A - a

a1 prn. 3rd person sing. subject pronoun (he, she, it). Di Hendrik doro tide, a no taki no wan sma odi. When Hendrik arrived today, he didn’t greet anyone. See: en.
a2 1) art. singular definite article. Yu mu tapu a fensre noso a alen o wai kon inisei. You need to shut the window or else the rain will blow in.
2) art. also used with collective or non-count nouns. Fosi yu stampu a pinda, yu mu wai a buba puru. Before you pound the peanuts, you need to winnow them (lit: wave the skins away). See: den2; wan2. Variant: na3.
a3 See main entry: na2. prep. locative preposition.
abani n. scoundrel, outlaw, criminal.
Abeniba n. ritual name for a woman born on Tuesday. See table under: deinen.
abi vt. have. Yongu, yu no abi ai fu si? Boy, don’t you have eyes? (i.e. can’t you look any better than that?) From: Eng. Etym: have .
abi fu aux.v. have to, must. Ala pikin fu fo yari abi fu go na skoro. All children four years old and up have to go to school. syn: musu1.
no abi fu [naf'] neg + aux.v. don’t have to. I no abi fu waka yu wawan, mi sa kon nanga yu. You don’t have to walk alone; I’ll walk with you.
abi bere be pregnant; be expecting. See main entry: abi bere.
abi bigi-ai be jealous. See main entry: abi bigi-ai.
abi frikowtu have a cold, have an upper respiratory infection. See main entry: abi frikowtu.
abi krin skin always be lucky. See main entry: abi krin skin.
abi prati have a share in something. See main entry: abi prati.
abi prisiri enjoy, have pleasure in. See main entry: abi prisiri.
aboma n. anaconda. Eunectes murinus (Boidae). Also known as watra-aboma. Variant: boma.
abongra n. sesame seed. Sesamum indicum (Pedaliaceae).
abra 1) vt. cross, cross over. Fosi yu ben e pai den botoman wan kwartyi fu abra a liba. You used to pay the boatmen a quarter to cross the river.
gi ... abra v. hand over, surrender. Den birtisma grabu a fufuruman dan den gi en abra na skowtu. The neighbors grabbed the thief and handed him over to the police.
gi ensrefi abra v. surrender oneself, give up. Skowtu ben lontu a oso fu ala sei, ma den fufuruman no ben wani gi densrefi abra. The police surrounded the house, but the thieves did not want to give themselves up.
koti ... abra v. cross over, traverse. Yu mus leri a pikin fu luku bun fosi a e koti strati abra. You need to teach the child to look carefully before crossing the street.
2) vi. pass an exam or a grade in school. Efu yu wani abra, yu mu leri yu les. If you want to pass, you must study your lessons. ant: tan sidon; tan poko; tan aka. See: psa4.
3) prep. across from. Mi e tan abra a kerki. I live across from the church. syn: abrasei.
4) prep. over. Den plane no mag frei abra a foto. Planes are not allowed to fly over the city.
lon abra v. overflow. Te alen kon hebi, ala den watrabaki e span tak' den e lon abra. When it rains hard, all the water containers fill up so that they overflow.
5) prep. through. Di a fufuruman dyompo abra a fensre go na dorosei, a dyompo let' ini anu fu skowtu. When the thief jumped outside through the window, he jumped right into the arms of the police. Usage: it has this meaning only when used with fensre.
6) prep. about. Den boi na tapu uku e taki abra a nowtu fu a kondre. The boys on the corner are talking about the difficulties in the country.
abrasei n. other side, opposite side. Esde mi go koiri na abrasei. Yesterday I took a trip to the other side (of the Suriname River).
abrasei fu ad. opposite, across from. Den birtisma san e tan abrasei fu mi, o go tamara na Ptata. The neighbors that live across (the street) from me leave tomorrow for Holland.
abrawatra n. overseas, other countries. Tamara mi sisa e go na abrawatra. Tomorrow my sister is going abroad. syn: dorosei kondre.
adyosi n. goodbye, farewell. Adyosi na wan wortu di tranga fu taki. Farewell is a hard word to say. cpart: odi. See: morgu; kuneti; nafun.
taki ... adyosi idiom. say goodbye. Wakti, mi wani bari den sma adyosi. Wait, I want to tell the people goodbye. syn: bari adyosi.
