Search the dictionary Advanced Search

How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

wiinichige vai s/he makes things dirty

wiinidaamikane vai s/he has a dirty chin or jaw

wiinidisii vai s/he has a dirty navel

wiinidiye vai s/he has a dirty rear

wiinidizo vai s/he names h/ self, says h/ own name

wiinidoon vai [ML]
  1. s/he has a dirty mouth
  2. s/he has a filthy mouth (using bad language)

See also: wiinidoone vai

wiinidoondane vai s/he has a dirty heel or dirty heels

wiinidoone vai
  1. s/he has a dirty mouth
  2. s/he has a filthy mouth (using bad language)

See also: wiinidoon vai [ML]

wiiniganzhii vai s/he has a dirty nail or dirty nails

wiinigaade vai s/he has dirty legs

wiinigiizhwe vai s/he speaks nastily

wiinigwayawe vai s/he has a dirty neck

wiini' vta make h/ dirty

Paired with: wiinitoon vti2

(reflexive) wiini'idizo vai s/he makes h/ self dirty (reciprocal) wiini'idiwag vai they make each other dirty
wiini'idiwag vai they make each other dirty

wiini'idizo vai s/he makes h/ self dirty

wiini'o vai s/he wears dirty clothes

wiinijaane vai s/he has dirty nose

wiinijiishkiwagaa vii there is patch of dirty mud

wiinijiishkiwagizi vai s/he is muddy, dirty with mud

wiinimaagozi vai s/he smells dirty

Paired with: wiinimaagwad vii

wiinimaagwad vii it smells dirty

Paired with: wiinimaagozi vai

wiinimisade vai s/he has a dirty belly

wiinimoshenyan nad h/ cross-cousin (of the opposite sex to h/): h/ mother's brother's child, h/ father's sister's child ; h/ sweetheart

See also: owiinimoshenyan nad

wiinimoon nad (if someone is female) her brother-in-law; (if someone is male) his sister-in-law

See also: owiinimoon nad

wiinin ni fat

wiininaagane vai s/he has a dirty dish or dirty dishes

wiininaagozi vai s/he looks dirty

Paired with: wiininaagwad vii

wiininaagwad vii it looks dirty

Paired with: wiininaagozi vai

wiinindib nid h/ brain

wiinindibe vai s/he has a dirty head

wiininike vai s/he has a dirty arm or dirty arms

wiinininjii vai s/he has a dirty hand or dirty hands

wiinino vai s/he is fat

wiininoninjii vai s/he has fat finges

wiinisagaa vii the floor is dirty

wiinisagishkige vai s/he gets the floor dirty walking on it

wiinisin vii it is dirty, gets dirty from lying around

Paired with: wiinishin vai

wiinisiibag ni wintergreen

wiiniskiigomaan na snot

wiinishagaandibaan ni dandruff

wiinishagaandibe vai s/he has a dirty scalp

wiinishin vai s/he is dirty, gets dirty from lying around

Paired with: wiinisin vii

wiinishkan vti get it dirty by wearing it, get it dirty it with foot or body

Paired with: wiinishkaw vta

(detransitive) wiinishkige vai s/he gets clothes dirty wearing them, gets things with foot or body
wiinishkaw vta get it (animate) dirty by wearing it, get h/ dirty with foot or body

Paired with: wiinishkan vti

wiinishkige vai s/he gets clothes dirty wearing them, gets things with foot or body

wiinishkiinzhigwe vai s/he has dirty eyes

wiinitam pron per his turn, her turn; her next, him next

wiinitamawaa pron per their turn, them next

wiinitawage vai s/he has a dirty ear or dirty ears

wiinitoon vti2 make it dirty

Paired with: wiini' vta

(detransitive) wiinichige vai s/he makes things dirty (verb of undergoing) wiinichigaade vii it is made dirty ( by someone), "they" make it dirty (verb of undergoing) wiinichigaazo vai s/he is made dirty (by someone), "they" make it dirty
wiinitwaa vai s/he is dirty, keeps a dirty house

wiinizi vai s/he is dirty

Paired with: wiinad vii

wiinizide vai s/he has a dirty foot or dirty feet

wiinizik na a yellow birch

[
yellow birch
; 
Betula alleghaniensis
]

wiinizis nid h/ (strand of) hair

See also: owiinizis nid

wiinizisimaani-zagaakwa'igan ni a hair pin

wiinizisii-bengwaasijigan ni a hair dryer

wiiniigad vii it is dirty (sheet-like)

Paired with: wiiniigizi vai

wiiniigizi vai s/he is dirty (sheet-like)

Paired with: wiiniigad vii

wiiniingwe vai s/he has a dirty face

wiinjiiganaamo vai s/he has stinky breath

wiinjiigimaagozi vai s/he smells filthy, smells shitty

Paired with: wiinjiigimaagwad vii

wiinjiigimaagwad vii it smells filthy, smells shitty

Paired with: wiinjiigimaagozi vai

wiinjiigimaate vii it has a shitty aroma (cooking or burning)

wiinjiigizi vai s/he smells like s/he shit

wiinzh vta give h/ a name; say or mention h/ name; name h/

Paired with: wiindan vti

(reflexive) wiinidizo vai s/he names h/ self, says h/ own name
wiinzhinaa na a castor sac of beaver or muskrat

wiinzo vai s/he has a name, is named

Paired with: wiinde vii

wiinzob nid h/ gall bladder

wiinzowin ni a personal or family name

wiipem vta sleep with h/

Paired with: wiipendan vti

(reciprocal) wiipendiwag vai they sleep with each other (derived noun) wiipemaagan na a sleeping partner
wiipemaagan na a sleeping partner

wiipemaawaso vai s/he sleeps with children protectively

wiipendan vti sleep with it

Paired with: wiipem vta

wiipendiwag vai they sleep with each other

wiis ni tripe: edible stomach lining of a ruminant

wiisagad ni [RL] pepper

wiisagaganaam vta hurt h/ by hitting

wiisagam vta hurt h/ by biting

wiisagan vii it is bitter

Paired with: wiisagizi vai

wiisaganaamozo vai s/he suffers from smoke inhalation

wiisagaabaso vai h/ eyes hurt from the smoke

wiisagaabate vii there is irritating smoke

wiisagaagamin vii it (a liquid) is bitter

wiisagaakizo vai s/he hurts from being burnt

wiisagaapinazh vta injure h/; hurt h/

wiisagaapine vai s/he hurts, suffers physically, suffer from an illness

(applicative) wiisagaapinazh vta hurt h/; injure h/
wiisagendam vai2 s/he suffers pain, is in pain, hurts

wiisagendami' vta cause h/ pain, make h/ hurt

wiisagendamowin ni pain (from sickness)

wiisagi- pv lex bitter

wiisagi-jiisens ni a radish

wiisagi-mitigomizh na red oak

[
northern red oak
; 
Quercus rubra
]

wiisagibizh vta hurt h/ with the hands (by manipulating, pulling, pinching, etc.)

wiisagidenaniwe vai h/ tongue hurts

wiisagidiye vai h/ rear hurts

wiisagidiyeshin vai s/he hurts h/ butt in a fall

wiisagidooskwaneshin vai s/he hurts h/ elbow or elbows on something or in a fall

wiisagigaadeshin vai s/he hurts h/ leg or legs on something or by falling

wiisagigidigweshin vai s/he hurts his knee or knees on something or by falling

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.

  • Audio recordings
  • Images
  • Video
  • Documents

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.