An example search has returned 100 entries
apitak
v.n. go after
bookmarkaridjai
v.a. to ascend, to go up
bookmarkataka
v.n. sail without making headway
bookmarkeucupupu (nieg)
v. to swell, as reeds when near blossoming
bookmarkincei u nasuantan
n. subshrub, 0. 5 to 0. 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3212)
Example: The common name of this plant means "the plant that belongs to Nasuantan" that being the person who introduced it to Aneityum. He was a person taken from the island as a blackbirder and came back with this plant. It is used for medicine. When a person gets a fresh cut, squeeze the juice from the leaf and put the liquid on the cut to help it heal.
bookmarkinciñpiñti
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
bookmarkingaije
n. kind of tree
bookmarkinhutlavlav
n. a bamboo flute
bookmarkinmaleaig
n. a grove of coconuts
bookmarkinmehtas
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinmeripciv
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinmerisiahau
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkintelopse atamaig
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarkintisiancai
n. blossom (open)
bookmarkinwaj
n. Hound needlefish, crocodile long-tom
Example: Photo by Philippe Bourjon / Fishbase, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkkaias elauoh
n. kind of taro
bookmarkkalispeuv
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkkopilkopil
n. kind of taro
bookmarkleyei cap
n. kind of taro
bookmarkmak
adj. smooth, applied to sugarcane-leaf thatch
bookmarknaerumãn
nahaigjopdak
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarknaheñ
naho
n. a plant, the fruit of which is prepared like arrowroot, and used as a food for sick people
bookmarknaipomyiv ~ naipomñiv
nalvimtinjap
n. a light wind; the beginning of a wind
bookmarkname cedo
n. epiphytic liana climbing up several canopy trees, growing on slope in primary forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4023)
Example: 1. The roots of this plant are used to make "Nopoy"--a traditional trap used to catch fish and lobster. The outer bark of the roots are removed and sun-dried. The roots are then split into several pieces and they are woven in an open fashion similar to a "noporapora"--a type of market basket fashioned from coconut leaflets.
bookmarknamlau
n. shrub, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3485)
Example: 1. The larger stems of this plant can be used to build houses, for rafters. 2. It is also a good source of firewood. 3. Ancestors, before go to chief’s canal and want to talk about a complicated issue – a person would cut a branch and bring it to the sea and tap the water surface and would say what he wants, ask that he would want that issue to be solved and that others would follow his ideas and then go back to the meeting place and take stick, keep wind at his back, moving stick in all directions and then he will convince the people of his ideas. This is done by the chief’s spokesman. Helps convince the opposition. Helps keep power in hands of parent(??) chief rather than subchiefs who might have other ideas.
bookmarknamlau elwa
n. tree to 15 m tall, dbh 40 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4859)
Example: The wood of this tree is good for carving. The fibers go in one direction so it is easier to carve, for example, to make a kava bowl. In general, this is the species used to make kava bowls. If your kava is not strong, then making it in this bowl will make it stronger. The kind of bowl made from this tree has a handle on each side of the bowl and it is held with 2 hands. The place name Anumwmamlau is named after this tree. There are said to be two types of this tree--one with all green leaves (this specimen) and one with white and green leaves. If a person is going to a Tabu place and is concerned about spirits, they should take a handful of these leaves and wash the body all over with it--take a swim (bath) with it. Then the person can go to the Tabu place without risk. There are other unspecified spiritual uses of this tree. The second part of this local name "elwa" refers to the variegation of the leaves.
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napun nitai caig
n. the skin or rind of food
bookmarknap̃udve
n. epiphytic fern, fallen to ground (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3494)
Example: When a dog is poisoned by cuguatera from eating a fish, the root of this species is collected, cleaned and a handful is boiled in 1-2 cups of water and given to the dog to drink. This treatment should be done 3x daily, in the morning, around noon and during the evening meal for as long as the dog is sick.
