G - g

gaba n. a crudely constructed narrow wooden bed without a mattress, usually found outside the house under the roof.
gado n. God, god, deity.
ala gado dei idiom. every single day (emphatic). Ala gado dei te mi kmopo na wroko, den pikin e gi mi ede-ati! Every single day when I come home from work, my children give me a headache!
Masra Gado n. God, the Lord God.
Gadobuku n. Bible. syn: Gadowortu.
gadodede n. spiderwort, dayflower. Commelina nudiflora (Commelinaceae).
gadofowru n. house wren. Troglodytes aedon (Troglodytidae). Also known as gadotyo or tyotyofowru.
Gadokondre n. heaven.
gadomarki n. mole, birthmark.
gadosneki n. boa constrictor. Boa constrictor (Boidae). Also known as daguwesneki or papasneki.
gadotyo n. house wren. Troglodytes aedon (Troglodytidae). Also known as gadofowru or tyotyofowru.
Gadowortu n. Bible, Holy Scriptures.
gagu v. stutter. Di skowtu aksi a boi pe a feni a moni, a bigin gagu. A no ben sabi san fu taki. When the policeman asked the boy where he got the money, he began to stutter. He did not know what to say.
gangan n. granny.
gansi n. general term for various species of geese. (Anatidae).
garden n. curtain. See: yarsin.
gari1 ad. done, cooked. Saka a faya ondro a patu, meki a aleisi gari. Turn down the fire under the pot; let the rice cook until it’s done. ant: lala. See: klari. From: NL. Etym: gaar .
gari2 1) n. jaundice. Yu no mu nyan someni grun manya; yu o kisi gari. You shouldn’t eat so many green mangoes; you’ll get jaundice.
2) n. bile, the product of the gallbladder.
kari ... gari idiom. prepare oneself for a confrontation.
gaw ad. quickly. Mi si mi pikin brada go gaw na wenkri, ma a no kon baka ete. I saw my little brother go quickly to the store, but he hasn’t come back yet. syn: es'esi. See: wantewante.
gawgaw ad. very quickly. syn: es'esi.
Gayana n. Guyana.
Gayanaman n. someone from Guyana.
gebore v. be born. Mi a no wan dorosei sma. Na dya mi gebore. I am not a foreigner. I was born here.
gengen See main entry: dyendyen. n. bell.
ger' bana a plantain whose peel has turned yellow but the flesh inside is still firm. See main entry: ger' bana.
geri adj. yellow. gen: kloru1.
geri-ede tingifowru 1) n. greater yellow-headed vulture. Cathartes melambrotus (Cathardidae). Also referred to simply as tingifowru when no attempt is being made to distinguish it from other kinds of vultures. See: tingifowru. Spelling variation: ger'ede tingifowru
2) n. lesser yellow-headed vulture. Cathartes burrovianus (Cathardidae). Also referred to simply as tingifowru when no attempt is being made to distinguish it from other kinds of vultures. See: tingifowru. Spelling variation: ger'ede tingifowru
gerikopro n. brass, bronze.
gerikorsu n. yellow fever.
gerimarkusa n. a kind of passion fruit that is grown commercially; the pulp of the round, yellow fruit is cooked with sugar to make juice. Passiflora edulis (Passifloraceae). See: markusa.
geripesi n. yellow peas. See: pesi.
gersi 1) vt. resemble; seems. A meisje gersi en mama. The girl resembles her mother. See: agersitori.
2) vi. fantasize, brag, boast. A: Mi kan opo 180 kilo. B: Man, i gersi! A: I can lift 180 kilo’s. B: No way, man!
gesontu ad. healthy, well. Fu meki yu skin tan gesontu, yu mu nyan furu froktu. To stay healthy you should eat a lot of fruit. A ekonomia fu a kondre kon gesontu baka. The economy of the country has become healthy again. ant: siki. Variant: kusontu. From: NL. Etym: gezond . Spelling variation: gosontu
gi1 1) vt. give. Gi mi wan golu. Give me a guilder.
2) v. produce. A bon disi no e gi bun nyanyan. This tree does not produce good fruit.
gi2 prep. for, to, on, on behalf of. Go bai wan brede gi mi. Go buy some bread for me. Usage: benefactive preposition.
gi ... abra hand over, surrender. See main entry: gi ... abra.
gi ... pardon forgive. See main entry: gi ... pardon.
gi ... prisiri please, give pleasure. See main entry: gi ... prisiri.
gi ... tori 1) tell stories.
