ra [ ˥ ]
to rub a part of one’s body with a finger previously dipped into a “medicine” or sacrificial blood.
This is done after sacrifices to erha [ ˥ ˥ ]: the senior son as well as the ɔka‿ɛgbɛe [ ˩ ˥ ˥ (4-1) ] with the elders of the family rub the big toes of their right feet (which stand for one’s male ancestors), the ɔka‿ɛgbɛe and the elders doing so in order to give all the family ancestors their share.
When this has been done everybody touches his forehead with a finger dipped in blood in order to give his head (v. uhuʋ̃u [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ]) part of the sacrifice.
(This is also done after a sacrifice made to a deity.) ɔfi‿obɔ y-esagiɛ̃ rhie ra [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ / / ˥ ] “he is dipping his hand into blood taking rubbing (his forehead)”.
When sacrificing to one’s head (at igwɛ [ ˩ ˩ ]) (which is combined with a fufu-sacrifice to one’s guardian spirit as it is forbidden to kill anything for the ɛhi [ ˩ ˩ ]), one rubs the middle of one’s forehead with blood, saying: ɛhae ʋ̃ɛ kokooko [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˦ ] “my forehead strong”, then the back of the neck is rubbed for the ɛhi with the words: uguɛɽ-ugu-ɛhi ɽuɛ [ ˩ / ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ / ] “you guɛ and guɛ your ɛhi”, then both ears are touched: ehɔ ɽuɛ h-ɛ̃ʋ̃ata [ ˩ ˩ / ˩ \ ˩ ] “your ear may hear the truth”.
The heart is touched by somebody saying: ud-uɛ gb-ɛgĩ [ ˩ / ˦ ˦ ] “your heart may be firm”;
the waist: ɛkũ‿agbɔ̃ n-ɔma s-uɔ-tɔ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ / / ˩ ] “may waist of good life reach your ground”: may your happiness be firmly grounded;
the knees: uɣud-igu-ɛʋ̃ɛ ya [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˥ / \ ] “may you not fall on the palaver-knee”: may you not have to kneel (i.e. to beg anybody on your knees) for the sake of a palaver.
At last, the process is applied to the toes, with the words uɣuxiã rhi-ɛʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] “may you not go and take palaver”: may you not have trouble through going on a journey (?).
ra is also used of rubbing oneself with a powdered medicine (ɛbo [ ˩ \ ]) as a remedy against bad spirits, or as a love medicine.
ra 1 [ / ]
(1) to catch (from the air);
ɔra‿ugbe n-ifi gi‿ɛe [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˦ (4-1) ] he caught the stone which I threw at him.
(2) to join, in a song;
cf. uraʋ̃-ĩhuã [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˧ ].
ra 2 [ / ]
to prepare a cooked coco-yam for palm-oil chop.
ra 3 [ / ]
to cross;
ɔra‿ɛzɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] he is crossing a river;
v. gbe [ / ], fiã [ ˥ ].
rã [ / ]
(1) to be warm (of soup, or the body).
(2) to warm up (a soup);
ɔrã‿ũnwɔʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] he warms up the soup.
(3) to be healthy (with egbe [ ˩ ˥ ] “body”, v. 1);
egbe rã-ɽ̃ɛ̃ [ ˩ ˥ / ˦ ] lit. “body brightens him”: he is healthy.
(4) to be bright (day, weather);
ɛdɛ n-ɛɽɛ rãɽ̃ɛ̃ [ ˩ ˩ \ ˩ / ˥ ] “the day of to-day is bright”: to-day is a fine day.
re 1 [ ˥ ]
to be in a certain place;
to live at a certain place;
ɔr-eʋa [ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ] he is there;
ɔr-ɛdo [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] he is (lives) in Benin;
ir-agbɛdɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] I live at Agbɛdɛ, v. ye [ ˥ ].
r-ɔ [ ˥ ‿ / ] to be in it (at it);
also equivalent to the English “there is”;
iɣami-eka ɽa? ɛ̃, ɔrɔ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ / ˩ ˩ ˧ ˩ ˥ ‿ / ] can I get akara to buy?
Yes, there are (some);
ɔkpɛɽe n-ɔkeɣarɔ [ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ˥ ˦ ˦ ‿ / ] it is a long time that he has been at it (i.e. in some job): n-ɔdiɔ̃ n-ɔrɔ [ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˥ ‿ / ] the oldest one of them (lit. “who there are”);
n-ɔɽ-ɔw-uɛ ɽa [ ˩ ˥ ˦ (3-2) ˩ ] lit. “what is your own (scil. concern), is it there (or, in it)?”: is there anything of your own concern: is it your business?
(as a rebuke).
re 2 [ ˥ ]
to come (not used in the ipf., v. de [ / ]);
v. yo 1 [ ˥ ].
re [ / ]
(also rei) (1) to be far;
Isiloko re gbe [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ / ˦ ] Siluko is very far;
(2) to be a long time (ago) (only in the perf. which can be ɔreɽe as well as ɔreɽi (!));
ɔreɽe n-ɔs-unu [ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ˥ ˦ ] it is a long time since it happened.
ri 1 [ ˥ ]
to tread mud or palm-kernels;
iterat. rilo [ ˩ ˥ ] to massage;
ɔrilo ʋ̃-egbe [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] he massaged my body;
v. mama [ ˩ ˥ ], ya 1 [ ˥ ].
ri 2 [ ˥ ]
(1) to knot together;
r-iri na [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] tie me these ropes together!
(2) to make a noose;
r-iri na [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] also: make a noose in this rope!
(but for “to make a knot in” mu [ ˥ ] ri [ ˥ ] is used).
Iterat. rilo [ ˩ ˥ ]: (a) to knot many ropes together;
(b) in ril-iri [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] to make nooses in ropes;
and (c) (preceded by mu) to make knots in ropes;
ril-iri na [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] tie these (many) ropes together!
ri;
cf. also ɽe 1 [ ˥ ].
ria 1 [ / ]
(1) to graze;
to browse (of an animal).
(2) in ria [ / ] ixi [ ˩ ˩ ] to take revenge;
ɔria ʋ̃-ĩxi [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] be is taking revenge on me;
cf. ɽe 1 [ ˥ ] (?);
eria [ ˩ ˥ ], iriaixi [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ], iriaɛkpɛ̃ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ], ɔriaɛmila [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].
ria 2 [ / ]
to expound, analyse an oracle (iha [ ˩ ˩ ]).
riaria 1 [ ˩ ˥ ]
to grow (of a plantain fruit).
riaria 2 [ ˩ ˥ ]
to go around, mostly with hope of sharing food.
rie [ / ]
(1) to go away;
ɔrie [ ˩ / ] (a) he is going away;
(b) he is gone.
(2) to go;
the place where the subject is going to follows the verb;
only used in the ipf., v. yo 1 [ ˥ ], e.g. ɔri-ɛdo [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] he is going to Benin.
Idiom.: ɔri-ɛʋo n-a‿iwua [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ / ‿ ˩ ] “he is going to a country which is not taboo”, i.e. where everybody must go;
where to go is not forbidden to anybody: he is dead;
said of a “big” man;
a respectful term.
ri-eria [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] to go grazing.
ri-ɛɽ̃iʋ̃i [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] “to go to ɛɽ̃iʋ̃i”: to die;
v. yo 1 [ ˥ ], xiã [ ˥ ].
rieriɛ [ ˩ ˥ ]
to turn something over the fire;
e.g. to turn a yam or plantain with the hand over a small fire in order to roast it;
ya rier-inya ni n-ɔɣɛgiɛ̃ [ / ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˧ ˨ (2-1) / ] go and turn that yam for me (so) that it does not burn!
cf. weriɛ [ ˩ ˥ ].
riɛ [ ˥ ]
to become, be smooth;
ɔriɛ [ ˩ ˥ ] it is getting smooth;
ɔriɛe [ ˩ \ ] it is smooth;
cf. riɛ [ / ].
riɛ [ / ]
to smooth;
ɔriɛ‿erhã [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] he is smoothing a plank;
ɔri-ɔɽe [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] he is smoothing it;
cf. riɛ [ ˥ ].
riɛriɛ [ ˩ ˩ ]
lukewarm (of water);
ɔfu re riɛriɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ ] it is lukewarm;
v. rhiɔɔ̃ [ ˦ ].
riɛriɛriɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ]
yellow (not of fire);
used after the verb ba [ / ];
v. ɽuɛɽuɛɽuɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].
r-iri [ ˩ ˥ ];
cf. ri 2 [ ˥ ].
ro [ / ]
to be durable, of any breakable thing, e.g. a pot.
1 [ / ]
to bear a weight;
ɔrɔ ʋ̃ɛ ʋ-itota nya-ɽ̃ɛ̃ [ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ˥ ˩ / ˩ ] it bore me when I sat on it, e.g. a plank or rope.
2 [ / ]
to stir (e.g. porridge);
ɔrɔ‿akasã [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] he is stirring the akasã [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ].
r-ɔ [ ˥ ‿ / ];
cf. re 1 [ ˥ ].
rua [ / ]
to push (with hand, foot, or the whole body, but not in a magical sense);
iɽua-wɛ [ ˩ / ˩ ] “I pushed foot”, i.e. I hurt my foot by knocking against a stone, etc. rua [ / ] fua [ ˥ ] to push away: irua-ɽe fua [ ˩ / ˦ / ] I pushed him away;
v. sua [ / ], keke [ ˩ ˥ ].
ruɔruɔruɔ [ ˦ ˦ ˦ ]
stammering;
ɔguã ruɔruɔruɔ [ ˩ / ˦ ˦ ˦ ] he is stammering;
v. b-ɛʋ̃ɛ [ ˥ ˩ ].