ba1 [bá] vb.
to watch; to guard:
ghá ba ẹre ne ẹ ghẹ lẹ fua ― “keep watching it so that it does not run off”
.
ba2 [bá] vb.
1. to do something stealthily:
te ọ ba la owa ẹre i ma na họn ― “he sneaked into the house, and that is why I did not hear him”
.
2. to walk lifelessly, as if from weakness.
ba3 [bá] aux.
to pretend to be doing something; to fake:
Te ọ ba viẹ ― “He is pretending to cry”
(also ma).
baa1 [bàá] vb.
1. to be red or orange;
2. to be brightly coloured.
3. to shine, e.g. of the moon; to be lit (of lamps & other sources of light).
baa2 [bàá] vb.
1. to implant a straight object into something, mostly into the ground; to thrust:
ọ baa erhan ye otọ ― “he stuck a stick into the ground”
.
2. (idiomatic) (with ohoghoi): to pin on, to attribute to:
ọ baa mwẹn ohoghoi ― “he pinned lies on me; i.e., he told lies against me.”
baa3 [bàá] vb.
to be difficult, arduous.
baa4 [bàá] vb.
1. (with ẹmwẹn) to twist; to alter:
ọ baa mwẹn ẹmwẹn ― “he twisted my words: he lied against me”
.
baa5 [bàá] vb. part.
(usually with vbs. such as
rhie,
mu, viọ, etc.) to add to:
rhie ọna baa ọni ― “take this to add to that; i.e. add this to that”
.
baa6 [bàá] adv. compltz.
for the sake of; because of:
ọ gbee mwẹn baa ẹmwẹn ruẹn ― “he beat me because of your affair: he beat me because of you.”
baan [bã̀ã́] vb.
to abstain from; to give up something; to stop doing something.
baba1 [bàbá] vb.
plural or reiterative sense of baa
3 i.e. to implant several objects or to implant the same object repeatedly:
ọ baba erhan lele otọ ― “he stuck sticks along the ground”
.
baba2 [bàbá] vb.
reiterative sense of ba
1 above; i.e. to watch repeatedly; to spy on continuously:
gha baba ẹre ne ọ ghẹ lẹ fua ― “keep watching it so that it does not run off.”
baba3 [bàbá] vb.
to grope; to feel about as one does in the dark.
ba igban [bàígbã̀] vb.
(idiom) to proclaim a woman as the wife of the Ọba of Benin:
iran baa uvbi nii igban ― “they declared that young woman a wife of the Ọba.”
ba ku [bàkú] vb.
1. to make a mistake, to miss;
2^.^ in the Christian sense ― to transgress; to sin.
balọ1 [bàlɔ́] vb.
to be painful; to hurt.
balọ2 [bàlɔ́] vb.
1. to scoop liquid with a small container;
2. to spill; to pour out.
ban [bã́] vb.
1. to peel off;
2. to separate forcibly:
ọ gha ban ikpakpa re fua ― “he will peel the skin off”
.
banbaan [bã́bã́ã̀] adv.
immediately; right now. (also: banbanna and banbanbanban).
bannọ [bã̀nɔ̃́] vb.
plural or reiterative sense of ban: e.g. to peel off several slices; or two or more people peel off something.
bebe [bèbé] vb.
1. to be mischievously overactive; troublesome (usually of children):
ọvbokhan na bebe gbe ― “This child is too troublesome.”
2. adventurous.
begbe [bègbé] vb.
(< ba egbe) to be self-protective; to be on one’s guard.
bẹbuu [bɛ̀búù] vb.
child language expression meaning “to lie down”.
bẹẹ1 [bɛ̀ɛ́] vb.
to slice:
bẹẹ iyan nii ye akhe ― “slice that yam into the pot (and cook it)”
.
bẹẹ2 [bɛ̀ɛ́] vb.
(with ọgọ) to tap (palm wine); to collect and store away. (cf: ọbọgọ; bọọgọ).
bẹbẹẹbẹ [bɛ́bɛ́ɛ́bɛ́] adj.
