(1) to open (mouth, eye);

nya [ ˥ ] aɽu‿a (short for ɽua) [ ˩ ˩ / ] lit. “to open somebody’s eye”: to cause admiration;

ɛʋ̃-ɔ̃ɽ̃ɛ̃ nya ʋ̃-ãɽu‿a gbe [ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] lit. “this matter has opened my eye very much”: I admire him greatly (the ɽ is not nasalised).

ny-unu [ ˩ ˥ ] to open one’s mouth.

nya [ ˥ ] unu [ ˩ ˥ ] to astonish;

to surprise;

ɔnya ʋ̃-unu [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] it surprised me (v. kpa 2 [ ˥ ] odĩ [ ˥ ˥ ]).

(2) to tear apart a piece of wood partially split, or, a branch of a tree (v. 1) where the mouth and eye are also “split” openings;

also nya [ ˥ ] fua [ ˥ ];

v. igɛ̃gɛ̃ [ ˥ ˥ ˥ ].

(1) to tire;

to weaken;

used with obɔ [ ˩ ˥ ] and owɛ [ ˩ ˩ ], apparently after some exercise only;

v. wɔ [ / ] which is used with egbe [ ˩ ˥ ] only, and xã 2 [ / ], hũhũ [ ˩ ˥ ], used of food;

owɛ nya ʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] “(my) feet have weakened me”: my feet are tired (after a walk).

to be bright, ablaze (fire): ɔnya kpoo [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] it is very bright, in full blaze;

v. ba [ / ].

an auxiliary verb used in connection with rhirhii [ ˥ ˥ ];

indicates a generalizing clause, best translated by “ever, however” or “possibly”;

ʋ-ɔnyarhirhiiɣaye hɛ, t-iɣami-ɔɛ̃ [ / ˩ ˥ ˥ ˥ ˥ / ˥ ˦ ˧ (3-1) ] however (possibly) it may be, I shall certainly see him;

eʋ̃i n-ɔnya-rhirhiiɣaxĩ, t-iɣamu‿ɛ̃ [ ˩ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ˥ ˥ ˥ ˥ ˦ ˧ (3-1) ] whichever thing it may (possibly) be, I shall certainly catch it;

e.g. when fighting against the influence of witches, or else, of an animal that has entered the house at night.

(1) to possess;

to own;

ɽ̃-ɔ̃nya‿ebe na [ / ˦ ˦ ˧ ˩ ] it is he who owns this book;

m-ɔnya‿(o)wa na [ / ˦ ˧ ˩ ] it is I who own this house;

ɣa nya-ɽ̃ɛ̃ [ ˥ (4-1) (3-5) ] who owns it?

whose is it?

n-ɔnya ʋ̃ɛ [ ˥ ˦ ˧ ] “my Lord” (Bibl.);

my master;

but n-ɔnya ʋ̃ɛ [ ˥ (4-1) ˥ ] he who spoilt me, v. nya 3 [ / ];

n-ɔnya-eʋ̃a [ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˧ ] “our Lord”.

(2) to be above;

ɔketota nya‿uhuʋ̃-en-ɛkpɛtĩ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ / ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] and he was sitting on the box;

ɔkeri‿ɔba nya agbɔ̃ hia [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˦ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] and he ruled over the whole world;

v. mu [ ˥ ].

to promise, in nya‿enya [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ];

v. ve [ ˥ ], de 1 [ ˥ ].

to spoil a child, by wrong education.

to tear to pieces (cloth, mat, net);

v. sɔ [ / ] which implies tearing across only so that the damage can be mended;

ɔnyaɣã ʋ̃-ũkpɔ̃ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ] he tore my cloth to pieces (may be intensified by nyaɣãnyaɣã [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ]);

cf. nyaɣãnyaɣã [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].

describes the tearing of cloth;

cf. nyaɣã [ ˩ ˥ ].

to walk like a cripple, with legs wide apart;

also of egwi [ ˩ ˥ ].

big;

of the heads of human beings and big tortoises only;

ɔɽ-uhuʋ̃u nyakã (ɽu [ ˥ ]) [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] he has a big head.

(also nyamarhã) wide;

of something round or oval like a man’s mouth, or a round pond;

used with the verb ʋɛ [ ˥ ];

v. gbodoo [ ˥ ˥ ].

to forget;

ɔnyamiaɛ̃ ya ta ma ʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] he forgot to tell me (possibly the high tone of -miaɛ̃ implies a negative belonging to the following verb).

carousing.

(1) to yawn;

to sigh.

(2) to flash, of distant lightning, unaccompanied by thunder;

oduxuʋ̃u [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] (or amɛ [ ˩ ˩ ]), nyanya [ ˩ ˥ ] lightning is flashing afar.

describes the walk of a short stout man with flat feet;

used with the verb xiã [ ˥ ].

to be deaf;

ɔny-ehɔ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] he is deaf;

ɔteny-ehɔ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] he was deaf (before, but no longer now).

to press;

to knead (?);

nyɛ‿igaɽi ni [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ / ] press that gari!

nyɛ‿egbe [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] to strain in delivery, or when going to stool.

curled like (the) hair of an African and also thin;

e.g. of the spring of a watch;

used with the verb ye [ ˥ ].

to be thick, of grass, i.e. to be hard to cut;

iɽ̃uʋ̃u na nyi, isɛtĩ gb-ɔɛ̃ fo-ɽɛ [ ˩ ˩ / ˩ \ / ˩ ˥ (4-1) / ˩ ] this grass is thick, I cannot finish cutting it to-day.

in nyi [ ˥ ] ehiɛ̃ [ ˥ ˥ ] to pinch with the finger-nails, e.g. in order to tell a man that somebody present is lying, or as a joke (possibly nyɔ?).

to live (somewhere);

to stay;

ikanyi ɛdo yi [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ \ ˥ ] I have stayed in Benin before;

idiom.: ɔnyi‿unyiʋ̃-esi [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ˩ ] “he is leading a good life”: he has good manners.

nyi [ / ] ke [ ˥ ] to be near;

d-ɔʋ̃a n-unyi ke [ ˩ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ˩ ] “which man do you stay near to?”: who is your neighbour?

ɔɽɔma n-ɔnyi k-okũ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ / ˩ ˥ ] “Ɔɽɔma which is near the sea” (epithet of the river Ɔɽɔma though there is only one river of that name);

cf. unyiʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ \ ˩ ].

to be very lean, of human beings or animals;

cf. nyiɣɛ̃nyiɣɛ̃ [ ˦ ˦ ˦ ˦ ].

very lean, of a human being, or an animal;

used with the verb ye [ ˥ ];

if the subject is plural, nyiɣɛ̃nyiɣɛ̃nyiɣɛ̃ [ ˦ ˦ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] is used.

cf. nya 1 [ ˥ ].

(1) to shine (of the sun);

ovɛ̃ nyuʋ̃u [ ˩ ˩ ˩ \ ] the sun shone.

(2) to become glazed, of eyes in death, or in a faint;

followed by ɽua which is also shortened to ua, oa;

ɔnyuʋ̃-ãɽo-a ʋ-ɔɽawu [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] “he changed his eye” when he was about to die.