About this dictionary

This is A Combined Kiribati-English Dictionary, compiled by Stephen Trussel and Gordon W. Groves (University of Hawaiʻi, 1978), revised and edited by Stephen Trussel (2003), as published on trussel.com.

It combines these works. Every entry shows which of them each definition comes from.

• Bingham: Hiram Bingham, A Gilbertese-English Dictionary (1908, 1953). American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.
• Sabatier: Ernest Sabatier, M.S.C., Dictionnaire Gilbertin-Français (1954), translated by Sr. M. Oliva as Gilbertese-English Dictionary (1971). South Pacific Commission Publications Bureau.
• Goo & Banner: Fannie C. C. Goo & Albert H. Banner, A Preliminary Compilation of Gilbertese Animal and Plant Names (1963).
• Luomala: Katharine Luomala, Ethnobotany of the Gilbert Islands (1953). Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulletin 213.
• Community: Words and meanings contributed by readers of this dictionary and checked by the editor. Not from the printed dictionaries.

Stephen Trussel (d. 2020) spent decades documenting the Kiribati language. This site builds on his work.

Who made this

This site was put together by Emilio Barkett. It grew out of Tekitinari, an earlier Kiribati dictionary app made by Jacob Roberts.

Reading an entry

Labels such as n. or vt. are shown as each source wrote them; hover over a label to see what it stands for. Kiribati words inside definitions are in bold, and links lead to other entries.

Using it offline

After your first visit, the whole dictionary is saved in your browser and works without a connection.

Corrections

Every entry has a “Suggest a correction” form; no account is needed. Corrections are checked against the original printed sources. If you leave your name and ask to be credited, it will be listed on this page once your correction is made.

Adding words

Know a word that's missing, including slang? Add it. Words are checked before they're added, and appear under “Community”, separate from the printed dictionaries.

Ideas for the website

Have an idea for a feature, or something that would make the dictionary easier to use? Tell us.

Rights

The dictionary content belongs to its respective rights holders. Bingham (1908) is in the public domain.