an auxiliary verb, used in (hypothetical) conditional sentences;

ikpami-ɔɛ̃, iɣalɛ nɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˥ \ ˥ / / \ ] “had I (always) been seeing him, I should have run away from him” (e.g. from a creditor who comes to ask for his money);

ikpami-ɔɛ̃, iɣalɛ nɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ (4-1) ˥ ˩ ˩ \ ] “had I seen him (once), I should have run”;

cf. akpawɛ [ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ];

ɔkpare, ɔɣami-eʋ-ɔho [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ / ] “in case he would have come, he would have received what he wants” (viz. a thrashing).

in kpa [ ˩ ] odĩ [ ˥ ˥ ] to surprise;

eʋ̃i n-uɽu na kpa ʋ̃-odĩ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] what (the thing) you are doing now surprises me.

(1) to vomit;

cf. ekpa [ ˩ ˥ ].

(2) to burst into fruit (of bananas and plantain trees).

(1) to be good (in the sense of “convenient”);

used impersonally;

ɔkpa ma-ɣ-irherhe re [ ˩ ˥ / ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] it is good that I have come in time;

iɣaiɣidoʋa ɽuɛ [ ˥ / ˥ ˥ ˩ / ] I should not have managed (lit. “come”) to meet you.

(2) to be clear, plain;

ɔkpa ma yi-ɣ-ɔna ɣiɽ-okieke ʋ-use n-ima mu (ɽe [ ˥ ]) [ ˩ ˥ / ˥ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] “it is quite clear that (iɣe [ ˥ ˩ ]) this is the last among the helping parties (use [ ˩ ˥ ]) which we are having (mu [ ˥ ])” (this may be used as an exasperated comment of one who thinks that he is exploited by the man for whom the helpers are working).

(1) to lift up;

kpa-ɽe ɣe deɣ-uɣas-ɛtĩ mu‿ɛ̃ [ / ˩ / ˦ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˦ (4-1) ] lift it up and look whether you will be able to carry it!

kpa [ / ] mu [ ˥ ] dia [ ˥ ] to put something in an upright position, e.g. a log, in order to test its length.

kpa egbe [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] “to lift body”: to leave, depart;

ɔkpa‿egbe nɛ ʋ-en-ɛʋo [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ \ ˩ ] he has already left the town;

v. kpaɔ [ / ].

kpa‿obɔ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] to raise one’s hand;

same as tɔ̃‿obɔ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] mu [ ˥ ];

ɔkpa‿obɔ n-ɔfi ʋ̃-eʋ̃i, eɽ-inalɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˦ ˧ ˩ ˩ \ ˩ ˥ \ / ] “he raised (his) hand in order to strike me (a thing), then (lit. ‘it was’) I ran away”.

(2) to help somebody carry a load;

ikpa-ɽe ʋ-odɛ n-ima nay-enyaɛ [ ˩ / ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ / ˥ ˦ ˩ ] “I helped him on the way by which we went to Enyaɛ”;

cf. kpaɔ [ / ].

describes report of a European double-barrel or rifle.

(1) to pull out, e.g. the blade of an axe from the handle.

(2) to tear, break off branches or leaves, or fruit that is picked from the stem of a plant, e.g. cocoa;

kpã-ebe ni mɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˧ ] tear these leaves off for me!

iterat. kpãnɔ [ ˩ ˥ ].

(3) to fall out;

to break off (intrans.);

v. kɔlɔ [ ˩ ˥ ] (to pick a fruit from the branches), biã [ / ], xuɔ̃ [ / ].

gravelly (of soil);

so as to hurt one’s feet;

otɔe na ye kpãkãkpãkãkpãkã [ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] this soil is gravelly.

(1) denoting big size of tooth or (reduplicated) teeth;

ɔye kpako [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] it (the tooth) is big.

(2) also used of young bursting plants to denote their being short and thick, ca. 2 or 3 days after they have come out of the ground;

pl. by reduplication;

ɔzɔɽe kpako [ ˩ / ˩ ˩ ˩ ] it has sprouted and is a big seed.

to peel (eatable things);

kpal-igaɽi na [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] peel this cassava!

rough;

erhã na ye kpãnɔkpãnɔ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] this plank (“wood”) is rough;

erhã ne kpãnɔkpãnɔ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] a rough plank (same as erhã n-ɔmariɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˥ ]).

(1) to get up;

ɔkpa(ɔ) ʋ-aga [ ˩ \ ˥ ˥ ] he got up from the chair.

kpaɔ [ / ] mu [ ˥ ] dia [ ˥ ] to get up (and stand).

(2) to leave, depart (used with following ʋ-);

ɔkpaɔ ʋ-en-ɛʋo [ ˩ \ ˩ \ ˩ ] he left the town (or, country).

kpa(ɔ) [ / ] re [ ˥ ] to get out;

kpa-ʋa re [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] get out there!

cf. kpa [ / ].

describes the noise of thunder.

main, principal;

cf. Yor. kpataki [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].

describes the patter of heavy rain;

ɔrhɔ kp. [ ˩ / ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] or ɔde kp. [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] it is raining heavily.

an expression used by the tortoise in a story;

same as nɛ [ ˥ ] to defaecate.

(1) to wash (things), also parts of the body (but “to wash oneself” is xuɛ [ / ]).

(2) with personal objects: to wash with charms, in order to transfer their strength to the person washed.

It can also be used for “washing hunters’ dogs with charms,” but “to wash things with charms” is rhua [ / ].

