An example search has returned 100 entries
ahwai lelcai
v. to plant weeds; to make a wilderness or a waste
bookmarkataka
v.n. sail without making headway
bookmarkauoc
adj. unripe
bookmarkehla
adj. unripe; also "ehlai"
bookmarkehteleceinayi
n. full moon
bookmarkehyiyihi
v. to teaze, as cotton; also "ehyeiyihi"
bookmarkeucenwaig nieg
v. to sharpen the point of a reed like a spear
bookmarkidi
adj. stringy, watery, as taro; also "ede"
bookmarkigca pau
phr. on that side
bookmarkijumgan nijomcan
n. small tree, 1-2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4020)
Example: 1. The name of this plant translates as bad tooth, and relates to its use as a plant used to poison others. If one wants to commit an evil act against another, he or she will rub the leaves together and squeeze them over the targets food. It will make their teeth rotten and fall off quickly. More information witheld.
bookmarkincetceianalañ
incoujahau
n. tree, 6-8 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3218)
Example: 1. Take a handful of leaves, squeeze with the hands into 1/2 liter of water, drink when tired; said to open the "blood nerves" and to purify the blood and make the muscles of the male sexual organ strong. 2a. When a person is planting watermelons in the garden, as the vines grow, split them and perforate the vines with a sharpened stick. This practice is said to ensure that the watermelons will be as prolific as the seeds in Vitex. 2b. If you plant vines in your garden like cucumber, beans, melons, pierce the stem with a small sliver of this branch and it will make the vine have more fruit.
bookmarkinhuterau
n. a rainbow
bookmarkinlepei u inpoded
inlepei u inpoded atamaiñ
inmahe
n. the pandanus leaf
bookmarkinmehtas
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinmerimri
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinmoijeuv ahcil
n. false star
bookmarkinmouwat
inrowodamya
n. shrub to 1. 5 m tall, leaves green with red stripes (collection: Michael J. Balick #4978)
Example: The leaves are used to wrap fish, lap-lap for cooking in the earth oven. Boil the leaves as a medicine for women with excessive menstrual bleeding. Cut 2 leaves and boil in 2 liters of water, cool and drink 1 cup daily for 3 days. This is said to slow the menstrual bleeding. Local name "Amya" means menstruation.
bookmarkinruwu
n. Humphead wrasse
Example: Photo by Anne Hoggett / Lizard Island Research Station, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarkintak apnyin
n. the following day
bookmarkintidin
n. a crop, but not the first ripe
bookmarkintiklan cai
n. tops of branches
bookmarkintinan tal
n. a plantation of taro
bookmarkitac a nelgo waj
kava
n. a plant from which an intoxicating drink is prepared
bookmarkmasoa
n. arrowroot
bookmark
nairek
nalgaj
namarere
n. kind of sugarcane
bookmarknameleahpu
n. kind of breadfruit
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.
bookmarknapayu
n. kind of tree
bookmarknapun nitai caig
n. the skin or rind of food
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.
bookmarknatuh
n. a sweet-smelling plant
bookmarknaupiñiña
n. terrestrial fern, growing in secondary forest along the river. Leaves c. 2. 25 m long. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3656)
Example: Put several leaves of this species together to wrap food, especially the fresh water eel, and to carry plants of taro, kava, holding the leaves over one’s shoulder to carry these crops.
bookmarknauras
n. kind of tree
bookmarknecemas
n. terrestrial plant, growing in dry forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3509)
Example: This is a "message plant" that signifies that there has been a death. The person holds it or puts it on their head, goes to another person’s house and hands it to the person they wish to convey the message to, without saying anything and that person knows that someone has died. It can also be handed to that person. The person receiving the message then asks "who" and is told the deceased person’s name.
bookmarknehgan
n. a stock; a bunch, as of fruit; also "negan" or "nigan"
bookmarknehlan
n. a shrub, a plant, a sucker
bookmarkneiang
nejeg
n. tree, growing in forest at edge of wide tidal stream (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3535)
Example: 1. The wood is strong and good to make house posts. People use these for this purpose on the coast as salt water does not bother this wood. 2. People eat fruit, split fruit in half, carefully scrape the inner part into a pot of water, keep over night – next day rinse, fry or cook with coconut milk and can add tinned tuna for example, very hard work.
bookmarknekro
nekrolas
nepñatimi
n. epiphyte on syzygium tree, growing in secondary forest along trail above river. old fruits. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3660)
Example: Put several leaves of this species together to wrap food, especially the fresh water eel, and to carry plants of taro, kava, holding the leaves over one’s shoulder to carry these crops.
bookmarknethedwoleg
n. shrub, 1. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3557)
Example: For treatment of a stomach ache, or if your stomach "complains", take very young stems, break off the leaves and chew the stems and swallow the juice. Use a 3-5 cm pieces of stems, chew, and then it clears your intestines and will make you go to the toilet.
bookmarkniducei
n. tree to 4 m, dbh 6 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4992)
Example: The stems of this plant are good for making temporary houses in the bush. When used as firewood, the stems are said to "hold the fire," meaning they burn a long time, even all night so in the morning the fire can be restarted by adding kindling. This wood is said to be good when a person has no matches, as the fire can be restarted easily. Young leaves of this species can be wrapped around ground coconut and eaten raw. The young leaves can also be boiled in water for 15 minutes, coconut milk added, and eaten with tubers such as cassava. The young leaves can be wrapped around beef or pork, tied with a string from Pandanus and cooked in the earth oven.
bookmarknigie
n. shrub, 1. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3537)
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.
bookmarknijom arahed
ninja
nipjinamesei
n. Honeycomb grouper
Example: Photo by Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknirom̃gei
nohos anhas
n. the Futuna banana
bookmarknoporo pora
nosocrei
n. kind of plant, grass, or fern
bookmark
nowanu
n. Longfin African conger, moustache conger
Example: Photo by Patrick Randall, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknowat apen
n. Striated surgeonfish
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknugep
[nugep] n. Mackinlay’s cuckoo dove
Example: Photo by David Cook Wildlife Photography / Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
bookmarknwujvaeñ
n. vine climbing up ficus wassa, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4016)
Example: 1. The vine is use to lash roof rafters to house posts. The vine is collected from the forest and coiled ina figure 8 pattern. It is then heated over a fire before fastening the rafter to the post. 1 minute of heat is sufficient, before one immediately uses the vine.
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
bookmarkreseiheto
n. a second growth, as grass that springs up after being burned
bookmarktatalaha
n. kind of taro
bookmarkubutpotet
adj. adjacent
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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