~u2 (i·)u verb, transitive
Tnm~bobo
wipe ‹s.th.› dry or clean
U-u mwa eo!Wipe your mouth!
Abu u-u tebol pon.Could you please wipe that table?
u-1 subject prefix
Lvnku-
Tnmgo-
you: second singular irrealis subject prefix
U-re bavede!Release the sail!
U-wai u-mabui!Paddle slowly!
Nga u-ium’ u-viñ' ene!You should have told me!
contrasts witha- ②2sg Realis
ubuko uᵐbuko noun
Geo
bay
Ubuko urene.The bay is quiet.
ubuko RaboeSaboe Bay, on the southern coast of Banie island
udo uⁿdo noun
Lvnpunga
Tnmuda
POc*pudi
Flora
bananaMusa spp.
li-vo udoplant a banana tree
mouro udo / taña udobanana bundle
bele udoskin of banana fruit
Udo ono pe a-vo ka i-wo.The banana trees which you planted have already borne their fruits.
Udo kata kape ka moso.The bananas are almost ripe.
udo pe i-ako noun
ripe bananask.o. banana, characterised by a sweeter taste
Uña udo pe i-ako, li-lui i-avo ne tone.The ripe bananas had been put to hang from the hook.
udo pe li-vo noun
planted bananask.o. banana
udo vaiene noun
k.o. banana
udo vakaero noun
k.o. banana
Udo, enga tilu: udo vaiene, ka udo vakaero.They had two types of bananas: vaiene, and vakaero.
udo we tadoe noun
Spirits' bananaunidentified plant from the bush, unedible
~udu (i·)uⁿdu verb, intransitive
Lvn~pwo
Tnm~udue
liquiddrip, fall by drops
Tengiro i-udu.Her tears were dripping.
Abo peini ma i-udu.His blood was dripping from his hand.
see~pu ①flow
uie uje noun, relational
Lvnnugia
Tnmlele
1leaf
uie viloa (plant) leaf
ule uie wopine k.o. vine with large leaves
bete peini uie kiemat made of pandanus leaves
2bookpage
uie kwate tamana iunepage thirty one
Piene mijaka ene ponu, ene li-la i-ke ne uie buka ponu.This little story was taken out of [the pages of] this book.
uie baliñoe uje ᵐbaliɲoe noun
Flora
unidentified tree variety, similar to Areca catechu (see buioe), yet unsuitable for human consumption
uie luro ujeluro noun
uie + luro
Things woven with coconut leavesLi-vei ñe uie luro
mawene larger coconut-leaf mat
temabete smaller coconut-leaf mat
temamene k.o. basket
topola round basket
telau food basket
tebekuma round basket for food
tekate round basket for food
teili fan
coconut leaves, used to weave (~vei) a variety of artifacts
Mawene, ini bete peini uie luro.A ‘mawene’ is a mat made of coconut leaves.
seebaulukococonut palm
uie puluko ujepuluko noun
uie ‘leaves’ + puluko ‘betel’
Fish
betel leavesEmperor fishLethrinidae spp.
ukiliro ukiliro adjective
colourful, with bright colours
Viavia ini ukiliro.Its plumage is quite colourful.
uko uko noun
Lvnwauka
Tnmwouka
POc*kutu
Fauna
louse
Et' aidi li-odo uko ñe basa damiliko iadapa.The mothers are looking for lice in their children's hair.
mada uko noun
?? of lousenit
uku1 uku noun, kinship
Lvnepu
1suk' one3suk' iape
affine of different generation (vs. mule)
Kin
1father-in-law (WF, HF), mother-in-law (WM, HM), and their siblings
uk’ one mwalkotemy father-in-law
uk’ one emelemy mother-in-law
Uk' one tilu, kape ne-vete enga da metae.My parents-in-law, I am not allowed to utter their names.
Uk' aidi, li-labu motoro.In-laws are to be respected.
da uk’ iapedyadic paira pair consisting of a parent-in-law and their child-in-law
Kin
2son-in-law (DH), daughter-in-law (SW), and their siblings
Kin
3ego malenephew's wife (ZSW, MBDSW)
~uku2 (i·)uku verb, intransitive
cough
Menu one i-ekili ka i-uku.My baby is shivering and coughing.
ule ule noun
POc*puRebeach creeper, prototypically Ipomoea pes-caprae
gencreeping vine. Hyperonym for a number of creeping plants
seekasule
ule uie wopine noun
Flora
big-leafed uleGoat's Foot vineIpomoea pes-caprae.
📘 Sometimes shortened to ule.
uluko uluko numeral
Lvnuluka
Tnmdongolo
POc*puluq
ten
Ebieve iono tivi? – Uluko tamana teva.How old are you? – Fourteen.
synonymsangaulu
see lexical list attivi
unuo unuo noun
POc*panakosteal
~punuo ‘steal’
thief
Eo unuo iote!You're a thief!
neido unuo[stealing kid] a thief
uña uɲa quantifier
Tnmlali
Grammar
plural article, compatible with all nouns (opp. dapa ⓑ, plural marker for human referents)
uña momoso me damelikowomen and children
moe uña dapa getedouble pluralthe house of youngsters
Uña teliki li-lamini tanoe se dapa.The authorities granted them some ground.
