Tiv–English dictionary

Tiv Dictionary: H

150 entries · part 1 of 2

Every Tiv word in the archive's dictionary that begins with “H” — 221 entries, in alphabetical order (part 1 of 2). Each entry gives the English meaning and part of speech, and, where the archive records them, the pronunciation, an example sentence in Tiv with its English translation, and notes on usage. Select a word to open its own page with related words and sources.

haa

pour

Verb

Also means
spill
Example
Haa mngerem shin bokoti. — “Pour the water in the bucket.”

haa

spill

Verb

haa

pour; spill

Verb

Also means
put in a container
Example
Haa mngerem shin bokoti — “Pour the water in the bucket”

haa

pour; spill

Verb

haav

dwelling

Noun

Example
M ngu a haav mbu tsan ker. — “I have a dwelling to live in.”

haghelaiyol

anxious

Adjective

Example
Kam haghelaiyol. — “I am anxious.”

halishon

hypertension

Noun

Example
M ngu a halishon. — “I have hypertension.”

hambe

hang

Verb

Example
Hambe sha kor. — “Hang on the rope.”

hange

stuck

Adjective

Also means
hung

hange

need

Verb

Example
Hangem u ma m ze Makurdi. — “I need to go to Makurdi.”

hange hange

required

Adjective

Also means
compulsory
Example
Ka hange hange u u kar ikaren man u yem nongu utaan ye. — “You must pass the test to be promoted to 5th grade.”

hange hange

required; compulsory

Adjective

Also means
when something must happen
Example
Ka hange hange u u kar ikaren man u yem nongu utaan ye — “You must pass the test to be promoted to 5th grade”

hange1

stuck

Verb

Also means
cannot go in or out
Example
Kusa hange ken ketako — “The nail is stuck in the plank of wood”

hange2

need

Verb

Also means
to desire something because it is necessary
Example
Hangem u ma m ze Makurdi — “I need to go to Makurdi”

hanma

every

Noun

Example
Hanma shie (every time); hanma kwagh (everything); hanma

hanmape

and similar places, etc.

Adverb

hanmô

any, anyone

Noun

Example
Alum shin mongol; me tôô hanmô cii. — “Orange or mango; I will choose any.”

har

hang

Verb

Also means
hung

har

hung

Verb

Example
Har ikpa sha vande. — “Hang the bag on your shoulder.”

har

two

Adjective

Also means
2

har

hang

Verb

haregh

path

Noun

Example
Due haregh u gen yem. Leave by another passageway.

he

new

Adjective

he

new

Adjective

Also means
something recently made or done; not long ago; not old
Example
M yam mato u he — “I bought a new car”

hedemasa

headmaster

Noun

Example
Mr. Ger ka hedemasa wase. Mr. — “Ger is our headmaster.”

heen

here

Adverb

Example
Va heen. Come here.

heera

there (when close by)

Adverb

hegen; higen

now

Adverb

Example
Higen u fa. — “You now know. (Now you know).”

hemba

greater

Adjective

Example
Ter Aôndo hemba or. — “The Lord God is greater”

hemba

win

Verb

Example
Se hembe inumbe i futubol. — “We won the game of football.”

hemba doon

it’s better …

Adjective

Example
Bem hemba itiav mbi nôngun. — “Peace is better than war.”

hemba1

greater

Adjective

Also means
indicating something that is greater than another
Example
Ter Aôndo hemba or — “The Lord God is greater than man. Hemban cii (greatest), superlative adjective”

hemba2

win

Verb

Also means
to come first in a competition
Example
Se hembe inumbe i futubol — “We won the game of football”

hembe

break

Verb

Example
Hembe ijikegh. — “Break an egg. See tem, applied to nuts”

hemen

lead

Adverb

Also means
forward
Example
Hemen se. Za hemen. — “Lead us. Go forward (proceed/coninue).”
Usage
Verb.

hemen

front

Noun

Example
Tema ken hemen. — “Sit in front.”

hemen

needed

Verb

Also means
required
Example
A hemen akwagh sha kasua. — “She needed items from the market.”

hemen1

lead; forward

Adverb

Also means
proceed. 1
Example
Hemen se — “Lead us. Verb. 2. Za hemen. Go forward (proceed/coninue)”

hemen2

front

Noun

Also means
farther from where one is facing
Example
Tema ken hemen — “Sit in front”

Hen

Among

Noun

Hen

think

Verb

Also means
learn

hen

at

Noun

Example
Hen ya wam (at my home).

hen

learn, study

Verb

Example
Hen takerada u ôron. — “Learn to read (a book). kwagh”

hen

think

Verb

Example
Hen kwagh u mgbe u tar. Derivatives from hen: hen kwagh (study), verb; hen sha kwagh (explore). — “Think about the creation of the earth.”

hen

think

Verb

Example
Tor soo homwek na u eren — “Tor likes to do his homework”

hen

learn

Verb

hen atô

between

Noun

Example
Va tema he atô ve. — “Come (and) sit between them.”