(used with the verb
ye): very large extensive;
nene akhe ye bẹbẹẹbẹ ― “the pot is extremely large.”
bẹghe [bɛ̀ɣèé] vb.
to see; to sight:
I bẹghe ẹre vbe ọ dee ― “I saw him as he was approaching”
. (cf: dẹghee).
bẹkun [bɛ̀kṹ] adv.
1. (usually with vbs such as ru; bọ; re, etc.) ― incompletely:
ọ bọ owa nii bẹkun serae ye evba ― “he built that house half-way and left it there”
.
2. (usually with the vb. hoo: “to look for”) abortively; unsuccessfully:
iran hoo ẹre bẹkun ― “they searched for him unsuccessfully; i.e. he is nowhere to be found”
.
bẹlẹ [bɛ̀lɛ́] vb.
plural reiterative sense of bee1: to cut into several slices; or for several people to engage in slicing.
bẹtẹ [bɛ̀tɛ̀] adj.
(usually introduced with the vb:
ye) fat; stocky; chubby:
ovbi-ẹre ye bẹtẹ ― “her child is chubby.”
bẹtẹbẹtẹ [bɛ̀tɛ̀bɛ̀tɛ̀] adj. pl.
sense of bẹtẹ:
ivbi-ẹre ye bẹtẹbẹtẹ ― “her children are all chubby.”
bẹtẹẹ [bɛ́tɛ́ɛ́] adj.
(usually introduced with the vb.
ye) very large; expansive:
eki ni ye bẹtẹẹ ― “that market is very large.”
bẹmwẹn [bɛ́ɱɛ̃̀] vb.
to stammer.
bi1 [bí] vb.
1. to shove, to push:
bi ẹre hin odẹ rre ― “push it out of the way”
.
2. (idiomatic) to be moved by; to be of concern to; (usually occurs in negative clauses):
ẹmwẹn ọnrẹn ma bi mwẹn ― “His affairs are not of any concern to me”
. (cf. kaan).
bi2 [bí] vb.
to vomit:
ọ bii ukhunmwun nii hia kua ― “He vomitted all that medicine out”
. (cf. kpa).
bi3 [bí] vb.
1. to be dark in shade or colour:
ukpọn naa ẹre ọ bi sẹ ọnii ― “This cloth is darker than that one.”
2. (with amẹ) to threaten; to be imminent:
amẹ bi ― “Rain is threatening”
(that is, there are dark clouds in the sky).
3. (with certain fruits, such as orunmwun; orhurhu; etc.): to be ripe; to be ready-to-eat:
orunmwun naa bi nẹ ― “This pear is ripe.”
bian [bĩ̀ã́] vb.
to slice off a strip.
bibi1 [bìbí] vb.
to grope; to roam aimlessly (cf. bibi-odẹ).
bibi2 [bìbí] vb.
to be foolish; to be stupid:
ú bibi ― “you are stupid.”
bibiode [bỳbiòdɛ́] vb.
to get lost; to go astray (bibi (vb) + odẹ ― road).
biegbe [byègbé] vb.
to give way; to dock.
biẹ [byɛ́] vb.
1. to give birth;
2. to have children (as opposed to being barren);
3. to have off-shoots (with plants such as iyan or igari).
bigọọ [bìgɔ̀ɔ́] vb.
to be crooked; curved or bent; not straight:
erhan na bigọọ ― “This tree is crooked.”
bigọbigọbigọ [bígɔ́bìgɔ̀bígɔ́] adj.
(usually introduced by the vb. ye): very crooked.
bigbe [bìgbé] vb.
to shut; to close.
bii [bìí] vb.
to stab; to jab with a pointed object:
ọ ya opia bii ẹre ― “He stabbed him with a knife.”
bobo [bòbó] vb.
to run anxiously back and forth (like a hen about to lay an egg); to wander aimlessly.
bodẹ [bòdɛ́] vb.
to stand guard (ba1 + odẹ ― road).
bolo [bòló] vb.
to peel (skin), to strip off:
ọ bolo alimo ― “he peeled the orange.”
bọ1 [bɔ́] vb.
to build; construct:
ọ bọ egedege: “he built a storey-house.”
bọ2 [bɔ́] vb.
