File:  <ogamigbovcvdictionary.htm>                                                                                                     <Bronze Age Index>              <Archeology Index>                 <Home>               

 

OGAM/IGBO VCV DICTIONARY 1

ARRANGED BY CONSONANTS

By Dr. CATHERINE ACHOLONU

 

CATHERINE ACHOLONU RESEARCH CENTER,

ABUJA, NIGERIA

 

Summary & Introduction

 

       The Catherine Acholonu Research Center (CARC) is the only organization on the African Continent that is engaged in Research on ancient African stone inscriptions and native Symbols as forms of linguistic expression. At the Rock Arts and Pan African Renaissance Methodologv Workshop held in Kenya (May 23-24) in 2007 under the auspices of the Trust for African Rock Art (TARA) and the Center for Slack and African Arts and African Civilizations (CSAAC), the Catherine Acholonu Research Center made the first ever scientific presentation on African Rock Art as a means of linguistic expression and historical documentation by the ancients, before a gathering of African and non-African stakeholders, archaeologists, historians and anthropologists. The Catherine Acholonu Research Center, through the submission made by its Director, Professor Catherine Acholonu, who is also the Country Ambassador of the UNCCD Forum of Arts and Culture, Nigeria, was able to place the Pre-historic stone inscriptions of Ikom in Cross River State, Nigeria (known as Ikom monoliths) in the 2008 World Monument Fund (WMF) Watch List 0/ 100 Most Endangered Sites. "rhe WMF entry on IKom monoliths emphasized that Ikom monoliths inscriptions represented "a lost form of writing before 2,000 S.c.". By thls the Catherine Acholonu Research Center has succeeded in putting it on global record that ancient Africans had an indigenous form of writing and that they wrote on stone betore 2.000 B.C. This is a great achievement of the Center and its Director, Prof. Catherine Acholonu who personally made the submission from scientific data gathered through her research.

 

       Ogam is one of the forms of linguistic expression invented by Africans in ancient times. We know this because, even though Ogam has not been translated by any of the international scholars who have been researching and transcribing it since the turn of the 20th Century, we have succeed, where others have failed, to translate Ogam into rneaningful passages, wise sayings, proverbs and philosophical statements (see our numerous articles on the subject -some, posted on our website, some published on the Christine Pellech website and others also published by UNESCO Nigeria). Our 20 years of research on the contributions of ancient Africans to World Civilizations (published in three full length publications totalling (1,600 pages of research findings) have provided conclusive evidence that aPrehistorie African world conqueror and civilizer, known in ancient mythologies of the world by the name of Kush had created aPre-historie civilization in West Africa from where he and his armies, and ministers travelled all around the world, bringing the first knowledge of religion, astronomy, alchemy or magie and writing.

 

       Kush had an empire in the African rain forest known in various mythologies by such names as Tilmun, Punt, Meluhha, Biafra, Western Ethiopia and Old Kingdom Egypt. Its capital city was excavated in the 1950s by British archaeologistThurstan Shaw. But Shaw (for reasons known to him alone) hid the fact that he had discovered a lost city. His dating of 900 A.D. was of course false, since he was operating ab initio from a perspective of withholding vital information. Catherine Acholonu Research Center has done extensive research on this lost civilization of Kush and discovered that the writings they gave to the world included Ogam, and Ogam has been successfully translated into the native language of the people in whose land the lost city is located. That land and its people and language are calied IGBO/IBO -the city itself was known in ancient Egypt as Yebu or Heliopolis. It is located in West Africa, Nigeria to be precise. Its old name was Igbo and lts new name since colonial times is Igbo Ukwu.

 

 

THE OGAM/IGBO DICTIONARY OF VCV WORDS

 

       This dictionary will help in simple and short expressions, but for very long and complicated ones, a comprehensive Dictionary of Igbo Language will be required.

