An example search has returned 100 entries
daute
n. kind of banana
bookmarkedaledal
v.a. to spread abroad; to go everywhere
bookmarkelumai
n. cloth (related to nelmai)
bookmarkelwa nieg
v.n. to blossom as reeds
bookmarkevehel
n. light winds
bookmarkheto
v. to grow again, as hair, feathers, plants; to come out, as teeth
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incacas
n. herb to 0. 75 m tall, flowers white (collection: Michael J. Balick #4953)
Example: The young leaves are edible; these should be collected, boiled for ca. 8 minutes and eaten with other foods such as cassava. This is one of the local leaves that is said to taste quite good when cooked and mixed with other foods. Both the ripe (red) and unripe (green) fruits are added to soup and other foods as a spice or eaten fresh. The fruit of this cultivar is very hot. The fruit is also fed to chickens who seem to love to eat it.
bookmarkincai upunupun
n. bramble
bookmarkincat tal
n. basket of taro
bookmarkinceimu
n. tree, 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3464)
Example: This is a sacred plant. The wood is used for rafters in house building. To plant taro, take an 8 cm diameter stick, sharpen it and use to make holes for planting. The stick is as long as needed for a person to stand while making the hole.
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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
bookmarkinhos i mijan
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarkinhutlavlav
n. a bamboo flute
bookmarkinloptiri
n. shrub. Found in the village Unames. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #32)
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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inmerimri
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinrigen natmas
n. kind of banana
bookmarkintijgejei
n. Whitespotted surgeonfish
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkintisiaicai
n. kind of flower or flowers (see def. for "elwa")
bookmarkinwai
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarkinwaimeteuc
n. sweet potato
bookmarkinyecelcoli
n. vine to 1 m, flowers purple. (kudzu plant). (collection: Michael J. Balick #4920)
Example: Roast the tuber of this vine on an open fire for 20-40 minutes, peel off the skin and eat like cassava or taro. Chew it and drink the "juice" while spitting out the fiber. It grows wild, season of harvesting is in May. Very tasty food for people, considered "numba wan" food for this island.
bookmarkitounga
kateupen
n. kind of taro
bookmarklopot lopot
n. Oriental sweetlips
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkna elmai
n. cloth (related to nelmai)
bookmarknahojcei
nahojcei
n. scrambling vine, growing in coastal strand vegetation. Flowers purple. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3436)
bookmarknalad iran
n. seed of a fig
bookmarknalvi pece
n. isle, island
bookmarknamaka
n. herb to 1 m,flowers yellow. (collection: Michael J. Balick #4893)
Example: To make rope, cut the stems, tie together in a bundle and place in the sea. Cover the bundle with rocks for about a week, then take it out, wash it, dry in the sun until the fibers bleach white and use to make grass skirts. This is the process of retting. When the cyclone season is finished, the plant has flowers and fruits--in May through July--this means no danger of cyclones.
bookmarknamehe
n. kind of taro
bookmarknamlau
namrop̃om
n. tree, 7-8 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3582)
Example: Firewood, timber good for bush houses. Calendar plant – when it is in flower, the old people know it is time to harvest root crops, like yam and other vine crops, in the wild, as yet unspecified. Local names = INYAC, NOMODEJ TAL, NOMODEJ WOU, NOU LELCEI… etc.
bookmarknanad cop̃ou
n. small shrub, 0. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3219)
Example: 1. A stimulant plant. If a person is going to their garden early in the morning before the sun come up, break 2 top young leaves and chew and swallow the liquid, spitting out the fiber. This makes the person able to work harder and not feel tired while in the fields. It was noted that "a person can do the work of many people if they chew this." 2. The leaves are used for fertilizer for taro--put a bunch of leaves in a hole were taro is to be planted as a compost/antibiotic. This practice is said to kill all of the bad organisms such as bacttively impact the health of the taro plant. 3. This species is collected in the coastal areas, and is different from the one that looks similar to it, that grows in the forested areas. People take 4 leaves, chew leaves, swallow juice, gives energy to work hard the entire day. For fishing, take lots of ripe fruits and put in pocket, you will be able to catch a lot of fish. It brings good fortune when fishing. Roots – take one root, wash where a woman is giving birth to a newborn baby, give a drop of the juice from the root to clear the mucus in the throat.
bookmarknanec
n. tree, 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3633)
Example: To cook Alocasia (wild taro), use the dry wood of this plant as firewood. The leaves of this plant are also used to line the earth oven on top of the food and on bottom of the food to insulate it from the high heat of cooking.
bookmarknapat
n. a cloud, blackness, darkness
bookmarknapau emilmat
n. kind of taro
bookmarknapisinijvaig
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknapoijec
n. kind of tree
bookmarknara
n. kind of tree
bookmarknariko
n. shrub to 3 m, flowers yellow with red outer coverings (appearing red when closed) (collection: Michael J. Balick #4957)
Example: This plant is used to fertilize fields, especially by growing it in fields that have been used for other crops for a very long time. The seeds can be cooked when dry and hard, boiled in water, or eaten directly without preparation when green and soft.
bookmarknarutu arari
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknathut u nadiat
n. dawn of day
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natji
nausakrai
n. thorn
bookmarknauwau
n. a bulrush; a flag
bookmarknawa
n. shrub. Village pathways. ornamental. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #7)
Example: 1. Heat the leaves then place on the sore muscle. 2. Edible plant, cook young leaves until soft and then can eat, as a vegetable or soup, with any food. 3. Same use as AAM 3 to heat and put on body to heal pain. 4. On a reef when it is time to protect the reef to conserve it and bring more fish, you take this plant and put it in the hole in the reef – cut stem and put it in reef in several parts. People will know it is under protection and respect it.
bookmarknedeij
n. a small gray berry used as beads
bookmarknelm̃ae
n. small tree. Found in the village, but not cultivated. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #17)
Example: 1. Ancestors used this plant to make fish line – cut young branches, remove outer bark and tie together, put in salt water or fresh water for a week, it is now strong, dry in sun, take fibers and twist them together to make a very long fishing line. 2. Leaves are used to feed pigs. 3. Take inner bark, scrape it and put on boils. Attach with any leaf and it takes out the boil. 4. Trunk for temporary bush house.
bookmarknelnjen natimi
nepcev
n. shark
bookmarknepig upni
nese
n. herb to 4 m tall, male flowers white (collection: Michael J. Balick #4977)
Example: The fruits are edible and eaten when ripe. To soften beef or octopus, or other meat that is tough, chop green fruit and put in a bowl with meat/fish and then add some water. Allow to sit for 30 minutes or if the food needs to be softer, then leave it in longer. The leaves are used to feed lobsters that are being kept in cages underwater, following their harvest. The leaves are used to cover stones on the earth oven. To treat a person with Ciguatera illness, wash many very gren fruits of papaya, the smallest ones that form at the top, and eat these to help relieve symptoms.
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nethopdecraeñ
netit tidai
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmarkneyaiñ
nidei
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknidi cai
n. frankincense
bookmarknilyat
n. the name of a tree, the leaves of which blister
bookmarknom̃o
nuarin abras
n. cliff
bookmarknumnava
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknumu yehec
nupyihet
n. new moon
bookmarknuwuneto
pospos
n. a small red berry used as beads
bookmarksimi
adv. down here; also "sime"
bookmarkwamhau
n. kind of taro
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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