Adyuba n. ritual name for a woman born on Monday. See table under: deinen.
af'afu ad. partially, in part, half-heartedly, so so. A frow disi noiti a e kba en wroko. A e libi en af'afu. This woman never finishes her work. She leaves it half-done. A: So Fine, fa yu e tan? B: Mi de so af'afu. A: So Fina, how are you? B: Oh, so so. Morph: redup.
afdaki n. lean-to, small simple house. Di un ben go onti, un ben meki wan pikin afdaki fu sribi. When we went hunting we made a lean-to to sleep under. Mi feni wan pikin afdaki fu sutu mi ede. I found a small simple house to rest my head. See: tenti. From: NL. Etym: afdak .
afen interj. okay.
Afiba n. ritual name for a woman born on Friday. See table under: deinen.
afkati1 n. lawyer, barrister. Te den go na krutu-oso, a afkati e taki gi a man. When they go to the courthouse, the lawyer speaks for the man. See: krutubakra; krutuman. From: NL. Etym: advocaat .
afkati2 n. avocado. Persea americana (Lauraceae).
afkodrei 1) n. non-christian religious practices, idolatry. syn: bonu.
2) adj. refers to people who participate in non-christian religious practices. Den sma disi afkodrei. These people are idolatrous.
afo 1) n. great-grandparent. cpart: afopikin. See: bigisma; See table under: famiriman.
2) n. ancestor. cpart: bakapikin. See: bigisma.
afopikin n. great-grandchild. See table under: famiriman.
afrontu v. offend, affront, insult. A boi denki tak' a tòf. Dat' meki a e taki sani san e afrontu Gado nanga libisma. The boy thinks he is tough. That is why he says things that offend both God and humanity.
afu num. half. See: nomru.
afu skoinsi at a slight angle. See main entry: afu skoinsi.
afupasi ad. part of the way (with distances); half way, not finished (with things). Mi no o rei so fara, ma mi kan poti yu af'pasi. I am not driving that far, but I can take you part of the way. Den bow a oso af'pasi, bika den no abi moni moro. The house is only half way built because they ran out of money. Spelling variation: af'pasi
afusensi n. half cent piece. Odo: Mi na afusensi. No wan sma kan broko mi. Proverb: I am a half cent piece. No one can break me. Usage: Only existed in Suriname during colonial days. Spelling variation: af'sensi
agama n. any of various kinds of small iguanas or large lizards. See: legwana.
1) n. common monkey lizard. Polychrus marmoratus (Iguanidae).
2) n. iguana species. Tropidurus torquatus (Iguanidae).
3) n. diving lizard. Uranoscodon superciliosa (Iguanidae).
4) n. iguana species. Plica plica, Plica umbra (Iguanidae).
agen ad. again. Mi Gado, mi Masra, luku. Agen den kon poti mi na tesi. My God, look! Again they’ve come and brought trouble on me. syn: ete wan leisi; baka4. From: Eng. Etym: again .
agersitori n. parable. Di Yesus leri den sma, a leri den nanga agersitori. When Jesus taught the people, he taught them with parables. Spelling variation: agerstori, gerstori
agidya n. any of two varieties of tree porcupines found in Suriname, the South American tree porcupine and the black-tailed tree porcupine. Coendou prehensilis; Sphiggurus insidiosus (Erethizontidae). Also known as dyindyamaka.
a-gi-uma-nen n. a kind of hot pepper. Capsicum frutescens (Solanaceae). (it is called so because it gives the food a pleasing aroma).
agra n. bullet, shotgun shot, shrapnel (from a hand grenade). Di a buru si a boi e fufuru ini en gron, a sutu en dan den agra panya go ini a boi skin. When the farmer saw the boy stealing on his land, he shot him and the shot scattered and went into the boy’s skin. A ontiman misi a konkoni bika ala den agra ini en gon ben kon kba. The hunter missed the agouti because all his bullets were gone. syn: kugru. See: patron; lai.
agri v. agree. Billiton nanga Suralco agri fu opo a moni fu den wrokoman. Billiton and Suralco have agreed to raise the wages of the workers. Yu mu sori lespeki gi a President awinsi yu no e agri nanga san a taki. You must show respect for the President even if you do not agree with what he says.
