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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

madweyaajiwanzo vai s/he (a kettle) is heard boiling

Paired with: madweyaajiwande vii

madweyaakide vii it is heard burning, "you" can hear it burning

Paired with: madweyaakizo vai

madweyaakizo vai s/he is heard burning, "you" can hear h/ burning

Paired with: madweyaakide vii

madweyaakwadin vii it (something stick-like) is heard cracking in the cold

madweyaakwa'ige vai s/he knocks on wood, knocks on the door

madweyaakwaji vai s/he is heard cracking from the cold, e.g. a tree, ice

Paired with: madweyaakwadin vii

madweyaanimad vii it is audible wind, "you" can hear the wind

madweyaasin vii it is heard blowing in the wind

Paired with: madweyaashi vai

madweyaashi vai s/he is heard blowing in the wind, is heard sailing, is heard soring

Paired with: madweyaasin vii

madweyaashkaa vii waves can be heard, "you" can hear the waves

madweyoone'ige vai s/he makes noise on a canoe or boat

madwezan vti blast it

(detransitive) madwezige vai s/he is heard firing
madwezhaazo vai s/he can be heard urinating

madwezige vai s/he is heard firing

madwezigoshkaa vii ice moves making noise

madwezigwadin vii the sound of ice cracking is heard

madwezigwa'ige vai s/he is heard chopping ice

magozigoshin vai s/he (a sled or sled runner) is iced up

magoodaas ni [BL] a dress

(verb of making) magoodaasike vai s/he makes a dress or dresses
magoodaasike vai s/he makes a dress or dresses

ma'iingan na a wolf

[
timberwolf / gray wolf
; 
Canis lupus
]

ma'iinganasim na a German shepherd

ma'iinganaanow ni a wolf's tail

ma'iingani-nagwaagan ni a wolf snare

ma'iinganiwayaan na a wolf hide

maji- pv lex bad

maji-izhi vta speak ill of or to h/; swear at h/

maji-izhiwebizi vai s/he misbehaves, behaves improperly, is naughty, is evil

maji-manidoo na an evil spirit, a devil

maji-manidoowaadizi vai s/he is evil, is possessed by an evil spirit

maji-mashkiki ni poison; bad medicine: a remedy or spell having or intended to have negative results

majigiizhwe vai s/he swears

majigoodenh ni a dress

majinaagozi vai s/he looks bad, looks poor, looks inadequate

Paired with: majinaagwad vii

majinaagwad vii it looks bad, looks poor, looks inadequate

Paired with: majinaagozi vai

makade ni black gunpowder

makade- pv lex black

makade-aniibiish ni black tea

makade-bakwezhigan na unbleached flour

makade-bigiw na tar, asphalt

makade-ma'iingan na a black wolf

makade-manidoominens na a black bead

makade-manoomin ni black wild rice

makade-mashkikiwaaboo ni coffee

makade-miigwan na a black feather

See also: makadewigwan na

makade-ozaawadowe vai s/he has dark-brown fur

makade-waagosh na a black fox

[
red fox
; 
Vulpes vulpes
]

makadeke vai s/he blackens h/ face with charcoal (as when fasting for a vision)

makadekoozh vta blacken h/ face with charcoal when fasting

makademik na a black beaver

makadepwaaganasin na black pipestone

makadewadaawangaa vii there is black sand, a black beach

makadewadis vta dye, color h/ black

Paired with: makadewadisan vti

makadewadisan vti dye, color it black

makadewadiso vai s/he is dyed black

Paired with: makadewadite vii

makadewadiswi vta

► makadewadis vta

makadewadite vii it is dyed black

Paired with: makadewadiso vai

makadewadowe vai s/he has black fur, dark fur

makadewakamigaa vii it is black ground

makadewamik na a black beaver

makadewanagekozi vai s/he (a tree) has dark or black bark

makadewazhe vai s/he has dark sklin, black skin

makadewaa vii it is black, is dark (in color)

Paired with: makadewizi vai

makadewaabate vii it emits black smoke

makadewaabikad vii it is black (as something mineral)

Paired with: makadewaabikizi vai

makadewaabikizi vai
  1. s/he is black (as something mineral)
  2. s/he is in eclipse, there is an eclipse (of the sun or moon)

Paired with: makadewaabikad vii

makadewaabiigad vii it is black (as something string-like)

Paired with: makadewaabiigizi vai

makadewaabiigizi vai s/he is black (as something string-like)

Paired with: makadewaabiigad vii

makadewaagamin vii it (a liquid) is black, is dark

makadewaagonagaa vii it is dark dirty snow

makadewaako-manoomin ni black wild rice

makadewaakozi vai s/he is black (as something stick- or wood-like)

Paired with: makadewaakwad vii

makadewaakwad vii it is black (as something stick- or wood-like)

Paired with: makadewaakozi vai

makadewaanakwad vii it is a dark cloud

See also: makadeyaanakwad vii

makadewaanakwagoode vii there are dark clouds in the sky

makadewaande vii it is colored black

Paired with: makadewaanzo vai

makadewaanowe vai s/he (an animal) has a black tail

makadewaanzan vti dye, color it black

makadewaanzo vai s/he is colored black

Paired with: makadewaande vii

makadewaawangad vii it (something granular) is black, is dark

makadewegad vii it is black (as something sheet-like)

Paired with: makadewegizi vai

makadewegin ni black cloth

makadewegizi vai s/he is black (as something sheet-like)

Paired with: makadewegad vii

makadewibii' vta paint h/ black

Paired with: makadewibii'an vti

makadewibii'an vti paint it black

(detransitive) makadewibii'ige vai s/he paints (things) in black (verb of undergoing) makadewibii'igaazo vai s/he is painted black (by someone)
makadewibii'igaazo vai s/he is painted black (by someone)

makadewibii'ige vai s/he paints (things) in black

makadewigwan na a black feather

See also: makade-miigwan na

makadewigwane vai s/he (a bird) has black feathers

makadewi' vta make h/ black

Paired with: makadewitoon vti2

makadewi'o vai s/he wears black

makadewijiishkiwagad vii it is black mud

makadewikonaye vai s/he dresses in black

makadewikonaye na a priest

See also: mekadewikonaye na

makadewikonayekwe na a nun

makadewikoozhe vai s/he has a black beak

makadewinaagozi vai s/he looks black, appears balck

Paired with: makadewinaagwad vii

makadewinaagwad vii it looks black, appears black

Paired with: makadewinaagozi vai

makadewindibe vai s/he has black hair

makadewiningwii vai s/he has black wings

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.