2) speak in such a manner that the other must keep quiet, silence a person, put someone in his place. See main entry: gi ... tori.
gi bere impregnate. See main entry: gi bere.
gi bigi nen praise, honor. See main entry: gi grani.
gi dyaranti guarantee. See main entry: gi dyaranti.
gi ensrefi abra surrender oneself, give up. See main entry: gi ensrefi abra.
gi faya give off light. See main entry: gi faya.
gi frantwortu account for, be responsible to. See main entry: gi frantwortu.
gi grani praise, honor. See main entry: gi grani.
gi granman-oso expression used to say that you do not know the answer to a riddle. See main entry: gi granman-oso.
gi keti wind up (a clock). See main entry: gi keti.
gi mankeri injure. See main entry: gi mankeri.
gi odi greet, say hello to. See main entry: taki ... odi.
gi pasi give consent or permission. See main entry: gi pasi.
gi rai advise, give advice. See main entry: gi rai.
gi spoiti give an injection. See main entry: naki spoiti.
gi tongo cry loudly. See main entry: gi tongo.
gi wan anu lend a hand. See main entry: yepi wan anu.
gi yesi answer. syn: yere1.
gitara n. guitar.
go vi. go. Den pikin e go na skoro. The children go to school.
go baka vi. return, go back. ant: kon baka. See: gwe.
go na baka regress, decline. See main entry: go na baka.
go na doro go out. See main entry: go na doro.
go na fesi improve, advance, progress, get better, do well. See main entry: go na fesi.
go na loktu blow up about something. See main entry: go na loktu.
go na strati go out. See main entry: go na strati.
go na waka take a trip, go on a journey. See main entry: go na waka.
go nanga baka See main entry: go na baka. idiom. advance, progress, get better, do well.
go sribi go to bed. See main entry: go sribi.
go teki pick up. See main entry: go teki.
godo1 n. wasp nest or bee hive. Variant: waswas'godo.
godo2 n. hollowed out calabash. (it is used by fishermen to keep their bait).
gogo n. buttocks. syn: bakasei. Morph: redup.
gogobonyo n. tailbone.
gogo-olo n. arse. Usage: considered coarse language; the Dutch word "bille" is considered less offensive. syn: kaka-olo.
golu n. guilder. See table under: moni. Variant: kolu.
goma 1) n. starch, starch water (in either powder or liquid form). Boi, lon go bai wan paki goma gi mi na sneisi. Boy, run to the store and buy a pack of starch for me. Te mi m'ma kba wasi den krosi moi dan a e poti den ini a beki nanga goma. When my mother is finished washing the clothes, then she puts them in the basin with starch water. it used to be made from bitter cassave. See: stesre.
2) v. starch. Mi no lobi te mi m'ma goma mi krosi. I don’t like it when my mother starches my clothes. syn: stesre.
gomakuku n. cookies made from the starch (goma) derived from bitter cassava. Because making starch from bitter cassava is so much work, people now usually use packaged corn starch instead. These cookies are called maizenakuku after the brand name of the corn starch (Maizena).
gomawiwiri n. a kind of green leafy vegetable.
gon n. fire-arm, rifle, pistol, gun. Di a ontiman si a tigri, a lon teki en gon, dan a sutu a tigri kiri. When the hunter saw the jaguar, he ran for his gun and shot the jaguar dead. spec: dagadaga; ontigon; tumofo gon. From: Eng. Etym: gun .
gonini n. harpy eagle. Harpia harpya (Accipitridae).
gorogoro n. gullet, throat. syn: neki-olo. Morph: redup.
gosontu See main entry: gesontu. ad. healthy, well.
gotro n. gutter, drainage ditch. Te a alen kon hebi, dan ala den gotro e furu When it rains hard, all the drainage ditches fill up.
gotromotyo n. pied water-tyrant (a small black and white bird). Fluvicola pica (Tyrannidae). Also known as katunfowru.
gowe See main entry: gwe. interj. Go away!
gowt'man See main entry: gowtuman. n.
gowtu 1) n. gold.
