to pass;

to go by a certain way.

Combinations with verbs: la [ ˥ ] diã [ \ ] to come out of something;

ɔla dĩ-uw-owa [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˦ ] he came out of the house.

la [ ˥ ] fi [ ˥ ] to pass through into;

ɔl-iyek-owa‿fi ugbo [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] he passed behind the house into the farm.

la [ ˥ ] re [ ˥ ] is used in the imperative la re [ ˩ ˥ ] come!

(the simple re is not used), la‿e re [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] would mean “pass it (e.g. a fence) and come!” Combinations with nouns: la [ ˥ ] aɽo [ ˩ ˩ ] “to enter (somebody’s) eye” to please;

eʋ̃i n-ɔdɛe la-ɽ-aɽo [ ˩ ˩ ˥ \ ˥ ˦ ˩ ] the thing he has bought pleases him;

v. yɛ [ / ], ɛko [ ˩ \ ].

la‿(e)hɔ [ ˩ ˥ ] “to pass ear”: to listen.

Perhaps la [ ˥ ] aɽo [ ˩ ˩ ] and la‿(e)hɔ [ ˩ ˥ ] belong to the item lao [ ˥ ].

Idiom.: l-oke l-ugboɣodo [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] “to pass hill pass valley”: to go far and wide;

usi‿ɛɽe l-oke l-ugboɣodo [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˧ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] his fame has spread far and wide.

l-oɽe [ ˥ ˥ ] to walk about the town;

ɔl-oɽe gbe [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˥ ] he is loitering about.

l-urho [ ˥ ˩ ] re [ ˥ ] “to pass the gate come”: to be reincarnated, in ɔl-urh-oʋi‿ɛɽe re [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] he was reincarnated in his son;

cf. loɣa [ / ˩ ] (?), lao [ ˥ ].

to sound;

of an instrument, such as a drum, bell, harp, or guitar;

ema na la gbe [ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ˦ ] this drum sounds much.

a formula used in a greeting given by junior members of a clan to their seniors when meeting them for the first time in the morning.

They kneel in front of their seniors when greeting them.

The syllable la is usually followed by the name of the clan and an o, e.g. la-ʋi‿eze o [ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˧ ˧ ] is used in the iʋi‿eze [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˩ ] clan.

to carry repeatedly, several times;

v. hɛ [ / ], viɔ [ / ].

in no time;

very quickly;

an idiom: lagbalaɣoɽi Adezi gbe nɛ [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] “in no time Adezi (a Bini warrior) killed (or ‘struck’?)”: it happened very quickly (said of anything);

cf. la 1 [ ˥ ] (?).

to wave, to spread (of the branches of a tree);

v. uwɔwɛ [ ˥ / ˩ ].

to lick;

cf. elalɔ [ ˩ \ ˩ ].

to enter;

la‿owa [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] to enter a house;

ɔla-ɽɔ [ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ] he entered it (but: ɔgbera la‿owa [ ˩ ˧ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] he passed into the house).

la‿ukpo [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ] loʋiɛ [ ˩ / ] to go to bed;

iɽala‿ukpo loʋiɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˩ ˩ / ] I am going to bed.

(1) to cook;

ɔl-ɛe [ ˩ ˥ ‿ / ] he cooked it;

rhie-ɽe n-al-ɛe‿ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ (4-1) ] bring it in order that we may cook it!

inya n-ale [ ˩ ˩ ˥ \ ] cooked yam.

(2) to charm (by cooking with medicine for some days);

ɔl-oɽoka na [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] he charmed this ring;

(better rhua [ / ]).

in le [ / ] nya [ / ] to treat with contempt by waving one’s hand over a man, gesticulate over him;

ɔle nya ʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ] he is treating me with contempt;

also: l-eɣe [ ˩ ˥ ] nya [ / ];

ɣɛl-eɣe nya ʋ̃ɛ [ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ \ ] don’t belittle me (by gestures)!

(also ɣɛ [ \ ]).

l-exue [ / ˩ ] “to pass by (somebody’s) shame”: to overlook an offence, for reason of the offender’s youth, poverty, relationship, etc.;

il-exu-ɛɽe [ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ˩ ] I overlooked his offence.

v. teitei [ ˦ ˦ ].

(1) to follow;

lel-ɛe kpaɔ [ ˩ \ / ] follow him!

(2) (following another verb): along;

gwa lel-ɛzɛ na ɣari-ototɔ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ \ ˩ ] pull along this river until (lit. “to go”) its mouth (lit. “bottom”).

(3) in an abstract sense: following in consequence of, e.g. lel-ude [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] “following the advice”: in consequence of the advice;

occurs in a proverb only (while “taking the advice” would be y-ude yi [ ˩ / ˥ ]).

same as nɛ [ ˩ ] it;

occurs in lɛ ʋo [ ˩ / ] or lɛ ʋo yi [ ˩ / ˥ ] where is it?

(1) to run.

(2) to flow: ɛzɛ lɛ [ ˩ ˩ / ] the river, brook is flowing.

(3) to lose colour, of some sorts of cloth, in washing;

ukpɔ̃ n-ɔrhuaɛ̃ na lɛ gbe [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˩ / ˦ ] the cloth he wears now has lost its colour to a great extent (lɛ [ ˥ ] is heard also).

(4) to make run (?), in l-ɔʋ̃a [ ˩ \ ] “to make a man run”: to keep the public at a distance, e.g. the bull-roaring performed at secret societies;

cf. ulɔʋ̃a [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ].

