M - m

Ma1 title. mother. Usage: used in folktales and in referring to older women. See: Sa1; Ba1; Tata; Pa; See table under: famiriman.
ma2 1) conj. but (contrast or contra-expectation), however. Tide mi no man yepi yu nanga wroko, ma tamara mi man. I can’t help you work today, but tomorrow I can. From: NL. Etym: maar .
2) conj. introduces important new information. Josef teki en wefi Maria fu go nanga en na Betlehem. Ma Maria ben abi bere. Joseph took his wife Mary with him to Bethlehem. But Mary was pregnant. See: dan1; ne; so; we; now.
mahonibon n. West-Indian mahogany tree. Swietenia mahagoni (Meliaceae).
mai1 1) v. mow (grass). Wan man e kon ala tu wiki fu mai a grasi. A man comes every two weeks to mow the grass.
2) v. cut grain, reap. Fosi den ben mai den gron nanga babun-nefi, ma now den e du en nanga combine. They used to cut grain in the fields with a sickle, but now they do it with a combine.
mai2 n. name for an older Hindustani woman. See: babun2; kuli.
Maisa See main entry: Aisa. n. earth goddess (it is said to manifest itself as a woman).
maka 1) n. thorn.
2) n. stinger, spine.
maka-alata n. spiny rat. Proechimys guyannensis (Echimyidae).
makabon n. thorn bush.
makakapasi n. Kappler’s armadillo. Dasypus kappleri (Dasypodidae). See: kapasi.
makamaka 1) n. thorn bushes. A sneki e kibri ini a makamaka. The snake is hiding in the thorn bushes.
2) adj. thorny, having many thorns. Luku bun! A grasi disi makamaka. Watch out! This grass is thorny. Morph: redup.
makandra 1) ad. together, jointly. Carlo nanga Evert wroko makandra tapu a boto. Carlo en Evert are working together on the boat.
kon makandra idiom. meet, hold a meeting, come together. Ala satra den man e kon makandra fu taki abra a wroko. Each Saturday the men meet to talk about the work.
2) ad. each other. A sori leki den ben e libi switi nanga makandra. It seemed like they lived happily together. Den brasa makandra. They hugged each other. Usage: used reflexively.
3) v. associate with. Fosfosi den folku ini Sranan no ben makandra nanga densrefi. The different peoples of Suriname didn’t used to associate with each other. See: bemui.
makasneki n. bushmaster. Lachesis muta (Crotalidae). Also known as kapasisneki.
makriki adj. easy. Variant: kumakriki.
maksin 1) n. warehouse.
2) n. magazine (of a pistol or rifle).
makti n. power, authority. A sori leki lanti no abi makti ini a kondre moro. Ala sma e du san den wani. It looks as though the government has no authority in the country anymore. Everyone does what he wants.
malasi n. molasses.
malata n. mulatto, a person of mixed ethnicity (usually Negro and Caucasian race). See: dogla; sambo; bonkoro.
malatakronto n. half-dry coconut. Usage: the meat inside is not yet fully developed and the shell is cream colored.
malengri 1) ad. crippled, handicapped. A man disi abi wan malengri finga. A lasi wan pisi di a ben e kapu sowtumeti. This man has a stub for a finger. He lost a piece while he was chopping salted meat. Boike no man prei gitara bika a abi wan malengri finga. Boike cannot play the guitar because he has a crippled finger.
2) v. cripple. A man disi no ben waka so, ma na oto malengri en. This man did not used to walk like that, but he was hit by a car and crippled.
malengrisma n. a handicapped person; someone who is crippled or lame.
mama1 n. mother. See table under: famiriman. Spelling variation: m'ma
mama2 adj. a great deal, an exceptional amount. Na mama moni a man ben abi na en oso. The man had quite a large sum of money at home. Di a aksi mi fu yepi en wai en dyari, mi no ben ferwakti tak' na mama busi mi bo go miti. When he asked me to help him clean his yard, I did not expect to find such a jungle. Fa a lawman e waka e swai nanga a owru, a kan gi sma mama mankeri! The way the crazy man is walking around swinging the machete, he can hurt someone badly. Usage: It is pronounced with emphasis on both consonants.
Mama Aisa See main entry: Aisa. n. earth goddess (it is said to manifest itself as a woman).
mamabere n. womb. Mi nanga mi sisa de fu wan mamabere. My sister and I have the same mother (lit: are of one womb). Variant: bere1.
mamafoto n. capital city.
mamafowru n. hen, mother hen.
mamakerki n. the main church building of a denomination, mother church.
mamanten 1) n. morning.
2) ad. morning. See table under: dei.
mampira n. sandfly, biting midge, no-see-um. Culicoides soorten (Ceratopogonidae, O. Diptera).
man1 1) n. man. cpart: uma; frow.
