Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

kekerei
/kekeriei

, v.s.redup.

small; young; (eyes) slit; (so) crowded (as to appear smaller).
kekerei a diak leklou; Bung a kekerei er a Chesuch.

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:

Ak chetitau a bedengek e melemalt a chiuk e meklou a medak.

> I'm brown-skinned with straight hair and big eyes.

Tia a mekngit el ngar er a medal a Rubak e mo ongesechii a rengul.

> This is evil in the Lord's sight, and it will make him angry.

Ngara meluches a medam me ng di kea bo mechiuaiu?

> What's keeping you from falling asleep?

A ngalek a ietu a medal.

> The child is about to fall asleep.

Ng tuobed a chiuosech er a medak.

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

Proverbs:

Ngelek el medad.

> Child of the front.

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

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.

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.

More Examples:

A medal a biskang a tilaut er a ulul a uel.

> The spear hit the turtle in the chest.

Ng mla er ngii a chermek el bilis e ng di mla mad.

> I had a pet dog but he died.

Ak ulureor er a kesus e ng mad a dengki.

> I was working last night when the power went out.

Ngka el rubak a di mle siesorech e mad.

> This old man stayed stiff and contorted as he died.

Achedil! Mla mad a dengki!

> Oh no! Electricity went out!

oikab
/oisab

, v.s.

improved or better from illness.
oikab a telkib; soak a oikab el betok el udoud, smecher a oikab el mesisiich.
oisab a oikab.

Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

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