sound the lizard makes.

takatakahi   vt. remove many things.

talasi   vt. tear or rip something. Vuhai mo talasi ruruku. The stick tore my clothes.

talekoleko   vi. be very weak with no energy.

talihahi   vt. tie something or wind something around something. Mole talihahia ana tahasi. He was winding it around the rock.

talom   vi. be first, be in front or before. turu talom first born (eldest).

talomahi   vt. lead others, guide others by setting an example. Mole talomahi na nanatuna mo duhu. He is guiding his children well.

Talotu   n. person from Santo.

tamahi   adv. with great difficulty. O loli tamahia? How on earth did you do it?

tamalohi   n. person, man.

tamalohi dondoro   n. trouble maker.

tamalohi losulosu   n. poison man, a person owho practises bad magic.

tamalohi matua   n. greedy man, who wants to keep everything, such as money, animals etc., for himself.

tamalohi na ua   idiom. lots of people.

tamalohi taviti   n. champion.

tamalohi vanjavanjangi   n. teacher.

tamalohiha   vi. be inhabited, peopled.

Tamambo   n. 1 • person from Malo.

2 • language of Malo.

tamanatu-   n. husband. Tamanatuku hisana David. My husband is called David.

tamaringo   n. people of the west.

tamasi₁   n. doll.

tamasi₂   vi. be artificial.

tamata   vi. (be) calm, peaceful. Tarusa mo tamata. The sea is calm.

tamate   n. dead person. Usage: Used to refer to someone who has recently died in place of using name

tama-   n. father. Usage: Also used for father's brother (male or female speaker); father's sister's son, father-in-law (female speaker)

tamba   vi. bump into something. Nellie mo tamba teleiau. Nellie bumped into me.

Tambae   n. person from Ambae.

tambae kerembuilo   n. a kind of soft yam.

tambae vavine   n. a kind of soft yam.

tambahao   n. plaited coconut leaves for roofing.

tambahi   vt. put something on top, cover over some part of your body. O tambahia na batum. Put it over your head.

tambai   vt. meet someone, such as when walking along the road.

tambaluhi-   n. wife. Mo jivo mo soari na tambaluhina, tambaluhina alima alau. He went down and saw his wives, his five wives at the coast. Variant: votambaluhi-.

tambatambahi   vi. be shy, not confident, hide away.

tambatu   n. person who does good medicine = mara saurohai. .

tambe   vt. pull out or take down something which is hanging up. O tambe na ruru. Take down the dress.

tamboso   vi. incompetent, not good at anything.

tambu   n. grave, the place where someone is buried.

tambuatambuahi   vt. crush or squash something or someone. Na tambwatambwahira mo suiha asena. They crushed each other very hard. Variant: tambatambahi.

tambuavi   vt. rebuke someone by slapping one's hand across his/her head. Variant: tambwavi.

tamburongo   v. listen, listen to something. No tamburongo, ava ku sora! You listen, let me speak!

tanda   vt. look up or glance at something.

tandono   n. 1 • legend, fable.

2 • a devil.

tangisi   vt. mourn or cry for someone. Nale tangisia mai votambaluhina. He and his wife were crying for her.

tangitangia   n. wailing or mourning, time for mourning.

tango   vi. walk in dark of night without a lamp or torch.

tangtangi   vi. wail, cry loudly, mourn by calling out words. Variant: tangtang.

tanguingui   vi. sob, make a quiet high wailing sound.

tanive   n. sardine/s.

tanji   vt. sharpen something to a point, like bamboo or a pencil.

tano   n. garden, ground.

tanoi avu   n. hole in the ground where lime is collected.

tanume   n. 1 • spirit, personal spirit.

2 • devil. Variant: tanumue.

Tanume Ambe   n. devil/s (spirits) of killed people.

tanumi   vt. bury someone. Nambo tanumiho tovon niho maranjea asena. They will bury you when you are very old. Variant: tanumui.

tao   1 • n. nest, as of a bird or chicken.

2 • vi. make a nest, lay egg/s.

tara₁   vi. trap fish. Na tara mo vano mo vano. They kept on and on trapping (fish).

tara₂   vi. be infertile. Usage: Used with reference to animals only.

tarahi   vt. fetch or draw water in a big container, such as from a well. Ravavine na jivo mue na tarahi na reu. The women went down to draw water.

taramalai   n. kind of short traditional fighting stick (manja ).

tarambe   n. corpse, dead body, carcass. Mala na mai telei tarambera. Hawks came down on their carcasses.

tarandumsahi   vt. interpret something.

tarandumsahia   n. interpretation, especially of dreams.

taratarawehi   n. kind of laplap made with island cabbage (havera); about 45 cm square, then folded over with more cabbage until it is an oblong of about 45 x 10cm; cooked on top of stones.

taravohia   n. outsider, foreigner, someone from a different place.

tarere   vi. crow, make a crowing sound. Toa mwera mole tarere. The cock is crowing.

tarere bainguru   n. flat rooster's comb, not standing up properly.

tari   quant. many, plenty. Mo losu na boe tari. He killed many pigs.

tarikoko   vi. undecided, unable to make up one's mind.

