ha1 [há] vb. 1. to pierce; 2. to pen-
etrate: Ha uvun ye ebe na ― “Pierce
a hole in this paper.” Olodẹ ha mwẹn
obọ ― “A needle has pierced my
hand.”
ha2 [há] vb. to start suddenly; to
shudder: Ọ hae vbe ọ bẹghe mwẹn ―
“She started suddenly when she
saw me.”
haa1 [hàá] vb. to frighten; to cause to
shudder.
haa2 [hàá] vb. 1. to parcel something;
2. (yams) to tie to stakes.
haako [hàákò] vb. (< haa-ako) “to
parcel a gift”: to send a gift parcel.
hae [hàé] vb. to pay; to compensate:
Ha ígho ne ọ khare ― “Pay the amount
she specified.”
haan1 [hã̀ã́] vb. to slope; to slant.
haan2 [hã̀ã́] vb. (of eating) to cause to
choke (from food or liquid going into
the windpipe). Ẹhiẹn haan mwẹn ―
“Pepper has choked me (by getting
into my windpipe).”
haan3 [hã̀ã́] vb. to deck up oneself in
good clothes; to be all dressed up.
hanmwan [hã̀ɱã́] vb. to be pregnant;
to be with child.
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hannọ [hã̀nɔ̃́] vb. to select; to pick
out; to choose.
hapa [hápà] vb. to tie a piece of cloth
around the waist and between the
legs (to protect the sex organs) like
underpants. This is often done as
extra precaution before a fight.
he1 [hé] vb. to refuse; to reject; to
decline.
he2 [hé] adv. (occurs in negative sent-
ences): as yet: I ma he kpaọ ― “I
did not leave as yet; i.e. I have not
yet left.”; I i he kpao ― “^I do not
leave as yet; i.e. I will not leave as
yet.”.
he3 [hé] aux. indicates that an action
was “finally” performed after much
reluctance or difficulty: ọ he kpaọ ―
“He finally left (thank goodness!)”.
heu [héù] int. an exclamation of sur-
prise; regret, or lamentation.
hẹẹ1 [hɛ̀ɛ́] vb. to pack and take away
several things; to gather and remove.
hẹẹ2 [hɛ̀ɛ́] vb. in: hẹẹ yo, hẹẹ rre ―
to heave up and down (e.g. of waves);
to parade up and down.
hẹẹ3 [hɛ́ɛ] adv. the second part of
the interrogative formula for “how”
questions: vbe-hẹẹ?: vbe ọ kha hẹẹ? ―
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“How did he speak: what did he say?”
vbe ọ ru hee? ― “How did he behave?”.
hẹẹkẹn [hɛ̀ɛ́kɛ̃̀] vb. (< hẹẹ ― ekẹn)
“to pack mud”: to pile up and pre-
pare mud for house-building.
hẹẹ́n [hɛ̃́ɛ̃́] int. yes.
hẹẹ̀n [hɛ̃́ɛ̃̀] int. no.
hẹko [hɛ̀kó] vb. cf. fẹko.
hẹnhẹn [hɛ̃̀hɛ̃́] vb. 1. to level up;
to make level; 2. to form a sediment
in a liquid.
hẹnhontọ [hɛ̃̀hṍtɔ̀] vb. (< hẹnhẹn ―
otọ) to level ground in preparation
for erecting a building on it.
hẹnmwẹn [hɛ̃́ɱɛ̃̀] vb. (< họn ―
ẹmwẹn) “to hear word” to be
obedient; to be responsive to instruc-
tion.
hẹnnẹdẹn [hɛ̃́nɛ̃́dɛ̃́] adv. safely;
wholesomely.
hẹwẹ1 [hɛ̀wɛ́] vb. (< hẹẹ2 ― ẹwẹe)―
to breathe: Ọ gha hẹwẹ fuẹn-fuẹn ―
“He is breathing fast: He is panting”.
hẹwẹ2 [hɛ̀wɛ́] vb. 1. to rest; to take
a break from something exerting: Ọ
ghi zẹ winna, ọ na yaa hẹwẹ ― “After
working for a while, he went to rest.”;
2. to refrain from doing something;
to stop doing what one was previously
doing: ọ hẹwẹ nẹẹ, ẹ i ghi viẹ ― “She
has stopped, she is no longer crying.”
(also koẹtin).
hi [hí] vb. to pledge with one’s maker
about the course of one’s life in the
next reincarnation.
hia1 [hìá] vb. 1. to make an effort;
to try; 2. to struggle against odds;
%%
3. to make appreciable mark in one’s
effort: Ọ hiare vbe edanmwẹn ne
iran ruu ― “He tried in the examina-
tion that they did.”
hia2 [hìá] vb. to scrape off (skin or
cover): Hia ukpakọn na mẹ ― “Scrape
off the skin from this chewing-stick
for me.”
hia [hyá] quant. cf. ehia.
hian [hĩ̀ã́] vb. to be clear and clean
(e.g. of stream-water); to be bright
(e.g. of cloth that has been washed
clean).
hie1 [hìé] vb. to blow on a fire to
keep it glowing: Hie ẹrhẹn na ne ọ
ghẹ dọyọ ― “Blow this fire so that
it won’t go out”; 2. to steam, or
massage with a hot substance: Ọ ya
amerhẹn hie ẹre uhunmwun ― “He
massaged his head with hot water.”
hie2 [hìé] vb. 1. to put a ceiling on
a room; 2. to construct the ridge of
a roof.
hie3 [hìé] vb. to arch; to bend; (also
hierre): Iyeke ẹre ghi hierre ne ihẹ ―
“His back has become bent from the
load he has been carrying”.
hiehie [hìéhìé] adv. (occurs in ques-
tions or negative sentences only)
at all: Ọ ma hiehie ra? ― “Is it good
at all?” Ẹo, ẹ i ma hiehie ― “No, it’s
not good at all.”
hiengbe [hyẽ̀gbé] vb. (< hin ― egbe)
“to climb body”: to cover one’s body:
Ọ ya ukpọn hiengbe: “He used cloth
to cover his body: He is covering
his body with a cloth”.
hiẹ [hìɛ́] vb. to reduce in quantity or
intensity: (e.g. of a crowd). ẹvbo hiẹ
nẹ vbe evba ― “People are now fewer
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there.”
hiẹrẹ [hiɛ́ɽɛ́] adj. (usually with ye)
quiet and peaceful: Ehe hia ye hiẹrẹ ―
“Everywhere is peaceful”.
higboo [hígbóó] adj. describes height:
very tall and well-built (of human
beings) (cf. gbọhuun).
hihiẹ [hìhyɛ́] vb. to pour; to spill:
hihiẹ amẹ kua vbe akhe nii ― “Pour
out the water from that pot.”
hii [hìí] int. 1. exclamation of shock,
regret, or disappointment: Hii! u ghẹ
giẹ de ― “Oh dear, you shouldn’t
have let it drop.”; 2. adj.; adv. very
quiet; very calm.
hiihii [hììhìì] adj.; adv. (occurs with ye
or ru) misty; hazy.
hiin [hĩ̀ĩ́] vb. 1. to climb: ọ hiin
odukhun ― “He climbed up.”; 2. to
swell: Ehe ne ọ gbekpa yọ ọre hiinrin
― The place where he hit him has
swollen up (cf. hinmwian); 3. (of
new moon) to rise or appear: Uki
hiinrin node ― “The new moon
appeared yesterday.”
hin [hĩ̀ĩ́] vb. to ride (e.g. bicycle or
horse).
hinmwian [hĩ̀ɱĩã́] vb. to swell; to be
swollen: Owẹ ne i ya khian hinmwiaẹn
― “The feet with which I walked
are swollen.”
hio [hyó] vb. to be arrogant; to be
proud.
hiọ1 [hìɔ́] vb. to urinate.
hiọ2 [hìɔ́] vb. to run a line through
something with a knife to open it
(e.g. a pod of Kola-nut).
%%
hiọrọ [hyɔ̀ɽɔ́] vb. 1. to crawl along the
ground (e.g. a snake’s motion); 2.
to drag something on the ground
(e.g. something heavy): Iran gba hiọrọ
erhan nii la iba ― “They both dragged
that piece of wood on to the slab.”
hiọnrọn [hyɔ̃̀ɽ̃ɔ̃́] vb. to breathe.
ho-bẹkun [hòbɛ̀kṹ] vb. (< hoo1 ―
bẹkun) to fail to find; to be irrecover-
able; to be lost.
hoaro [hùáɽò] vb. (< hoo1 ― aro):
to be curious; to be forward.
hoẹmwẹn1 [hùɛ́ɱɛ̃̀] vb. (< hoo1 ―
ẹmwẹn) 1. to be quarrelsome; 2.
to provoke; to offend: Iran ọ ho ẹre
ẹmwẹn: “They are the ones who
provoked him.”
hoẹmwẹn2 [hùɛ́ɱɛ̃̀] vb. (< hoo1 ―
ẹmwẹn) “to want the words”^
to like somebody; to love somebody.
hoho [hòhó] vb. to blow (e.g. of
wind).
hohua [hòhùá] vb. to come to naught.
hoo1 [hòó] vb. 1. to look for; 2^.^ to want.
hoo2 [hòó] vb. to have sexual inter-
course with.
họ [hɔ́] vb. to lay (eggs).
họn [hɔ̃́] vb. 1. to hear; 2. to under-
stand. 3. (with ẹmwẹn) to obey;
to heed counsel or advice.
họnmwẹn [hɔ̃̀ɱɛ̃́] vb. to brush one-
self or something as a means of
purification (e.g. after a breach of
taboo): ọ gbe ẹwe ya honmwengbe ―
“He killed a goat and used it to purify
himself.”
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họnmwẹngbe [hɔ̃̀ɱẽ̀g͡be] vb. to per-
form purification of self. (cf.
họnmwẹn).
họọ [hɔ̀ɔ́] vb. to wash (of clothes).
họọn [hɔ̃̀ɔ̃́] vb. 1. to sprout (of new
leaves); 2^.^ to grow (of hair).
hu1 [hú] vb. 1. to foam; 2. (of soap)
to form a lot of suds (i.e. to be ef-
fective for washing things clean).
hu2 [hú] vb. to show rapid growth
(esp. the young of humans or animals).
hu3 [hú] vb. (with ekpa) to cause to
want to vomit: to cause nausea; Ewia
naa hu mwẹn ekpa ― “This smell
rouses nausea in me; i.e. it makes
me want to vomit.”
huan [hũ̀ã́] vb. 1. to be clean; to
become clean; to be neat; 2. to be
holy (in the Christian sense): Orhiọn
Nọhuanrẹn ― “The Holy Spirit”.
hue [hùé] vb. to swell; to rise; to
increase in bulk: Igari na huere ―
“This garri has increased in bulk.”
huẹ [hùɛ́] vb. to sulk; to be moody.
%%
huẹhuẹ [hwɛ̀hwɛ́] vb. to be sickly.
huẹn [hũ̀ɛ̃́] vb. to rouse somebody
(from sleep or state of unconscious-
ness).
huẹnrẹn [hũɛ̃ɽ̃ɛ̃́] adj. very narrow and
deep (like a long narrow passage,
or a bush path).
hughu [hùɣú] vb. to heave; to move
back and forth (of a mass, such as
water or a crowd). Iran na gha hughu
yo hughu rre ― “They were heaving
back and forth.”
hun [hṹ] vb. (with the noun ovbe ―
“sleep”) to have a desire for (sleep):
Ovbe hun mwẹn ― “Sleep is with
me” ― I am feeling sleepy.
hunhunhun [hṹhṹhṹ] adv. (with the
verb gui ― to grumble) describes the
indistinct hum of muttering: Ọ gha
gui vba hunhunhun ― “He is there
muttering indistinctly (like a bee).”
hunwan [hũ̀w̃ã́] vb. to be silent; to
stop crying (of a child).
hurọọ [hùrɔ̀ɔ̀] adv. describes a dull
appearance; lifeless and dull.
