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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

mandaaminaak na an ear of corn

mandaamini-gaapizigaansag na corn flakes

mandaamini-gitigaan ni a corn field

mandaaminiwazh ni a gunny sack

manepwaa vai s/he is short of tobacco, needs a smoke

manezi vai + o s/he is in need of, is short of (it)

mangadegamaa vii it is a wide lake

mangade' vta make h/ wide, widen h/

Paired with: mangadetoon vti2

mangadekamigaa vii it is a wide stretch of ground

mangadekoozhe vai s/he has a wide bill

mangademon vii it is wide (as a road or trail)

mangadengwe vai s/he has a broad face

mangadesagaa vii it has a wide floor area, is a wide room

mangadetigweyaa vii it is wide river

mangadetoon vti2 make it wide, widen it

Paired with: mangade' vta

mangadeyaa vii it is wide

Paired with: mangadezi vai

mangadeyaabikad vii it is wide (as something mineral)

Paired with: mangadeyaabikizi vai

mangadeyaabikizi vai s/he is wide (as something mineral)

Paired with: mangadeyaabikad vii

mangadeyaabiigad vii it is wide (as something string-like)

Paired with: mangadeyaabiigizi vai

mangadeyaabiigizi vai s/he is wide (as something string-like)

Paired with: mangadeyaabiigad vii

mangadeyaakozi vai s/he is wide (as something stick-like)

Paired with: mangadeyaakwad vii

mangadeyaakwad vii it is wide (as something stick-like)

Paired with: mangadeyaakozi vai

mangadeyiigad vii it is wide (as something sheet-like)

Paired with: mangadeyiigizi vai

mangadeyiigizi vai s/he is wide (as something sheet-like)

Paired with: mangadeyiigad vii

mangadeyiingwe vai s/he has a wide face

mangadeyoonagad vii it (a boat) is wide

mangadezi vai s/he is wide

Paired with: mangadeyaa vii

mangadezide vai s/he has a wide foot or wide feet

mangadinaa vii there is a big hill

mangashkigaa vii it is a big muskeg

mangashkiigaa vii it is a big muskeg

mangate vii it is roomy

mangaabide vai s/he has big teeth

mangaanibaadan vti shovel it

Paired with: mangaanibaazh vta

mangaanibaajigan ni a shovel

mangaanibaajige vai s/he shovels things

mangaanibaazh vta shovel h/ (e.g., snow)

Paired with: mangaanibaadan vti

mangaanibii vai s/he shovels something

(applicative) mangaanibaadan vti shovel it
(detransitive) mangaanibaajige vai s/he shovels things (derived noun) mangaanibaajigan ni a shovel
(applicative) mangaanibaazh vta shovel h/ (e.g., snow)
mangi- pv lex big

mangibii'an vti write it big, draw it big

mangidaamikane vai s/he has a big chin or jaw

mangide'e vai s/he is courageous

mangidiye vai s/he has a big rear

mangidoon vai [S] s/he has a big mouth

See also: mangidoone vai

mangidoone vai s/he has a big mouth

See also: mangidoon vai [S]

mangigamaa vii it is a big lake

mangigaade vai s/he has a big leg or big legs

mangi' vta make h/ big, enlarge h/

Paired with: mangitoon vti2

mangijaane vai s/he has big nose

mangijiizi vai s/he is big-bellied

mangikoozhe vai s/he has a big bill

mangiminagad vii it (something globular) is big

mangimisade vai s/he has a big belly

manginawe vai s/he has a big cheek or big cheeks

manginaagozi vai s/he looks big

Paired with: manginaagwad vii

manginaagwad vii it looks big

Paired with: manginaagozi vai

mangindibe vai s/he has a big head

mangininjii vai s/he has a big hand or big hands

mangishkiinzhigwe vai s/he has a big eye or big eyes

mangishtigwaane vai s/he has a big head

See also: mangitigwaane vai [BL]

mangitigwaane vai [BL] s/he has a big head

See also: mangishtigwaane vai

mangitigweyaa vii it (a river) is wide

mangitoon vti2 make it big, enlarge it

Paired with: mangi' vta

mangiwane vai s/he carries a big pack

mangizide vai s/he has a big foot or big feet

mangoonagad vii it (a boat) is big

mangwewebizo vai s/he drives a loud car

manibidoon vti2 take some of it, withdraw some of it out of something

Paired with: manibizh vta

manibizh vta take some of it (animate), remove some of it (animate) from something

Paired with: manibidoon vti2

manidoo na a manitou, a spirit, god

(verb of pretending) manidookaazo vai s/he takes on spiritual power by h/ own authority (verb of making) manidooke vai s/he has spiritual power, conducts a ceremony
(derived noun) manidookewin ni a ceremony
(verb of being) manidoowi vai s/he is or becomes a manitou, a spirit, god; s/he acquires spirit power
manidoo-biiwaabik ni steel, a magnet

manidoo-dewe'igan na a Big Drum

manidoo-giizis na January

manidoo-giizisoons na December

manidoo-miikana ni the Milky Way

manidoo-nagamon ni a spiritual song

manidoo-waabooz na a cottontail rabbit

[
eastern cottontail
; 
Sylvilagus floridanus
]

manidookaazo vai s/he takes on spiritual power by h/ own authority

manidooke vai s/he has spiritual power, conducts a ceremony

manidookewin ni a ceremony

manidoominens na a bead

manidoominensi-minjikaawan na a beaded mitten or glove

manidoominensikaan na an item of bead work

manidoons na a bug, an insect, a worm; a germ

See also: manidoosh na

(verb of abundance) manidoonsikaa vii there are (a lot of) bugs (verb of being) manidoonsiwan vii it has bugs, is buggy (verb of being) manidoonsiwi vai s/he has bugs, is buggy
manidoonsikaa vii there are (a lot of) bugs

See also: manidooshikaa vii

manidoonsiwan vii it has bugs, is buggy

Paired with: manidoonsiwi vai

manidoonsiwi vai s/he has bugs, is buggy

Paired with: manidoonsiwan vii

manidoosh na a bug, an insect, a worm

See also: manidoons na

(verb of abundance) manidooshikaa vii there are (a lot of) bugs
manidooshikaa vii there are (a lot of) bugs

See also: manidoonsikaa vii

manidoowayaan na a manidoo hide

manidoowaabik ni a magnet

manidoowaadad vii it is spiritual

manidoowaadizi vai s/he has a spiritual nature

manidoowegin ni trade cloth, broadcloth

manidoowi vai s/he is or becomes a manitou, a spirit, god; s/he acquires spirit power

manijoosh na [N] a bug, an insect, a worm

manisaw vta cut (it) as firewood for h/

manisaadan vti cut it as firewood

manisaan ni [BL] (a piece of) firewood

manisaazh vta cut h/ as firewood

Paired with: manisaadan vti

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.