2) ad. golden, made of gold.
wroko gowtu v. mine gold. Furu Brasyonman kon dya fu wroko gowtu. A lot of Brazilians have come here to mine gold.
gowtuman n. gold digger. Spelling variation: gowt'man
gowtuman mofo n. a kind of vitamin deficiency that causes the corners of the mouth to become white and cracked. Ala dei yu e bori sowt'fisi. Dalek yu o kisi gowtuman mofo. Every day you cook salt fish. Soon you’ll get gowt’man mofo.
gowtumoni n. gold coin. Spelling variation: gowt'moni
gowtusani n. gold jewelry.
gowtusmeti n. goldsmith. Spelling variation: gowt'smeti
grabu 1) vt. grab, grasp, grip, rob. Sanede yu e grabu a sani fu mi anu? Why do you grab the thing from my hand like that? syn: kisi2.
2) vt. understand. Mi grabu a tori san a man ben ferteri. I understood the story that the man told. syn: ferstan.
gran1 n. gram. A Dyuka boi kon seri tin gran gowtu na foto. The boy from the interior came and sold ten grams of gold in the city. See: kilo; pontu.
gran-2 prefix. In nouns where gran- is the first element, it indicates that this one is the greatest or most important one. e.g. granman 'paramount chief', grankrutu 'supreme court', grankownu 'emperor'. Usage: grani sma refers to 'old people' whereas gransma refers to 'important people'.
granaki-apra n. pomegranate.
granakibon n. pomegranate tree. Punica granatum (Punicaceae).
granbun n. holy communion. Usage: (Only used in the Moravian Church. It is not known outside that group.).
grandomri n. high priest, chief priest.
gran-edeman n. chief above all others.
grangran n. dry bushes; pile of dry branches and bushes, brush pile. A dagu lon a alata gwe ondro a grangran. The dog chased the rat under the pile of brush.
grani 1) ad. old, elderly.
2) n. honor. Na wan bigi grani efu den kari yu fu kon na granman-oso. It is a great honor to be summoned to the presidential palace.
gi grani idiom. praise, honor. I mu gi grani na Gado. You must honor God. syn: gi bigi nen.
granisma n. old person.
grankownu n. emperor.
granmama n. grandmother. See table under: famiriman. Spelling variation: granm'ma
granman 1) n. tribal leader of bush negroes.
2) n. governor. Usage: during colonial days the governor was chosen by the crown as its official representative in Suriname.
granman-kapasi n. giant armadillo. Priodontes giganteus (Dasypodidae). See: kapasi.
granman-oso n. name given to the governor’s mansion during colonial days, now referred to as the presidential palace.
gi granman-oso idiom. expression used to say that you do not know the answer to a riddle. Yu e gi granman-oso? Do you give up?
granmanpren n. open square in front of the palace; now it is called the onafhankelijkheidsplein. Usage: the palace used to be called granman-oso, and so the square was called granmanpren.
granman-tingifowru n. king vulture. Sarcoramphus papa (Cathartidae). Also referred to simply as tingifowru when no attempt is being made to distinguish it from other kinds of vultures. See: tingifowru.
granm'ma See main entry: granmama. n. grandmother.
granpapa 1) n. grandfather. See table under: famiriman. Spelling variation: granp'pa
2) n. old man.
granpikin n. grandchild. See table under: famiriman.
granp'pa See main entry: granpapa. n. grandfather.
grantangi n. many thanks, thank you very much. Grantangi gi ala sma san kon na mi friyari esde. Many thanks to everyone who came to my birthday yesterday.
grasbarki n. dragonfly. (O. Odonata).
gras'grasi See main entry: grasigrasi. 1) ad. grassy, overgrown.
2) n. tall grass.
grasi1 1) n. glass (window), shards of glass. Wan lo grasi ben de na gron. There was alot of (broken) glass on the ground.
2) n. drinking glass (made of glass). See: kan2; krabasi.
grasi2 n. grass. spec: gadodede; paragrasi; langagrasi; babun-nefi2; buskutugrasi; mangrasi.
grasigrasi 1) ad. grassy, overgrown. A prasi gras'grasi. The yard is overgrown. Morph: redup. See: busbusi. Variant: gras'grasi.
2) n. tall grass. Mi no lobi waka ini grasigrasi, bika sneki de dape. I don’t like walking in tall grass because there are snakes there. Variant: gras'grasi.
grat'fisi n. any of various kinds of fish without scales, catfish. (Ariidae, Pimelodidae).
grat'grati v. iron or smooth out something quickly (not carefully). Grat'grati a yapon, bika un no abi furu ten moro. Just iron the dress quickly because we do not have much time anymore.
grat'hari ad. straight to the point. Mi no draidrai, ma mi taigi en grat'hari san mi denki fu a tori. I did not hesitate, but told him straight to the point what I thought of the matter.
grati 1) ad. smooth, level. A gron grati leki wan spikri. The floor is as smooth as a mirror. ant: grofu. From: NL. Etym: glad .
2) vi. slip. A stupu nati. Luku bun tak' yu no grati. The stoop is wet. Be careful that you don’t slip!
grati fadon vi. slip and fall. Suma trowe a bakba buba dya! A meki mi grati fadon. Who threw the banana peel here! It made me slip and fall.
3) vt. smooth (with the hands). A teki a papira, a grati en, dan a leisi san skrifi na en tapu. He took the paper, smoothed it out, then he read what was written on it.
4) vt. iron. Grati a empi gi mi. Iron the shirt for me. syn: triki2.
5) vi. go away, leave. A bun. M'o grati. Moro lati. Okay. I’m going. See you later. Usage: street slang.
grati wiwiri straight hair. See main entry: grati wiwiri.
grebi n. grave. See: berpe.
grebimofo n. mouth of the grave. Den waka kon te na grebimofo fu trowe den bromki tapu a dedekisi. They walked up to the mouth of the grave to toss the flowers on the casket. Ferdi ben siki tranga, ma Gado puru en na grebimofo. Ferdi was deathly sick, but God saved him from the mouth of the grave (i.e. rescued him from the jaws of death). Usage: it can be used figuratively to refer to being at the point of death.
grebi-olo n. open grave.
grebiston n. gravestone.
greni 1) n. a metal sliding bolt for locking a door or window.
2) v. bolt (a door or window). Greni a doro fu a no wai opo. Bolt the door so that it does not blow open.
gridi 1) ad. greedy. A sneisi tapu uku gridi. Ala san a e seri moro diri. The Chinese storekeeper on the corner is greedy. He sells everything more expensive.
2) adj. stingy, miserly. A man disi abi moni ma a gridi tumsi fu yepi en eigi m'ma. This man has money but he is too stingy to help his own mother. See: bowtu4; kundu3.
3) adj. describes someone who gobbles his food down. No nyan leki Ba Gridi! Don’t eat like Mr. Greedy! (like a greedy pig) From: Eng. Etym: greedy .
gridifasi 1) n. greed, covetousness.
2) n. stinginess.
gridiman n. greedy person, miser, glutton.
grikibi 1) n. great kiskadee (well-known and easily identified by its call). Pitangus sulphuratus (Tyrannidae).
2) n. other bird species that closely resemble the great kiskadee, including the tropical kingbird, called kronto grikibi, the boat-billed flycatcher, called bigimofo grikibi and the rusty-margined flycatcher, called marechaussee grikibi.
grit'bana supu soup made with grated plantain. See main entry: grit'bana supu.
gritgriti n. grater. Morph: redup.
griti 1) vt. grate. Griti a kronto gi mi. Grate the coconut for me.
2) vt. scrape, scour, scrub. Griti a patu krin. Scour the pot clean. Den boi mus griti den skin bun te den e wasi, bika den prei heri dei ini a santi. The boys need to scrub their bodies good when they bathe, because they played all day in the dirt.
gro v. grow.
grofu 1) ad. impolite, coarse (mannered), uncouth. A pikin disi grofu; a no abi maniri. This girl is impolite; she has no manners. From: NL. Etym: grof .
2) ad. rough, coarse. Mi no man sidon tapu a ston; a grofu. I can’t sit on the stone because it is rough. ant: grati.
3) ad. big. Mi o bai den apresina, bika den grofu moi. I’ll buy the oranges because they are nice and big. ant: pikin1.
grometi n. a growth of scar tissue.
gron 1) n. ground, field. A prani a siri ini a gron. He planted the seed in the ground. See: pranasi; dyari; doti1; prasi1. From: Eng. Etym: ground .
pisi gron n. parcel of land. Te yu wani wan pisi gron, yu mus go na Domeinkantoor. When you want to buy a piece of land, you must go to the land office.
2) n. ground, floor. Te yu de na prasi nanga a pikin, i no mus meki a sidon tapu a gron. When you’re in the yard with the child, don’t let her sit on the ground. Dweiri a gron bika a doti. Mop the floor because it is dirty.
3) n. downstairs. Wi e sribi soso na sodro, den kamra na gron na fu wi fisiti. We sleep upstairs; the rooms downstairs are for our guests. ant: sodro.