Uña udo pe i-ako, li-lui i-avo ne tone.The ripe bananas had been put to hang from the hook.
I-si buka iote ñe uña iepiene peini kulumoe iakapa.He wrote a book with several stories from our country.
uñebe uɲeᵐbe noun
manflirt, womanizer
Eo uñebe iote!You're quite a flirt!
Neido uñebe, ini mwaliko pe awa i-viane daviñevi tamwase.A womanizer [lit. a womanizer kid], that's a man who likes women too much.
contrasts withteulao(woman) flirt
uo1 uo noun
Lvnupie
Tnmuva
Harvesting yams (li-ae uo).
POc*qupi
Flora
yam, esp. Greater yamDioscorea alata.
li-wowo uoplant yams
li-vai uobake yams
uo moloered yam
Na uo kula kupa ka pi-ae.These are a few yams we just dug out.
seenonePotato yam
uo2 noun
Lvnupie
cairn of stones
Li-iu dapa li-bei dapa ñe voko li-ko nga uo.They would bury them and cover them with stones, [they meant it] like a cairn.
The ancient murder of female babiesNoma li-abu daviñevi li-bu ne uo
Telepakau pe noma, basavono po li-ve dameliko, nga emele kape li-abu dapa. Kape le-loko ne i-te iune ngapon, li-abu dapa li-bei dapa ñe voko, ne uo. Dapa pe li-abu dapa li-bu, kape le-lui dapa le-teli dapa ne tanoe.
According to an ancient practice, when female children were born, they would be killed. People would keep only one daughter; other female babies would be buried under a cairn of stones (uo ②), and left there to die. Those who were killed that way were later buried in the ground.
upa1 upa possessive classifier
Lvnamitore
Tnmamuto
(food+) for me and them: form of the possessive classifier used for food, tools, customary possessions etc. (enaka*), with a 1 exclusive plural possessor (see kupa)
Pi-ka pi-abui ‘tool’ upa pi-ko me p-ajau toñaki iote.We took our tools down (from the ship) so as to build another boat.
see lexical list atenaka
upa2 upa possessive classifier
our (relative): form of the possessive classifier used for kin terms (one*), with a 1 exclusive plurial possessor (see kupa)
ai’ upaour father
see lexical list atone
urene urene
Aadjective
Naut
sea+calm
Revo urene.The sea is calm.
Ubuko urene.The bay is quiet.
Bnoun
calm of the sea
Urene wako.[the calm is fine] The sea is fine.
urene wako interjection
Discourse
the sea's fine‘fine weather today’: a common greeting
uro uro noun
1charcoal, obtained from burnt wood or plants
vese uropiece of charcoal
I-ium’ i-le, i-tau uro i-wene ne basa kuo iape teve tilu pon.magic on a canoeFirst, he will burn some charcoal and rub it onto the two ends of the canoe.
synonymviomoro
poss. classifierenaka
2espcharcoal reduced to powder, for various uses; black soot
U-la uro, u-katei ñe wabula eo.You take charcoal powder, and rub it on your cheeks.
U-la uro u-si tetawene ñei.You can use charcoal powder for tattooing.
seebeniawoashes
see lexical list atiawo
3henceinkpen, pen
Anthropology
4black magic, sorcery
Taluaito i-su uro ape.The sorcerer lit his (magic) charcoal.
Dapa noma li-labu uro abia tamwaliko me li-abu ñe idi.People in the past used to use black magic to kill people.
Gram.When uro means ‘magic’, it takes the enaka classifier, which includes Food, Tools and instruments, as well as “customary” practices.
Magic charcoaluro
Black sorcery involves the handling of ashes or charcoal powder (uro) obtained from special plants or leaves (tongolukilo). The sorcerer (taluaito) rubs the freshly burnt black powder onto his body or face. Sometimes he will swallow a small bit.
uta uta noun, relational
Anatomy
buttocks, arse
uta aele noun, relational
Anatomy
buttocks of footheel
utaugo utauᵑgo noun
Fish
Yellowfin goatfishMulloidichthys vanikolensis.
utedie uteⁿdie noun, relational
Tnm(vas)dele
(?) utele ‘base’ + die ‘bone; spine’
1s.o.spine; back
Li-woi okoro ñe utedie ini.They stuck a knife in his back.
2crustaceancarapace, shell
utedie loubo[backside of crab] crab's shell
seeviñe anueleturtle shell
utele utele noun, relational
Lvnutale
Tnmutela
Anatomy
1s.o.thigh
seewalukohip, side
Flora
2treestump, base; root system ‹of a tree›
Otovo kotekote, utele pine.Spiny sago trees have large bases.
ne utele vewo pine ponuat the base of that big chestnut tree over there
Utele i-vian' eo?proverbialAre you so prosperous? [lit. do roots trip you up? – cf. ~viane▻⑤]
synonymoietrunk, bole
3base ‹of rock+›
I-toe ñe utele temotu tilu pon!He destroyed the two islets. [lit. the base of the islets]
4figstart, beginning
utele burothe beginning of the song
~teli utele [lit. lay base] start s.th.
uvilo uvilo noun
Lvnkatone
Tnmivala
Fauna
ratRattus spp.
Uvilo i-e vilo.Rats eat wood.