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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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r

ra

B ra 
  pron what ? (an interrogative pronoun following the noun)
  ex te aomata ra ? what man?
  ex baika ra ? what things?
  adv how
  ex ai kamimi ra! how wonderful!
  pron our, a suffix pronoun
  ex kawaira: our path
  n one width of a mat-sail
O ra 
  for ara
  poss suf. our
  ex kawaira: our way
  ex tamara: our father.
  see ara
O ra1 
  intj suf. of exclamation or surprise.
  ex ai tamaroa ra!: how beautiful!
  ex ai tena ra!: how tight!
O ra2 
  adj suf. of interrogation: what? which?
  ex te aomata ra?: which man?
  ex baika ra?: what things?
  ex n te tabo ra?: in what place?
  ex au ra, am ra, ana ra: my, thy, his, your, what?
  ex tera?: what?
  ex am ra te bai anne?: for what is that thing of yours?
  ex rau? ram? rana?: what? (meaning relationship)
  ex ram te tei anne?: what relation is that child to you?
  ex bon taru: he is my brother
  ex ran te taibora?: which part of the table?
  ex i rau? i ram? i rana?:
  adv where in connection to me, you, him.
  see ira-ua, ira man
O ra3 
  n a piece, a strip, band put side by side to make a whole, a width. for ex. widths of material joined to make a sail
  ex ira ra am ie?: how many widths on your sail?
  ex te tao ra: reducing size of sail by folding a width (in strong wind)
O ra4 
  pref nearly, not altogether, incomplete.
  ex e ra koro: nearly complete
  ex e ra bubua: nearly 100
O ra5 
  a bad, defective, improper, disagreeable, constrained, striped,
  a denuded, unfavourable, impure, imperfect, etc.
  ex e nano ra: he is discontented
  ex e teke-ra: he is unlucky
  ex e tai ra: it is not the time just now.
  vt tae-ra, taeraea: to take off, to tear, to strip off what does not suit (for ex. branches)

ra ni mate

O ra ni mate 
  na risk, peril of death, nearly dead, in danger of death.
  vt ranimatea: to risk one's life for ...

raba

B rába 
  n rubber (ENG)
B ráb'a 
  va praiseworthy
  ex ko rab'a: you are kind, often used where we would say "thank you"
  va obtained
B rába 
  va hidden, concealed, secret
O raba 
  n rubber. (ENG)
  n te raba n nano: tube (in tyre).
  n te raba n tinaniku: tyre
O raba1 
  na appreciated, good, agreeable, pleasant.
  ex Ai raba ra: How nice of you
  idiom ko raba, kam raba: Thanks! How nice of you!
  ex E raba arou! E reke arou!: I am lucky!
  ex E raba arom: You are lucky!
  ex vc karaba: to thank, to return thanks
  ex karaba uatao: double thanks, a thousand thanks
O raba2 
  na hidden, concealed, covered, obscure, mysterious, well-kept, guarded, caught.
  ex e raba: we have got him, we hold him.
  vc ka-raba: to hide, to mask, to veil, to conceal, to hold
  ex karabaraba, kararaba:
  red a raraba, rabaraba, rabanako ...
  ex e raba: it is caught, we hold it
  ex karaba konam: hide your catch.
  nv I-karaba: game of hide and seek, to play at ...
  vt karabana: to cover oneself, to veil, to hide one's nudity
  ex karabaniko: cover yourself, clothe yourself

raba nako

O raba nako 
  v to leave secretly, to slip out, to steal away, to disappear in the distance

rababa

B ræ/baba 
  a broad
  n breadth
O rababa 
  n width.
  a wide.
  vc ka-rababa, karababaea: to enlarge, to extend.
  vc karababa: to flatten out, to spread out.
  n te karababa: dried pandanus fruit in slabs

rababakaei

B ræ/babakáei 
  a wide, broad, very wide
O rababakaei 
  a large like this (gesture)
  ex rababakei: very large (S.)