2) n. husband. cpart: wefi.
man2 aux.v. verbal auxiliary used to indicate that the subject is capable of performing a given task. Tide mi no man meki a bangi gi yu, bika mi mu go na wroko. Ma tamara mi o man. Today I cannot make the bench for you because I have to go to work. But tomorrow I can. Usage: it is within the person’s control to do so if he wants to. See: kan1.
man3 interj. interjection indicating dislike or frustration. Man! Mi ben mu wakti heri mamanten fosi den ben naki a stampu gi mi. Oh, brother! I had to wait all morning before they would stamp my paper.
-man suf. In compound words it is used to refer to someone who is or does that which is indicated by the head word, e.g. fufuruman (steal-man) 'thief', gronman (land-man) 'farmer', bereman (pregnant-man) 'pregnant woman', breniman 'blind person', guduman 'rich person'.
manari n. a square woven sieve used in food preparation.
man-ati n. courage. syn: dek'ati.
mandi v. be mad, become mad or upset. Mi pikin brada mandi di mi taigi en taki a no mu kon nanga en susu ini a oso. My little brother was upset when I told him he couldn’t come in the house with his shoes on. Usage: it is not as emphatic or as strong as atibron. See: atibron.
mandimandi n. jealousy, division. A konmakandra tapu nanga wan mandimandi. The people were divided when the meeting ended. See: trobi; dyarusu.
mangrasi n. fowl foot, Indian goosegrass, wire grass. Eleusine indica (Gramineae).
mangri 1) adj. thin, skinny, scrawny. ant: fatu1.
2) adj. infertile (referring to soil).
mangrimangri n. slender, slight of build. Usage: Not as intense as mangri. Morph: redup.
maniri 1) n. manner. Yu no kan kweki pikin tapu so wan maniri. You cannot raise children in such a manner. syn: fasi1.
2) n. manners. A boi dati no abi maniri. The boy does not have manners.
mankeri 1) n. accident, harm, injury, wound. A mankeri san a kisi nanga baisigri no ori en na oso. The accident that he had on the bicycle could not keep him at home. A abi wan mankeri na en anu. He has an injury to his hand.
gi mankeri v. injure. Efu yu e tan rei so, yu o gi sma mankeri. If you keep driving like that, you will injure someone.
2) v. lack, be missing. A moni no sari. Feifi dusun mankeri ete. The money is not enough. There is five thousand lacking still. Suma mankeri ete? Who is missing still?
man-nengre n. man. syn: man1; mansma. Morph: compound.
manpikin 1) n. boy. Na den Lomsu skoro den manpikin e weri blaw syatu bruku èn den umapikin e weri wan blaw koto. At Catholic schools the boys wear blue shorts and the girls wear blue skirts.
2) n. son. Kobi ben abi tu manpikin nanga wan umapikin. Kobi had two sons and one daughter. syn: boi1; cpart: umapikin. Morph: compound. See table under: famiriman.
manpresi n. male genitals. cpart: umapresi.
mansma 1) n. man, male person. Furu fu den wenkri prati. Yu abi wan sei gi mansma, nanga wan sei gi umasma. Many stores have departments. One is for men and another is for women.
2) adj. male, mens. Efu yu e go dat' sei fu a wenkri, yu o feni mansma krosi. If you look on that side of the store, you will find mens clothes. cpart: umasma.
manspasi n. emancipation day. Tap' maspasi dei furu frow e weri den anyisa nanga den koto. On emancipation day many women wear their traditional costumes and head scarves. syn: ketikoti. Variant: maspasi.
mantyi n. basket. (it can be made of woven reeds or plastic; it usually has a lid and/or handles). syn: baskita. See: kurkuru. Spelling variation: manki
manwan n. male. ant: umawan.
manya n. mango. Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae).
mara v. grind. Yu e mara den siri ini wan miri meki a tron puiri. You grind the grain in a grinder to make it become a powder. See: miri.
marai n. 1) marail guan. Penelope marail (Cracidae).
2) Spix’s guan. Penelope jacquacu (Cracidae).
maraka n. rattle made from a hollowed-out calabash, maraca. syn: sek'seki.
marbonsu n. name given to a variety of large brown wasps. Polistes soorten/species (Vespidae, O. Hymenoptera).
maripa n. refers to both the maripa palm and its fruit. Attalea maripa (Palmae).
marki 1) n. mark. Poti wan marki tapu a planga pe den mu koti en. Put a mark on the board where they should cut it.
2) n. mark, impression. Mi no sabi san den ben poti dya, ma a sani libi wan marki na baka ini a santi. I don’t know what they set here, but it left an impression behind in the sand.
3) v. mark, place a mark on something. Yu mu marki den batra di no bun moro. Mark the bottles that are no longer good.