 

Important Pronouns:

 

(Sublective)

 

m -I/me/my/mine; a ...m as in ß. ga m -I will; A na m -I am (present continuous tense)

i -you

o - he/she

a -impersonal pronoun/one (when the consonant is followed by open vowels e.g. a gaa, a lia);

e -impersonal pronoun/one (when the consonant is followed by open vowels e, i, e, o, e.g. e mee, e loo

 

Examples of open vowels are Igbo /i/ as in English 'meat'; closed vowel as in Igbo /i/ (English 'kit'; Igbo sound /o/ as in English 'mutton' is closed, while /o/ as in English 'mould' is open.

 

anyi -we

unu -you (pi)

halwa/wo -they

ndi -those who

 

(Objective)

 

m/mu -me, to me

gi -you/to you

ya -him/her/to him/her

mmadu -one/someone (impersonal)

 

anyi -us/to us

unu -you (pl)/to you

ha -them/to them

ndi mmadu -people (impersonal, pl).

 

       A change of tone changes the same sentence into an affirmative statement (I si -You say. You said) a conditional statement

 (I si -If you say.), or a question (I si? -Did you say?). The word 'na' is very important because it is an all purpose gerund. It stands for 'and' (mu na gi -me and you); 'continuous tense' (I na.-aga -You ARE going); 'that' (I si na. -You say THAT); 'but' -ma na (e.g. BUT you ARE going -ma-na i na-aga); 'with' (He is going WITH you -Ya na gi na-aga).

 

 

IGBO WORDS WHERE THE SECOND LETTER IS A CONSONANT

 

     The following are Igbo words in which the second letter from the left is as shown at the beginning of the list.  (e.g.,  Aba  (2nd letter is a "b").  The first and last letter of the word is either spelled as a noun or sounds like one.

 

 

     CLICK on letter to locate Igbo words with specific consonant:

          (Note:  All Igbo words are in Bold-faced Green):

 

 

           B,    C,    D,    F,    G,    H,    J,    K,    L,    M,    N,    NY,    P,    KP,    Q/KW

 

                                              R,    S,    T,    V,    W,    Y,    Z

 

 

B

 

1.    Aba a - When one enters ... (transitive)

2.    Aba - Not to enter into... ; also name of a

                 town in Igboland

 3.    A bia - When one comes ...; name of a State in

                      Igbo land (o bia) - when he comes)

 

4.    Abu - Song

5.    Ebe - Where; Oracle; flying

6.    Ebi - Dwelling

7.    Ebo - Mound; when one is accused of...

8.    Ebu - Hornet; getting fat

9.    Iba - Fever; the process of entering

10.  lbe - PatrHineage; paterna l relatives

11.  Ibi - Swelling of the scrotum

12.  Ibo - (Another spelling for 'Igbo'), accusing

                falsely, placing (a load) on ...

 

13.  Ibu - Fat; the process of carrying

14.  Oba - Barn

15.  Obe - Cross

16.  Obi - Heart; main hall of a man's homestead

17.  Obo - Scabbard

18.  Obu - Ibis bird

19.  Uba - Riches

20.  Ube - Native pear; cry; lance

21.  Ubi - Farm land

22.  Ubo - Scabbard

23.  Ubu - Scramble

 

C

 

24.  Acha - Name of a grain grown in Northern

                   Nigeria assoeiated with famine

25.  A cho (o) - When one finds/looks fo... r;

                          (na-acho - is looking for)

 26.  Achi - A seed for soup- making; name of a town

27.  Achu - Pursuing

28.  Eehe - Trimming a tree by cutting; thinking,

                    meditating

29.  Echi - Tomorrow (fchlchi- Initation; fehl

                  echichi- taking an initiation)

30.  Echu - Become bad; collecting (water)

31.  Icha - Yellowing; passing (some on) by

32.  lehe - The process of guarding; thinking (When

                a verb is preceded by the letter i, it implies

                a process or the second person pronoun.)

