An example search has returned 100 entries
aridjai
v.a. to ascend, to go up
bookmarkeriseris
v.a. to climb
bookmarketjo itac
v.n. to fall behind; to come late
bookmarkinceipou
incejev ataheñ
incetcai
n. a bundle of wood for fire
bookmarkindawoc
indinbev
n. Blue-spotted large-eye bream
Example: Photo by Anne Hoggett / Lizard Island Research Station, License: CC BY 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkinje tadwain anholwas
injuki
n. the afternoon
bookmarkinlepei u inpoded
inmadeded
n. kind of tree
bookmarkinman anjap
n. sea bird
bookmarkinmehtas
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinm̃aka
n. well branched tree, 12 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4022)
Example: 1. A durable hardwood that is used for house posts. 2. The wood is used to fashion cross members that affix outriggers to the body of the canoe. 3. 4-5 inch diameter saplings are used to create a track in the forest that larger logs can roll down.
bookmarkinm̃ap̃
n. tree, 12-14 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3611)
Example: 1. The nut of this tree is edible and very good. Boil it with skin on or bake it in the earth oven and then cut it in half and eat. 2. Leaves for top of house ridge. 3. Leaves for fertilizing the water taro in swamps.
bookmarkinp̃a
inp̃al cap̃ nesgin
n. shrub. Found in the village, Unames. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #31)
Example: 1. To cure when the anus falls out - Pound together 1 braches worth of inpalcapnesgin leaves and of both inloptiri (2-4 leaves, any age) , also take the inner bark of nekeaitimi and nakhe. Put this into your hand, or another leaf and give it to the person to use it. This should be applied to the anus whenever the anus comes out. USed to use a clam shell to extract the bark but not anymore.
bookmarkintelecha
n. terrestrial orchid, growing in open area at edge of forest (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3480)
Example: This plant is a "message flower." If a person puts this flower behind their ear or in their hat, and looks at another person, it is an invitation to that person to go with you to the nakamal. Or a man invites a woman to go somewhere with him. Alternatively, you can leave the flower on a table and this is also a message to go with a person. Leaves also used to wrap foods. Decorate yard around the house.
bookmarkintucjip
n. bush land; also "inteucjip"
bookmarkmuri muri
nabudschata
n. Achyranthes aspera L.
Example: juice squeezed from leaves; taken internally against asthma and put into boils
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naha
n. a thistle
bookmarknahas alaig imi yin
n. p. taro for the dead
bookmarknahi ateuc
n. a plant with white flowers; a lily
bookmarknahren
n. half-tide, ebbing
bookmarknalak u nije
namumuatamag
n. epiphyte on fallen tree, growing in disturbed forest. Fruit. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3474)
Example: When children feel weak, this is a good medicine for them. Squeeze the leaves and give the child (3-5 years of age) one tea spoon of the juice and it is said to make them strong again.
bookmarknapjau
n. grass. Found along intra village path. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #35)
Example: 1. Bath for babies to make them healthy and walk faster, mix with plants WAKAS (AAB 34), NITIDEI (GMP 3658 or 4043), and a grass NATUTAHUT (MJB 4945). Put all in a kettle filled of water and wash them with it – use 1 handful of each leaf.
bookmarknapod
n. kind of tree
bookmarknateg
n. tree, 3. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3489)
Example: The fruits of this species are edible. Take the ripe fruits, squeeze coconut milk into the ripe fruits and cook in an earth oven. The leaves are used to wrap small fish caught in a net for cooking in an earth oven. For clothing, strips of bark are peeled and the inner bark removed, and this is used as a strap around the waist, and leaves are tucked in front and back. This is traditional clothing when other clothing is not worn.
bookmarknatoga u inmeijcop
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknauhuluc
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknaupitju
n. treelet, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3622)
Example: People use the leaf of this plant to tie over grated banana, taro or other foods for cooking in an earth oven or boiling in a pot. The root of this species is edible. Cook it for 2-3 nights in an earth oven and then chew and squeeze the juice into your mouth, spitting out the fiber. It is a survival food.
bookmarknaurakiti
n. herb. Swamp areas. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #8)
Example: 1. Cervical pain and to return it to normal size - Get a handful of Naurakiti and boil it in a pot of water. This can also be done by rubbing the handful of leaves together and squeezing out the juice into the boiling water but the leaves do not go inside. Sit in this for 2 hours or until cold for 1 a day for a week. 2. Medicine: leaf juice put on fresh cut to stop bleeding. Stomachache, headache – use 1 handful of leaves, squeeze these, put in cup, put in some water and drink it 1x day. 3. Women menstruation that will not stop, take 1 handful of leaves into a cup of water and drink 1x day for 3 days. 4. If a person’s joints are sore, take a handful of leaves, crush them and rub on the sore joints. Some people don’t like to use it internally as it can make some people sick, especially small children, but others say it is OK to use.
bookmarknauyan
n. dawn of day
bookmarknauyerop
n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3505)
Example: The young leaves are edible, after boiling for 5 minutes. A piece of coconut and a pinch of salt is wrapped in the leaves and eaten. The mature leaves are used to wrap food such as pig or cow meat and cooked in an earth oven. Tie this bundle with a piece of Pandanus fiber to secure it before putting in the earth oven. Both the green and ripe fruits are edible.
bookmarknaytmas
n. tree to 5 m, dbh 4 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4898)
Example: The leaves are used to cover goat or pig meat when a person is roasting it on an earth oven It prevents it from burning and enhances the taste of the meat.
