Topics

Shells and sea creatures

Shellfish, crabs, octopus, coral and other sea life.

305 Kiribati words

• a him, her, it, a suffix pronoun following an active transitive verb,…
• ai flint lock musket.
• ai(i) Birgus latro.
• ainiku ocean side of a coral island.
• aioro to clash, bump one another, exchange blows, collide.
• ane who, that, which, whosoever.
• anetaba coral.
• anetautebe coral.
• ang wind, air.
• anga shoulder.
• anikomri 1. a species of pandanus.
• aoreke good place for shell fishing.
• arora extend as the hand, stretch out.
• atama cover a surface with coarse gravel.
• ati ass, donkey (ENG).
• atibakoua cup-shaped coral.
• atibara soft coral stone.
• atiem soft coral stone.
• atikika red stone on the ocean beach.
• atimaiu coral stone of recent formation (living stone).
• atimane ledge of coral rock in the lagoon smaller than a rakai.
• atimata abounding in small sunken rocks.
• atiniba coconut shell bottle.
• atiniwerewere coral rock or ledge abounding in were.
• atinono stone used by a squid in closing his hole.
• atitaai Porites (coelenterate).
• atitei lofty coral rock beneath the surface of the water.
• ato thatch of coconut leaf.
• atoato filling coconut shell bottles.
• aubunga very large shell fish.
• awa boil.
• ba because, for, that, as.
• ba ni babai 1. taro leaves.
• babaneki large cetacea, whale.
• babangaki red and swollen as the bite of a mosquito.
• babanura having a full breast over the sternum.
• baeao the pearl shell.
• baitari a species of jelly fish.
• bakora a large man or squid or buni.
• bakoua concave, coral stone; te ati bakoua: basin shaped stone.
• bamakoro sap stopped, unproductive, sterile for a time.
• baraitoa a small hat.
• barang a variety of coral.
• batano coral sandstone.
• batinana a variety of crab, the.
• batinou a species of sea urchin covered with poisoned spikes like needles.
• batua a large shell fish, the.
• beibei a species of whale, the.
• benenakai a spike off sea urchin, like a slate pencil (purple).
• bere an insulting exclamation of great contempt.
• berereun a thin brittle bivalvular shell fish, the.
• binaoro a shell.
• binera te kua to bring or lead whales ashore.
• binobino a coconut shell bottle for coconut molasses.
• bora a bowl (ENG).
• bu a spouse when followed by the suffix pronoun, a relative when…
• buangi a whale's tooth.
• bukibuki a sixty-gallon cask, a cask.
• bukikakang a shell with pointed end.
• bun many, much, abundant.
• bunatoi an egg.
• burae ni mata eye lashes, barbel of lobster.
• bure passed over, given away, teansferred.
• burea to choose or select suitable food for a guest.
• burebangaki a small shell, the.
• burena a shell.
• burerewa orange money, cowry shell.
• buro the heart.
• buroa a small yellow cowrie.
• buruburu ni koinawa a sea slug (colour of koinawa).
• bwere a shell or tin for cutting.
• bwereraun a bivalvular shell-fish, the.
• em coral stone used in rasping.
• enga coral on the flats, that emits much odor.
• ewanin husk of the coconut.
• ewe jump.
• ibeibe breaking up or open.
• ibetao bivalvular shell.
• ibu coconut shell bottle.
• ibuatao second shell hung under the first to catch the overflow in karewe.
• ibunikatio coconut shell for water not tied to a second.
• ibuntabonari small coconut shell for use at the beginning of cutting the spathe.
• ingietanrabono batua [shellfish] with a dorsal fin which can be erected in self…
• ingietauraura easily offended or provoked.
• iomakorinawa deceive, mislead.
• itikurere to vibrate, to quiver (ex. with fear), to tremble (as bait before a…
• itua ni bure (a string of shells) a constellation, Berenice's hair.
• kaban a shell-fish, the.
• kabanaki shell.
• kabanmaran a species of shell.
• kabantabu species of shell.
• kabau a shell, porcelain (S.).
• kabaua Cypraea sp. (i).
• kabinea a shell-fish, the.
• kabun a shell, the.
• kabunbweari a brown shell.
• kabunrere a shell-fish, the.
• kai easily, without difficulty, soon, readily.
• kai ni moi a Gilbertese ladle, a ladle.
• kaibai a ladle made of shell.
• kaikai a meal, a civilized meal.
• kainonoki a variety of whale.
• kairibwe a kind of small pebble.
• kakawa frequentative of kawa.
• kakerua to crunch, to ram as a gun, to.
• kakerukeru a shell-fish, the.
• kama the Southern cross.
• kamakama a variety of crab.
• kamanging intoxicating, having kamanging in store or on hand.
• kamata to select, to pick out among a number of people.
• kanabure a thin round shell bead.
• kao a cow, an ox, a bos, beef (ENG).
• kaobairake to escape away as a squid from its hole.
• kaoki a crab, the.
• kaonako a squid.
• kara decrepit, aged.
• karakeman to fish for newe with torches on the ocean reef.
• karane lobster fishing.
• karanea to engage in fishing for small squid by moonlight.
• karau to rain.
• karemakare operculum of shell named nimatanin.
• karinawa a girdle of shell beads.
• karo a parent.
• katangibu to blow the conch shell.
• kateke very nice, well executed first rate.
• kati a gun, a musket.
• katuiaia a sea-urchin.
• katura to slide along.
• kaukea to completely scrape out a coconut, to do thoroughly, to complete.
• kauki a crab.
• kauti to engage in awakening.
• kawaruwaru shells used to attract sharks.
• kaweana unsuccessful as a fisherman.
• kawi a long coconut-shell bottle used in incantations.
• keraki a variety of the soldier crab.
• kereboki a sea-slug, beche de mer,.
• kerekaka a shell-fish, the.
• ketoa a bivalvular shell, the.
• kewe to lie, to falsify.
• kianan (1) green fat of turtle. (S).
• kieburara purple lily.
• kika a large squid.
• kikabunia small species of octopus.
• kikao a small squid.
• kima a bivalvular shell-fish.
• kimamama grapsid crab.
• kimarawa a long branching coral, red, dark, or white.
• kirei proud, putting on airs, practicing tricks.
• koikoi a bivalvular shell, used in scraping out food.
• koikoi ni ben a shell.
• koikoinanti a bivalvular shell-fish.
• koiriki a coconut scraper.
• koirikintari a shell used for scraping babai.
• kokoti a shell-fish.
• koumai a bivalvular shell-fish, the.
• koumara small shell fish, bivalvular.
• kua weary.
• kukua a variety of crab, the.
• kumete thin in flesh after a spell of sickness.
• kunibo grey colour as in pearl shell.
• maibinnana piece of coconut shell.
• makauro soldier crab.
• makauro n tari a sea crab with shell.
• mama ashamed, abashed.
• manai scissors.
• mangieuete a sharp pointed coral stone.
• mangiewe coral rock or stone harder than kara:.
• mangu bunia in which the kernel has not yet developed.
• manibaraki variety of a white, flat louse, infesting the armpit.
• matarikiriki spoken of a coconut - shell cup with broken edges.
• mba a species of crab which pumps water.
• mbembe vent holee of octopus.
• mnao lobster var.
• mnawa Parabaccus antarcticus Lund.
• moantoka young squid.
• namata ni bure a string of bure shells, a bracelet of these shells worn as armlet.
• namokare opercule of nimatanin shell.
• nana cocoon.
• nananikanei large coconut shell cup for receiving boiled oil.
• nananimae half coconut shell for holding oil for besmearing a wreath for the…
• nawa to rest another by taking his place.
• neabu a piece of shell carved to make an axe.
• neang a two-horned shell, spider shell.
• nei toro neitoro (k).
• neiang Lambis sp.
• neikarua kereboki: sea slug.
• neitoro bi-valvular shell fish.
• newenewe a shell fish.
• nika tebetebe a small prawn (brangon lobster).
• nikabangabanga a piece of shell shaped and pierced for necklet, a necklet of...
• nikabibi a shell.
• nikabono a shell worked for neck ornament.
• nikarababa a bivalvular shellfish.
• nikararao a pan leaf hoop, driven by the wind.
• nikarewerewe a crab.
• nikarikiriki a shell fish. big. heart cockle.
• nikarinei a bivalvular shellfish.
• nikaro to engage in cooking squid on the coals.
• nikaroa to cook a squid on the coals.
• nikataratara a bivalvular shellfish, the.
• nikatebetebe spe of lobster, the cray fish.
• nikatinewa a shell fish.
• nikatona a bivalvular shellfish, the.
• nikatongitongnatu (1) dizziness of diver.
• nikorokoro a bivalvular shellfish.
• nim to stick, to adhere.
• nimakaka a shell fish.
• nimanainai the adhereing vessels of the squid.
• nimatakanin a shell fish with operculum.
• nimatanin a shell fish.
• nimatawawa Physalia (coelenterate).
• nimatoro (1) coral stone grooved like underneath of mushroom.
• ningoningo a ringing in the ears.
• nneue lobster (Palinurus).
• nnewe the genus of lobster.
• nnonnon a variety of crab, the.
• nongai a wart.
• nonon (1) Ten Nonon: a species of crab.
• nouo a conical shell fish (several species).
• nrekereke a fish, the.
• nta a reddish bivalvular shellfish, often used as a neck ornament.
• ntababa a sea slug.
• ntabakewe a species of crab, the.
• ntabaniban a gelatinous marine animal, the.
• ntabena a crab, the.
• ntabenarere a crab.
• ntabo a neck ornament of shell made from the taninanatibu.
• ntabwnarere a variety of crab, the.
• ntai a fish, the.
• ntaurababa a crab. nta -- red.
• ntaurabaraba a variety of crab.
• ntokitoki a species of porpoise, the.
• ngau a sort of sea slug.
• ngutu a movable sight of a gun.
• on turtle.
• onabiti species of sea urchin resembling violet slate pencil.
• onatabu portion of a coral flat slightly raised.
• onga n tari a sponge.
• ongantari sponge.
• onibora nasty, soft.
• onobora crab when it has cast its crust-like shell.
• rabirabi wide laterally as a coconut shell bottle.
• raka to increase.
• rakai a coral shoal in a lagoon.
• ranea faint, or languishing through want of food.
• raun a kind of fish-hook made of mother-of-pearl.
• rei to skip or bound as a porpoise.
• reimaurua to toss as a craft.
• ribu very fine coral mud.
• riburibu thoroughly pulverized coral, it abounds in the lagoons.
• riburibu n ainiku (1) a species of octopus with tentacles easily broken. fis.
• ringongo to snore, to blow as a whale.
• ririko a tooth of the porpoise, strung on a necklace.
• riro a fish, the.
• rirongo a variety of coral.
• roroko a large were.
• rotu the spider shell-fish.
• rubeirubei te nang (1) frightening position of whale having whole forefront raised to…
• ruru to tremble.
• tabakea shell turtle, the egg of a roach.
• tabaniban a sea slug. <more correctly, a sea cucumber>.
• tabanin appearing distinctly as a coral isle at see, seen as a whole, seen as…
• tabanou the stem and stern of a canoe.
• taima to sharpen, to grind, to whet.
• takataka copra, the dried kernel of the coconut.
• taku to say, to think, to suppose, to imagine.
• takua dolphin.
• taninga n atibu a mollusc, a fish.
• taningatiku jewellery carved from shell.
• taoatama to put layer of coral pebbles on a tomb. repast and ceremony on this…
• tarotaro water in a shell or cup for a wan with which to sharpen a knife.
• tau a fish, the.
• tauororo small coral pebbles (used for counting, lots).
• tentababa Xanthid.
• tia completed, finished, done.
• tiarianna a variety of crab, the.
• timami babai or squid, roasted on the coals.
• timamia to roast babai or squid on the coals.
• tinanei a variety of crab, the.
• titune a small crab, sea louse.
• tokitoki frequentative of toki.
• tuabon the inner or bony shell of a turtle.
• tuai not yet, a verbal adverb, an adverbial verb.
• tuairoa to engage in scraping pandanus fruit on a shell or other scraper.
• tumara a shell-fish, the.
• tumim a sponge to wipe up urine (of baby).
• turokon the turtle dove (GR).
• tutu to trickle,.
• uba the part of the upper breast over the sternum.
• uningakakua Echinoderm genus holothuria, sea slug.
• uningauninga a genus of sea slug.
• ura blaze.
• uratake spe lobster.
• urokou disease of the skin.
• waero a species of crab with black claws (ro).
• waeura a shell-crab, the.
• wai to blow as the wind.
• wanin to engage in mending a hole in a mat.
• waro a species of crab, the.
• were a fish, the.
• were makai Tridacoconuta squamosa (i).
• wi manga a crab with long claws.
• wiau a shell-fish, the.
• winririko porpoise teeth.
• wiro a willow (ENG).