Tarimburimbu   n. Pleiades, the 'Seven Sisters' star constellation.

taritarimata   vi. blink, twinkle like stars.

taro   n. season, weather. taroi mohi; tarohovhovi; taromahariri; tarotutun; tarovorovo mosquito season; cloudy weather; cold weather; hot weather; dry weather.

taroa   n. White-throated Pigeon; large dark-coloured bird, about 37-40 cm., bright white on cheeks, under beak and on neck. Usage: Same in East dialect. Eats berries, fruit, nuts from lower trees, and from ground. Columba vitiensis leopoldii.

tarusa₁   n. sea, ocean.

tarusa₂   n. salt. Na lai hara tarusa. They took their salt (for eating).

tarusaha   vi. be a rough sea. Nananovi mo tarutarusaha. Yesterday it was a rough sea.

tasi   n. Usage: Regarded as an old word by western speakers. See: tarusa.

tasi walawalau   n. tsunami, tidal wave.

tasi-   n. younger brother, mother's sister's son.

tastasihoso   vi. waves breaking up on shore. O soari, mo tastasihoso. Look, the waves are breaking up on the shore.

tata   n. grandmother, father's mother. Usage: Familiar address term.

tatani₁   vt. press or squeeze something.

tatani₂   vt. bury someone. Na tatania ana vanuana, ana rombuna. They buried him in his house, in his meeting house.

tatania   n. burial.

tau₁   vt. put something in place, set a time. Tamara mo tau na bongi welua. Their father set the dance day.

tau₂   vi. come from somewhere. Niho o tau ambe? Where did you come from?

tau kore   vt. trick someone. Mo tau kore tahisana. He tricked his friend.

tauaimo   loc.n. over there in home direction.

taualau   loc.n. over there in coast direction.

tauataua   n. bundles of maranda jaws hanging in a meeting house (rombu).

tauaulu   loc.n. over there in 'up' direction.

tauhahi   vt. close up or snap shut on something.

tauhunju   vt. begin something. Ka tauhunju ka avusi na buru. We began clearing the ash from the earth oven.

tauli   n. generation. ana tauli avatina in the fourth generation.

tauni   n. 1 • year. Kumbo ta mai tauni a mai. I'll come back again next year.

2 • years of age. Iau, tauniku twanti. Me, I was twenty years old.

taunjivo   loc.n. over there in south-west direction (bosinjivo)from point of view of west coast speaker.

taura-   n. uncle (mother's brothers). Usage: Male or female speaker. This is a respect relationship in which some behaviours, dress, etc, must be modified. See: votaura-.

taureure   n. person/s from other island/s.

tauri   vt. grasp or hold something tight, using force. Tamalohi rindi na tauri na limana mana limani votambaluhina. The man grasped his hand and the hand of his wife.

tausahe   loc.n. over there in north-east (bosahe) direction, from reference point of west coast.

tausohi   vt. hide, put in a hiding place. Na hase tausohira. They hid them by themselves.

tautau₁   vt. put many things in place, move many things from one place to another.

tautau₂   n. rubbish dump. O laia ana tautau! Take it to the rubbish dump!

tautauvono   vi. tell falsehoods. Mo tautauvono hinia. He told false stories about it.

tautauvosai   vi. prepare well, get things ready. Voi le tautauvosai matan a sahe aulu. Mum is getting everything ready to go to the gardens.

tauvano   loc.n. over there.

tauvosai   vt. fix up something. Vavine atea mo tauvosaia. A woman fixed it up.

tava   vt. pay for something.

tavalu   n. side, edge of something. ana tavalui sala on the side of the path. Tamalohi mwende le ate ana tavalu hisana Vui. The man sitting next to me is called Vui. See: imbese; bahisa.

tavaluahi   vt. halve something. Na tavaluahia. They halved it.

tavatava   n. repayment for use of land (usually one or two baskets of garden produce or small quantities of rice).

tavilasihi   vt. glimpse or briefly catch sight of someone or something.

tavilihahi   adv. urgently, immediately. O lolia a le tavilihahi. Do it immediately. See: toho.

tavinivini   vi. thin, as with paper or cloth.

