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    (2) sharp (of smells, e.g. of
    urine); cf. taĩtaĩ [ ˩ ˩ ].
    
te [ ˥ ] an auxiliary verb indicating
    (1) that something was going on
    or was in a certain state in the
    past but implying that the end
    of the action was not attained,
    or that the state referred to is
    no longer existing; ɔtema [ ˩ ˥ / ]
    it was good (but it is no longer
    so); itewu [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] I was dying, viz.
    ʋ-uhuʋ̃u ni amu ʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˩ / ˩ / ˩ ˥ ]
    “(always) when that illness
    attacked me”. This leads to the
    meanings “nearly”, e.g. in itewu
    [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] I nearly died, and “mis-
    takenly”: utew-ɛr-eʋa-nwa (re
    [ ˥ ], enwa [ ˩ \ ]) [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˩ \ ] “you
    were mistaken in saying: he is
    not there now”. (2) that the
    action of the verb to which it
    is linked follows another action
    (“before”); imi-ɔɛ̃, (ʋ-)ɔtekpaɔ
    [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ \ / ] I saw him before he
    had left; imi-ɔ̃‿ɛ̃dɛgbegbe, (ʋ-)
    ɔteɣaxiã [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] I see him
    every day before he leaves.
    
te [ / ] to decorate; t-ɛɽe [ / ˩ ]
    decorate it! ɔt(e)‿owa [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] he is
    decorating the house; ɔt-egbe
    [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] he is decorating himself
    (“the body”).
    
t-ẽgbe [ ˩ ˥ ] mu [ ˥ ]; cf. tɔ̃ 4 [ ˥ ].
    
teitei [ ˦ ˦ ] imitates the beating of
    pulses (generally with fear); in
    the case of the tortoise, leilei [ ˦ ˦ ]
    is used (in stories) (the i is
    long); v. afĩama [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].
    
tete [ ˩ ˥ ] to save, to be economical
    with something; tet-ɛe [ ˩ \ ] save
    it! Ozo, tet-inya n-iviɔ nwɛ ni n-
    ɔmi-eke nay-usɛ̃ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ / / / ˦ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˦ ]
    Ojo, be economical with the
    yams I brought you so that they
    will last ( “get a chance to last”)
    for five days!