4) n. the cause or background of something. Yu no sa man koti a trobi disi efu yu no sabi a gron fu en. You won’t be able to solve this quarrel if you don’t know its cause. syn: rutu.
gronmama n. earth goddess.
gronman n. farmer. See: buru.
gron-nyanyan n. ground provisions, including plantains and edible tubers. Her'heri na wan switi nyanyan san yu e meki fu gron-nyanyan. Her’heri is a delicious dish that you make from ground provisions. spec: bana; napi; kasaba; swit'patata. Spelling variation: gron-nyan
grontapu 1) n. world, earth (planet). Sranan na wan fu den moro pikin kondre fu a heri grontapu. Surinam is one of the smallest countries in the whole world.
2) ad. extremely, exceedingly, very. Di mi weri a nyun yapon go na kerki, den taigi mi dat a moi grontapu. When I wore my new dress to church, they said that it was very pretty. syn: kfalek. See: srefsrefi.
gropesi n. bean sprouts.
groskin 1) n. goose bumps, creeps. A kino san mi go luku, a e gi groskin. The movie I went to see gives you goose bumps.
2) v. shudder, get goose bumps, give goose bumps. Mi skin gro di mi si a brudu. I got goose bumps when I saw the blood. A sani san yu e du dape, a e gro mi skin. What you are doing there gives me goose bumps.
groto 1) n. barley.
2) n. groats, barley already hulled and ready to cook.
grubagruba adj. too impatient to handle details, hurried. Henri no man du fin'fini wroko. A grubagruba tumsi. Henry is not able to do detail work. He is too impatient. Morph: redup.
gruma vt. scrub using a washboard. I mu gruma den krosi bun meki den kon krin. You need to scrub the clothes well to get them clean. Variant: grumagruma.
grumagruma 1) n. scrub board, washboard. Tide mi wasi krosi nanga a grumagruma. Today I washed clothes on a scrub board. syn: was'uma. Morph: redup.
2) vt. scrub on a washboard. Variant: gruma.
grun adj. green. gen: kloru1.
grun bana an unripe plantain. See main entry: grun bana.
grunpesi n. green peas. See: pesi.
gruntu n. vegetables, especially green leafy ones. spec: bitawiwiri; gomawiwiri; supuwiwiri; tayawiwiri. From: NL. Etym: groenten .
grupu n. group.
gudu 1) n. treasure, riches, wealth, goods, property, possessions. Den fufuruman tyari ala mi gudu gwe. The thieves took away all my possessions. From: NL. Etym: goederen .
mi gudu idiom. term of endearment: my dear, my darling. Fa fu mi gudu? How are you, my dear?
2) ad. rich, wealthy. A man dati mus fu gudu. Luku a oso san a e bow. That man has got to be rich. Look at the house he’s building. ant: pôti.
guduman n. rich person. syn: gudusma; ant: pôtiman.
gudusma See main entry: guduman.
guyaba n. guava. Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae).
gwasi n. leprosy. See: kokobe. Variant: gwasisiki; bwasi.
gwasiman n. leper. syn: kokobesma. Variant: bwasiman.
gwasisiki See main entry: gwasi. n. leprosy.
gwe 1) v. leave, go away, go. Di mamanten mi gwe go te na foto e suku dresi. This morning I went all the way to town looking for medicine (lit: I went away all the way...). Variant: gowe. From: Eng. Etym: go away .
Gwe! interj. Go away!
2) ad. gone. Di mamanten mi poti nyansani ini a kasi. Ma di mi drai baka, dan ala sani gwe. This morning I put some food in the cupboard. But when I got back, everything was gone. Sensi mamanten mi brada gwe. My brother has been gone since this morning.
3) v. used in combination with other verbs with the meaning 'away', e.g. seni gwe 'send away', tyari gwe 'carry away'.
4) v. euphemism for death. Pôti André, a gwe. Poor André, he has passed away.
gwenti 1) n. custom, tradition, habit. Un no abi a gwenti fu nyan aleisi nanga wan forku. We are not accustomed to eating rice with a fork. From: NL. Etym: gewend .
2) vi. become accustomed to someone or something. A pikin mus kon gwenti mi. The child still needs to get accustomed to me. ant: lasi gwenti.
lasi gwenti idiom. not used to, out of the habit. A pikin kon lasi gwenti fu mi. The child is not used to me anymore. Spelling variation: las' gwenti
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