agu n. pig, hog. Sus scrofa (Suidae).
agumeti n. pork. See: meti.
agupen n. hog shed, pigpen, pigsty.
agutere n. pig’s tail (it is sold salted in the meat market and used in the preparation of various dishes).
aguti n. orange-rumped agouti, red-rumped agouti. Dasyprocta leporina (Dasyproctidae). Also known as konkoni.
ai1 interj. yes. See: iya.
ai2 n. eye. A smoko meki mi ai lon watra. The smoke made my eyes water. See: sker'ai; doro-ai.
de na ai idiom. be awake. Wins' yu kon te twarfu yuru, mi o de na ai. Even if you come at twelve o’clock, I’ll be awake. Usage: People normally say now: Mi no e sribi ete. It is also used figuratively.
de na ai idiom. be alert, be on one’s guard. A: I mu de na ai. A man dati wani kiri yu. B: We, mi de na ai tu. A: Watch out! That man is out to kill you. B: Well, I’m on my guard, too.
de nanga krin ai idiom. be sober, able to think clearly, self-controlled. Den man san e tiri a kondre mus de nanga krin ai. The people who govern the country must be able to think clearly. A dringi pikin sopi ma en ai krin ete. He has had a little to drink, but he is still sober.
doro ... na ai idiom. Den ben doro mi na ai. Ma di den si tak' mi sabi a wroko, den kisi lespeki gi mi. They underestimated me. But when they saw that I knew my job, they got some respect for me.
iti wan ai tapu idiom. look at something, keep an eye on someone. Mama, i kan iti wan ai tapu den pikin gi mi fu den no go na strati? Mom, can you keep an eye on the children for me so they don’t go in the street? syn: fringi wan ai tapu; ori wan ai tapu.
nanga krin ai idiom. wide awake. A: I no ben sribi? B: No, mi ben de nanga krin ai ete. A: Weren’t you asleep? B: No, I was still wide awake.
no man si na ai idiom. hate, can’t stand someone. A man disi na wan hoigriman. A taki wi mus lobi ala sma, ma en srefi no man si mi na ai. This man is a hypocrit. He says that we must love everyone, but he himself hates me. Birfrow no man si mi na ai srefsrefi. My neighbor can’t stand to look at me.
ori ai na tapu idiom. keep a good eye on something (i.e. don’t take your eyes off of it). Di mi si taki a ben wani go ini a tas fu a frow, mi ori ai na en tapu. When I saw that he wanted to go into the woman’s purse, I kept a good eye on him.
piri ... ai idiom. to look at with wide open eyes. No piri yu ai so gi mi! Don’t look at me with big eyes like that!
piri ai gi idiom. pay close attention to. Efu yu no piri ai gi a pikin, sani no o waka bun nanga en. If you don’t pay close attention to the girl, things are not going to go well for her.
tan na ai idiom. stay awake. Wan waktiman mus kan tan na ai. A watchman must be able to stay awake. See: wiki2; sribi; de na ai.
tyari doro ai na v. challenge someone. Di a kba suku den trawan nanga trobi, a wani tyari en doro ai kon na mi! Now that he has finished making trouble with the others, he wants to challenge me.
ai3 n. kernel (of corn, rice, etc.), grain. Luku, a pikin e poti wan ai karu ini en noso! Look, the girl is putting a kernel of corn in her nose!
ai4 contr. A contraction of the 3rd person sing. sub. pronoun a and the continuative aspect marker e.
ai-buba n. eyelid.
aifutu n. ankle.
aira1 n. tayra, gray-headed weasel. Eira barbara (Mustelidae).
aira2 See main entry: haira. adj. shrewd, crafty at getting what one wants (usually to the disadvantage of the other person).
Aisa n. earth goddess (it is said to manifest itself as a woman). syn: gronmama. Variant: Maisa; Mama Aisa.
aiti num. eight. See table under: nomru.
aitidei n. service held for the dead eight days after burial; funeral wake. See: dede-oso. Spelling variation: ait'dei
aitifi n. eyetooth, canine tooth. syn: ukutifi; gen: tifi.
aitikanti n. leatherback (a kind of sea turtle). Dermochelys coriacea (Dermochelidae). Also known as siksikanti. See: krape.
aititenti num. eighty. See table under: nomru.
ai-wiwiri n. eyelash.
aka1 1) n. hook, fish hook.
