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bana'e vai s/he misses the target

banajaanh na a baby bird, a nestling

banangwaabiigad vii [BL] it (something string-like) is slack

See also: binangwaabiigad vii

banangwaabiigibide vii [BL] it (something string-like) gets loose in operation

banaskoninjiini vai [BL] s/he straightens out h/ hand, opens up h/ hand

banaskwaabiigibidoon vti2 straighten out the kinks in it (string-like)

banaskwiiwagitaa vai s/he exercises

banaskwiiwagitaawigamig ni a fitness center, a gym for working out

banaabam vta lose sight of h/ suddenly

Paired with: banaabandan vti

banaabandan vti lose sight of it suddenly

Paired with: banaabam vta

banaadad vii it is spoiled, is ruined, is destroyed

Paired with: banaadizi vai See also: wanaadad vii [BL]

banaadaagamisin vii it (a liquid) spoils, is spoiled, is ruined

banaadendam vai2 s/he is discouraged, is in despair, thinks things hopeless

banaadendan vti s/he is discouraged about it, is in despair about it, thinks it is hopeless

Paired with: banaadenim vta

banaadenim vta despair of h/; lose hope in h/

Paired with: banaadendan vti

banaadizi vai
  1. s/he is spoiled, is ruined
  2. s/he dies, is dead

Paired with: banaadad vii See also: wanaadizi vai [BL]

banaajibidoon vti2 spoil, ruin, damage it (with hands)

Paired with: banaajibizh vta

banaajibizh vta spoil, ruin, damage h/ (with hands)

Paired with: banaajibidoon vti2

banaajiboode vii it is ruined by being cut wrong with a saw

banaaji' vta spoil, ruin, damage h/

Paired with: banaajitoon vti2

banaajisin vii it spoils

Paired with: banaajishin vai See also: wanaajisin vii [BL]

banaajishin vai s/he spoils

Paired with: banaajisin vii See also: wanaajishin [BL]

banaajitoon vti2 spoil, ruin, destroy it

Paired with: banaaji' vta

banaandawe vai s/he misses and falls climbing on something

bande vii it is singed

Paired with: banzo vai

bangakide vii it is a quiet house or lodge

bangan vii it is peaceful; it is quiet

bangate vii it is quiet, peaceful inside

bangibiisaa vii it is a cloudburst; the rain pours down

See also: bangibiisaan vii [BL]

bangibiisaan vii [BL] it is a cloudburst; the rain pours down

bangibiisaanishi vai s/he gets caught in a rain shower

bangigaa vii it drips down

bangisidaabii vai s/he drops h/ load, drops something from h/ load

bangisidoon vti2 drop it

Paired with: bangishim vta

bangisin vii it falls

Paired with: bangishin vai

bangiskwe vai s/he is dripping blood

bangishim vta drop h/

Paired with: bangisidoon vti2

bangishimo vai s/he (the sun) sets

bangishimon vii it sets as the sun, is sunset

bangishin vai s/he falls

Paired with: bangisin vii

bangitoo vai s/he gets quiet, quiets down

bangii adv qnt a little; a little bit; few

bangiishenh adv qnt a very little bit; just a little

bangiishenhwagiziwag vai they are very few, there are very few of them

bangiiwagad vii
  1. there is a little bit of it
  2. plural) there are few of them

Paired with: bangiiwagizi vai

bangiiwagizi vai
  1. there is a little bit of h/
  2. (plural) there are few of them

Paired with: bangiiwagad vii

banikoodoon vti2 miss trapping it

Paired with: banikoozh vta

banikoojige vai s/he has h/ traps set off but left empty

banikoozh vta miss h/ in a trap

Paired with: banikoodoon vti2

banikoozo vai s/he sets off a trap and escapes

banin vta let h/ drop, have h/ fall out of the hand

Paired with: baninan vti

baninan vti let it drop, have it drop out of the hand

Paired with: banin vta

(detransitive) baninige vai s/he lets things drop, has things drop out of h/ hand (verb of undergoing) baninigaade vii it is dropped (by someone), "they" let it drop (verb of undergoing) baninigaazo vai s/he is dropped (by someone), "they" let h/ drop
baninigaade vii it is dropped (by someone), "they" let it drop

baninigaazo vai s/he is dropped (by someone), "they" let h/ drop

baninige vai s/he lets things drop, has things drop out of h/ hand

banitan vti mishear it

Paired with: banitaw vta

banitaw vta mishear h/

Paired with: banitan vti

banizi vai s/he misses out

banizi' vta leave h/ out; make h/ miss out

banoom vta have h/ drop off the back

Paired with: banoondan vti

banoomigo vai s/he falls off a horse

banoondan vti have it drop off the back

Paired with: bimoom vta

banzan vti singe it

Paired with: banzo vta

banzige vai s/he singes something, burns feathers

banzo vai s/he is singed

Paired with: bande vii

banzo vta singe h/

Paired with: banzan vti

bapagone'an vti drill holes in it, make holes in it (using something)

bapagoshkaa vii it has holes, gets holes (in it)

bapagotoo vai s/he announces h/ arrival by pounding on h/ canoe

See also: bapagoone'ige vai

bapagoone'ige vai s/he announces h/ arrival by pounding on h/ canoe

See also: bapagotoo vai

bapagwanad vii it has holes from rotting

Paired with: bapagwanani vai

bapagwanani vai s/he has holes from rotting

Paired with: bapagwanad vii

bapagwegishkaa vii it (sheet-like) has holes, gets holes (in it)

Paired with: bapagwegishkaa vai

bapagwegishkaa vai it (animate, sheet-like) has holes, gets holes (in it)

Paired with: bapagwegishkaa vii

bapakine na a grasshopper

(verb of abundance) bapakinekaa vii there are (many) grasshoppers
bapakinekaa vii there are (many) grasshoppers

bapakise vii it (something string-like) keeps parting, keeps breaking apart

bapakite'iganiwazh ni a punching bag

bapakwanagemag na [S] a red pine

[
red pine, Norway pine
; 
Pinus resinosa
]

bapakwaanaajiinh na a bat

See also: apakwaanaajiinh na

bapangibiisaa vii rain drops fall

bapangigaa vii it keeps dripping

bapangiskwe vai s/he keeps dripping blood

bapangishin vai s/he keeps falling; [pl] they fall one after another

bapasiboodoon vti2 file or plane grooves in it or in each

Paired with: bapasiboozh vta

bapasiboozh vta file or plane grooves in h/ or in each

Paired with: bapasiboodoon vti2

bapasidiye' vta spank h/

bapasininjii'odizo vai s/he claps h/ hands

bapashanzhe' vta keep whipping h/

bapashkwaa vii it is a clear area

bapawaangeni vai s/he shakes h/ wings

bapawibagizo vai s/he shakes off (as a dog when wet)

See also: bapawibani'o vai [BL]

bapawibani'o vai [BL] s/he shakes off (as a dog when wet)

See also: bapawibagizo vai

bapawii vai s/he shakes h/ self off

bapazigwii vai sh/e stands up and then gets down, gets up and down

bapaakwa'am vai2 s/he comes out of the woods

bapidiyeni vai [BL] s/he sticks h/ butt through an opening

See also: dapidiyeni vai [MN]

bapiimojige vai s/he shoots things with an arrow or other projectile repeatedly

bapiingwa' vta keep throwing sand or ashes at h/

bapiinitam vai2 s/he doesn't heed, disobeys what s/he is told

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.