4) v. measure. Marki a tafra, kon un luku efu a o fiti ini a uku. Measure the table. Let’s see if it will fit in the corner.
psa marki ad. exceedingly, beyond measure. Bill Gates gudu psa marki. Bill Gates is exceedingly rich.
5) v. aim. Fosi yu sutu, yu mus marki bun. Before you shoot, you need to aim good.
markitiki n. ruler, yardstick, measuring stick. syn: doitiki.
markusa n. a collective name for a variety of passion fruit vines, such as bigimarkusa, blakamarkusa, gerimarkusa, paramarkusa, and snekimarkusa). (Passifloraceae).
masi 1) v. to crush, knead, mash. Masi a perki tron puiri. Crush the pill into powder. A trapu tapu a kakalaka, masi en. He stepped on the cockroach and smashed it. Yu e masi droifi fu meki win. You squeeze grapes to make wine. No masi a batra, mi o lai watra ini en. Don’t crush the bottle. I’m going to put water in it. A teki blon, a masi en, dan a baka brede. He took flour, kneaded it, and baked bread.
2) adj. bruised. Mi no wani nyan a masi manya disi. I don’t want to eat this bruised mango.
3) v. hurt. Mi masi mi finga na a doro. I hurt my finger in the door.
masi ... ati idiom. be filled with remorse. Di a kon ferstan sortu ogri a du a trawan, a sani masi en ati. When he came to understand the evil he had done to the other, he was filled with remorse (lit: it crushed his heart).
masi ... fesi idiom. put on a glum or gloomy face; it also can refer to cloudy, gloomy weather. Di un yere tak' un o abi fu wroko satra, ala sma masi en fesi. When we heard that we would have to work on Saturday, everyone’s face fell. Heri dei a weer masi en fesi. The weather was gloomy all day long.
maskaderi v. crush. Efu wan wagi naki a puspusi, a o maskaderi en. If a car hits the cat, it will crush it. See: masi.
maskita n. mosquito. (Culicidae, O. Diptera). spec: koproprin.
maskitakandra n. incense coil burned to keep mosquitos away; mosquito coil.
mason3 n. mealy parrot. Amazona farinosa (Psittacidae).
maspasi See main entry: manspasi. n. emancipation day.
masra1 1) n. husband, man. Sensi di en masra gwe libi en, a no teki wan tra wan. Since her husband left her, she hasn’t taken another. cpart: wefi.
2) n. master. Wan knekti mu du san en masra e taki. A servant must do what his master says. See: basi1.
3) title. mister, sir, gentleman. Tide neti wi o kari masra Anijs fu kon taki abra en wroko. Tonight we have asked mister Anijs to come speak about his work. Usage: formal speech.
4) n. Lord. Mi Gado, mi Masra, luku san miti mi tide! My God, my Lord, look at what has happened to me today!
Masra Gado God, the Lord God. See main entry: Masra Gado.
masusa n. a kind of fruit (it is used in the preparation of masusa-aleisi). Renealmia alpinia (Zingiberaceae).
masyin n. engine; engine, machine, motor. Efu yu no ondrow a masyin, a o broko es'esi. If you do not maintain the engine, it will break down quickly.
mata1 n. big wooden mortar. cpart: matatiki.
mata2 See main entry: matamata.
matamata n. doormat. syn: figifutu. Morph: redup. See: papaya2. Variant: mata2.
matapi n. long woven press used to squeeze the liquid out of bitter cassava.
matatifi n. molar. gen: tifi; syn: bakatifi. Morph: compound.
matatiki n. long wooden pestle. cpart: mata1. Morph: compound.
mati 1) n. friend. syn: kompe.
2) v. euphemism referring to a lesbian relationship. Den tu sma disi e mati. These two people are lesbians.
matifasi n. friendship. Luku bun nanga suma yu e hori matifasi. Be careful who you are friends with (lit: with whom you have friendship).
matrasi n. mattress. (now usually made of foam). See: papaya2; bedi.
matrosi n. sailor. syn: sipiman. See: botoman.
mayoro n. major. See: ofisiri.
meki 1) vt. to make something, to cause something to happen. Mi aksi a temreman fu meki wan bangi gi mi. I asked the carpenter to make me a bench. ant: broko1. From: Eng. Etym: make .
2) v. cause to happen. Na a bigi alen fu freida meki tak' furu sma no kon. The heavy rain on Friday caused many people not to come.
3) vt. to repair something. Sensi mi meki a oloisi, noiti moro a tan tiri. Since I fixed the clock, it’s never stopped. A brom fu mi broko. Mi mus meki en baka. My motorbike won’t run. I need to fix it. Variant: meki ... baka.
4) vt. to allow, let. Meki mi taigi yu wan sani. Let me tell you something.
dat' meki conj. therefore. Mi brom no ben abi oli. Dat' meki mi no ben man kon esde. My motorbike didn’t have any gas. Therefore I couldn’t come yesterday. Literally: that made.
san meki
1) rel. why. Mi no sabi san meki a no kon esde. I don’t know why he didn’t come yesterday. Lit: "what made" or "what caused".