2) v. secure something with a hook. Aka a doro gi mi, noso dyonsro a o naki tapu. Put the hook on the door for me or else it will slam shut.
aka ensrefi v. choke. Te yu e nyan, yu no mus tak'taki. Noso yu kan aka yusrefi nanga a nyanyan. When you eat you must not talk, otherwise you’ll choke on your food.
tan aka idiom. have to repeat a grade at school. Usage: used in this way primarily by young people. ant: abra.
3) v. trip. Di un ben plei bal, espresi André ben aka mi. When we were playing soccer, André tripped me on purpose. See: misi futu.
aka2 n. any kind of bird of prey (hawks, eagles, falcons, ospreys, etc.). (Accipitridae, Pandionidae, Falconidae).
akanswari n. someone or something that eats a lot; glutton.
akatiki n. stick with a hook. Yu kan leni mi a akatiki? Mi o wai a bakadyari fu mi. Could you lend me your hooked stick? I’m going to cut down the tall grass in my back yard. (used to pull back the grass when cutting it with a machete).
akruderi 1) n. agreement. Lanti meki wan kruderi nanga den datra abra a moni san den mus aksi den sikisma. The government make an agreement with the doctors about how much money they can ask from their patients. Variant: kruderi2.
2) v. agree. Den sani san yu e du no e kruderi nanga san yu e leri tra sma. The things you do do not agree with what you teach others. syn: agri. Variant: kruderi2.
aksi1 n. axe. A man kapu a bon nanga wan aksi. The man chopped down the tree with an axe. See: ambeiri. From: Eng. Etym: axe .
aksi2 1) vt. ask, request. Ifrow aksi mi san meki mi kon so lati. The teacher asked me why I came so late. cpart: piki1. See: taki1. From: Eng. Etym: ask .
2) n. question, request. San na a aksi fu yu? What is your question? Usage: People normally say: San yu wani aksi? 'What do you want to ask?'.
aksi-aksi v. ask around, ask continually. Di un doro ini a birti, un aksi-aksi te leki un feni pe Tanta Koba e tan. When we arrived in the neighborhood, we asked around until we found where Aunt Koba lives.
Akuba 1) n. ritual name for a woman born on Wednesday. See table under: deinen.
2) n. the wife of Anansi in Creole folktales.
akuba dyendyen n. a receptacle for urination in the bedroom; chamber pot, potty. syn: pis'patu.
ala 1) num. all. Den pikin nyan ala a froktu ini a baki. The children ate all the fruit on the tray. ant: no wan. See: alamala.
2) ad. each, every. Ef' yu abi wan vaas nanga bromki, dan ala dei yu mu poti krin watra. If you have flowers in a vase, then you need to put in fresh water every day. syn: ibri.
ala dati conj. indicates that the situation was different than one thought, in fact. Mi ben krutu nanga a baas tak' a no stort gi mi, ala dati na a bangi meki a fowtu. I complained to the boss that he had not deposited my money, but the whole time it seems to have been a bank error. See: ma2.
ala fa See main entry: fa a no fa. conj. even though, in spite of the fact, no matter how.
ala gado dei every single day (emphatic). See main entry: ala gado dei.
ala leisi every time. See main entry: ala leisi.
ala sei everywhere, every part. See main entry: ala sei.
ala sma everyone. See main entry: ala sma.
ala ten always; every time. See main entry: ala ten.
ala tu both. See main entry: ala tu.
ala yuru again and again, all the time, always. See main entry: ala yuru.
aladei adj. everyday, common, ordinary. A no wan aladei sani fu go na President oso. It is not an everyday thing to visit the Presidential palace.
aladi conj. although, even though. Aladi mi bari a pikin, toku a lon go na strati. Even though I warned the child, still she ran into the street.
alakondre ad. consisting of a variety of colors or things. A ben weri wan moi alakondre empi na a fesa. He wore a nice colorful shirt at the party. Birfrow tyari wan alakondre boketi gi mi tapu mi friyaridei. My neighbor brought me a bouquet of assorted flowers for my birthday.
alamala prn. all, everyone, everything. Un alamala o go tide na foto. We are all going to town today.
alanya n. a kind of sour citrus fruit. Citrus aurantium (Rutaceae). See: apresina; korsow-alanya; lemki; ponpon1; strun; swa-alanya.
alanyatiki n. twig from a sour orange tree (in the early days it was held in the mouth to freshen the breath).
alape adv. everywhere. Alape yu e go, yu e feni konkruman. Everywhere you go, you find traitors. Usage: Alape is usually used in a subordinate clause at the beginning of a sentence. See: ala sei.
alata n. general name for a variety of rats, including the spiny rat. Cricetidae, Echimyidae, Muridae.
alatakaka-pepre n. a kind of hot pepper (so called because it has the size and shape of rat droppings). Capsicum frutescens (Solanaceae). Variant: alatapepre.
alatapasi n. narrow path.
alatapepre See main entry: alatakaka-pepre. n. a kind of hot pepper.
alatasneki n. tan racer (a kind of snake). Mastigodryas boddaertii (Colubridae). Also known as: alataman.
alatria1 n. vermicelli.
sneisi-alatria n. Chinese vermicelli. A quick cooking vermicelli used in Min Soup or cooked with shrimp, etc. It is translucent when cooked.
aleisi n. rice. Oryza satilva (Gramineae). Rice is prepared in various ways, including anitriberi, kronto-aleisi, and moksi-aleisi.
wan ai aleisi idiom. a grain of rice.
aleisigron n. rice field.
aleisimiri n. rice mill.
aleisi-miti n. mite found in rice and rice products.
aleisisaka n. rice sack.
alen n. rain. Alen e fadon. It’s raining. (lit: Rain is falling.) A alen wai pikinso. The rain has blown away a little. (i.e. It is not raining so hard anymore.) spec: sibibusi; fin'fini-alen.
alen-aka n. laughing falcon. Herpetotheres cachinnans (Falconidae).
alenbaki n. cistern.
alenbari n. rain barrel; water barrel.
alenbo n. rainbow.
alendyakti n. raincoat.
alenten n. rainy season. There is a time of heavy rainfall, bigi alenten, from mid-April until mid-July and a time of light rains, pikin alenten, from the end of November until mid-February. cpart: dreiten.
alenwatra n. rain water.
altari n. altar. Usage: church language; in the winti religion an altar is referred to as tafra.
Aluku n. tribe of Bush Negroes, also known as Boni, most of whom live on the Lawa River.
alwasi See main entry: awinsi. conj. no matter what, irregardless of.
amaka n. hammock.
amalan n. salted Chinese plum (eaten as a snack).
amandra1 n. tonsils.
amandra2 1) n. Java almond, sea almond (a kind of broad-leaf tree, the fruit is in the shape of an almond and is sometimes cooked in sugar). Terminalia catappa (Combretaceae).
2) n. almond (as known in Europe and North America).
Amba n. ritual name for a woman born on Saturday. See table under: deinen.
ambeiri n. hatchet, meat cleaver. Mi tnapu luku fa a man e kapu sowt'meti nanga wan srapu ambeiri. I stood and watched as the man cut up the salted meat with a sharp cleaver. See: aksi1. From: NL. Etym: handbijl .
ambra n. hammer. Variant: amra.
ambrabasi n. chairman. Variant: amrabasi.
amerkan 1) n. someone from the United States of America, an American.
2) adj. American.
amerkan ten n. the time during WW2 when there were many American servicemen in Suriname.
amerkankondre n. United States of America.
ameti n. ham. See: meti.
amra See main entry: ambra. n. hammer.
amrabasi See main entry: ambrabasi. n. chairman.
amsoi n. a type of bitter greens, chinese cabbage. Brassica chinensis (Brassicaceae).
Anana n. name of the supreme deity in the winti religion.
Anansi1 n. trickster in Creole folktales.
anansi2 1) n. spider. (O. Araneae).
2) n. a leg or arm that went to sleep. Di mi wiki, mi no ben man opo bika mi futu ben kisi anansi. When I awoke I couldn’t stand up because my leg was asleep. Usage: Some people say anansi-titei.
anansi-oso n. a sack made by a spider to lay eggs in and sometimes to carry the young.
anansi-titei n. cobweb, spiderweb.
anansitori 1) n. tales about the spider "Anansi". Tide neti omu o kon na oso fu kon gi unu anansitori. Tonight uncle will come home to tell us tales about the spider.
2) n. a tall tale, fable. syn: leitori.
anbegi vt. worship, adore. Usage: church language. syn: begi2. From: NL. Etym: aanbidden . Spelling variation: ambegi
anga1 1) vi. hang. Luku a boi san e anga ini a bon dape. Look at the boy hanging from the tree there.
2) vt. hang something up. Milka anga den krosi na doro meki den kan drei ini a son. Milka hung the clothes up outside to dry in the sun.
anga wan sma idiom. cheat someone. A man anga mi nanga a moni. The man cheated me out of that money. See: bedrigi.
3) vi. lean. Di a pikin kon weri, a anga tapu en mama bowtu. When the girl got tired, she leaned on her mother’s lap.
anga go na wan sei v. list or lean to one side, tilt. Fu di a fundamenti no meki bun, meki a oso e anga go na wan sei. Because the foundation was not made right, the house leans to one side. See: kanti.
anga na idiom. hang around. A pikin dati lobi anga na gudu sma. That girl likes to hang around rich people.
anga2 See main entry: nanga. 1) conj. and.
2) prep. with, together with.
anga-anga 1) adv. listless. Fa mi skin firi so anga-anga tide? Luku bun wan griep e freiri mi? Why do I feel so listless today? Could it be that I have a touch of the flu?
2) v. used to describe a child listlessly leaning or hanging on his mother or someone else. Te yu si a boi disi fu mi e anga-anga so na mi skin, dan a no firi switi. If you see this boy of mine hanging on me like this, then he is not feeling well.
3) v. hang up in a disorderly way. Mi no lobi te krosi e anga-anga ini a kamra. I don’t like it when clothes are hung up here and there in the room.
angalampu n. hibiscus, coral hibiscus. Hibiscus schizopetalus (Malvaceae).
angatitei n. vine, creeper.
angorki n. pickle, gherkin. Cucumis anguria (Cucurbitaceae).
angri1 1) n. hunger. Angri e kiri mi. I’m hungry.
2) n. famine. Angri de ini a kondre. There is famine in the country.
angri2 1) vi. desire, want. Mi e angri fu si yu. I’m longing to see you. syn: bakru.
2) n. desire. Mi no wani bai a baisigri moro. A angri gwe. I don’t want to buy the bicycle anymore. The desire is gone. See: lostu.
angribere n. empty stomach. Mi go sribi nanga angribere bika brede no ben de. I went to bed on an empty stomach because there wasn’t any bread.
angriten n. famine. Angriten kon ini a kondre fu di wan bigi alen pori ala a nyanyan. Famine came upon the country because heavy rains destroyed the crops. See: angri2.
Anitri 1) n. member of the Moravian Church.
2) ad. having to do with the Moravian Church. Mi mama ben seni mi go na wan Anitri skoro bika mi papa na wan Anitri. My mother sent me to a Moravian school because my father is a Moravian.
anitriberi n. white rice cooked in coconut milk with salt fish, etc. Usage: Literally Moravian burial. Moravians used to wear all white to burials (rice) and only their hands and faces showed black (pepper). See: aleisi; moksi-aleisi.
Anitrikerki n. Moravian Church.
ankra 1) n. anchor.
2) v. anchor. No fergiti fu ankra a boto fosi yu kon na syoro. Don’t forget to anchor the boat before you come ashore.
3) v. stay. M'o ankra dyaso, yèrè! I’m going to stay here! Usage: Street language. They also say tan ankra. ant: lusu.
antruwa n. a round, light-green bitter vegetable. Solanum macrocarpon (Solanaceae).
anu1 1) n. arm. See: baka-anu; powa.
2) n. hand. See: finga; ini-anu.
yepi wan anu idiom. lend a hand. A tafra disi hebi. Yu kan yepi mi wan anu? This table is heavy. Can you lend me a hand? syn: gi wan anu.
3) n. handful (as a unit of measure). Tide mi no bori furu aleisi, kande wan anu so. Today I didn’t cook a lot of rice, just a handful or so.
4) n. bunch (of bananas, plantains). Gi mi wan anu bakba. Give me a bunch of bananas. See: finga.
anu2 1) n. money that is paid out on a monthly basis to one of the participants in a kasmoni. Mi kisi a tweede anu. I got the second 'hand' (i.e. the second payment from the kasmoni).
