An example search has returned 100 entries
ahwai lelcai
v. to plant weeds; to make a wilderness or a waste
bookmarkaraho
n. made of branches
bookmarkelwa nieg
v.n. to blossom as reeds
bookmarkimraig
n. tomorrow
bookmarkinceslum
n. vegetables; herbs, as taro, bananas; every vegetable planted for food
bookmarkincet edwa
incet tal
n. a basket of taro
bookmarkincetcai
n. a bundle of wood for fire
bookmarkinciñyiñpa
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.
bookmarkinhakli kwori
inlepei u inpoded
inlop̃ot
inmaefata
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinmejcop
inmerimri
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarkinmunuka
n. thunder
bookmarkinpa
n. shrub. Growing in the village. Cultivated. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #26)
Example: 1a. To stay healthy while pregnant - grate 1 coconut with nekei leaves, about a handfull (8). And 8 inpa leaves and 8 niditau leaves. Pound all of this together and squeeze juice out and bath in this then jump into a clear river to wash it off. 1b. Handful of leaves mashed with grated coconut and put in a shell, heat stones and put in shell, then take hot liquid to rub on body of woman who have just delivered to make their bodies healthy again, back to normal – when they deliver they are in huts, then wash with this and then come out of the huts and rejoin family. 2. Symbolic plant for peace (name means peace). 3. Message plant – put small tips of leaves in hair or make hat out of it and people know you come in peace. 4. When giving a gift, put this leaf on the gift, as in a basket – people wear them they are happy and peaceful – it is symbolic of Aneityumese people – so even when the people leave the island they will grow this plant. 5. People bathe with this leaf, mixed with grated coconut and cover body and hair to smell good and be strong. 6. Mosquito repellant, build fire, put green leaves on top, smoke and aroma chases mosquito away. 7. Take top of leaf with 3 young leaves and put in hair as there is the belief that this plant symbolizes the trinity. So it protects people. If a person from the island goes elsewhere and is faced with black magic they bathe with a handful of leaves, boil them and bathe with the liquid to remove the spell. 8. Decorate people with this leaf day feasts, weddings, and other events – very sacred.
bookmarkinteri amu
n. kind of taro
bookmarkintisiancai
n. blossom (open)
bookmarkintop̃asiej
n. herb. Grows on the coast. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #18)
Example: 1. For painful urination - The first way to prepare this it to take four big leaves and pound them with some water to get out the juices and squeeze this into a cup and drink. This can also be given to babies and children. The second way is to take two small leaf tops and two that are slightly larger tops. Chew these leaves and try to swallow all of it, if you can’t swallow the leaves then spit out the fibers and only drink the juice. 2. Calendar plant – when it flowers, turtle has fat in them, hang turtle to dry, fat melts, and can collect and eat it. Past practice – not eaten now. 3. Young parts of leaves can be cooked as a cabbage with coconut milk. 4. Wrap fish, especially those from the sea, with this leaf – first take lap lap leaf, then layer with this leaf, then wrap fish tie with pandanus for cooking on charcoals. Also with reef fish can wrap and cook directly on charcoal. Then eat leaf with the fish. 5. Medicine – top unrolled leaf tips, – new baby put this in his mouth and then take it out again – believe that it will make the baby talkative – 1x only when 1-2 days old. Put tip on tongue – shut mouth for a few seconds then pull it out. 6. Tips of leaves for diarrhea – remove old leaves, take 1 tip for baby, adults 2-3 tips, chew it, swallow juice and spit out fiber. 1x day, 3 days.
bookmarkinwai meteuc
n. the sweet potato
bookmarkinyebec
n. Bluespine unicornfish
Example: Photo by Ross D. Robertson / Shorefishes of the Neotropics, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarklawog
lelohos
n. a garden of bananas
bookmarkmafure mafutoga
n. an astronomy term; no definition given
bookmarknaerumãn
naha
n. Crinum asiaticum L.
Example: subterranean part used as mouthwash for toothache (Crinum asiaticum)
bookmarknaijema
n. flax
bookmarknakautefa
n. kind of 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.
bookmarknalad iran
n. seed of a fig
bookmarknalak u nije
nameleahpu
n. kind of breadfruit
bookmarknapapotan
napdaj
napuleman
n. kind of banana
bookmarkneaig cap
n. a red coconut
bookmark
nedeij
n. a small gray berry used as beads
bookmarknedjap
n. kind of tree
bookmarknekrei
n. Sailfin tang
Example: Photo by Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org, License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 via Fishes of Australia
bookmarknelaijo
n. wind-related term; no definition provided
bookmarknelm̃ai apeñ
n. tree 6 m tall, dbh 15 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4864)
Example: Fiber: Collect the stems of this plant, peel off the outer bark, soak (ret) in seawater for 1 week, then put stone on top of it-the fibers are loosened by the retting, peel them off and hang in the sun to dry and bleach. Weave small baskets, grass skirts and other things from this fiber. When sticks are placed in areas of the sea, shells are attracted to these sticks and people can collect the shells used for adornment--the animals in the shells like to eat the material on the sticks. Dried fruits of this plant are eaten by birds.
bookmarknelnjen
nepek cat
netcetas
n. well branched tree, 15 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4084)
Example: 1. The name means "explosion". Further information about the plant withheld.
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.
bookmarknighincai
n. the stump of a tree
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.
bookmarknijom̃kan
n. shrub, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3491)
Example: Name means smash tooth. 1. This is part of an unspecified mixture that can be used as a spell to give another person a toothache. 2. Toothache – chew leaves on the sore tooth and leave it there for a while and spit it out – it will break the tooth and you can take it out, leave on 20 minutes.
bookmarknipji nomu
nipjinecei vanteigin
niri atga
nisasin
n. ray of light in the morning
bookmarknisbähäin
n. Dracaena angustifolia
Example: Leaf: cold maceration, emetic, taken internally against ciguatera poison
bookmarknisjau
n. kind of tree
bookmarkniyeg
n. grass to 1. 5-2. 0 m tall, inflorescence white. Red clay soil (collection: Michael J. Balick #4885)
Example: Cut this grass in the morning, let dry for 2 days, and then use to weave the roof of a house. This is thicker and heavier than a coconut leaf. Also, use for cyclone house. (see photos of house) When indicating something is Tabu, tie the leaf and put it in an object like ripe bananas and people know it is Tabu and will not take it away.
bookmarknohwan nefara
n. kind of taro
bookmarknokoko
n. large well branched tree, 18-20 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3216)
Example: 1. The trunk of this plant is used to make canoes. 2. It is also a good timber for the inside part of houses. 3. Mix the sap from the stem with other unspecified leaves and rub them into dreadlocks. 4. To attract shells in the sea, scrape a branch and drop in the sea where shells are attracted to the branches and they can be collected for sale to the Island’s visitors. 5. Seeds are used to make beautiful black necklaces. Said to be a lot of work as it is difficult to remove the seed. Rub with sandpaper or soak in water and then make the hole in the seed. 6. Fruit is a children’s toy – used as a whistle to make a nice sound.
bookmarknucje
n. the Norfolk Island pine
bookmarknuhlinevai
n. kind of banana
bookmarknupyihet
n. new moon
bookmarkrohalrohal
adj. rough, applied to sugarcane-leaf thatch
bookmarkubos
adv. by land; on land
bookmarkupuhasin
n. sprouts
bookmarkwaleh
n. a sweet potato
bookmarkwud yi encreucaig
v.a. beat so as to shake a tree
bookmarkyetse
v.n. to go down
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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