rababaua

B ræbabáua 
  va spread out into thin plates
O rababaua 
  a spread out flat, spread out flat in length and width
  ex borababaua: lying down stretched at full length.
  vc karababaua: to spread in length and width (as dough).
  vc kaborababaua: to flatten out, to lay down flat and spread out.
  vc ka-rababa: to flatten out

rabai

O rabai 
  idiom interj. with i in front.
  ex i ra-b'ai?: where? in what place, beside what?

rabakai

O rabakai 
  n skill, ingeniousness, competency.
  a skilful, competent, ingenious, smart, quick, having acquired an art, technique, trick

rabakau

B ræ/bakau 
  a skillful, dextrous, adept, knowing and ready
  n skill, ability to perceive and perform
O rabakau 
  n science, knowledge, art, cleverness, aptitude, experience, instruction.
  a learned, clever, competent, apt, expert, skilful, ingenious
  ex rabakau n rang: really clever, superior knowledge, exceptional aptitude.
  v kakarabakau (exchange of ideas) to confer, to converse
  ex kakarabakaua: talk, act the clever, boast.
  vt karabakaua, kakarabakaua: to boast the knowledge of ..., to brag about one's own learning.
  vt rabakauakina: to converse about an affair, to treat about in conversation, to deliberate about
  ex karabakauakina, kakarabakauakina ...: under consideration, subject of ...

rabakaunrang

B ræ/bakaunrang/ 
  a very skillful

rabana

B rábana 
  vt to take good care of
O rabana 
  vt to hold, to maintain, to keep, to guard, to preserve.
  red rabarabana: keep carefully, to take hold of ..., to seize.
  see raba, karaba

rabane

O rabane 
  a nearly finished, nearly complete, almost done.
  vt rabanea: to be nearly finished, to be near the end of ...

rabangaki

O rabangaki 
  n a sail made of horizontal strips.
  syn kabangaki

rabaraba

B ræ/baræba 
  n the first or last in a line at the extreme right or left
B ráb'arab'a 
  n a mat worn like a poncho
O rabaraba 
  n a mat, cloak with hole to pass head through, cape
O rabaraba1 
  a hidden behind another in a file or in the last row

rabaraba ni karawa

O rabaraba ni karawa 
  n horizon, just beyond the horizon

rabarabana

B rab'árab'ana 
  vt to guard or watch over, to look out for

rabarabataki

O rabarabataki 
  nv a rash, having skin covered with painful rash (caused by poisonous bites)

rabarabati

B rab'árab'ati 
  vi frequentative of rabati: to embrace

rabata

B rabata 
  vt to approach cautiously for the purpose of seizing
B rab'áta 
  vt to embrace
B ráb'ata 
  n the body
O rabata 
  n body, solid portion, principal, amount, framework, corpse, carcass, whole number <integer>, known quantity;
  ex rabatan te aomata: human body
  ex bain te rabata: members of the body
  ex te rabata: reef separating lagoon from ocean
O rabata1 
  vt rabata: to take, to seize around body with arms, to embrace, to hold in embrace
  ex i rabatia: clasp in one's arms, <hug>, locked in each other's arms.
  nv kaun rabata: wrestling.
  n rabatan te bai: the whole lot, main substance
  ex maiun te rabata: the life of the body
O rabata2 
  from raba:
  vt to seize by surprise, by hiding (for ex. cat catching mouse)

rabati

B rab'áti 
  vi to embrace, used with i
  ex A i rabati: They embrace each other.
O rabati 
  idiom A i-rabati: They embrace each other, clasp in each other's arms.
  red A i-rabarabati <hug each other>

rabaua te aba

O Rabaua te aba 
  n Pole Starr

rabe

B raábe 
  n a precipice, a bank, a steep place
  a steep
O rabe 
  and rabebe.
  n declivity, slope, steep face, bias.
  a sloping, slanting.
  na karabe, karabebe: sloping, steep, sloping down, inclining.
  ex a rabebe tai, namakaina, itoi: the sun, the moon, the stars decline.
  vc karabea: to make incline

rabebe

B rábebe 
  va sloping, slanting, declining as the sun

raben

B ræ/ben 
  vi to increase in size perpendicularly as the batua when about to fight
O raben 
  v to move (going, flying, swimming, sailing), sideways (for ex. as aeroplane veering), to lean to one side.
  red rabeniben: to oscillate, to move now on one side, now on another (as dying fish)
  ex rabeniben nako: moving in this manner