2) n. amount of money that each participant in the kasmoni is required to deposit monthly. See: kasmoni.
anyisa 1) n. woman’s headdress. A wiki fu maspasi den umasma lobi weri anyisa. The week before emancipation day the women love to wear a headdress. it is made from starched cloth and can be tied in various ways, including: lont’ede ; otobaka ; let-dem-tok ; pawtere. See: musu2. Spelling variation: angisa
2) n. The cloth used to make the traditional headdress. It is also used as a hand scarf for certain festive occasions, and to decorate rooms. Souvenir anyisas are sometimes made to commemorate special events.
aparti adj. separate; special.
apinti n. a round drum between 30 and 70 cm. tall (in earlier days it was used to send messages from village to village). gen: dron.
apra 1) n. Java apple, a conical shaped fruit about 2 inches long with white, pink and red varieties. Syzygium samarangense (Myrtaceae). Also known as krosow-apra.
2) n. star apple, caimito. Chrysophyllum cainito (Sapotaceae). Also known as sterapra.
aprabakba n. a short, fat, sweet kind of banana. Musa soorten/species (Musaceae). See: bakba.
aprabon n. apple tree.
apresina n. orange (fruit). Citrus sinensis (Rutaceae). See: alanya; strun; ponpon1; lemki.
apteiki n. pharmacy; drugstore. From: NL. Etym: apotheek .
apuku n. a spirit associated with the jungle.
arki 1) v. listen. Ala neti mi e arki nyunsu na radio. Every evening I listen to the news on the radio. See: yere1. From: Eng. Etym: harken .
Arki bun! idiom. Listen up!; Pay attention!
2) v. obey (i.e. listen and do). Yu mus arki yu m'ma te a e taki nanga yu. You must obey to your mother when she is talking to you. Mi ben bari yu, ma yu no arki mi. I warned you but you wouldn’t listen.
arkiman n. listener. Yu e plei bigi arkiman, ma yu no man taigi mi notnoti fu san a boskopuman taki dape. You act as if you’re listening, but you can’t tell me anything about what the speaker said. Usage: may be used as a form of address in speeches.
Arwaka 1) n. Arawak (Amerindian tribe).
2) adj. Arawak.
asaw n. elephant. Elephas maximus & Loxodonta africana (Elephantidae). A man disi bigi leki asaw. This man is as big as an elephant.
asema n. vampire.
asi 1) n. horse. Equus ferus (Equidae).
2) n. in the winti religion it refers to a specific person through whom the spirit reveals itself.
asin n. vinegar.
poti tapu asin idiom. pickle something in vinegar. Items commonly pickled include sliced green mangoes, gooseberries, Java apples, cucumbers, and Surinamese almonds. Pickled fruits are collectively referred to as swasani.
asipen n. horse stable.
asisi n. ash. Fosten den sma ben lobi wasi den mofo nanga asisi. In the early days, people liked to brush their teeth with ash. See: krofaya.
asiwagi n. horse cart.
asranti adj. insolent; impudent; sassy; bold; disrespectful; cheeky. Mi no e go taigi a meisje dati. I sabi fa en mofo asranti! I’m not going to tell the girl that. You know what a sharp tongue she has! syn: kaksi. Variant: sranti.
ati1 1) n. heart.
ati bron idiom. be angry; mad. Mi ati e bron nanga a boi, bika a no e yere san mi e taigi en. I am mad at the boy because he never does what I tell him.
ati sidon idiom. set at ease; be at ease; be satisfied. Now di mi kisi a skoropapira, mi ati sidon. Now that I’ve gotten my diploma, my heart is at ease.
ati de na dyompo idiom. nervous; anxious; fretful. Ala leisi te mi umapikin e go na strati nanga brom, mi ati de na dyompo. Every time my daughter goes out with the motorbike, I am nervous. syn: dyompo-ati. See: senwe.
broko ... ati idiom. to be deeply disappointed, brokenhearted. Di mi yere san a boi fu mi du, a broko mi ati. hen I heard what my son did, it broke my heart.
go na ati idiom. to be satisfied about something. Di mi yere tak' den srudati go baka na kampu, a go na mi ati. When I heard that the soldiers had returned power to the civilians, I was satisfied.
hori ... na ati idiom. hold a grudge. A frow hori en masra na ati fu di a waka gi en. The woman holds a grudge against her husband because he cheated on her. See: fasi3.
kowru ... ati idiom. calm down, calm someone down. No tyari yu atibron kon dya. Kowru yu ati fosi. Don’t bring your anger here. Calm down first.