2) ques. why. San meki den sma fu yu kon so lati? Why did your people come so late? syn: sanede.
fu sanede meki ques. why. Fu sanede meki yu kon so lati? Why did you come so late? (You certainly knew better!) Usage: It is used rhetorically and indicates that the speaker believes the person is without excuse.
meki ... baka See main entry: meki. vt. to repair something.
meki bigi boast; brag. See main entry: meki bigi.
meki futu dance. See main entry: meki futu.
meki lafu pretend to laugh. See main entry: meki lafu.
meki modo show off. See main entry: meki modo.
meki mofo make an agreement. See main entry: meki mofo.
meki muiti try, put out alot of effort. See main entry: meki muiti.
meki pikin give birth, have a baby. See main entry: meki pikin.
meki prisiri See main entry: yowla. v. have fun, enjoy oneself.
meki trobi See main entry: psa wan toko. v. get into a fight, quarrel.
meki wan kofu unite (literally from Dutch: een vuist maken). See main entry: meki wan kofu.
mekititei n. varicose vein.
memre1 1) vi. remember. Mi no man memre moro san yu ben taigi mi. I cannot remember anymore what you told me.
2) vt. remind. Efu yu no memre Norbert fu go teki den pikin na skoro, a o fergiti den. If you don’t remind Norbert to pick the children up from school, he will forget them.
memre2 n. member. Mi no man nyan granbun bika mi a no wan memre fu a kerki disi. I cannot take part in communion because I am not a member of this church.
menti n. mint.
ment'watra n. a preparation of mint extract diluted in water (it is given to babies for stomach pain or gas).
meri v. touch. Yu si a soft ini a ijskasi? No meri en! Do you see the soft drink in the fridge? Don’t even touch it! A doi fu en hati en so tranga tak' not'noti no man meri en. His thumb hurt him so bad that he could not stand anything touching it. See: fasi4.
2) v. touch (in an emotional or spiritual way). Wi e begi tak' Gado sa meri en. We are praying that God will touch him.
merki 1) n. milk. Go bai tu paki merki gi mi. Go buy two bags of milk for me.
2) vt. milk (a cow, etc.). Ala dei den buru mus merki den kaw fu den. Every day the farmers need to milk their cows.
merkikan n. cup used to dip milk out of the milk can.
merkiman n. milkman, farmer who sells milk.
merkipatu n. pot used for heating milk.
merkitodo n. a kind of tree frog. Phrynohyas venulosa (Hylidae).
mesre 1) v. build with brick or concrete block.
2) v. cover a surface or fill a hole with cement.
3) adj. masonry. A e du mesre wroko. He does masonry work.
mesre ... tapu v. fill a hole or seal a container with cement. Fosi yu ferfi a ososkin, yu mus mesre den olo tapu. Before you paint the house, you need to fill the holes.
mesreman n. mason, bricklayer.
meti 1) n. animal, beast. Odo: Ala den meti fu a busi e nyan kasaba, ma konkoni e tyari nen. Proverb: All the animals in the bush eat cassava, but the rabbit gets the blame. See: bus'meti.
2) n. meat. Mi e go na srakti-oso fu bai wan pisi meti. I am going to the butcher shop to buy a piece of meat. spec: agumeti; ameti; diameti; fowrumeti; kawmeti.
3) n. flesh. Di a wagi naki en, a puru wan bigi pisi meti fu en futu. When the car hit him, it took a large piece of flesh from his leg.
mi prn. 1st person singular subject, object or possessive pronoun (I, me, my, mine). Mi priti mi empi. I tore my shirt. Gi mi en dya. Give it to me here.
milyun num. million. See table under: nomru.
milyun-milyun num. million-million. See table under: nomru.
mindri 1) n. middle, midst. Te yu e bigin fu prati a nyanyan, dan yu mu bigin na mindri. When you begin to pass out the food, you should begin in the middle.
2) prep. between. Fa a boi kan psa mindri den tu oto? How can the boy pass between the two cars?
mindribaka n. back, middle of the back. Den man e wroko sondro empi, poti den mindribaka gi a son. The men are working without shirts, baring their backs to the sun.
mindribere n. middle of the belly (area around the navel). Den pikin dis'ten lobi weri syatu krosi san e poti den mindribere na doro. Girls these days like to wear short clothes that let their midriff show.
mindrifinga n. middle finger.
mindrifutu n. genitals, crotch, groin.
mindriman n. a mediator or go-between.
mindrineti ad. midnight, in the middle of the night. See table under: dei.
mindrisei n. middle, midside. A banti fu mi boro let' na mindrisei. My tire has a hole right in the middle.
mindriwan n. the one in the middle.
