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A Combined

Kiribati-English Dictionary

based on the works of

Hiram Bingham, D.D.
and
Father Ernest Sabatier, M.S.C.
(translated by Sr. M. Oliva)

with additional scientific material from Luomala, Goo & Banner.

B -Bingham, Hiram. 1908, 1953. A Gilbertese-English Dictionary. vii, 179 pp (8vo). American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, Boston.
O -Sabatier, Ernest. 1954. Dictionnaire Gilbertin-Français. xii, 984pp, duplicated. Mission Catholique, GI, Abaiang, Tabwiroa. 1971. Gilbertese-English Dictionary. translated by Sr. M. Oliva. x, 426pp, Sacred Heart Mission, Tarawa. South Pacific Commission Publications Bureau, Sydney.
G -Goo, Fannie C.C. & Albert H. Banner. 1963. A Preliminary Compilation of Gilbertese Animal and Plant Names. 2, 2, 55, 10, 26cm. prepared under contract SA-43-ph-3741, National Institute of Neurological Diseas. UH - Haw. Marine Lab., Honolulu.
L -Luomala, Katharine. 1953. Ethnobotany of the Gilbert Islands. Bishop Museum Bulletin 213, v, 129pp, map, bibl 122-4, index, 26cm. Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu.

compiled by
Stephen Trussel and Gordon W. Groves,
University of Hawaii, 1978

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m

m

B m 
  pron thy
  ex baim thy hand
O m 
  suf pron. of second person singular: thy, thine. <your>.
  ex baram: thy hat
  ex baim: thy hand
  ex kunnikaim: thy clothes

ma

B ma 
  a this word is identical in use with the Hawaiian word ma, of which Mr. Andrews says in his Hawaiian-English dictionary, " an adj or a particle, which mostly follows proper names of persons, and signifies an attendant, or persons belonging to or accompanying"
  pre with
  con but - ma sometimes seems to have the force of therefore
  n low stone wall on a flat for catching fish
B m'a 
  int exclamation of dissatisfaction or surprise
  vi fall as a hair or leaf, or a feather in a moulting fowl
O ma 
  conj with, and, but.
  ex N na toka ma ngaia: I will ride with him.
  ex ngai ma taru: I and my brother
  ex E nako ma ko tiku: He goes but you remain.
  part following proper names of persons and meaning, and their relatives, family or followers.
  ex Petero, Anterea ma: Peter and Andrew and the others
  ex Ten Teta ma: Ten Teta and family
O ma1 
  n a fish trap, made of stones, heart shaped.
  n ma bono: a temporary fish trap made of mats (inai) tied to posts at high tide.
  ex ma-uoua: a double ma, two enclosures of stones.
  v touma: to inspect fish trap at low tide to take fish.
  v ai-ma: to construct a fish trap.
  n kanan te ma: foundation stone of ma.
  ex names of different parts of fish trap: waena, kabina, angana, tabonangana, matakaina, katabena, ruberubena, karuona.
  n ana ma Kabaki
O ma2 
  intj pooh, pshaw, nonsense (to show surprise, displeasure)
O ma3 
  abbr of mane: men.
  ex kam aki iri ma?: aren't you coming gentlemen?
O ma4 
  pref to some nouns to give the meaning of a little, barely, as if, inclined to.
  ex manim, maeai, mao, matim, etc.
O ma5 
  v to disaggregate, to break up, to fall to pieces, to crumble away, to moult, to come off in scales (leaves, fruit, hair, food).
  red m'am'a.
  n te m'a, m'am'an te ... disaggregation, decomposition, stripping

ma kabaki

O ma kabaki 
  n a collection of driftwood, debris at sea, at crossroads of currents
  see kabaki
  ex arokani kabaki, te arabungea: of three kinds:
  ex te kai ae beti: floating wood
  ex te kai ae aitoa: less buoyant wood
  ex te kai ae ai mauna: wood nearly submerged

ma ngke

O ma ngke 
  adv since, as.
  ex ma ngke te tei ngai: since I was a child

ma ngkoa

O ma ngkoa 
  adv from before.
  sup ma ngkoangkoa: from long ago

ma ni kataenako

O ma ni kataenako 
  n (1) a fish trap (ma) having an opening at the far end where a net is placed to catch the fish.
  n (2) a horse-shoe-shaped constellation of 7 stars.
  syn toriba ni maiaki

mabaki

B maábæki 
  va having a bad undertow, as the surf
  n bad undertow in the surf
O mabaki 
  n a kind of current or wave which eats away sand banks

mabe

B mæ/be 
  n map (ENG)
O mabe 
  n map, plan (ENG)

mabiao

B mæbiáo 
  va well provided for as a family wirh food <soc>
  n good provision
O mabiao 
  from ma-epi-ao
  n abundance (goods, provisions, riches).
  a mabiao, mamabiao: in abundance.
  vc kamabiao: to procure abundance, to treat or esteem as rich.
  note maebuebu: well to do, comfortable, sufficient, riche
  ex ebi: great abundance
  red ebiebi: over abundance

mabono

B maábono 
  n stationary trap for fish <fishing>
  vi catch fish by means of a mabono
O mabono 
  see ma
  v mabono, mamabono: to fish with ...

mabora

O mabora 
  n marble, marbles. (ENG)
  v kini-mabora: to play marbles

maborabora

B mabórabora 
  a perfectly smooth as the ocean in a calm
O maborabora 
  from bora
  a smooth, flat, polished, glossy (as calm sea or flat cleared space)
  n te maborabora: a cleared level space, a devastated, laid bare, laid waste.
  vc kamabora, kamaboraboraea: to level, to make flat

maboro

B maáboro 
  n marble (ENG)

mabu

B mæ/bu 
  a forbidden
O mabu 
  n interdict.
  a forbidden, prohibited, not allowed, closed.
  vc kamabua: to forbid, to prohibit.
  n te kamabu: interdiction

mabubu

B maábubu 
  a misty, hazy, foggy
  n mist, haze, fog
O mabubu 
  n fog, mist.
  a cloudy, obscure, nebulous, foggy.
  red mamabubu: very obscure, misty.
  vc kamabubua: to cause ...
  ex Nei Auti te Mabubu: the Nebulous <nebula> of Cancer

mabutonga

O mabutonga 
  n Mabutonga ni Matang, Mabutonga ni karawa: a cloud
  ex mabutonga: small cloud

mae

B mæ/e 
  a sufficiently dryied or cured by the sun as karababa
B m'áe 
  n necklace, wreath
  a sun-burnt
B m'aee 
  vi move
B máee 
  vi break ranks, move aside or give way as in battle, scatter
O mae 
  a dry, dried, roasted.
  vc ka-maea: to dry up, to toast.
  ex kamaea te kobe: to roast the coffee beans.
  see maeke, maekeke
O mae1 
  n string, rope, cord, anything hanging, necklace, necktie, little fishing basket.
  vt maena: to have or wear ...
O mae2 
  v to drag, to move, to drag on anchor.
  vc ka-maea, kakamaea, kamaemaea: to make move a little
  va kamaemaea, kakamaemae: which makes ...
  red maemae (idem.)
  from ae
O mae3 
  n mamae: debris.
  v to disperse, to break up, to scatter.
  a scattered, disseminated, decomposed
  ex mae nako: scattered far and wide.
  vc ka-maea, kamaenakoa: to scatter, to disperse, to strew about, to decompose, to analyse.
  n maean te aba: dispersion
  pref to several compound words.
  see kamae

maea

B m'áea 
  n rope of coconut husk fiber
O maea 
  n cord, rope, cable.

maeae

B maáeae 
  va broken into small pieces
O maeae 
  a in bits, in pieces, in tatters.
  vc ka-maeaea

maeai

B máeai 
  a soft through decay
O maeai 
  n soft wood, young tree or plant having soft wood, tender soft wood, or wood becoming decomposed.
  see menai, waeai, ribaeai

maeao

B máeao 
  a west
  n west
O maeao 
  n west.
  idiom nako maeao: to go to or come from the west (ambiguous term).
  ex nako mai maeao: coming from the west.
  ex wairio, borio: go down, go towards the lower coast, lagoon side. go towards the west

maebo

B máebo 
  n fish
O maebo 
  n a lagoon fish barbed (goat fish).
  nv kamaebo: to fish for ...
G máebo 
  sn Parupeneus barberinus (y)
  n goatfish (sm)
G maebo1 
  sn Upeneus arge (ll)
  n goatfish (sm)

maebuebu

B máebuébu 
  a filled as a house with plenty of food to be prepared for a feast
  n large collection of food in anticipation of a feast

maebwebu

O maebwebu 
  a in easy circumstances, comfortable, having sufficient.
  red mamaebuebu.
  vc kamaebuebua.
  see mabiao, ebiebi

maeiei

B m'áeiei 
  vi sway as in the wind, or in an earthquake
  n earthquake, swaying
B mæ/eiei 
  va falling to pieces through decay or age
O maeiei 
  n trembling, quaking <quake>, shaking earthquake (maieiein te aba)
  n swaying in the wind (trees).
  va maeiei, mamaieie: to shake, to wag, to wave, to tremb to be agitated, to be shaken.
  vc ka-maieiea, kaka: ... to shake, to wave
O maeiei1 
  a worn threadbare.
  vt kamaeieiea: to wear out

maeka

B máeka 
  vi abide, dwell, reside, live
  n small village, hamlet
  vt pick to pieces
O maeka 
  n residence, domicile, abode, sojourn, dwelling.
  v maeka, mamaeka: to live, to dwell, to reside, to sojourn.
  vc maeka, kamamaeka.
  n te karatia ae mamaeka: habitual grace
  ex au maeka: my house, residence
  ex maekau: my sojourn at ... in.
  vt maekana: to take as one's residence, to live at
O maeka1 
  from mae.
  red mamaeka, maekaka.
  vt to reduce to small bits, to grind to powder, to pulverize, to crush.
  ex maeka kanam (am kamimo): to cut up the tobacco for a smoke (maekia)

maekana

B máekana 
  vt inhabit, dwell in

maeke

O maeke 
  red maekeke, mamaekeke.
  a dry, crisp.
  vc kamaekea, kamaekekea: to dry up, to roast

maekeke

B maekéke 
  a brittle

maeko

G maeko 
  sn family Acanthuridae (ll)
  n surgeonfish (sm)

maem

B máem 
  a gentle
  n portion or part, esp of soft food <foo>
O maem 
  n sweetness, gentleness.
  a gentle, peaceful.
  v kamaem ... to make ...
  vc irr. ka-maemua, kamaemma: to sweeten, to appease, to pacify
O maem1 
  n te maem-na, ua-maem, etc. one, two small bits, particles, a little of ...

maemae

O maemae 
  see m'ae
  n movement.
  v to move slightly

maemaeki

B máemáeki 
  vi picking to pieces as a coconut husk

maen

B máen 
  a capable of being bowed or bent
O maen 
  and maenen or maenin.
  a flexible, supple, pliant.
  n flexibility, suppleness.
  vc kamaena, kamaenena, kamaeenna, kamaenena: to make supple.
  n te kai ni kamaen: coconut tree bent or half fallen. poetical composition for ruoia (with sorcery).
  fig a. baka ni kamaenen: obsequious, servile, bowing, crawling.
  vc kamaenena: to appease, to pacify

maena

O maena 
  see mae: string, necklace.
  vt maena, mamaena: to use as collar, to put around neck or shoulder.
  ex E maena te kiaou: He wears a wreath of kiaou

maenen

B máenen 
  a bending back and forth

maenikai

O maenikai 
  v being moved, being displaced by necessity or for a determined reason (persons, canoe)

maenikun

O maenikun 
  sup superlative of mae
  a undone, pulled to pieces, in bits, in smithereens, smashed to bits.
  vc ka-maenikuna: to put, to smash, to dismantle into bits

maera

O maera 
  n mae-ra: rest, remains, ruins.
  ex maeran te kawa nikawai: ruins of ancient village
O maera1 
  a frayed out, fringed, striped, furrowed, streaked, marked.
  vc kamaerea, kamaererea: to fray out, to streak, to stripe.
  see tamaerere

maere

B m'áere 
  vi be momentarily hid as the canoes of a fleet by a fast sailing canoe

maerere

B m'aerére 
  a striped
  n striped pattern

maererua

B m'áererúa 
  a striped in two directions, checked
O maererua 
  a striped in two directions, checked, but with stripes in different directions.
  vc ka-maererua: to stripe in all directions, to check, mark

maeretongitong

B m'áeretóngitong 
  a beautifully striped
O maeretongitong 
  sup superlative of maere
  a very or beautifully striped, streaked.
  vc kamaeretongitonga

maerikiriki

B maeríkiriki 
  va broken into fragments
O maerikiriki 
  sup superlative of mae
  a reduced to tiny pieces, completely smashed, disaggregated, broken up.
  vc kamaerikirikia: to reduce to ...

maete

B m'áete 
  n blubber, fat
  ex te m'aete-n-atu scalp
B máete 
  a slippery
  n being slippery, slipperiness
O maete 
  na grease or lard attached to skin.
  ex maeten te beki: pig skin and lard.
  ex te maete n atu: the scalp (of head)
O maete1 
  n lard, grease.
  a greasy; kamaete. idem.
  a maetete: having much ...
  vc kamaetea ...
O maete2 
  a maetete: slippery, greasy
  note that these 3 maete are probably the same word

maetete

B maetéte 
  a very slippery

maewe

B m'áewe 
  n person passing by who is not distinctly seen
  va seen accidentally, not by a direct look of the eye, but, as it were, by a side glance
O maewe 
  a dim, almost invisible (rarely seen or dimly seen).
  n kind of apparition, visit or rare appearance, passage or appearance.
  v to pass stealthily <stealthy>.
  vc ka-maewea. kaka ...

maewewe

B m'aewéwe 
  va frequentative of m'aewe

mai

B mái 
  vi used imperatively, come here
  pre from
  adv this way, here toward the speaker
  n bread-fruit tree
B m'aái 
  n before
  n hat or wig made from hair
B mái: 
  a pale, white
  n fish
  a bitter
B m'ái 
  a cooked
  n cooked food
O mai 
  prep from (ex in Latin)
  ex mai ikai: from here
  ex mai kanne, mai ikekei: from there
  ex mai ikao: on this side of
  ex mai i etan: from above.
  adv suff. nakomai, birimai, kemai, omai.
  ex nakomai: come here, come towards me
  ex kamai: give me! (for distant objects).
  syn nka (for objects near at hand).
  ex mai: come here
O mai1 
  n breadfruit tree, its fruit
  ex species: mai uea, mai rekereke, bukiraro, etc.
O mai2 
  n a pale-coloured stingray
O mai3 
  a pale, greyish, whitish.
  ex mai nako: to become or be pale, to get pale suddenly
  ex mainaina: white.
  suf to several words of same meaning
  see rabono-mai, ira mai, ba mai..
  vc ka-mai: to make ... to make appear ...
  n te kamai: the white of the eye, white bottom of lagoon
O mai4 
  n sourness, acidity.
  a sour, insipid, acid, unripe, green (fruit), tasteless.
  va kamai-ria: disgusting, distasteful
O mai5 
  n maiu, maim, maina, etc. the front of, fore quarters, fore parts, front.
  ex i main, mai main: before. <m'aai>
  ex i main bungiakin: before the birth of ...
  vt maina: to have, carry, put, or be in front or before.
  ex e mainaki: he is forestalled, or outrun
  ex e mainira: he got before us
O mai6 
  n a wig
O mai7 
  a cooked, well done, well cooked.
  fig cooked, too hot.
  a mai-oraora: badly cooked, under done, half cooked, half raw.
  a kai-mai: easily cooked, quickly cooked.
  vc ka-maia, kamaimaia: to cook it.
  n te kamaimai: cooked toddy, syrup, molasses
G mái 
  sn Artocarpus altilis
  n a breadfruit tree (k,z)
G mái: 
  n a pale colored stingray (ll)
L mai 
  sn Dasyatida
  n stingrayy

mai iai

O mai iai 
  adv from there, from that place

maia

B máia 
  a whence? from where? (interrog)
  spe mai ia

maiai

B maáiai 
  va ruffled, disarranged, mashed up
B máiái 
  a thence, from there
  spe mai iai

maiaia

B maiáia 
  va beaten soft with a stick
O maiaia 
  from ia
  a reduced to threads.
  vc ka-maiaia: to make soft, supple by chewing, beating, hammering, to grind, to masticate

maiaki

B máiaki 
  a south
  n south
O maiaki 
  n south.
  see aiaki, nako aiaki
  ex bo nako aiaki: to go towards the south
  ex nakomai maiaki: to come from the south
  ex nako maiaki, bo maiaki: to come from or go to the south