rabeniben

B rabéniben 
  vi frequentative of raben
  vi to flee while in the raben condition

rabete

O rabete 
  dim of bete, bebete:
  a light, not heavy

rabeti

O rabeti 
  from beti
  na nearly floating, almost buoyant

rabi

B rábi 
  vi bellying as a sail, indented as a coast, curved laterally
  n a bay
B rábi 
  n a rabbi (ENG)
O rabi 
  a forming curve, bend, coil, arch, falling in waves, undulating, concave, etc.
  ex rabin te mangko: turned back edge of mug
  ex rabini karawa: edge of sky, horizon
  ex rabin te aba: bay, cove.
  a rabirabi: wavy, undulated, pleated.
  v tao-rabi: to put edge of mosquito net under sleeping mat.
  vt tao rabia: idem.
  syn borabi, borabia
  v tiku rabirabi: to hang in creases, creased (material, stockings, etc.).
  vc ka-rabia: to put a border on.
  vc karabiraoa: idem.
O Rabi 
  n star (in Chariot).
  syn Te Kataba

rabino

B rábino 
  n a lewd game
  vi to roll
O rabino 
  v to roll, to roll over.
  n the act of ...
  vt rabinoa: to roll ...
  red rabinobino, rabirabinoa ...
  vc karabinoa, karabinobinoa: to roll (as ball)

rabinobino

B rabínobino 
  vi to roll over

rabirabi

B rábirabi 
  a wide laterally as a coconut shell bottle

raboni

B rabóni 
  n raboni (HEB)

rabono

B rábono 
  n an eel, the
O rabono 
  n conger eell, eel
  sn Gymno thorax buroensis
  n te rabono n u: eel caught in eel pot.
  ex species: imone: (striped)
  ex ira, kairi, keru, kabanga n ira kaibike sp., kurukuru sp., nimataerere: (spotted)
  ex nimanagi-n-aba: (has rat's ears)matameri: (pretty with black spots) or bukimeri, bukikoro, rabono-mai: (most vicious white eel)
  ex tawaieta, waka ni ba, witae: (aggressive)
G rabono 
  sn Gymnothorax buroensis
  n eel (y)
G rabono1 
  sn Gymnothorax flavimarginata
  n eel (y)
G rabono2 
  sn family Muraenidae
  n eel (hh)
G rabono3 
  sn Uropterygius spp. (y)
  n eel (sm)

rabono te banga

O rabono te banga 
  <*-fis
  n moray eell (Echidna Zebra)

rabonomai

B rábonomái 
  n a white eel
G rábonomái 
  n a most vicious white eel (ll)
L rabonomai 
  sn Gymnothorax pictus (muraenida)
  n moray eel

rabononud

B rábononud 
  n an eel taken in an u

rabonotebanga

G rabonotebanga 
  sn Echidna zebra (ll)
  n moray eel (sm)

rabonotekabanga

G rabonotekabanga 
  sn Echidna zebra (y)
  n eel (sm)

rabu

B rábu 
  vi to engage in tying coconut leaves around fruit-trees tabooed
  n a coconut leaflet tied around a fruit-tree to indicate that it is tabooed
O rabu 
  n a covering, protection, mark on tree to denote reservation.
  a covered, forbidden, reserved, protected.
  vt rabua : to mark with a sign to be reserved.
  red raburabu.
  na rabu mate: a fire covered.
  vc karabumatea: to cover the fire to keep it alive or to put it out.
  na rabu, rarabu, raburabu: a blow coming from above striking and covering.
  a ae rarabu: skilful to do this act

rabu te kawa ni kai

O rabu te kawa ni kai 
  n reservation, interdict under pain of curse

rabu te rang

O rabu te rang 
  n idem. under menace of going mad

rabu te tauti

O rabu te tauti 
  n idem. under menace of swelling up

rabua

B rábua 
  vt to appropriate for personal use a fruit-tree by tying leaves around the trunk

rabuna

B rábuna 
  vt to screen
  n a screen
O rabuna 
  vt raburabuna: to cover, to mask, to clothe, to shelter, to protect, to cover over.
  fig to forbid, to stifle, to hinder.
  ex E rabuna te takakaro: He forbade, hindered the game, the play.

rabungaoa

B rabungáoa 
  vt to interrupt a person's conversation for the purpose of preventing him from disclosing a secret
O rabungaoa 
  vt to cover over, to stifle the voice, the words by making a row, by booing, to hinder by causing disorder

raburabu

B ráburabu 
  a renowned, famous, of note
O raburabu 
  n an immoral custom of former times.
  syn koro aneang

raburabuna

B raburábuna 
  vt frequentative of rabuna

rabutekawanikai

B rábutekáwanikai 
  n a coconut leaf charm, or fetish, of a certain style

rabuterang

B rábuterang/ 
  n a certain style of the rabu

rabutetauti

B rábutetáuti 
  n a certain style of the rabu

radma

B rad/ma 
  n the outrigger side of a canoe

rae

B ráe 
  va inclined, as the head, to one side
O rae 
  v to tear
  see compound words, raeaua, raeten
  red raerae.
  vt raea, raraea, raeraea: to tear, to slash, to pull to pieces.
  vt rae-ua: to tear in two
O rae1 
  a inclined, deviated, diverted, crooked, squinting
  ex e rae matana: he squints
  ex e rarae tai: the sun declines.
  vc karaea: to make deviate, to divert, to incline, to turn away, to slant, etc.
O rae2 
  na raereke: a narrow strip (land, cloth)

raea

B ráea 
  n a lyre (ENG)
  vt to tear
  va in disorder, disarranged, promiscuously placed
O raea 
  n scattering, dispersion.
  a scattered, dispersed, in disorder.
  vc ka-raea: to scatter, to disperse

raeaki

B ráeaki 
  n a rent, a portion divided off
O raeaki 
  n a portion, part divided
  ex te raeakina. ua ... ten ...

raeakina

O raeakina 
  vt to share, to divide, to separate, to put in shares, divisions

raeba

B ráeba 
  vi to engage in stripping off coconut leaflets for obtaining the ba
  n the stripping of coconut leaflets in order to secure the midrib
O raeba 
  to strip the midrib of coconut palm of its laminae.
  vt (irr.) raebaea, raebaeaki: idem. to strip ...

raebaea

B raebáea 
  vt to strip a coconut tree of more or less of its leaves

raebai

O raebai 
  to pull off wings and legs, etc.
  vt raebaia

raebaia

B raebáia 
  vt to tear off the wings

raebiti

O raebiti 
  v to pull to pieces, to tear in pieces.
  vt raebitia

raebitia

B raebítia 
  vt to tear in pieces

raebwebwe

B ráebwebwe 
  vi to engage in stripping off suckers or lateral sprouts
O raebwebwe 
  v to pull off, to take off shoots, sprouts.
  vt raebwebwea

raebwebwea

B raebwébwea 
  vt to strip off as suckers
  bk Phys p. 67

raeing

O raeing 
  a cracking, splitting, cracked, split.
  syn raewaewa

raemangao

B raemángao 
  vi to engage in tearing to pieces

raemangaoa

B raemangáoa 
  vt to tear to pieces a mat, or anything with the teeth as a dog

raemangoa

O raemangoa 
  from rae and mangaongao
  vt to tear in every direction, in every way, to lacerate.
  syn rai mangoa

raemenga

O raemenga 
  a broken, dislocated, torn, dismantled.
  sup raemengamenga.
  vt raemenga: to break, to dislocate, to break up

raenen

B ráenen 
  a long and slim
O raenen 
  a flexible, pliable, able to bend and twist in every way, every manner
  see maenen
  vt karaenena: to make ..., to bend ...

raenoko

O raenoko 
  v to strip leaf part off noko.
  vt raenokoa: idem.

