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mamaangigaade vai s/he has big legs

mamaangigidigwe vai s/he has big knees

mamaangiminagadoon vii they (something globular) are big

mamaanginike vai s/he has big arms

mamaangininjii vai s/he has big hands

mamaangipon vii there are big snowflakes

mamaangishkam vai2 s/he leaves big tracks

mamaangishkiinzhigwe vai s/he has big eyes

mamaangitawage vai s/he has big ears

mamaangiwine vai s/he has big horns or antlers

mamaangizide vai s/he has big feet

mamaangizidekawe vai s/he leaves wide-footed tracks

mamaangwewebiisaan vii [BL] the sound of big rain drops is heard

mamaanjigogaadepizh vta restrain h/ by tying h/ arms

mamaanjigogaadepizo vai s/he is restrained by h/ legs being tied

mamaanjigogaamo vai s/he is so fat s/he can't move

mamaanjigon vta hold h/ so h/ can't move, restrain h/

Paired with: mamaanjigonan vti

mamaanjigonan vti hold it so it can't move, restrain it

Paired with: mamaanjigon vta

mamaanjigonikepizh vta restrain h/ by tying h/ arms

mamaanjigonikepizo vai s/he is restrained by h/ feet being tied

mamaanjigoshkaa vai s/he is immobilized, freezes in h/ tracks

mamaanjigozi vai s/he is immobilized, is incapacitated

mamaanjigozidepizh vta restrain h/ by tying h/ feet

mamaanjigozidepizo vai s/he is restrained by h/ feet being tied

mamaanjigwabi vai s/he sits unable to move, sits cramped up

mamaanjigwapide vii it is restrained by being tied; it is bound securely

Paired with: mamaanjigwapizo vai

mamaanjigwapidoon vti2 bind it securely; restrain it by tying it

Paired with: mamaanjigwapizh vta

(verb of undergoing) mamaanjigwapijigaazo vai s/he is bound securely (by someone), "they" bind h/ securely; s/he is restrained by being tied (by someone), "they" restrain h/ by tying h/
mamaanjigwapijigaazo vai s/he is bound securely (by someone), "they" bind h/ securely; s/he is restrained by being tied (by someone), "they" restrain h/ by tying h/

mamaanjigwapizh vta bind h/ securely; restrain h/ by tying h/

Paired with: mamaanjigwapidoon vti2

mamaanjigwapizo vai s/he is bound securely; s/he is restrained by being tied

Paired with: mamaanjigwapide vii

mamaanjigwapizon ni a binder

mamaashkawitawagewaji vai s/he has frozen ears

mamaazhi' vta overpower, prevail over, conquer h/

Paired with: mamaazhitoon vti2

(detransitive) mamaazhi'iwe vai s/he overpowers, prevails over, conquers people
mamaazhi'iwe vai s/he overpowers, prevails over, conquers people

mamaazikaa vai s/he moves, is in motion, twitches

mamaazikaa vii it moves, is in motion, twitches

Paired with: mamaazikaa vai

mamaazhitoon vti2 prevail over, conquor it

Paired with: mamaazhi' vta

mamaazhizide vai s/he has deformed feet

mamaazhii vai s/he makes things badly, does a poor job

mamekwaadan vti [BL] brag, boast about it

Paired with: mamekwaazh vta [BL] See also: mamiikwaadan vti

mamekwaanidizo vai [BL] s/he brags, boasts about h/ self

mamekwaazh vta [BL] brag, boast about h/

Paired with: mamekwaadan vti [BL] See also: mamiikwaazh vta

mamekwaazo vai [BL] s/he brags (about h/ self), boasts

See also: mamiikwaazo vai

mami vta take h/, pick h/ up

Paired with: mamoon vti2

mamichigaadeshin vai s/he lies with h/ legs uncovered

mamichinikeshin vai s/he lies with h/ arms uncovered

mamichizideshin vai s/he lies with h/ feet uncovered

mamigaade vii it is taken (by someone), "they" take it, it is picked up (by someone), "they" pick it up

mamigaazo vai s/he is taken (by someone), "they" take h/, s/he is picked up (by someone), "they" pick h/ up

mamige vai s/he takes, picks up things

mamigobagizo vai s/he shakes h/ body (as in dancing)

mamigobidoon vti2 [N] rub it (with the hands) to loosen it, jiggle it

Paired with: mamigobizh vta [N]

mamigobizh vta [N] rub h/ (with the hands) to loosen h/, jiggle h/

Paired with: mamigobidoon vti2 [N]

mamigodenaniwebagizo vai s/he wiggles h/ tonque

mamigon vta rub h/ in the hand

Paired with: mamigonan vti

mamigonan vti rub it in the hand

Paired with: mamigon vta

mamigosaga'igan ni [BL] a scrub brush

See also: mimigosaga'igan ni

mamigoshkam vai2 [BL] s/he threshes, jigs something (e.g., wild rice)