1. to predict; to tell one’s fortune:
ọbo bọ mẹ ― “the native-doctor told me my fortune.”
2. to consult a fortune-teller or native doctor:
i khian ya bọ yọ ― “I am going to consult a native-doctor on the matter.”
bọ3 [bɔ́] vb.
to be favourable to; to be good for (usually in proper names such as Isibọ; Edobọ; etc.).
bọlọzọ [bɔ̀lɔ̀zɔ̀] adj.
(introduced with the vb.
ye) chubby; pleasingly fat and healthy-looking:
ọmọ ni ye bọlọzọ ― “that child looks nice and chubby.”
bọnmwẹn1 [bɔ̃̀ɱɛ̃] vb.
1. to drop in small pieces, or granular form; to flake off:
iku ehẹn esọ bonmwẹn kua ― “some small pieces flaked off from the fish.”
2. to winnow.
3. to shake off dust or dirt from a surface:
bonmwẹn aga nii u ke tota yọ ― “dust that chair before you sit on it.”
bọnmwẹn2 [bɔ̃̀ɱɛ̃́] vb.
(usually with verbs such as rhie, mu, kpaọ, dee, etc.) to do swiftly; to do briskly; to whisk off:
ọ bonmwẹn kpao ― “She left briskly”
.
bọọ [bɔ̀ɔ́] vb.
to console; to cheer up (usually a child who has been crying).
bọọn [bɔ̃̀ɔ̃́] vb.
(of wearing apparel) to lift, to raise up:
bọọn ukpọn ― “to raise up cloth (thereby revealing what lies below)”^
.
bọọzi [bɔ̀ɔ̀zì] adj.
(usually introduced with the vb. ye) big and long; larger than normal size.
buan [bũ̀ã́] adv.
sufficiently; in more than enough quantity or value:
ọ winna buan ― “he worked sufficiently or hard enough.”
bubu [bùbú] vb.
1. (usually with verbs like kpaegbe; tota; kpao, etc.); to move in an awkwardly brisk manner:
ọ bubuu kpaegbe: “he got up in an awkwardly brisk manner.”
2. to be awkward; clumsy.
bue [bùé] vb.
to stay long; to linger:
ghẹ bue vbe ẹki-o ― “don’t linger at the market.”
iran buere ― “they stayed long”
.
bukpẹ [búkpɛ̀] excl.
formula of thanks expressed by females to their elders after a meal; it is also used as a greeting to an older person who sneezes.
bun [bṹ] vb.
1. to be plentiful; to be numerous:
ẹvbo bun vbe odọọ: “people are plentiful over there”^
.
2. vb. (usually with the adv. gbe) to be much with:
iku bun ẹnrẹn gbe: “he is too fond of playing ― he plays too much.”
bunnọ [bũ̀nɔ̃́] vb.
plural or reiterative sense of buun:
aberhan bunnọ kue otọ ― “Tree branches have broken off on the ground”
.
buu1 [bùú] vb.
1. to go toward; to approach something/somebody; to meet or join:
Ọ buu erhae ― “He went to meet his father.”
2. to approximate or approach in size or value:
ọna buu ọnii ― “This one approaches that one in value”
.
3. to deposit money toward; to make a down-payment on.
buu2 [bùú] vb.
1. to settle (e.g. a case):
Ọ buu ohiẹn ne iran ― “He settled the case for them.”
2. to decide on something; to fix (e.g. a date):
ọ buu ẹdẹ ne iran ― “He fixed a date for them (i.e. He gave them an appointment).”
buu3 [bùú] vb.
1. to found; to establish:
Ọ kpẹre ne a ghi buu ẹvbo nii ― It is a long time since that town was founded
.
2. to assemble for a meeting; to meet as a group.
buun1 [bũ̀ṹ] vb.
to break; to snap.
buun2 [bũ̀ṹ] vb.
to confess to adultery by a woman.