raerae

B ráerae 
  va fatally wounded
  vi to engage in stripping
O raerae 
  n (1) a tear, a wound (by tearing), flesh torn ...
  n (2) a patient wounded in this way.
  n (3) a loose leaf book.
  n the act of tearing.
  see rae
O raerae1 
  n the act of stripping palm leaves
O raerae2 
  v to go in zigzag, sideways.
  a irregular form.
  ex e raerae kawaina, a raerae abana

raeraea

B raeráea 
  vt frequentative of raea

raeraeaki

O raeraeaki 
  a split, furrowed, crevassed, fissured

raereke

B ráereke 
  a very narrow, as cloth
  n a narrow part of the island rim
O raereke 
  na narrow (land between sea on both sides), material, sail, etc.;
  ex te ao raereke: narrow surface, compressed, cooped in.
  n raereke: isthmus

raerereke

B raereéreke 
  a very narrow, as cloth

raeroba

B ráerob'a 
  a coarse
  n a coarse mat used for flooring purposes
O raeroba 
  n a coarse mat made of pandanus leaves, split larger than for kie.
  syn te boroba: large strips of leaves used to make this kind of mat.
  n te roba: mat made of entire pandanus leaf, not split.
  note generally roba is used for mats made of large strips

raerua

O raerua 
  v to wander to and fro, to lose one's way.
  ex A raerua matan te tei: The child's eyes look all around.

raetara

B ráetæra 
  n praise of a lover, in similitudes
B ráetæraa 
  vt to praise a lover in the use of similitudes
O raetara 
  and rautara
  v to take off the thorns from pandanus leaves.
  fig to make allusion, to give hints.
  vt raetara: idem. to celebrate, to sing by allegory, to make allusion

raeten

B ráeten 
  n a mat whose strands are one third each of the width of the pan leaf
O raeten 
  and raetenia
  see rae

raetenia

B raeten/ia 
  vt to strip leaves into three parts

raetoba

O raetoba 
  or tae topa
  na paleness or whiteness of nursing mothers, pale or sallow as ...

raeua

B ráeuaa 
  vt to tear in two long pieces
O raeua 
  a split in two.
  n a tear

raewa

B ráewa 
  a split, cracked as a board
O raewa 
  n raewaewa: a crack, fissure.
  a split, cracked

raewaewa

B raewáewa 
  a split, cracked

raewanai

B raewánai 
  n a fish, the
G raewánai 
  sn Pterois radiata (ll)
  n stingfish (sm)

raewani

O raewani 
  n a fish (sting fish)
  sn Pleroisradiata

rai

B rái 
  n a plank, a board, a mat-covering for a native oven, a sort of seine made of coconut leaflets braided or secured with the rootlets of the pan tree
  a withered
B rái: 
  va refusing to speak because offended
  n a refusal to speak because of one's being offended
B raái 
  vi to twist and tangle easily, as a thread or line
  n a state of being tangled
O rai 
  pref rad. of many compound words meaning: turned, turned over
O rai1 
  a dried up, withered, faded
  ex e rai moana: he has an emaciated look.
  vt ka-raia: to make or let dry, to fade, to wither
O rai2 
  n an old mat, bag, board used to cover earth oven. extension of leaves to a fishing net
  ex te moan rai, te kauouan rai, te mwi n rai.
  ex te rai anau, te rai uarereke is said of a long or short sail.
  v rai-anau, rai nako: to extend, to protract by adding another strip.
  vt raia: to prolong, to enlarge, to extend (one's land, etc.).
  vc ka-raia: to lengthen, to prolong
O rai3 
  a untwisted, unravelled.
  v to move, to turn in wrong direction, contort.
  ex e rai am ao: your fishline is becoming undone, untwisted.
  vc ka-raia ...
O rai4 
  v to have an aversion, repugnance, disgust.
  ex te rai nano, te rai n nano: aversion
  ex e rai nanou: I am disgusted, ... have taken a dislike to ...
  ex karaia:
  vc to disgust, to make turn away from

rai aba

O rai aba 
  n exchange of land.
  v to change ...

rai ara

O rai ara 
  n exchange of names.
  v to change ...

rai n aka

O rai n aka 
  or ran n aaka
  n a layer of oil or soapy water, oily layer

raia