maian

O maian 
  adv from under, from beneath. low class people (Makin word)

maiana

O Maiana 
  n Hall Island (south of Tarawa), discovered by Patterson

maiango

B m'áiango 
  n pine wood
O maiango 
  n a tree trunk washed ashore, white pine

maiawa

B máiawa 
  n a star
O Maiawa 
  n name of a star, Betelgeuse of Orion.
  ex boni Maiawa: beautiful like Maiawa
  ex E ruonna Maiawa: the beauty of Maiawa come down on her (him).
  n name of man (myth.).
  ex arokan Maiawa: old, very old like Maiawa

maibi

B máibi 
  va broken as something brittle
  n broken piece
O maibi 
  n te maibina, ua maibi: one, two fragments, pieces, bits, small pieces, small change (money)
  ex te maibibina: a tiny piece, a particle, small bit.
  a maibi, maibibi, ma-maibi, mamaibibi, maibi-ua, mamaibiua: broken in two
  a maibi-ten: broken in three.
  idiom e maibi Mainiku: getting bright in the east.
  vc ka-maiba, ... bia ... to break, to smash something hard or brittle, as vase, glass, etc.

maibibi

B máibíbi 
  va broken into many pieces as something brittle

maibinnana

B máibinnána 
  n piece of coconut shell

maibiua

B máibiúa 
  va broken in two, as a dish or coconut shell

maibua

B máibúa 
  va broken in two as a dish or coconut shell

maibunia

O maibunia 
  a half cooked, under done

maie

B m'áie 
  n worldly pleasure, dissipation
  vi engage in worldly pleasure
O maie 
  from maiti and ie
  n amusement, play in which many people participate (mostly batere, ruoia, etc.).
  v maie, mamaie: to amuse oneself, to dance in number.
  vc kamaiea: to organize dances and plays

maieakina

O maieakina 
  vt to amuse oneself at ..., to be addicted to ...

maiia

O mai-ia 
  adv mai ia? from where?

maikai

O maikai 
  adv from here

maikanne

O maikanne 
  adv from there (near)

maikeike

B maikéike 
  vi sob
O maikeike 
  n a sigh, sob (from pain, weariness, etc.).
  v to breathe with difficulty, to sigh, to sob.
  vc ka-maikeikeia

maikekei

B máikekéi 
  adv from yonder place
O maikekei 
  adv from there (far)

maikoa

B máikoa 
  adv on this side of
O maikoa 
  adv this side of ...

maiku

O maiku 
  n maikun te ... on inside of curve of island

maimai

B máimai 
  va abounding in breadfruit of jackfruit trees
B m'áim'ai 
  n dampness
O maimai 
  a wet, damp, soaked.
  v to urinate.
  n urine.
  vc ka-maimaia: to wet, to damp, to cause to urinate

maina

B máina 
  a white
O maina 
  from mai
  vt to have, ot carry or place in front, before, on the breast, in one's belt, to go before
O maina1 
  n mainaina whiteness, paleness.
  a white, pale.
  a takamainaina, mainatakaebue, mainatakirara: very white, dazzling whiteness.
  vc ka-maina, kamainaina: to whiten, to put a white mark on a tree, or a reserved land

maina ni ie

O maina ni ie 
  n white of sail, end of white sail.
  v maina ni ie, mamaina ni ie: to appear as a white sail in the distance

maina ni mata

O maina ni mata 
  n white of the eye
  see kamai. sclerotic

maina rake

O maina rake 
  v to become pale, to be pale.
  a pale (from sickness, fright), without eyebrows, greying

mainaina

B maináina 
  a white
  n whiteness

mainako

B mái:nako 
  vi become pale through great terror or sickness or shame
O mainako 
  n sudden paleness.
  v to become pale, to get pale, to go pale suddenly.
  vc ka-mainakoa ...

mainanie

B máinaníe 
  n distant sail
  a appearing white as a sail in the distance

mainanikie

B mainæ/nikie 
  n something light colored like a mat passing in the distance
  va showing by night, as a man passing who is clothed with a whitish garment

mainatakaebuebu

B máinatakáebuebu 
  a very white

mainatakirara

B máinatákirara 
  a very white

maine

B máine 
  n handle of an adze
O maine 
  n the handle of scoop net, etc.