Paired with: mimigoshkam vai2

mamigoshkan vti [BL] rub it (with foot or body) to loosen it; thresh, jig it (e.g., wild rice)

See also: mimigoshkan vti

mamigwaabika'igan ni [BL] a pot scrubber; a dish rag, a dish cloth

See also: mimigwaabika'igan ni

mamigwaakosidoon vti2 [BL] scrub it on a washboard, rub it against a board

See also: mimigwaakosidoon vti2

(detransitive) mamigwaakosijige vai [BL] s/he scrubs on a washboard (derived noun) mamigwaakosijigan ni [BL] a washboard
mamigwaakosijigan ni [BL] a washboard

See also: mimigwaakosijigan ni

mamigwaakosijige vai [BL] s/he scrubs on a washboard

See also: mimigwaakosijige vai

mamikwendam vai2 s/he has something come to mind every once in a while

mamikwendan vti s/he has it come to h/ mind every once in a while; s/he recalls, recollects, remembers it every once in a while

mamikwenim vta recall, recollect, remember, come to think of h/ every once in a while

maminaadendam vai2 s/he has proud thoughts, has an arrogant attitude

maminaadizi vai s/he is arrogant

maminiiwaabide vai s/he has abscessed teeth

maminwabi vai s/he keeps sitting comfortably

maminwaapi vai s/he laughs happily off and on; each laughs happily

mamiskojaabi vai s/he has red eyes

mamiskwiiwitawage vai s/he has bloody ears

mamizh vta cut h/ out or off, trim h/ (by cutting)

Paired with: mamizhan vti

mamizhan vti

Paired with: mamizh vta

mamizhim vta inform on, tell on, tattle on h/

(reciprocal) mamizhindiwag vai they inform on, tell on, tattle on each other (reflexive) mamizhindizo vai s/he informs on, tells on, tattles on h/ self (detransitive) mamizhinge vai s/he informs on, tells on, tattles on people
(verb of addiction) mamizhingeshki vai s/he is a tattle-tale
mamizhindiwag vai they inform on, tell on, tattle on each other

mamizhindizo vai s/he informs on, tells on, tattles on h/ self

mamizhinge vai s/he informs on, tells on, tattles on people

mamizhingeshki vai s/he is a tattle-tale

mamiidaawendam vai2 s/he is disturbed in h/ mind, is troubled in h/ mind

mamiikwaadan vti brag, boast about it; praise it

Paired with: mamiikwaazh vta See also: mamekwaadan vti [BL]

mamiikwaazh vta brag, boast about h/; praise h/

Paired with: mamiikwaadan vti See also: mamekwaazh vta [BL]

mamiikwaazo vai s/he praises h/ self, boasts, brags

mamiishigidigwe vai s/he has hairy knees

mamoon vti2 take it, pick it up

Paired with: mami vta

(benefactive) mamaw vta take (it) from, pick it up from h/ (detransitive) mamige vai s/he takes, picks up things (verb of undergoing) mamigaade vii it is taken (by someone), "they" take it, it is picked up (by someone), "they" pick it up (verb of undergoing) mamigaazo vai s/he is taken (by someone), "they" take h/, s/he is picked up (by someone), "they" pick h/ up
manashkikiwe vai s/he gathers medicine

manashkosiwe vai s/he cuts hay, puts up hay

manaaji' vta spare, respect, go easy on h/

Paired with: manaajitoon vti2

manaaji'idiwag vai they spare, respect each other

manaaji'idiwin ni mutual respect

manaajitoon vti2 spare, respect, go easy on it

Paired with: manaaji' vta

manaanzhide vai s/he gathers boughs

manaazom vta be reluctant to ask h/ or say something to h/

mandaamin na corn, a kernel of corn

mandaaminashk ni a cornstalk

See also: mandaaminashk na

mandaaminashk na a cornstalk

See also: mandaaminashk ni

mandaaminashkoowigamig ni a corncrib

mandaaminaaboo ni corn soup

(verb of making) mandaaminaabooke vai s/he makes corn soup
mandaaminaabooke vai s/he makes corn soup

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.