33.  lehi - Taking an initiation or eoronation

34.  Icho - looking for (a missing item)

35.  Ichu - Scaring away (something or someone)

36.  Oche - Seat/chair

37.  Ochi - Rectum

38.  Ocho - He who seeks

39.  Ochu - He who seeks

40.  Uche - Thought; mind

41.  Uchu - Curse; attention

 

D

 

42.  Ada - Daughter, fall, infant vomit

43.  Adi - Not being (in astate of... )

44.  Ado - Protecting; (ado o - when one plants)

45.  Adu - Seed yam

46.  Ede - Cocoyam; writing

47.  Edi - Hyana

48.  Edo - Yellow; raining

49.  Edu - Guiding (o na edu-he is guiding;

               i na edu-you are guiding)

 

50.  Ida - Falling

51.  Ide - Writing

52.  Idi - Being in astate of...

53.  Ido - Keeping; contesting for

54.  Idu - Leading; guiding

55.  Oda - He who falls

56.  Ode - He who writes

57.  Odi - It is (o di mma - It is good)

58.  Odo - He who insists on having

59.  Odu - Tall; elephant tusk as a symbol of initiation

60.  Uda - A kind of spice; loud sound

61.  Ude - Loud sound; fame

62.  Udi - Name of a place; type

63.  Udo - Peace; Robe

64.  Udu - Calabash pot; wine pot or jar

 

F

 

65.  Afa - Name; oracle; (afaa - when one

               squeezes…)

66.  Afe - Dress

67.  Afi (ko) - When … is crumbled

68.  Afo - Belly/ Stomach; year - Orlu dialect

69.  Afu - When one sees {transitive} ...

70.  Efe - Flying; dress; spare time

71.  Efi - Cow (migrant Igbo dialect)

72.  Efo - Dawning; Chi elo - The day is dawning.

73.  Efu - Baseless; getting lost

74.  Ifa - Squeezing

75.  lfe - Flying; Worshipping

76.  lfi - Maka ifi - Due to; because of

77.  Ifo - Folktale; pulling out (by the root)

78.  Ifu - Getting lost

79.  Ofa - (Ofaa) If he squeezes

80.  Ofe - Native soup; across

81.  Ofo - If it remains; Piece of wood used to

                 invoke divine power

82.  Ofu - One

83.  Ufe - Flight; swindle; lies

84.  Ufo - Inner room of a titled man

85.  Ufu - Fox

 

G

 

86.  Aga - Childless, Will it be ... ? {e.g Aga

             as; na ..?-Will it be said that...?

87.  Ago - Defense

88.  Agu - Lion, a powerful person; Aguu/Aguru -

                 hunger

89.  Ege - Listening

90.  Ego - Money; a girl's common name

91.  Egu - A kind of edible caterpillar

92.  Iga - Going; snatch (from)

93.  Ige - Listening

94.  Igo - Buying; offering to, propitiating (a god)

95.  Igu - Counting; palm frond

96.  Oga - It will, he will, she will

97.  Oge - Time; when

98.  Ogo - In-law; kindness; gracious

99.  Ogu - Fight; battle; stick; Divine Justice

100.  Uga - Name of place; passing of time

101.  Uge - Dregs of the palm-wine bottle (a

                   nourishing drink)

102.  Ugo - Falcon; eagle

103.  Ugu - A legume for cooking native soup

 

H

 

104.  Aha - Name (ahaa - to let go of)

105.  Ahi - Squeezing

106.  Aho - Choosing; year - Orsu dialect; a kind

                  of dish

107.  Ahu - Body; one sees; shaking

108.  Ehe - Underbelly; (ehee/ehepu - removing

                  excrement)

109.  Ehi - Cow in the autochthon dialect

110.  Ehuo - Bowing in reverence (Ehuo-ro -

                     bowing in reverence for)

111.  Ehu - bending down

112.  Iha/lra - To spare (a culprit, something cut

                      in a net)

113.  Ihe Ilfe - A thing; light; to pull in (the stomach

                       through breathing in)

114.  Ihi/iti - Cause (maka ihi/ifl- because ot)

115.  Iho/ito - Folktale

116.  Ihu/iru - Face

117.  Oha - People; masses

118.  Ohe - Ohere (space)

119.  Ohu - Slave; twenty

120.  Uha - A legume for cooking native soup

 

J

 