Tavonavu   n. person from Malakula.

tavu₁   n. placenta.

tavu₂   v. bake in earth oven.

tavue-   n. heart. tavueku my heart.

tavuhi   1 • n. mound of earth. Mo soari na tavuhi dam atea. He saw a yam mound.

2 • vt. mound up or pile up. Mo tavuhia asena. He mounded up the earth a lot.

tavuhiha   vi. mounded up, piled up.

tavui   n. family.

tavukala   n. bamboo tongs used to remove hot stones from the earth oven.

tavuni   vt. light a fire.

tavutavu   n. wristband made from pitpit beads. Variant: tavtavu.

tawai   n. older brother, father's father, father's brother's son, mother's sister's son (M. speaker where speaker is younger). Often used as a familiar name in conversation between male friends. See: votawai.

tawera   adj.sg/vi. big. Nia vanua tawera. It's a big house. See: watitina.

ta-   gramm.part. belonging to a place, used with person or people of a place. Tambae; Talotu Ambae person; person from Santo.

te₁   gramm.part. negative, modifying verb. Mo te mai. He did not come.

te₂   art. some, any. Ku jivo ku lai te asi. I went down and got some rope.

te mambila atea   idiom. not one little bit. Tovon mo vitiau, ku te rongovosai te mambila atea. When he speaks to me, I don't understand one little bit.

tehi₁   vi. take in a breath.

tehi₂   vi. call out loudly in a joking way 'Aie-eee!'. Usage: Male speakers only

tehi₃   vi. play chasing game where chaser has to 'tip' the other.

tele   gramm.part. not yet. Mo tele ate ana sahasahae. S/he's not yet in the job.

telei   prep. to, from, with. O silea telei Jon! Give it to John! Ku voli na buk atea telei na tamalohi atea niala. She bought a book from that man over there. Nira na mai nale ovi teleinda. They came and lived with us. Usage: Used in reference only to people

teletea   idiom. not yet ready.

teletele   n. traditional 'Kastom' bracelet. noku teletele hina dangilala. my custom bracelet of green snail shells.

tere   vt. leave off doing something, desist from doing something. John mo tere a ta vano a soaria. John stopped going to see her.

teri   vt. untie or loosen something, take off string or ropes.

terorongo   vi. impossible.

tete₁   n. flower. Vavine vorivori mo lai na tetei vuhai noni tinana. The little girl picked the flowers for her mother/ The little girl picked her mother's flowers.

tete₂   vi. negative. Mo tete. No. /It is not so. /It's to no avail.

tetehi   vt. carry stick over shoulder with something attached at both ends. See: haiwahi.

teterahi   vi. get up. Moiso ku teterahi, ku ta mule. Then I got up, and went home again.

tetevi   vi. sweep with a broom (itevi). Tinaku mole tetevi. My mother is sweeping.

tevi   vt. sweep something.

tiho   vi. walk like an old person with a walking stick.

tiho dindihe   vi. stretch up on toes.

tihotiho   vi. limp.

tikau hambu   v.phr. make a fire.

tilai   vt. roll something down somewhere.

tilakaikai   vi. trip on something. Ku tilakaikai ana tahasi. I tripped on the stone.

tilitili   n. shell or bone sharpened on stone for cutting. Used for cutting before the arrival and use of knives. See: simba.

timba   n. a kind of taro ( bweta).

timbara   n. number. timbara arua number two.

timbo   n. leaves worn over buttocks in traditional Kastom dress, 'arse grass'.

timbuaidondo   n. Vanuatu fruit dove; a grass-green in colour, about 28-30 cm, with yellow head; whiteish spots on top of wing. Generally quiet except for loud, deep 'woooo'sound. Ptilinopus tannensis.

timbuaki   n. a kind of strong yam. Variant: timbwaki.

timolehi   vt. roll something along.

tinambu   vi. different, other. ana bongi tinambu at a different time.

tinambuhi₁   vi. all different. hinahinau tinambuhi all different things. Lovuhai na tinatinambuhi The trees are all very different. Variant: tinatinambuhi.

tinambuhi₂   adv. suddenly. Langi mo mai tinabuhi. The wind came up suddenly.

tinangi jovi   n. under eye, lower eye socket. Variant: tinangjovi.

tinangisi   n. tears (from crying).

tina-   n. mother, mother's sister; also father's sister, mother-in-law by female speaker.

tina, tinahi   adv. very, really. Mo duhu tina. It's really good. Vavine rindi le sombe tinahi na sala tabelo. That girl is really following a wrong path.

tinerani   vt. remember about something. O tinerani ote lua! You remember not to vomit!

tine-   n. 1 • bowels.

