Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

bad

, n.

stone; rock; coral; crossbeams supporting floor or house.
bad a medecherecher el klalo, risois, baderitech, badelchei, mlus, basech, badumoachel. A rebebil er a rechad uluusbech a bad. Aika el bad a meklou el ngai el mo locha er a ulebengelel a ta me a ta er a rechad el oliochel.

beduk

n.poss.1s

bedum

n.poss.2s

bedul

n.poss.3s

his/her/its stone; rock; coral; crossbeams supporting floor or house.

bedemam

n.poss.1pe

bedud

n.poss.1pi

bedemiu

n.poss.2p

bederir

n.poss.3p

bad el chelid

expr.

type of trepang (colored like coral).

See also: ,

Examples:

Ng kedorem se el bad.

> That stone is sharp.

A resechal a rengrir a bad.

> xx.

A Droteo a millutk el bedul a kboub.

> Droteo pointed to the wall.

A Droteo a melecholb er a bedul.

> Droteo is bathing upstream.

A skuul a dechor el bedul a M-Dock.

> The school faces in the direction of M-Dock.

Proverbs:

A eolt a bad er a cheskiik.

> The wind sleeps in the eskiik bush.

Around March the wind quiets at about dusk and begins to pick up the next morning. During the night the wind is said to sleep in the eskiik, a small shrub common on the hills of Palau. A quiet night is appropriate in the Palauan view because economically important fruit trees, such as breadfruit, are setting their buds at this time. This period of budding is thought to be analogous to the second or third month of human pregnancy, when exertion or shock may precipitate a miscarriage. If the winds blow strong at night during this time, elders note that the season will be poor as far as fruit harvest is concerned. The eskiik bush, where the wind sleeps, has a characteristic bad odor said to be caused by the wind performing its "natural functions."

Ng meredem er oiaol bedul ngii.

> Attaching the drain spout to oneself.

Pertains to favoritism, the adjustment of the flow of favors from the leader to one-self. It is considered unsporting and in poor taste to seek favoritism through undue support of a leader in direct anticipation of favors.

A resechal a reng er tir bad.

> The male heart is like stone.

The true man or leader has a strong, unwavering character. His decisions are firm and unchanging.

More Examples:

A rubak a mo bad er a bir.

> The elderly titled men will be spending the night at their club house.

Akoi! Tia el klechad ng mo bedul ker.

> Ah! Where this life going.

A Yigo a ngar er a mo bedul a diluches.

> Yigo is located on the north side of the island.

Ngar er a mo bedul ker a Yigo?

> Which direction is Yigo located on the map?

A debar a mlo chebecheb e odbechii tia el ulebangel er ngais el mo bedul a Templeton.

> The duck bent down and pushed the unhatched egg towards Templeton.

bedul

, n.

head; leader.
bedul a bdelul; bdelul a chad, bingsbedul, bdelul a beluu; bedul er a omoachel

bdeluk

n.poss.1s

bdelum

n.poss.2s

bdelul

n.poss.3s

bdelul a bedul er ngii; bdelul a chad bdelul a beluu, bdelul a cheldebechel; bdelulachang.

bdelmam

n.poss.1pe

bdelud

n.poss.1pi

bdelmiu

n.poss.2p

bdelrir

n.poss.3p

bdelul a chang
/bdelulachang

expr.

end of jetty; landing pier.
bdelulachang a olekerodel, omekuul er a mlai, bilas; kerodel.

bdelul a cheldebechel

expr.

group leader.

bdelul a omerael

expr.

tour leader.

btil a bedul

expr.

back of head.

mekngit a bdelul

expr.

stupid.

tedobech a bdelul

expr.

crazy.

See also: ,

Examples:

A dachelbai el chad er a chei a milurech a bdelul a lluich el ngikel.

> The skillful fisherman speared 20 fish in the head.

Ng kmal meringel a sils e ng ngar er a sers el di blechetoel a bdelul.

> The sun is shining so hard and she's at the farm with nothing on her head.

A bdeluk a merengelang.

> I'm getting a headache.

A Toki a rirurt el bedul a skuul.

> Toki ran in the direction of the school.

A lluich el ngikel a uleburech a bdelul er a dachelbai el chad er a chei.

> 20 fish were speared in the head by the skillful fisherman.

Proverbs:

Ng meredem er oiaol bedul ngii.