121.  Aja - Sand; offering made to a god

122.  Aji - Hair; a kind of Big tree

123.  Ajo - Evil (adjective),

124.  A ju - When one refuses (transitive) ...

125.  Eje - Going

126.  Eji  Holding on to

127.  Eju - Snail

128.  Ija - To Hide

129.  Ije - To go; walk; gait

130.  Iji - To hold; you are holding

131.  Ijo - To be ugly

132.  Iju - To be plentiful; you are full of

133.  Oja - Flute

134.  Oje - - He who goes ...

135.  Oji - Kola- nut; Staff of spiritual authority;

                black; dark; tree with large trunk

136.  Ojoo - Ugly

137.  Oju - - Broken piece of earthenware pot

138.  Uja - - Dog's bark; shouting

139.  Ujp - Fear

140.  Uju - Bounty; plentiful

 

K

 

141.  Aka - Hand; A specie of snakes

142.  Aki - Oil palm nut/nut

143.  Ako - Wisdom; Prudence

(143b)  Akpu - Fufu; cassava start meal (was #380.)

144.  Aku - Termites; Cocoa nut; Oil paIm nut;

                  (akuo -when one plants...)

145.  Eke - python; a name of one of the four Igbo

                  market days; creation

146.  Eko - Swelling

147.  Eku - Wooden spoon; spooning, shoveling

148.  Ika - To be greater than; to speak forth

149.  Ike - Strength; to divide; to tie

150.  Iko - To tell; cup

151.  Iku - To carry (a baby)

152.  Oka - Maize; carver

153.  Oke - Rat; mouse; share

154.  Okiri - Ram Oko

155.  Oko - Skin scratching

156.  Oku - Fire; hot

157.  Uka - Word; religion; church

158.  Uke - Destiny

159.  Uko - Dearth

 

L

 

160.  Ala - Earth; ground

161.  Ali - Ground

162.  Alo - Placenta; Priest King's sacred Staff

163.  Alu - Abomination; Fighting

164.  Eie - Deer; God - EI; Consummate Shaman

165. Elo - Counsel; swallowing

166.  Elu - High; heights

167.  lIa - To barb (hair); to go home

168.  lIe - To look at, to seil (also ire)

169.  lIi/ini - To bury

170.  lIo/ino - To swallow

171.  lIu - Bitter

172.  Ola - Ring

173.  Oie - How many

174.  Olili - Burying

175.  Olu - Neck; voice

176.  Ula - Escape, disappearance

177.  Ule - Examination

178.   Uli - Name of a place; tough rope clinging to

                 a thing

 

M

 

179.  Ama - Compound; Original Divine Mother;

                    open square

180.  Ami - Slippery

181.  A muo - When birth is given ... ; When one

                      learns ...

182.  Amu - Male genitals;

183.  Eme - Happening

184.  Emi - Deep (imi emt); omimi - mystery

185.  Emu - Gossip

186.  Ima - To know (i ma - you know; i ma mma

                   -to be beautiful, good)

                

187.  Ime - To do (N'/me - inside of)

188.  Imi - Nose; nasal fluid

189.  Imo - Name of the longest river in Igbo land

190.  Imu - To give birth to (omumu -many

                   children from a single woman)

191.  Oma - Mother Goddess of the Igbo

192.  Ome - Tender shoot

193.  Omi - Weil; cistern

194.  Omu - Tender shoot of a palm tree

195.  Omu- mu - Genealogy

196.  Ume - A caste; breath (iku ume - to take a

                     breath)

197.  Umu - Children of

N

 

198.  Ana - Earth; ground

199.  Ani - earth; ground

200.  Ano - Four

201.  Anu - Meat; that cannot be heard

202.  Ene - Looking at

203.  Eni - Burying

204.  Eno - Swallowing

205.  Enu - High; heights (migrant Igbo dialect)

206.  Ina - To ask for; to tale from (ila/lna - to go

                 home)