2 • depths. Ka soari na ului tarusa sohen mo duhu ne mo sati asena ana tinena. The surface of the sea seems okay but it's very bad in the depths.

tinomalio   vi. forget. Ne votahisana mo tinomalio. But his girlfriend forgot. Mo tinomali matan a vol' na paenap. He forgot to buy the pineapple.

tinomaliohi   vt. forget something or someone. Mo tinomaliohi na vavine tambae. He forgot the Ambae girl.

tio   vi. jump.

tio voro   vi. come straight down the hill.

tiori   vt. poke something or someone.

tiotio   vi. 1 • jump all about.

2 • unsettled, goes from one thing to another.

tiro   vi. look out, as from the top of a hill.

tirohi   vt. keep a watch on s.t., 'keep an eye on s.t.'. Kule tirohia. I used to keep an eye on it.

tirotirotasi   v. kind of fishing done in shallow water.

tisu   v. point.

titingi   vi. 1 • swell up (like bread), pumped up (like a ball).

2 • be conceited.

titiro   vi. look at reflection. Na titiro ana reu. They looked at their reflections in the water.

titisi   vt. cut a way through something, as with a bush knife through the bush. See: matatitisi.

titisu   n. index finger, 'pointer'.

titiu   vi. stop, leave off doing something, come to an end.

titive   vi. scratch in dirt like chickens. Na titive ana tano. They scratch in the earth.

titivesi   vt. scrape through something. Na welu mo vahis' mo rani titivesi. They danced until daybreak (lit. ...until daylight scraped through).

tiu₁   1 • n. trap, snare for animals. Mo loli na tiu atea maravitu ana buluna manioko. He made a trap close to his manioc.

2 • vt. trap something. Mo tiu tahisana harivi. He trapped his friend the rat.

tiu₂   n. offering in church.

tiu₃   vt. 1 • leave something. Mo tiua le eno. He left it there.

2 • lay something down. Ka tiua mo jivo ana hambu. We laid it down on the fire.

3 • to leave, as by dying. Peter mo tiunda. Peter's left us (as with death). Usage: Regarded as a 'softer' way to talk of someone's death than using mate.

tiu₄   vt. give out brideprice.

tiu bwero   vi. listen secretly.

tiu suri   vt. imitate.

tivetive   vt. scrape off something, brush off dirt. Tamalohi mo tivetive na tambu. The man brushed the dirt off the grave.

tivuovo   v. cover over, as with a blanket. Nambo tivovo hina sava? What will they cover it over with? Variant: tivovo.

toa   n. chicken, fowl.

toanjea   n. wise, wealthy man.

toberavalisi   Usage: East dialect See: titisu.

tobetobe   Usage: East dialect See: tombetombe.

toha   vt. stab someone. Mo tohae. S/he stabbed him/her.

tohalau   n. wind from North-->North-east, brings sun and calm seas.

toho   1 • vi. be fast, quick. Na mai evuinai matesia mo toho. They came to the last of the doors quickly.

2 • adv. quickly. O han'han' toho! Eat quickly! O han' tohia! Eat it quickly! Variant: tohi. See: a le tavilihahi.

tohotaitai   n. creator. Usage: Now used as the term for God. Old word.

tohotoho   vi. play. Ka vano ana mission ka tohotoho. We went to the mission to play.

tohotoho vulakarai   vi. be cruel.

tohotohoa   n. game/s.

tokeihae   n. hair under lower lip, not a full beard.

toltolu huri dira   n. a kind of soft yam.

toltolu huri malulum   n. a kind of soft yam.

tolu   n. together, total number.

tolu   n. 1 • egg/s.

2 • testicles. Usage: Colloquial usage. See: lasi-.

tolui mata-   n. eyeball.

tolui toa   n. hen's egg. Variant: toltoa.

tomba   n. crab (general term).

tombotomboia   n. hatred, enmity.

tombue   vt. break something. Variant: tombwe; tombe.

tombuetombue   n. thumb. Variant: tombwetombwe; tombetombe.

tombuetombuehi   vt. crush something. Variant: tombwetombwehi; tombetombehi.

toni   vt. push someone. Ote tonia! Don't push him!

tora   n. hardwood inside the trunk of a tree, such as used for boat building. torai vuhai the hardwood of a tree.

toro₁   vt. lower someone or something. No toroiau hina asi. You lower me with the rope.

toro₂   vt. allow something. Are voi a toroa, ambo vano. If mum lets him, he'll go.

toro₃   vt. leave someone, drop something on purpose, let go something. Vavine mo toro na tamalohi muende le lahia. The woman left the man whom she had married.

torotoro   vt. divorce someone, 'break up' with someone. Ku rongo mo sati tovon o vitiau ore John mai votahisana na torotorora. I felt bad when you told me that John and his girlfriend broke up.

totohae   vi. cluck, the sound of a hen after laying eggs. Tao mole totahae. The hen is clucking.

totohahi   vi. make laplap wrapped in island cabbage then cooked in bahuru (bamboo cylinder) like muatamuata.

tovi   vt. 1 • call out to someone. Mo maturu, moiso mota toviasi, motete. She slept, and then he just called her again, but to no avail.

2 • give a name to something.

tovihi   vt. swear at someone. Muera niala mo tovihiau. The boy over there swore at me.

tovitovia   n. a call, or request, to do something. tovtovia noni God the call of God.

tovon lai mwe   idiom. just when.

tovona   adv. now. Tovona mo mai chairman. Now he's become chairman.

tovoni   adv. when. Tovon dondo a ma, ka mule. When night comes, we'll head home. Variant: tovon.

tovotovo   Usage: East dialect See: sondosondo.

tovu₁   n. sugar cane. Saccharum officinarum.

tovu₂   n. a kind of surgeon fish.

tuai   vi. of old, of olden times; a long time. Ana bongi tuai, vauranji na ololo. In the olden days, children were respectful. O laia ana hete tuai. Put it in the old basket. Ate tuai. It won't be a long time.

tuani   vt. help or assist someone. Atea a tuani kamam! Someone help us! Iau ku tuanira arua. I helped both of them.

tuatuani   vt. help each other, help many people.

tua-   n. some part of what there is. Nira tuai hinahinau ombo lolira. These are some of the things that you'll do. Nia mo skul mo liu na tuana. He attends school better than some of them. Tuara nale sahasaha, tuara nale sorasora manihi. Some of them were working, some of them were just chatting.

tuhu₁   vt. repay someone, give back something.

tuhu₂   vi. become shallow, as when the tide begins to goes out. Tarusa le tuhu. The sea is getting more shallow.

tuhutanume   n. person who can take out bad spirits from someone's body, a magic man.

tukahenja   n. blue sky.

tukailangi   n. sky, heaven.

tuluk   n. grated manioc mixed with coconut milk and meat, rolled up in small pieces of pudding leaves and baked in earth oven. Nananovi ku han' na tuai tuluk. Yesterday I ate some of the tuluk.

tumas   n. a kind of very big soft yam. From: Bislama.

tumbutumbu   n. expert.

tumbu-   n. grandmother.

tungu   n. pool, pond of water, especially a rock pool left by the tide. Variant: tung; buabualtungu.

tunu   vt. 1 • roast something uncovered without leaves, as with yams in the fire;

2 • burn, as with sunburn. Alo le tunu huriku. The sun is burning my skin.

turahi   vt. turn one's back to someone or something. Tamara mo turahi na natuna atea. Their father turned his back on one of his sons. Usage: ALso used as a colloquial abbreviation of nguturahi

tura-   n. back. ana turana on his/her back.

turi   vt. sew or attach, as with thatch. Na turi na ratalaua. They attached the sago palm leaves.

turu₁   n. zebra moray (eel).

turu₂   vi. stand, occur. Kamam ka noha na Forum; ambo turu ana vitun' April. We will have the Forum; it will be held in the month of April.

turu bese   vi. lean against something while standing up.

turu dindihe   vi. stand on tiptoe.

turu hitahu   n. last-born (child).

turu talom   n. first-born (child).

turuhi   vt. stand up something. Ka turuhi na dam. We stand up the yams (before planting).

turuturu   vi. urinate. Usage: Colloquial

turuvui   adv. always.

tutuhi   vt. hit someone with fist/s, box. Mo tutuhia He hit him.

tutun   vi. hot, be hot. Mo noha reu tutun. There is hot water. Reu mo tutun. The water is hot.

tutunu   v. cook on top of fire.

tutunua   n. cooking done on the top of fire.

tuturahi   vt. trip up, cause to trip. Mo tuturahia. It tripped him up.

tuture   vi. leak through, as with water through roof, drip down.

tuwa₁   vt. put something around one's waist. Ku tuwa na asina. I put his belt around my waist.

tuwa₂   vt. smack someone. Tinara mo tuwara. Their mother smacked them. Variant: tua.

?tamambo   v.tr. not know what to do with something. Ka hase tamambonda hinia We didn't know what to do with it.