mira n. ant. Formicidae, (O. Hymenoptera). There are various kinds of ants in Suriname. These include alukumira, kras’mira, papamira, redimira, siseimira, sukrumira, wakawaka-mira, and yayomira.
mira nesi n. ant nest.
mirafroiti n. unstriped or yellow tamandua, lesser anteater. Tamandua longicaudata (Myrmecophagidae). See: tamanuwa; likanu.
miri n. mill, grinder. Fosten ala sneisi wenkri ben abi wan kakaw miri. In the early days every Chinese store had a cacao grinder. See: mara.
miri-oso n. building where milling takes place.
misi1 v. miss. Mi misi fu kapu a sneki. I missed hitting the snake. Sensi mi mama gwe, mi e misi en furu. Since my mother left, I miss her a lot. Usage: used both to describe actions and feelings.
no abi misi idiom. it’s a sure thing. Lodi ben de wan bun ontiman. Te a sutu a no abi misi. Lodi was a good hunter. Whenever he shot, he always hit his mark.
misi2 n. woman, girl, ma’am. Misi, skoifi yu futu pikinso meki mi psa. Ma’am, could you move your feet a little so I can pass? Usage: no longer in common use.
misi ... mofo a slip of the tongue, to say something you did not intend to say or. See main entry: misi ... mofo.
misi futu stumble. See main entry: misi futu.
misrefi refl.pn. 1st person singular reflexive pronoun. Mi gi misrefi mankeri di mi ben e kapu den taki. I injured myself while chopping the branches.
miti1 1) v. meet. Di mi ben rei go na oso, mi miti mi brada ondro pasi. When I was driving home, I met my brother along the way.
miti baka v. meet again. Tra leisi te wi miti baka dan wi kan taki a tori moro fara. Next time when we meet again we can discuss the matter further.
2) v. happen to, befall. Mi no ben prakseri taki so wan sani bo miti mi tide. I did not think that such a thing would happen to me today.
3) vt. bring together, touch. No meki den tu kabel disi miti, noso yu o bron a triki-isri. Don’t let these two wires touch or you will burn out the iron.
miti ... kon na wan idiom. connect, join together. Teki ala den pis'pisi titei dan yu e miti den kon na wan. Take all the pieces of rope and tie them together.
miti2 n. mites. (O. Acari). Variant: mit'miti.
mit'miti See main entry: miti2.
m'ma n. mother. (variant of mama). See table under: famiriman.
modo 1) n. fashion, style. Disi ben de a modo fu mi granm'ma ten. This was the fashion in my grandmother’s time.
2) adj. fashionable, stylish. A boi disi modo. Ala dei a e weri den moro moi jeansbruku. This boy is stylish. Every day he wears the nicest jeans.
meki modo idiom. show off. Di a meisje si a boi a bigin meki modo. When the girl saw the boy, she began to show off.
modoman n. someone who likes to wear fancy clothes, a dandy.
mofina adj. miserably poor. See: pôti; pina1.
mofina wowoyo market in Flora (a housing project in southwest Par’bo). See main entry: mofina wowoyo.
mofinawan n. poor people. syn: pôtiwan; pinawan.
mofo 1) n. mouth.
fon nanga mofo idiom. browbeat or buffalo someone into silence.
langa ... mofo idiom. pucker up one’s lips. Eduard langa en mofo, dan a meki wan tyuri. Eduard puckered up his lips and made a tyuri.
mofo ... gi ... wroko idiom. refers to someone who cannot refrain from talking, a blabber mouth. Efu yu sabi taki yu mofo e gi yu wroko, dan betre un no taigi yu. If you know you can’t keep your mouth shut, then it is better if we don’t tell you.
naki ... mofo idiom. hit one’s mouth. Di a taigi mi taki a o dede, mi taigi en fu naki en mofo. When he told me he would die, I told him to hit his mouth. (It is used in a superstitious way to prevent some bad thing you have just said from happening to you. It can also be accompanied by a quick repeated touching of the mouth with the hand.).
nanga opo mofo idiom. surprised, amazed. Nanga opo mofo un ben sidon luku a televisie. We sat in surprise watching what was showing on television.
nyan ... nanga mofo idiom. speak in such a way as to not give the other person a chance to speak. No taki nanga a man dati. A o nyan yu nanga en mofo. Don’t bother talking to that man. He won’t give you a chance to say anything.
seki ... mofo idiom. Te bigisma e taki, pikin-nengre no mus seki den mofo. When elders speak, children must be silent (lit: must not move their mouths).
tapu ... mofo idiom. shut someone up. Di un si taki a e taki sani san no fiti, un tapu en mofo gi en. When we saw that he was saying things that weren’t fitting, we made him shut up.
wan sek'seki mofo idiom. something to eat or munch on, a snack. Te un o sidon taki tide neti, wan pikin sek'seki mofo mus de. When we sit down together tonight to talk, then there has to be a little something to munch on.
wasi ... mofo idiom. brush one’s teeth. Te mi opo te mamanten, mi e wasi mi mofo. When I get up in the morning, I brush my teeth.
