Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

cheklul

, n.poss.3s

saliva or other lump in throat.

nguim a cheklul

expr.

swallow a lump in one's throat due to nervousness or anticipation.

melim

, v.t.

drink.
melim a omerkakl a ralm; soak el melim a mengur; ngilmii, nguim a rrom.

ngilmii

v.pf.3s

ngilmii a melim er ngii.

ngilelmii

v.pf.3s.past

nguim

v.pf.3p.inan.

nguim a melim; mla nguim a kar.

ngilim

v.pf.3p.inan.past

melemelim
/melelmelim

v.t.redup.

drink slowly; sip.
melelmelim a mekekokil el melim; diak lorreched el melim.

mengim

v.erg.

mengim a nglim el mla mengim el mo diak; nguim, ngelmel a mengur.

nglim

v.r.s.

(beverage) drunk.
nglim a mla mengim; mengur a nglim; mla mo diak; te mla nguim

See also:

Examples:

Ke melim a ngerang?

> What are you drinking?

Ak ngilim a biang el rokui.

> I drank up all the bottles of beer.

A bocha lemeched a rengum e ke melim a bodes er a bngal a kerrekar.

> Whenever you get thirsty, you drink nectar from the flowers in the trees.

Ak ngilelmii a biang el rokir.

> I drank up the whole bottle of beer.

Proverbs:

Melim e menga er a ngar er a ucharm.

> To eat and drink by the mast tip.

The ucharm (bird) is the hardwood tip at the top of the canoe mast. The person to whom the idiom is applied is accused of thriving on gifts from other places. Particularly it may be applied to persons of a highranking village who rather expect that visitors in canoes from other villages will come provisioned with gifts-thus, those who watch for the canoes. Sometimes the idiom goes: Ngkora chad ra Oreor, "Like the man of Koror," with reference to the high ranking community of Koror in central Palau.

More Examples:

Me dorael el mo melim a rrom.

> Lets go drink alcohol.

Ng soak el melim a ralm.

> I'll have water.

Ng soam el melim a kohi.

> You want some coffee.

Ak melim a ralm.

> I'm drinking water

Kede ousbech a kor el melim a ilumel.

> We use cups to drink.

ngau

, n.

cooking fire; labor pains.
ngau a mekeald el diich; ngau er a ngeliokl; chelum el ngau, ngeuil a olbidel.

nguik

n.poss.1s

nguim

n.poss.2s

nguil

n.poss.3s

nguil a ngau er ngii; nguil a klengoes; nguil a cheroll.

ngumam

n.poss.1pe

nguid

n.poss.1pi

ngumiu

n.poss.2p

ngurir

n.poss.3p

Examples:

A techel a charm a kirel mo medul er a ngau e mekang el obengkel a diak a omkukel el blauang me a mechuached el dellomel.

> The meat is to be roasted and eaten with bitter herbs and with bread made without yeast.

Ng mede a ngau.

> The fire is (just) dying out.

Ng mla tmaut a ngau.

> The fire has started up.

Ng mo ua kerrekar el mla medul er a ngau a rechelel, me a bngal a mosebek er a eolt el mo cheroid.

> They will be like trees whose branches are burned by fire, whose blossoms are blown away by the wind.

A ngau a dilubech er a delemerab er ngak.

> The fire started in my room.

Proverbs:

Ng ko er a meiko er a Tmel, el di mengereel el olsiu er ngii er a ngau.

> Like the blind man of Ngetmel, twisting twine into the fire.

The image is that of a blind elder, warming his frail body beside the fire while twisting strands of fiber into twine against his thigh. Only as he pulls the finished twine away, he pushes it into the flames. The saying may be applied to any utterly pointless activity or dissipation of wealth.