hen atô

between

Preposition

Example
Ana tema hen atô u Terhemba man Nguhemen — “Ana sat between Terhemba and Nguhemen”

hen1

at

Preposition

Also means
used to indicate presence or near a place or tome
Example
Hen ya wam (at my home)

hen2

learn, study

Verb

Also means
trying to understand something
Example
Hen takerada u ôron — “Learn to read (a book). kwagh”

hen3

think

Verb

Also means
to ponder on something
Example
Hen kwagh u mgbe u tar — “Think about the creation of the earth. Derivatives from hen: hen kwagh (study), verb; hen sha kwagh (explore)”

henda

ride

Verb

Example
Henda nyinya. — “Ride a horse.”

hendan

argumentative

Adjective

Example
De kwagh hendan. — “Stop being argumentative.”
Usage
Also: hendan kwagh (arguing with).

hengegh

cheek

Noun

Example
Wa kwaghyan ken henge(gh). — “Leave food inside the cheek.”

hia

burn, hot

Adjective

Example
1. Usu hiam sha ihôwe. Iyôgh kin hia. Compare: tsee (warm). — “I have burned my finger (verb) 2. This metal is hot.”

hia

burn

Verb

hiar

whirl wind

Noun

Example
Hiar bugh tor. — “The whirl wind blew off the roof.”

hide

return

Verb

Also means
come back

hide

step back

Verb

Example
Hide jime. Step back (go backwards).

hide

return

Verb

Example
Ade hide ken ya. — “Ade returned home. (Note: from wherever Ade was previously)”

hide

backup

Verb

Also means
to go in the opposite direction or backwards
Example
Hide jime Kamala a kar — “Back up for Kamala to pass”

hide

return; come back

Verb

hide

return, come back

Verb

hide/hire jime

backup

Verb

Example
Hide jime Kamala a kar. — “Back up for Kamala to pass.”

hide1

step back

Verb

Also means
to step back
Example
Hide jime — “Step back (go backwards)”

hide2

return

Verb

Also means
come back from
Example
Ade hide ken ya — “Ade returned home. (Note: from wherever Ade was previously)”

higen higen

soon

Adverb

Example
Amar a bee higen higen — “The dance will soon be over”

Hii

Begin

Verb

hii

begin, start

Verb

Example
Hii u tungwan (tongon) imar — “Begin playing the flute”

hii

should / will (future intention)

Verb

Hiihii

Beginning

Preposition

hime iyongu

contravene

Verb

Example
Paseto va hime iyongu. — “The Pastor came to contravene in the dispute.”

hingir

turn during roasting

Verb

hingir

become

Verb

Example
Iyough hingir ving. — “The house became quiet.”

hingir

turn

Verb

Example
Hingir abun a de hie ga. — “Turn the roasting peanuts so they don`t burn.”

hingir

turn during roasting

Verb

hingir1

become

Verb

Also means
turn from previous stance
Example
Iyough hingir ving — “The house became quiet”

hingir2

turn

Verb

Also means
run a spoon through nuts while being roasted
Example
Hingir abun a de hie ga — “Turn the roasting peanuts so they don`t burn”

hir

Harmattan winds

Noun

Example
Hir va. Harmattan winds

hire

protect, prevent

Verb

Example
Hire itiough sha idyer i tom. — “Protect the head with a work hat (hard hat).”

hire jime

backup

Verb

Also means
to go in the opposite direction or backwards
Example
Hide jime Kamala a kar — “Back up for Kamala to pass”

hôm

funny

Adjective

Also means
produce shoots

hôm

laughable, funny

Adjective

Example
Kwaghôron hôm; ior se. — “The”

hôm

sprout

Verb

Example
Kon hôm. Ihômon (sprouts). Hômon, (sprouting). — “The tree has sprouted. Example: Vambe ngu hômon (the silk cotton tree is sprouting).”

hôm

funny; produce shoots

Adjective

hôn

trap

Verb

Example
A hôn iyough; ihev gba sha min. — “He/she set a trap; the mouse got caught on it.”

hòndò

he/she shelves / stores

Verb/low tone/

hondo

whistling sound

Noun

Example
Tungwa hondo. — “Make a whistling sound with lips.”

hondo

shave

Verb

Example
Hondo itiough you. — “Shave your head.”

hondo

handle

Noun

Example
Hondo ijembe. — “An axe`s handle.”

hondo

handle of axe or hoe

Noun

hondo

whistle (with lips)

Verb

hondo1

whistling sound

Noun

Also means
sound made by blowing through pursed lips
Example
Tungwa hondo — “Make a whistling sound with lips”

hondo2

shave

Verb

Also means
take hair off a part of the body
Example
Hondo itiough you — “Shave your head”

hondo3

handle

Noun

Also means
wooden part of a hoe or axe in which blade is inserted
Example
Hondo ijembe — “An axe`s handle”

hongol

kernel

Noun

Example
Hongol mzembe. — “The African pear kernel.”

hongoloo

friendly

Adjective

Example
Dooter man Kaidan mba hongoloo. — “Dooter and is friendly to Keidan.”

hôô

rot

Verb

Also means
decay

hôô

rot

Verb

Example
Ayaba hôô. Ihôôn, (rotten part), — “The banana rotted.”

hor

pointy

Adjective

Example
Ivaan hor. — “The arrow is pointy.”

Hor

Pointy

Noun

hor

sharpen

Verb

Example
Hor nuro tumba inyam; er cire. Hwatev u Gyado taver ishe. — “Sharpen the skewer to make suya. hôtev, hwatev (hotel), noun: a place to stay or eat. Gyado Hotel is expensive.”

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