Combinations with verbs: lɛ [ / ] fe [ ˥ ] to escape, run away;

ɔlɛ fe ʋ̃ɛ xiã [ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ˥ ] he is escaping me (along): da-e y-ɛse n-ɔɣɛlɛ f-ima [ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] hold him well in order that he may not escape us!

lɛ [ / ] ga [ / ] to move around;

ɔgwa lɛ ga‿erhã na [ ˩ ˥ / ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] he is digging (yams) around this tree;

ɔh-ĩkɛkɛ lɛ ga ʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] he rode on his bicycle around me.

swollen and big (as of a corpse);

ɔye lɛlɛɛlɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˦ ] it is big and swollen;

cf. lɛlɛɛlɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].

big, broad (as e.g. of a filled yam-stack, eru [ ˩ ˥ ]), or, heavily;

ɔye lɛlɛɛlɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] it is broad;

eru ɛɽe si lɛlɛɛlɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] his yam-stack hangs (lit. “pulls”) heavily;

cf. lɛlɛɛlɛ [ ˦ ˦ ˦ ].

to hide;

ɔlɛ ɽe [ ˩ \ / ] he is hidden;

irhi-ɛɽe lɛ ɽe [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ / ] I have hidden it (lit. “taken it hidden”);

cf. lɛ [ / ], ɽe [ / ].

describes the fall of a heavy object having corners or a flat side, such as e.g. an uxwerhe [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] or an uhuʋ̃-ɛ̃dĩ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ];

ɔde lɛu [ ˩ \ ˩ ] it fell (in the way described above);

also mɛu [ ˩ ].

some kinds of trees (Pausinystalia talbotii; P. gohimba; P. brachythyrus; P. macroceras, and Coryantha pachyceras);

wood used for planks in house building.

(also likpilikpi) rough, pimply (of the body);

uɽu egbe likpalikpa [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] “you make body pimply”: you have pimples, e.g. after eating too much sugar-cane;

v. also ikp-ɔxɔe [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ].

to lie down (to sleep);

ɔloʋiɛ [ ˩ \ / ] he lay down to sleep;

cf. ʋiɛ [ / ].

to waste (money, time, etc.);

iɣo n-ilo y-oxuo na‿uhuʋ̃u kpɔlɔ gbe [ ˥ ˩ ˥ / ˩ / ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] “the money I spent on this woman (head) is very much (‘big’)”.

Said e.g. of the “dowry”, or when having settled her debts;

cf. Yor. lo [ ˩ ].

to travel around, said of an Ɔba or ruler only who walks round his Ɛguae, or travels around his country in order to inspect it;

ɔloɣa gbe ʋ-ɛɣɛ ni [ ˩ / ˩ ˩ ˩ / / ] he travelled around a good deal at that time;

cf. la 1 [ ˥ ] (?).

cf. la 1 [ ˥ ].

(1) to grind;

to sharpen (knife);

l-ɔka [ ˥ ˩ ] to grind corn.

(1) to iron, press a cloth, or, clothes;

lɔ‿(u)kpɔ̃ni-sɛse [ ˩ / / ˦ ˧ ] press that cloth well!

(the low tone of the u is not indicated above);

ɔlɔ-ɽe [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] he ironed it.

(2) to step sidewards in dancing, e.g. in ugba [ ˥ ˩ ], akaba [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ], and ohoɣo [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ];

cf. lɔ [ ˥ ] (?)

describes a swaying kind of walk;

almost the same as gɔlɔgɔlɔ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ], but conveying the idea of the walk being more pleasant.

Used with the verb xiã [ ˥ ].

(1) to pain;

to ache;

to cause suffering;

ɔlɔɣɔ ʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] it made me suffer (a disease);

ɔlɔɣ-ɔe [ ˩ ˩ \ ] it pains him.

(2) to be difficult;

ɔlɔɣɔ mɛ (or ʋ̃e) [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] it is difficult for me (with an object of the third person, however, ɔlɔɣ-ɔe is used; ɔlɔɣɔ nɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ] is not used).

cf. lɛ [ / ] (?).

anklets worn by a prince (okoɽo [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ]);

v. Idzɔ Idzɔ Idzɔ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].

to chew;

lu-ɛɽe n-ɔsũ‿ɛ̃sɛsɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ \ ˥ ] chew it (so) that it is well ground!

l-unu [ ˩ ˥ ] lit. “to chew mouth”;

yaɣe ʋ-ɔɣal-unu [ / ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] “(go and) look how he chews”.

to wither;

ebe na luɛluɛe [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ \ ] this herb is withered.

describes the movement made by the bird ahĩaʋ̃-osa [ ˥ ˥ \ ˩ ] which “nods” with the upper part of its body;

and the coitus movement.

to be different;

ɔɣ-ũʋ̃ɛ na l-uɣaɛ̃ gbe [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] “this my own is very different”: I am always treated in a different way.

l-uɣaɛ̃ [ ˥ ˩ ] hĩ [ \ ] to differ from something;

cf. uɣaɛ̃ [ ˩ ˩ ].

to stir up;

to mix (same as t-uɣu [ ˩ ˥ ]) lɔl-uɣu ʋ̃-ɛ̃ko [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ \ ] “he stirred up my stomach”: he caused me pains in the stomach, or abdomen, viz. by a blow.

fat and strong, of a cow or ass, but also of very fat people;

v. ʋuɛʋuɛʋuɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] (fat and lazy);

ɔye luluulu [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˦ ].

cf. lue [ / ].

cf. la 1 [ ˥ ].