(3) to cure by washing (a wound);

cf. ukp-akɔ̃ [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ].

to die out;

ɛʋo ni hɛko kpe fũ [ ˩ / / ˩ / ˥ ˥ ] that town is gradually dying out.

to play an instrument.

kp-akpata [ / ˥ ˥ ] to play the akpata [ ˥ ˥ ˥ ] harp, or, a European guitar.

kp-ema [ / ˩ ] to play a drum.

kp-obɔ [ ˩ ˥ ] to clap hands;

to applaude.

kp-orhu [ ˩ ˥ ] to blow a horn or akɔ̃hɛ̃ [ ˩ ˩ \ ];

cf. orhu [ ˩ ˥ ].

kp-orhu [ / ˩ ] (a) to shout in falsetto voice, ii, or, uu, in order to call one another at a distance, as done by hunters, trappers, or farmers when they have lost their way;

(b) to shout words at a great distance, as e.g. done by public criers;

(c) to preach;

cf. urhu [ ˩ ˩ ].

kp-oxa [ ˩ ˥ ] to call antelopes, birds, or squirrels, with the help of leaves, or through the nose, as hunters do.

kp-oxa [ / ˩ ] to play the oxa [ ˩ ˩ ] drum;

cf. kpei [ / ].

to blame, reproach in public;

ɣɛɣikpe ʋ̃ɛ [ ˥ ˩ ˩ \ ] don’t reproach me in public!

cf. kpei [ / ], kpe 1 [ / ].

to flock round somebody.

to shout;

ɔkpei t-iɽ̃ã (tie [ / ]) [ ˩ / ˦ ˩ ] he is shouting for them;

cf. kpe 1 and 2 [ / ].

a kind of seed, used as rat poison.

cf. kpe 1 [ / ].

(1) to dig yams and cut their “heads” off which are used as seed-yam;

the yams are then put back into the ground until the eru [ ˩ ˥ ] is built;

also kp-ẽma, km-ema [ ˥ ˩ ] and kp-ĩnya, km-inya [ ˩ ˥ ].

Of these, the former seems to be the more correct expression while the latter is used by the younger generation;

cf. ikpẽma [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].

(2) to cut oneself (or somebody else) in shaving.

to last, to be a long time ago;

idiom.: ʋ-ɔmakpɛ-eva [ ˥ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˥ ] “when it has not lasted two”: after a short time.

kpɛe [ / ] fua [ ˥ ] to pass away (time).

kpɛ-eri [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] to be under size;

of persons and animals only.

describes a high degree of smoothness;

ɔye [ ˩ ˥ ], or, ɔriɛe kpɛɣɛɛ [ ˩ \ ˩ ˩ ] it is very smooth (not slippery);

erhã ne kpɛɣɛɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ], same as erhã n-ari-ɔɽe (riɛ [ / ]) [ ˩ ˩ ˥ / ˩ ] a smoothed plank.

upper storey (or, house with two storeys?);

cf. Yor. kpɛtɛsi [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ];

v. egedege [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˦ ].

describes a unanimous shout of applause;

used with the verb we [ / ].

cf. kpɛ̃ [ ˥ ].

to quote a proverb;

cf. itã [ ˥ ˥ ];

v. fi [ ˥ ].

to slip away;

e.g. of poles tied together at the top (used in roofing a house) which become undone while the lower ends are being fixed;

erhã na kpo fua [ ˩ ˥ ˩ / / ] these poles have slipped out.

cf. kpe 1 [ / ].

(1) to rinse a vessel;

cf. s-oɣo [ ˩ ˥ ].

(2) to bake (only applied to akasã [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ]);

to sweep;

idiom.: kpol-ɛbu [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] “to sweep the sweepings”: to do the last part of some work;

to conclude a thing;

v. xwi‿ɛɽ-ohiʋ̃i [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ].

describes a bright, but not flaming, fire;

ɔnya kpoo [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] it burns brightly;

with ba [ / ]: aɽu‿ɛɽe ba kpoo [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ / ˩ ] “his eye is very red”: (a) his eye is very much inflamed;

(b) he is very angry.

describes report of a native gun, which was not well loaded.

cf. kpe 1 [ / ].

cf. kpe 1 [ / ].

to be numerous, plentiful;

ɛkpɔ [ / \ ] they are not many;

cf. Yor. kpɔ [ ˩ ].

quite silent;

used with the verb hũ [ ˥ ] nwa [ ˥ ];

ɔhũ nwa kpɔkpɔɔkpɔ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˧ ˧ ˧ ] he was quite silent.

to be big;

n-ufiã nɛ kpɔlɔ gbe [ ˥ ˥ (4-1) ˩ ˥ ˦ ] what you have cut for him is too big.

Idiom.: ɔkpɔlɔe ʋ-urhu [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] “it is big on his neck”: he is in great trouble.

protruding;

ɔye kpɔ̃ɽ̃ɔ̃kp. [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] it is protruding (an eye-ball);

ɔɽu‿ikpãɽo kp. [ ˩ ˥ ˥ \ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] he has protruding eye-balls.

to prepare ɔtɛ̃ [ ˥ ˥ ].

(short u) describes the fall of something round and heavy;

ɔde kpu [ ˩ \ ˩ ] it fell, e.g. of a coco-nut, mango-fruit, orange, izɛ [ ˥ ˩ ] or the like.

short;

okpia na ye kpuku [ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] this man is short.

cowering, e.g. in: ɔki re kp. [ ˩ / ˦ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] he cowered (in cold weather, with arms crossed and hands on one’s shoulders);

also used with si [ ˥ ] kuɛ̃ [ / ].