bookmarknasjiralcau
nathat uwun jap
nau-hos
n. bamboo to 5 m, sterile. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4940)
Example: Used to build walls of local houses. The outer skin is stripped off, stems cut in half then smashed flat, the inside is stripped clean and woven into walls. The cut pieces of entire stems can be filled with food and used for cooking that food. Cover both ends with leaves and cook. If a person has skin that becomes infected, use sharpened stem as a local knife to remove the infected area of skin. Use as a local water pipe to move water from one place to another (nobol). Either split the stem in half or punch the nodes out throughout the entire tube and use as a pipe.
bookmarknauanavig
n. quicksands
bookmarkneau
n. a small water-plant
bookmark
nedec
[neθeɣ] n. Collared Kingfisher
Example: Photo by JJ Harrison, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
bookmarknedwodou
n. tree, 10 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3531)
Example: 1. For a child around 1 year of age, take the inside bark, mash it, boil in hot warter and then use it to wash the child. This will ensure that the child will grow strong and make them able to crawl fast. 2. If a woman who is one month pregnant would like to have a baby, she is given 4 of the tips of the branches to chew and swallow everything before breakfast 1x only. 3. For fishing, take 4 leaves, hold top side up, tear right half of leaves off, keep left side, roll it up and put with fishing gear to have good luck when fishing in the deep sea beyond the reef.
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.
bookmark
nekrou
n. Two-spot red snapper, twinspot snapper, red bass
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknelgou waj
nelnjen
nepnou
nerifake
n. kind of taro
bookmarknetemu
n. epiphyte on main trunk of Hernandia moerenhoutiana, pendant (1.7 m long) (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3648)
Example: Name means pile of fish. To protect a conservation area and restock it, collect pile of stems and leaves and put in a pool of water with stones on it. Fish will come and breed and area will have more fish. Fish in general
bookmarknethokin
n. a poisonous plant used to stupefy fish; also "netokin"
bookmarknetumtehi
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarkniditau
nijinga
n. shrub to 2 m, flowers blue-purple. Red clay soil (collection: Michael J. Balick #4878)
Example: A stem of this shrub is sharpened and used to dig a hole for planting kava. When a person plants kava in a hole made from this stick, there is the belief that it will make kava root stems strong and large. The fruits are edible when ripe and said to be sweet.
bookmarknilamese
n. a species of orchid (there are three on the island)
bookmarknipjin
n. branch (tender)
bookmarkniri
niridunumu
n. terrestrial fern, growing along ridge in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4121)
Example: 1. The name means "fish gill". When one acquires a culture-bound illness, caused by possesion of the sea devil, this plant is used to prepare a remedy. Further information about the illness and remedy withheld.
bookmarknisil
n. the center rib of the coconut leaflet; wire
bookmarknisyeg
n. tree, 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3521)
Example: 1. The inner bark of this plant is used as a dye or paint to provide a brown color. Boil the inner bark in a pot with a shirt and the color of the shirt will be changed to brown. 2. For toothache, people take the inner bark and mix it with sea water, and then rinse the tooth with this mixture to remove the pain. 3a. People macerate the leaves and the bark and when the tide is low, spread this in a pool of water to poison the sea shells that are edible. When they die, the eyes of this organism comes above the sand, indicating where they are, and people harvest and eat them. 3b. To attract and collect clam – NIPJINUMU – scrape bark in a pool of sea water where the clams are attracted immediately and can be collected, coming up from the sand. 4. Firewood, unspecified medical use.
bookmarknopan
n. a season
bookmark
nuarin abras
n. cliff
bookmarknuhialeg upni
nuputuligighap
n. stem of coconut leaf
bookmarknyihivac
n. tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3263)
Example: 1. A "calendar plant". When this flowers in the bush, and people are making their gardens in that area, it means the garden is ready to harvest. 2. Firewood, calendar, and message plant – for people who live up in the forest can see this coastal plant and when it flowers it is a good time to go fishing or to move to the coastal area for a few weeks to relax. July-August. Tide is low so everything is exposed so it is a good time to fish for there, 2 months. 3. Flowers have a nice nectar, sweet, kids drink.
bookmarkpok
adv. seaward
bookmarktatau
n. Blackfin barracuda
Example: Photo by Jan Messersmith, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkweite
adj. perennial (applied to water); also "etweite", "inweite"
bookmarkyatit
n. kind of banana
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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