2) n. heart (figuratively), pluck, guts. Mi no abi ati fu kiri wan sma. I don’t have the heart to kill someone.
lasi ati idiom. lose heart, lose one’s courage, become discouraged, despair. A mama las' ati di a si taki a pikin no e kon na foto. The mother lost heart when she saw that the child didn’t return to town. Di den srudati si den kapten fadon, den lasi ati. When the soldiers saw their captain fall, they lost heart. syn: lasi howpu. Spelling variation: las' ati
teki ... na ati idiom. take something to heart. Di datra warskow en tak' a mus tapu nanga smoko, a teki en na ati. When the doctor warned him to stop smoking, he took it to heart.
3) n. hard spot in a banana. Den bakba fu mi switi, den no abi ati. My bananas are delicious; they don’t have hard spots.
ati2 n. hat (general term). See: musu2; anyisa. From: Eng. Etym: hat .
ati3 1) vt. hurt; be painful. A susu fu mi pikin. A e hati mi. My shoes are too small. They hurt me. See: skin-ati. Variant: hati2. From: Eng. Etym: hurt .
hat' sani n. Son sma no man gi den srudati pardon fu den hat' sani san den ben du den sma. Some people cannot forgive the soldiers for the painful things they did to people.
2) vt. sorry; hurt (used figuratively). A e hati mi fu si den pikin e pina so. It hurts me to see the children suffering so.
3) vt. regret; be sorry; hurt (emotionally). A e hati mi fa mi naki a pikin. I’m sorry that I hit the child.
atibron n. anger. No tyari yu atibron kon dya. Kowru yu ati fosi. Don’t bring your anger here. Cool down first. Odo: Atibron no e meki bun pikin. Proverb: Anger does not make good children (i.e. has negative results).
kuku fu atibron idiom. seethe with anger.
puru atibron tapu idiom. take your anger out on someone or something (it does not have to be the person or thing that caused it). Baka di a m'ma bari a boi, a boi puru en atibron tapu a dagu. After the mother yelled at the boy, he took out his anger on the dog.
ati-oso n. hospital. Spelling variation: at'oso
awansi See main entry: awinsi. conj. although, even if.
awara n. type of palm fruit with a yellowish-orange skin. Astrocaryum vulgare (Palmae). other kinds of palm nuts include: obe, maripa, pramaka, kumbu, keskesmaka, bugrumaka, morisi, bambammaka, kronto. See: palmbon.
awarabon n. a kind of palm tree. Astrocaryum segregatum (Palmae).
awari n. common opossum. Didelphis marsupialis (Didelphidae). Besides the common opossum there are a variety of other kinds of opossums in Suriname. These include the murine opossum, called busi-moismoisi, the four-eyed opossum, called fo-ai-awari, the rat-tailed opossum, called froktu-awari, the ashy opossum and the short-tailed opossum, both called moismoisi-awari, and the yapok, called watra-awari.
awaridomri n. hypocrit.
awinsi conj. although, even if. Un wakti mi aiti yuru. Awinsi mi no doro ete, un mu tan wakti mi. Wait for me at eight o’clock. Even if I don’t arrive on time, you must keep waiting. Variant: winsi2; awansi; alwasi.
awinsi fa conj. even though, in spite of the fact, no matter how. Awinsi fa mi bari a meisje, toku a teki waka nanga a boi. In spite of the fact that I warned that girl, she is still going with that guy.
awinsi san conj. no matter what, irregardless of. Den e pori a pikin. Awinsi san a wani, den e gi en. They are spoiling the child. No matter what she wants, they give it to her. Mi no mus si a man na ai. Efu mi si en, mi o kiri en, awinsi san. The man better stay out of my sight. If I see him, I will kill him, no matter what.
awinsi fa See main entry: fa a no fa. conj. even though, in spite of the fact, no matter how.
ayun n. onion. Allium cepa (Liliaceae).
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