2) n. bite, mouthful. A nyanyan fu yu e smeri switi. Gi mi wan mofo. Your food smells delicious. Give mi a bite.
hari wan mofo idiom. take a drink. Langa a kan gi mi meki mi hari wan mofo watra. Hand me the cup so that I can take a drink.
3) n. refers to something that is said. Odo: Mama mofo na bana watra. Proverb: What a mother says will come to pass. (lit: a mother’s word is like the sap of a banana tree)
firi ... mofo idiom. try to find out what someone knows or thinks about something. Di den e koiri e taki tori, a p'pa fir'firi a boi mofo efu a sabi wan sani fu a moni di lasi. While they were walking and chatting, the father tried to surreptitiously find out if the boy knew something about the missing money.
psa ... mofo idiom. do something that is forbidden, disobey. Fa a boi psa en p'pa mofo, a ben syen fu go baka na oso. Because the boy did what his father had told him not to, he was ashamed to go back home.
misi ... mofo idiom. a slip of the tongue, to say something you did not intend to say or that was better left unsaid. A baas taigi den man fu wroko moro tranga, ma a misi en mofo tak' afu fu den o lasi den wroko. The boss told the workers to work harder, but then he slipped up by telling them that half of them would be laid off.
koti wan sma mofo idiom. interrupt someone. Brada, mi no e koti yu mofo, ma meki mi taki a sani disi. Brother, I don’t want to interrupt you, but let me say this.
meki mofo idiom. make an agreement. Fu sanede yu e kragi? Fosi yu bigin wroko un ben meki mofo tak' na someni moni mi bo pai yu. Why are you complaining? Before you began work we agreed that I would pay you so much money. syn: kruderi2. See: besroiti; agri.
moro mofo idiom. unbearable, more than one can stand, it cannot be ignored anymore. No wakti te a sani kon moro mofo fosi yu du wan sani. Don’t wait until the situation becomes unbearable before you do something about it. See: yere skin.
poti takru/ogri mofo idiom. cause something bad to happen to something or someone by talking negatively about it.
puru mofo idiom. take back something that was said. Baka di a m'ma kosi a pikin, a bigisma fu sei taigi en tak' a mus puru mofo noso a pikin o kisi fyofyo. After the mother had cursed the child, the old lady next door told her that she must take back what she said or else the child would get fyofyo.
suku mofo adj. offensive, irritating, vexing. A pikin disi suku mofo. Awinsi a no sabi yu, a luku yu nanga sker'ai. This girl is offensive. Even if she doesn’t know you, she looks askance at you.
suku ... mofo idiom. provoke someone to do or say something. Someni langa den sma fu sei e suku mi mofo, ma mi no e piki den. For a long time now the neighbors have been trying to get my goat, but I don’t respond to them.
taki mofo idiom. in the winti cult it has the meaning to say a prayer. Un go miti wan grupu sma ini a berpe e taki mofo na wan grebi. We ran into a group of people in the cemetery saying a prayer at a grave.
taki wan mofo idiom. say one’s piece, have one’s say. Di a kba taki wan mofo, a saka sidon baka. When he had finished saying his piece, he sat back down.
4) n. beak (of a bird), snout (of an animal). Odo: Kakalaka no abi leti na fowru mofo. Proverb: to be the black sheep (lit: The cockroach has no rights in the chicken’s beak.
5) n. figuratively for an opening. Yu mu poti wan planga fu tapu a mofo fu a peti. You need to set a plank over the mouth of the well. Variant: mofosei.
6) n. point. Kapu wan mofo gi a tiki fu poti en na a sisibi. Make a point on the end of the stick to attach it to the broom.
7) n. used to indicate the area right in front of something. Bari den pikin fu den no prei na a mofo liba. Warn the children not to play beside the river. Omeni langa mi no si Hendrik, dan tide un miti mofo EBS. How long has it been since I saw Hendrik, then today we met in front of EBS.
mofo wowoyo the area in front of the central market where people sell things on the street. See main entry: mofo wowoyo.
mofobuba n. lips. See: mofo.
mofodoro n. space in front of the door, front yard. Te neti mi granmama e sidon na mofodoro e taki tori nanga birfrow. My grandma sits at night in front of the door chatting with the neighbor.
mofokoranti n. rumor, 'grapevine'. Mofokoranti taki na den skowtu srefi kiri a man. Rumor has it that it was the police who killed the man.
mofoneti n. evening (roughly from 6 to 7:30), early evening. A: O lati yu o kon na oso? B: Te mofoneti. A: What time are you coming home? B: In the evening.
mofosei See main entry: mofo. n. figuratively for an opening.
mofoyari n. the last few weeks of the year. cpart: bakayari.
moi 1) ad. pretty, handsome, good looking, nice, beautiful. Tide yu e weri wan moi empi. You are wearing a nice shirt today. A enki fadon tapu mi moi moi empi. The ink spilled on my beautiful shirt. Usage: The word can be repeated to emphasize the quality. ant: takru.
2) vt. decorate, make pretty. (variant of moimoi).
moimoi vt. decorate, make pretty. Den man moimoi a oso fu a friyaridei. They decorated the house for the birthday. Variant: moi.
moismoisi n. mouse. Mus musculus (Muridae). Morph: redup.
moismoisi-awari 1) n. ashy opossum. Marmosa einerea (Didelphidae). See: awari.
2) n. short-tailed opossum. Monodelphis brevicaudata (Didelphidae). See: awari.
mokro n. sledgehammer.
moksi 1) vt. mix, blend. A dresi disi yu mus moksi nanga pikinso watra. This medicine needs to be mixed with a little water. ant: prati.
2) ad. mixed, mixed up. Fosi, den boi nanga den umapikin no ben go na a srefi skoro, ma now moro furu fu den skoro na moksi skoro. It used to be that boys and girls did not go to the same school, but now most of the schools are mixed (i.e. co-ed) schools. Mi no man feni a buku san yu aksi bika ala den buku moksi ini a kasi. I cannot find the book you are asking for because all the books are mixed up in the bookcase.
moksi kon na wan vi. meet, come together. Den bigiman fu a kondre moksi kon na wan fu taki abra den nowtu fu a kondre. The important men came together to discuss the country’s problems.
moksi meti ad. with different kinds of meat. Gi mi wan tyauw min moksi meti. I’ll take chow mein with different kinds of meat. Usage: usually used with dishes in Chinese restaurants.
moksi-aleisi n. Rice dish where everything is cooked in one pan. It can be made with peas or greens, with dried shrimps and/or fish and/or salted or dried meat, and/or with coconut milk and peppers.
moksimoksi vt. mix (thoroughly), stir, mingle in. A blaka nanga weti ferfi, yu mus moksimoksi en te a tron grijs. You must mix the black and white paint thoroughly till it becomes grey. Morph: redup.
moksipatu 1) n. different kinds of vegetables or meats prepared together in one pot. A nyanyan san mi bai esde ben de wan moksipatu. A ben abi bitawiwiri, klarun, gomawiwiri, tayawiwiri, waranfisi, sowtumeti, agumeti, nanga sowtufisi. A ben switi! The food I bought yesterday had everything in it. It had bitawiwiri, klarun, gomawiwiri, tayawiwiri, smoked fish, salted beef, pork and salted fish. It was delicious.
2) n. a meal where a variety of entrés are served, smorgasbord. Di mi granmama friyari a bori ala sortu sani: pom, pastei, los'fowru, doksi, bami, nasi, pindasupu, moksi-aleisi, kari kon. A ben de wan trutru moksipatu. On my grandmother’s birthday she cooked all sorts of things: pom, pastei, roast chicken, duck, noodles, rice, peanut soup, fried rice, and so forth. It was a real smorgasbord.
momenti n. moment.
moni 1) n. money. Fosi mun tapu dan ala mi moni kba. Before the end of the month all my money is gone. syn: sensi1.

TABLE 4: Money

Den difrenti sortu moni Various denominations of money
afusensi half cent
sensi cent
koprosensi cent
bigisensi 2 ½ cents
loto 5 cents, 5 guilders
sren 8 cents
doni 10 cents, 10 guilders
kwartyi 25 cents
tyawa 25 cents, 25 guilders
banknotu 50 cents, 50 guilders
golu/kolu guilder
dala 2 ½ guilders
barki 100 guilders
doi 1000 guilders

2) n. salary, wages. Ala yari lanti e opo a moni fu den lantiman. Each year the government raises the salaries of the civil servants.
dorosei moni n. foreign currency.
papira moni n. bank notes, currency. See: pikinmoni.
monibon n. 'money tree'. Mi no abi a monibon. Money doesn’t grow on trees.
monigreba n. money-grabber. A man dati na wan monigreba. A gridi gi moni. That man is a money-grabber. He is greedy for money.
moniman n. someone with lots of money who likes to spend it where others can see. See: guduman.
monisaka n. purse, moneybag.
monitori n. financial matters.
monki n. generic name for monkeys. Cebidae. spec: babun1; bisa; monkimonki; keskesi; kwata; saguwenke; wanaku. See: yapyapi.
monkimonki n. common squirrel monkey. Saimiri sciureus (Cebidae). Morph: redup. See: monki.
monkimonkikersi n. Suriname cherry. Eugenia uniflora (Myrtaceae). The leaves are dried and used for medicinal purposes.