> Attaching the drain spout to oneself.

Pertains to favoritism, the adjustment of the flow of favors from the leader to one-self. It is considered unsporting and in poor taste to seek favoritism through undue support of a leader in direct anticipation of favors.

A bdelul okdemelem a cheloit er a Emerert.

> Your mother's brother's head is discarded at Emerert.

In head-hunting days villages on the same side-haven as Koror, or otherwise allied, would visit Koror last with heads taken in raids or ambush after visiting several allied villages for dances and money collections marking a successful hunt. By and large, the purpose of head-hunting was economic, with money paid the men of the successful raiding club at each allied village where the heads would be displayed. The collection went to the coffer of their village chief. By the time the warriors reached Koror, then, the heads would often be quite odorous and unpleasant (economically useless). So they would be discarded at a place called Emerert in Koror. From the standpoint of any male ego the mother's brother (okdemaol; okdemelem: your mother's brother) is always significant, since one such individual usually acts as guardian and financial advisor for the younger clan member. The idiom, then, is used by the people of Koror to insult persons of other, generally hostile, villages.

More Examples:

A debar a mlo chebecheb e odbechii tia el ulebangel er ngais el mo bedul a Templeton.

> The duck bent down and pushed the unhatched egg towards Templeton.

Ngar er a mo bedul ker a Yigo?

> Which direction is Yigo located on the map?

Ng meringel a bdeluk e chetelaol.

> My head is aching and I feel dizzy.

A Yigo a ngar er a mo bedul a diluches.

> Yigo is located on the north side of the island.

A dechor er a kederang e omes el bedul ngeuaol.

> Standing on the beach looking out towards the open ocean and the horizon.

bedul

, n.poss.3s

direction; area/space facing onto; upstream.

dmolech

, v.s.

deep.
dmolech a dolech, diak le meched; dmolech a chei, klou a dolech.

mad

, n.

eye; face; point; edge; front; area or space (directly) in front of; entrance; point of access; aperture; title given to messengers.
mad a klekedellel a chad el omes; olab a ues; klidm, chelsul a mad, bsechel a mad, medal.

medak

n.poss.1s

medam

n.poss.2s

medal

n.poss.3s

medal a mad er ngii.

medemam

n.poss.1pe

medad

n.poss.1pi

medemiu

n.poss.2p

mederir

n.poss.3p

el mo er a medad

expr.

in the future.

mad el chur

expr.

laughing or smiling face.

mad el kekerei

expr.

expression of a child.

mad el ngalek

expr.

expression of a child.

medal a bedul

expr.

forehead.

medal a beluu

expr.

representative of the village; center of village.

medal a blik

expr.

in front of my house.

See also:

Examples:

Ng tuobed a chiuosech er a medak.

> My eyes are tearing./I want to cry.

A ngikel a oltetemetom er a medal er a bad.

> The fish keeps poking his head out of the coral.

Ke kmal mengas a medad er a seked.

> You really embarrass us in public.

Lak lesebek a rengum e ng kmal diak a rolem e bo mad.

> Don't worry; there's really no way you're going to die.

Ng oburek a medal.

> His/her eye is swollen.

Proverbs:

Ngelek el medad.

> Child of the front.

A child (or adult) who performs well when being supervised, but who shirks duty otherwise.

Ng di ua dorael er a medal a oles.

> It's as if we were walking on the blade of a knife.

i.e., we're treading on dangerous ground; if we make one wrong move, we're finished.

Ng ko er a Chelebesoi er a Ngeriil el mad er a diak lebngel.

> He's like Chelebesoi of Ngeriil, dead in a fishtrap not his own.

A man named Chelebesoi (also the name of a fish) was robbing another man's fish trap when a head-hunting party came by and removed his head. He lost both his head and his reputation. The idiom may apply to one who gets hurt while trying to do someone else's job.

Ng ko er a ngkelel a iusech el dimengel a medad er ngii

> Like a fish in deep, clear water, eaten only with the eyes.

Fish are not easily caught in clear water. The idiom applies to that which may be admired but not obtained, like an expensive item or another man's beautiful sweetheart.

Se el obutek a medak.

> When my eyes are closed.

When one dies the eyes are "closed"; hence, to be dead. The term for "death" is mad as is the term for "eye," (mad; madak: "my eye"). Some sources suggest that the term for death refers to the closed eyes of a dead person.

More Examples: