An example search has returned 100 entries
abäng
ahtowan
v. to weed
bookmarkeceijo
n. tide flowing a little, begun to flow
bookmarkehla
adj. unripe; also "ehlai"
bookmarkelgai
v.n. expand as a leaf
bookmarkincei u nasuantan
n. herb to 1 m, flowers blue. In transitional zone from pine forest to ’primary’ forest. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4982)
Example: This is used to treat Ciguatera disease when a person eats fish that is contaminated. Squeeze juice from a handful of leaves of this herb into a cup, add a small amount of water, and drink 1 cup once a day for 3 days, or continue until the person feels better. This illness is a problem on Aneityum with the reef fish. It is better to eat fish that are farther out to sea. This treatment is also used for dogs who eat contaminated fish. Make the same preparation and forcibly pour this in their mouth as they will not drink it willingly. Do this treatment once daily until the dog feels better. The dogs get this illness because they are fed the scraps, especially the bones of the fish, and this is thought to be where the disease is found. This is considered to be a dangerous illness and dogs who get it frequently die.
bookmarkinhoam̃a
n. shrub, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3441)
Example: Flowers put in hear as an ornament that has power because it is so beautiful. Leaves are burned and added to a bamboo pipe and mix with a foam that forms in fresh water, when people go to a traditional dance, men paint part of their face eyebrows and beard to attract attention, hence the name, pone part of which "am̃a" means "staring", because it will cause people to stare at the one wearing it.
bookmarkinmeri
n. a stringy bark tree
bookmarkinmeripciv
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinmowad
n. vine to 40 cm, flowers blue (collection: Michael J. Balick #4949)
Example: To heal cuts, select a piece of the larger part of the stem (woody) cut a 6 inch piece and blow on one end; the sap comes o ut on the other end and this can be used to cover the wound. As a pig feed, people collect the stems and leaves and feed these to the pigs.
bookmarkinmowad u pikad
n. vine to 5 m tall in trees, fruits maturing yellow-brown. Growing in agroforest/secondary forest. (collection: Michael J. Balick #5009)
Example: People collect this vine and feed it to pigs. It also has an unspecified medicinal use. The vine of this plant forms a thick canopy so some people plant it around the house near trees that do not give much shade in order to reduce the intensity of the sun on the house and thus keep the temperature lower. The vine grows quickly into the trees.
bookmarkinpakanhas
intal a Samoa
n. kind of taro
bookmarkintiklancai
n. sprig
bookmarkintisian
n. a flower
bookmarkinwah iran
n. seed
bookmarkinwau an nadiat
n. the Milky Way
bookmarkinwow ityuwun
iñec
[iŋec] n. Mystery Island
bookmarkjupmulmul
n. the cool of the evening
bookmarkkalispeuv
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarklelen
adj. unripe
bookmarknacigaces
nagdajija
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarknaha
n. herb to 1 m, flowers white (collection: Michael J. Balick #5003)
Example: The leaves are used to wrap fish for cooking in an open fire. If you eat a bad fish and begin to feel the effects of it a few hours later, such as with Ciguatera illness, cut the base of the stem of this plant and let the sap drip into a half coconut shell with coconut water in it, drink the shell and it will make the person vomit out the bad food. It does not taste good but is very effective in making a person vomit as it contains a toxic compound.
bookmarknahar
n. species of pine
bookmarknahed u paralecei
nahojcei
n. scrambling vine, growing in coastal strand vegetation. Flowers purple. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3436)
bookmarknaiji elcau
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknakoai
n. species of palm tree
bookmarknala
n. shrub to 2 m, coastal vegetation (collection: Michael J. Balick #4961)
Example: The stem of this plant is used for firewood. If a person has been drinking kava and the next morning feels hung over, they can take a handful of the leaves of this plant, crush them in cool water, and wash their face with this. This treatment will help the kava feeling to disappear.
bookmarknalauba
[nalauba] n. Emerald Dove
Example: Photo by Dr. Raju Kasambe/Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
bookmarkname
n. epiphytic liana, growing in primary forest. Bracts orange-red at base. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4029)
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.
bookmarkname cedo
namji
n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3508)
Example: 1. The stems of this plant are sharpened and used to plant swamp taro or dry land taro. 2. Break small branch top put behind ear if you go to an unknown place and keep behind ear and sleep with it. If the place is safe you will sleep if it is not you will not sleep well – only behind ear when you sleep.
bookmarknamlau
n. shrub, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3490)
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.
bookmarknanad
nared
n. vine to 3 m, sori brown. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4930)
Example: Take a handful of the vine, twist it into rope with many stems of the vine, and use it to tie bundles of sugar cane. It can also be used to tie wild canes (Miscanthus) to the roof of the house. Take a handful of the vine, twist it into rope with many stems of the vine, and use it to tie bundles of sugar cane. It can also be used to tie wild canes (Miscanthus) to the roof of the house.
bookmarknarutu matua
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknathut an nadiat
n. near morning
bookmark
nau
n. high mountain
bookmarknauhoig yi amud an nadiat
n. the break of day
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.
bookmarknecemas
n. fern to 30 cm, cones green (collection: Michael J. Balick #4919)
Example: Use this plant to send a message to someone that another person has died. Take 1 dried leaf, to pass message to another village/tribe or people. Hold it in your hand and walk past a person, then they know that someone has died.
bookmarkneduon yau
n. kind of banana
bookmarknegainohos
n. bunch of bananas; also "nigainohos"
bookmarkneiang mesei
nekrolas
nelean takere
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknerinabod
n. Brassy chub, lowfin drummer
Example: Photo by Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknidwunitei
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.
bookmarknigie
n. shrub, 1-2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3555)
Example: This plant is an aphrodisiac. Eat with coconut meat to make the body strong. Take 1/2 handful of leaves and mix with coconut leaves, use as needed. Mostly men eat this combination. It is best to eat with dry coconut that has no water in it. Eat it any time you wish.
bookmarknigirid
n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3503)
Example: The leaves of this plant are used in cooking, particuarly with the earth oven. Use a fire to heat stones, then when the fire burns down and the stones are hot, pile these leaves on top of the hot stones and then place the food being cooked--taro, fish, pig, cassava, banana or other foods--on top of the leaves. Then pile more of these leaves on top of the food and then place additional hot stones on top of that pile of leaves. While the food is cooking--each type of food takes a different amount of time--the leaves give off a very nice smell and help flavor the food.
bookmarknijinga
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.
bookmarknilpudou
n. herb to 70 cm, florets yellow (collection: Michael J. Balick #4998)
Example: To treat a headache, especially from the flu, boil a handful of leaves in 1 liter of water for a few minutes, let cool and drink 1 cup of liquid per day . Also can treat this type of headache by using the plant in a steam bath, by boiling 4 handfuls of leaves in a pot of water, covering the head with a towel and breathing in the steam from the pot.
bookmarknipji nomu
nisyeg
n. tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3574)
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.
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.
bookmarknokoro vai cai oho
n. orchard
bookmarknopan
n. a season
bookmarknopugei
nuei
n. vine, growing in open disturbed area. Flowers white. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3589)
Example: To build a cyclone house, take the vine of this species to tie pieces of the house. To prepare the vine for use as rope, collect many feet of it, put it in a fire, roll it in a figure 8, wait until it softens and then use for tying. This vine is hard and needs to be heated to a high temperature in the fire to make it soft; the person preparing this must use gloves to tie it to the posts and rafters while it is still warm. When it cools, it is very strong. Rope made from this vine will last a long time--perhaps 10-15 years. It can also be used to make a regular house.
bookmarknuhlinevai
n. kind of banana
bookmarknämdokai
tatau
n. Sawtooth barracuda
Example: Photo by Stephanie W. Batzer, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkupjira
n. a kind of tree
bookmarkupreupre
n. tough; a kind of coral
bookmarkupuhasin
n. sprouts
bookmarkweite
adj. perennial (applied to water); also "etweite", "inweite"
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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