montyi n. a slice or section (e.g. of citrus fruit). Spelling variation: monki
monyo v. be abundant, to abound. Piren ben monyo ini a watra. Piranhas were in abundance in the water. Kawna abi apresina? Brada, apresina e monyo dape. Are there oranges in Commewijne? Brother, oranges are abundant there. syn: lai.
mope n. yellow mombin, hog plum. Spondias mombin (Anacardiaceae). it is a sour yellow fruit that is usually stewed or prepared as a juice.
morgu interj. good morning. Usage: Can be used both in greeting and in leave taking. People in Paramaribo generally use the Dutch greeting 'goede morgen'. See: kuneti; adyosi.
morisi n. muriti palm, buriti palm, ite palm. Mauritia flexuosa (Palmae).
mormo n. marble. syn: yowka.
moro 1) quan. more. Poti moro watra ini a embre. Put more water in the bucket.
moro nanga moro ad. more and more. Moro nanga moro a watra e kren ini a liba. The water in the river is getting higher and higher.
2) ad. anymore. Fa a alen kon mi no ben man kon moro. Because of the rain, I couldn’t come anymore.
3) comp. makes a comparison, '-er' or 'more'. Mi brada moro langa. My brother is taller.
(moro) ... moro comp. makes a comparison with something, -er than. Mi brada (moro) langa moro mi. My brother is taller than I.
moro ... wan comp. indicates superlatives, '-est' or 'most'. Mi brada na a moro langa wan. My brother is the tallest.
4) vt. overpower, to be more than one can handle. A wroko disi e moro mi. This job is too much for me. syn: hebi.
moro mofo unbearable, it cannot be ignored anymore. See main entry: moro mofo.
morsu 1) v. make dirty. Den pikin morsu a heri gron nanga aleisi. The children made a mess on the floor with rice.
2) adj. messy, dirty, untidy, slovenly. Den sma disi morsu. Ala sei yu e si wanlo dotdoti sani. These people are messy. You see trash everywhere.
motyo 1) n. a prostitute, whore. See: huru.
2) v. live promiscuously.
motyokampu n. whorehouse, bordello. syn: motyotenti.
motyolibi n. promiscuous behavior, promiscuity. Mi no man nanga a motyolibi fu en moro. I cannot take her promiscuous behavior anymore. syn: hurulibi. Morph: compound.
motyop'pa n. someone adept at seducing women (a Casanova or a Don Juan). Morph: compound.
motyotenti n. whorehouse, bordello. syn: motyokampu.
mow n. sleeve. From: NL. Etym: mouw .
muiti 1) n. effort.
meki muiti v. try, put out alot of effort. Mi meki someni muiti fu kisi a rijbewijs. I tried so hard to get a driver’s license.
2) n. objection, difficulty with something. Tide mi no abi muiti fu leni yu mi oto. Today I have no objection to loaning out my car. syn: trobi.
mun 1) n. month. Te mun tapu yu o kisi a moni. At the end of the month you’ll get the money.
2) n. moon.
munde n. Monday. See table under: wiki1.
munduku n. sanitary napkin. A mu weri wan munduku bika a de na en futu. She has to wear a sanitary napkin because she is having her period.
munkenki 1) n. full moon. Te furu mun de, dan yu kan si a munkenki fruk'fruku bakadina. When the moon is full, you can see the moon early in the afternoon.
2) n. moonlight. Kon un go koiri pikinso. A neti moi, munkenki de. Let’s go take a walk. It is a nice evening and there is moonlight.
munsiki n. menstruation, menstrual period. See: de na en futu.
muru1 n. nut (for a bolt). See: bowtu2.
muru2 n. uterus, womb. syn: bere1.
murudresi n. medicine for the uterus.
murusiki n. disease of the uterus.
mus See main entry: musu1. aux.v. must.
mus'dei-mamanten See main entry: musudei. ad. early morning before daybreak (between 3 and 5 AM).
musu1 aux.v. should, must, be obliged to, have to. Mi mu go koti mi wiwiri. I need to get my hair cut. Ala den mama mus tyari den pikin fu go teki spoiti. Every mother should take her children to get vaccinated. Te den pikin tapu fo yari, den mus fu go na skoro. When the children turn four they must go to school. Usage: The meaning is usually not as strong as English 'must', especially in its elided forms: mus and mu. To indicate that an action is imperative musu is used in its full form and often in conjunction with fu: musu fu. Spelling variation: mu, mus
musu2 n. bonnet, knitted cap. See: ati2; anyisa.
musudei ad. early morning before daybreak (between 3 and 5 AM). Usage: It is also used for any time after midnight. See table under: dei. Variant: mus'dei-mamanten. Spelling variation: mus'dei
musye n. an old creole woman; it is also used to address an old creole woman. See: grani; oma.
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