207.  Ine/ile - To look at

208.  Ini - To bury

209.  Ino - The stay; to return

210.  Inu - To hear; to marry (ilu); bitter

211.  Ona - A kind of native potato, yam

212.  One - How many

213.  Onini - Burying

214.  Ono-na - He who is in ...

215.  Onu - Mouth

216.  Una - Going home

217.  Uno- House

218.  Unu - You {plural}

 

NY

 

219.  Anya - Eye

220.  Anyi - We; heavy

221.  Anyu - Melon pod

222.  Enyi - Friend

223.  Enye - When one is given

224.  Enyo - Peeping

225.  Inya - To drive

226.  I nye - If you give

227.  Inyo - To peep

228.  Inyu - To excrete

229.  Onya - One who drives

230.  Onye- One/a person who ...

231.  Onyu - One who excretes

232.  Unyi - Dirt

 

P

 

233.  Apa - Being lifted

234.  Api - Being sharpened

235.  Apu - Silk cotton Tree (Igbo Ukwu dialect);

                   being dragged along

 

236.  Epu - Germinating

237.  Ipa/ibu - To carry

238.  Ipe - To break (firewood)

239.  Ipi - To sharpen (a knife); to squeeze out;

240.  Ipu - To germinate; to leave/step out (a

                   room, a place)

241.  Opa - Round; moon- shaped

242.  Opi - Flute

 

KP

 

243.  Akpa - bag;

244.  Akpi - Bed Bug

245.  Akpo - Calling

246.  Akpu - Fufu; cassava starch meal

247.  Ekpe - A secret cult (iri ekpe - to inherit a

                     dead person's property)

           

248.  Ekpu - Wearing (a hat)

249.  Ikpa - Waste land; to keep (domestic animals)

250.  Ikpe - Case (in court)

251.  Ikpo - To call; to call; to dry up

252.  Ikpu - Vagina

253.  Okpi - Heavy stick

254.  Okpo - cat fish

255.  Okpu - Hat; cap; eternal

256.  Ukpa - Longish basket; a native nut, highly

                     priced

257.  Ukpo - A native spice for soup-making, highly prized

 

Q/KW

 

258.  Akwa - Cloth; Wrapper; egg; sewing

259.  Akwo - Crushing, with stone or with blender

260.  Akwu - Silk Cotton Tree (Orlu dialect)

261.  Ekwe - Drum (ekwe ekwe -Stubborn)

262.  Ekwo - Being noisy

263.  Ekwu - Talking

264.  Ikwa - To sew; to push; to give burial rites (to)

265.  Ikwe - To agree; to sing a song -ikwe ukwe;

                     mortar for pounding

 

266.  Ikwo - To crush in a mortar/grind on stone

267.  Ikwu - To say (ikwu udo/ima udo - to

                    hang oneself on a rope/commit suicide)

268.  Okwa - Bush fowl; wooden saucer

269.  Okwe - Table games that use seeds or nuts;

                     rubber tree/seeds

270.  Okwo - He/she who carries on his back ...

271.  Okwu - Word; talk; speech

272.  Ukwa - A native bean, delicacy, highly priced

273.  Llkwe - Song

274.  Ukwo - Popularity, farne, widespread noise

275.  Ukwu - Leg; waist, bundle

 

R

 

276.  Ara - Madness;

277.  Ari - Climbing (arir; - Suffering)

278.  Aro - Year (Anambra dialect)

279.  Aru - Abomination; body - Anambra dialect

280.  Ere - Selling; rotting

281.  Eri - God- man (thought to be the Egyptian

                 god of letters Thoth)

282.  Eroo - Mushroom; if ... pulled out

283.  Eru - Gathering (of a storm)

284.  Ira - To liek; to have sexual intercourse with

                 a woman

285.  Ire - Tongue; to seil; to rot; to pronounce as

                 from a god

286.  Iro - To choose (iho); to pull by the roots (ifo)

287.  Iru - Face; gathering of a storm

288.  Ora - Folk; people; a legume

289.  Ore - A place name

290.  Ori - He/she who eats; eczema

291.  Oro - He/she who plots

292.  Oru - Work; slave; across the river inhabitants

293.  Ura - Sieep; overnight food

294.  Ure - Rot; making faces

295.  Uri - Body painting/ tattoo; the paint

296.  Uro- Clay

 

S

 

297.  Asa - Eel; very beautiful woman

298.  Asi - Lies; asi na ... - had it been that. ..

299.  Aso - Holy

300.  Asu - Shrivelling; pounding

301.  Uru - Gain, cheat

302.  Ese - Quarrelling

303.  Esi - Smelling

304.  Eso - Following

305.  Esu - Millipede

306.  Isa - To wash; to pass by

307.  Ise - Five; to quarrel; to pull

308.  Isi - Head; leader (isii - six); isisi (topmost

                head)

309.  Iso - To follow (i so - you follow)

310.  Isu - A clan name of the autochthons

311.  Osa - Squirrel; Light colour

312.  Ose - Pepper

313.  Oso - Running

314.  Osu - Belonging to the Osu caste

315.  Usa - Gluttony

316.  Uso - Sweetness (Nso - Holy, set apart, divine)

317.  Usu - Bat

 

T

 

318.  Ata - Chewing; drying up (as in 'water is drying'

          - miri na-ata)

 319.  Ato - Three; (ato uto - sweet)

 

320.  Atu - Divine Word; Sore, bad wound

                 (atumatu - idea)

321.  Ete - Palm tree climbing rope

322.  Eti - Crushing (palm nut with stone)

323.  Eto - Growing (0 na eto -He is growing; i na

                eto-you are growing)

 324.  Etu - How to; method

325.  lta - To chew; to blame

326.  Ite - Pot; pottery; earthenware; to rub

327.  Iti - To beat; a fool

328.  Ito - To be older than; to praise

329.  Itu - To point (itu aka - to point the hand)

330.  Ota - He/she who eats

331.  Ote - He who paints/rubs, etc)

332.  Oto - A native dish

333.  Otu - Vagina

334.  Uta - Bow; blame

335.  Ute- Mat

336.  Uto - Sweetness

337.  Utu - Penis

 

V

338.  Ava/Afa - Name; Oracle (ava - the name of

                         goddess)

339.  Avu - Song

340.  Evu - Carrying (I ga evu - You will carry;

                   will you carry?)

            

341.  Ivu/lbu - Fat

342.  Ovu - He carries

 

W

 

343.  Awa a - When one cuts ...

344.  Awo - Frog

345.  A wii - When one pours ...

346.  Awu - One is ...

347.  Ewe - Taking

348.  Ewi - Rabbit

349.  Ewu - Goat. reigning} in vogue

350.  Iwa - To cut (iwa ji - to cut the yam; Iwa

                Ji - New Yam Festival)

351.  Iwe - Anger; to take

352.  Iwi - To fall (hair fall)

353.  Iwu - law

354.  Owa - Twinkling light; dawning

355.  Owu - Mermaid; water goddess

356.  Uwa - World

357.  Uwe - Dress

 

 

Y

 

358.  Ayi - Befriending

359.  Eyi - Wearing (a dress); not to resemble

360.  lyi - To resemble

361.  Oyi - Friend; sickness

362.  Oyo - Musical Instrument

 

Z

 

363.  Aza - One answers (to a call)

364.  Azo - Struggling for

365.  Azu - Fish, buying

366.  Eze - King, tooth, teeth

367.  Ezi - Outside; good

368.  Ezu - Stealing; being complete

369.  Iza - To sweep; to sieve

370.  Ize - To avoid; to crash down (as in land slide)

371.  Izi - To show

372.  Izo - To save, to contest

373.  Izu - Week, to be complete

374.  Oze - That crashes

375.  Ozo - Cult of leaders and Princes; Initiate of

                   the cult; again; gorilla

376.  Ozu - Dead body

377.  Uzi - A tree with large trunk

378.  Uzo - Way, road, door

379.  Uzu - Noise

(380.  Akpu - Fufu; cassava start meal - Belongs

                       in "K" group)

             

 

 

     Footnote:

 

    Presentation rearranged by:

     Dr. Erich Fred Legner

     University of California