odɔ hia ma [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˦ / ] is everything
all right there? (lit. “all the
there”).
odɔ̃ɣɔ̃ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] (1) froth coming out
of children’s or sick people’s
mouths. (2) caul.
odudu [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] a children’s disease:
spasms; odudu was stated to be
a witches’ name because they
are as merciless as the disease.
oduma [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] hyena (probably); not
native to Benin, but occasion-
ally shown round by northern
(Nupe) people. Said to knock a
man down with its fist (!), and
to restore him to life by a
second blow.
ofɛ̃ [ ˩ ˥ ] rat; mouse; cf. Yor. ɔfɔ̃
[ ˩ / ].
ofi [ ˩ ˥ ] yaws.
ofigbɔ̃ [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ] palm-oil; ofigbɔ̃-ɽ-ima
dɛ [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] it is palm-oil we are
buying.
ogi- [ ˥ ˩ ] prefix used in the forma-
tion of ordinal numerals, with
the exception of okao [ ˩ ˩ ]
“first”, e.g. ogieva [ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] (a)
second; (b) companion; play-
mate; colleague; somebody liv-
ing at the same house (as a term
of address, oko [ ˩ ˥ ] is used);
ogieha [ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] third; ogigbe [ ˥ ˩ ˩ ]
tenth, also ukpogieva [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ] etc.
ogi [ ˩ ˩ ] a creeper, Citrullus vul-
garis; its fruit; it produces seeds
which are used as ingredients of
eʋ-ariɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] “native butter”.
Ogiaʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] (1) a chief who pro-
bably is the descendant of a
dynasty ruling in Benin before
the present one. (2) a sib; its
senior is the chief bearing the
same title; its centre is in Benin
City on the left side of Sakpoba
Road; the sib is said to be big