bookmarknecsap̃
n. shrub, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3534)
Example: This tree has very hard wood. 1. Use the small stems to plant dry land or swamp taro, sharpening the end and pushing it into the ground to make a hole. 2. It also is useful for fence, posts for houses. 3. Small stems are also used to make a comb for the hair. 4. Plant pole for taro kava. 5. A branch is shaped and used to husk coconut. 6. The wood is hard and in ancient times people would take a forked piece and put string on one side of it, sharpen the other side and use with the string as a fish hook – need to keep rope tight until it is in the canoe. Do not give it slack – strong use AAM 17.
bookmarknedenc
n. stinging; the fruit of the kaleteug
bookmarknefesgamtan
n. Humpnose big-eye bream
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkneheptal
n. tree to 15 m tall, dbh 25 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4903)
Example: Wood is used to make canoe as it is very light and lasts in salt water. As a styptic to stop bleeding, when a person gets a cut in the bush, scrape off outer bark and use inner bark scrapings to put on cut. Stops bleeding, leave on for one day.
bookmarknekei atimi
n. fern. Growing in a village back path. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #28)
Example: 1. To cure when the anus falls out - Pound together 1 braches worth of inpalcapnesgin leaves and of both inloptiri (2-4 leaves, any age), also take the inner bark of nekeaitimi and nakhe. Put this into your hand, or another leaf and give it to the person to use it. This should be applied to the anus whenever the anus comes out. USed to use a clam shell to extract the bark but not anymore.
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nelpon nohop a nelco
nemek
n. yellow leaves for making petticoats
bookmark
nemtokei
n. tree to 7 m tall, dbh 8 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4861)
Example: When a person does heavy work and their body feels tired, they should take 1 handful of leaves, squeeze them into a cup of water and drink--this will make the person feel better. People can drink this from time to time to give the body energy even before you are tired. To treat constipation, take 4- 8’ pieces of stem from a 2 cm dbh section of the tree, peel the outside bark off, collect the inner bark and mash with a stone or hammer, put in a colander to strain out the wood, add 1.5 l water, the liquid becomes green or whitish with sticky liquid. Drink this one time, it tastes cold and then after about 30 minutes it feels like the bowel is working and then normal function returns--this does not induce diarrhea but rather returns the bowel to normal function.
bookmarknepek cat
nepjen epjen
neri
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarkneuled
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarkneyo
n. grass to 70 cm tall, sterile. Cultivated at the side of a field. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4958)
Example: The leaves and stems are boiled in water to make tea. The base of the leaves (the whitish part) is used to cook foods that have a strong odor, such as goat or shark. The base is sliced and put in the soup and this helps to keep the smell of the goat or shark from infusing through the rest of the food and making it less palatable. In some areas of Aneityum, such as in cassava fields, there is a fungus that kills the crops. This species is interplanted with the crops to kill that fungus and protect the crop plants.
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nidwunitei
n. tree fern, trunk 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4102)
Example: 1. There are kinds of this plant. This is considered the white one. See GMP #4100, Cyathea sp., which is considered the black one.
bookmarknieg
n. a reed
bookmarknighincai
n. the stump of a tree
bookmarknigya
n. a plant like a banana
bookmarknijiga
n. a branch of red coral
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nitetan
n. a fern
bookmarknithidao
nitsichäi
n. Hornstedtia sp.
Example: Subterranean part: cold maceration, taken internally against "cancer", diabetes, or as tonic
bookmarknohor
[nohor] n. Woodford’s Rail
Example: Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans / Wikimedia Commons, License: Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
bookmark
nuden
n. coconut leaves in the middle of the cluster, neither old nor new
bookmarknumnyac
n. a kind of bulbous root
bookmarknupunyepec
nusjau
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknähiväing
n. Macaranga dioca
Example: Inner bark: bathe in cold infusion, wounds. Mix heated over fire and taken out during sunset. Healer clenches the package in his fist, then gently punches the patients left, then right knee, then his forehead and finally squeezes over his head, migraine a
bookmarknälmaha
n. Ficus septica var. cauliflora
bookmarktapasetarayi
n. kind of taro
bookmarkupjira
n. a kind of tree
bookmarkThere are currently 2431 entries, 1543 audio files, and 860 images.
All content copyright © Aneityum community. (2015)
Talking Dictionary produced by K. David Harrison, Gregory D. S. Anderson and Jeremy Fahringer. Botanical consultants: Michael J. Balick, Gregory M. Plunkett and Sean Thackurdeen. (2015-2018)
Aneityum language contributors include Kirk Keitadi, Tony Keith, Titiya Lalep, David Nasauman, Osiani Nerian, Ruben Nerian, Chris Nevehev, Romario Yaufati and others as credited within the dictionary entries. Based in part on materials from Inglis, John (1882) A Dictionary of the Aneityumese Language: In Two Parts. I. Aneityumese and English. II. English.
The Aneityum-English Talking Dictionary was made possible by award no. 1555675 from National Science Foundation for “Collaborative Research: Plant, Fungal and Linguistic Diversity of Tafea Province, Vanuatu.” This support is gratefully acknowledged.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
All rights reserved. Do not distribute or reproduce without permission.
how to cite:
K. David Harrison. 2015.
Aneityum Talking Dictionary.
Swarthmore College.
http://www.talkingdictionary.org/aneityum
Interface and database design under the direction of Jeremy Fahringer and Swarthmore College ITS.
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