Fijian-English Dictionary - eCommons@Cornell - Cornell University

FIJIAN – ENGLISH DICTIONARY R. GATTY
take on highly varied coloration. Like the tree frog, it has no tadpole phase of growth, differing in this
from the introduced toad, or many frogs in other lands. Tiny young frogs emerge directly from the
large eggs. Neither frog is equipped to live in the water, and the skin membranes between the toes are
minimal. Unlike the tree frog, the ground frog has no adhesive sucker pads on its feet. Both types of
frog were significant items in the diet of Viti Levu highlanders. Syn. dreli.
boto 2. n. toad, Bufo marinus, native to South America, introduced from Hawaii in 1936 with the
misguided notion it would control insect pests in the canefields. In fact, it has become a dreadful
nuisance. Poison glands at the side of the neck repel potential enemies. They exude a while fluid that
can seriously irritate human skin. They are ground feeders, very probably competing with the Fiji
ground frog.
boto 3. n. (Eng.) punt, a European-style boat, often flat-bottomed, usually 16-18 feet in length, often
made of the timbers bauvudi, mavota or dakua, propelled by poling or by outboard engine. Now often
made commercially of fibreglass with more rounded bottom. This has been a common form of local
transport on major rivers and at seaside. At sea, it has replaced the sailing cutters of earlier years,
having the advantage of an engine. In deeper river areas the boto has replaced some of the bamboo
rafts bilibili.
boto-na n. bottom (not of a person's backside), underside. na boto ni yava-na the bottom of his/her
foot/feet. ena boto ni tuvatuva at the bottom of the class (classification, arrangement), boto ni kato
bottom of the kato box/basket, boto ni sauloa bottom of the sea, boto ni ituitui end of the string (of
something, such as small fish). boto ni drau ni pepa bottom of the page.
botoboto pure. kai Idia botoboto pure Indian person (not mixed breed).
botoilevu abrupt, abruptly; rapid, unpleasant or unfortunate termination. Sa tini botoilevu. It ended
abruptly. curu botoilevu v. to enter (or depart) brashly, without proper protocol (as many Tongans
were thought to have done in early years.) Syn. curu botolaki.
botolaka v. to heave out or down.
botolaki adv. roughly, crudely, without showing proper respect, as in curu botolaki to enter/exit without
proper courtesy. Syn. botoilevu.
botonikete-na n. lower abdomen.
bou (Polyn. pou) n. central house-post; appears in some place names Nabouwalu eight house-posts,
Naboutini ten house-posts. Such words are used for place-names, indicating what was originally a
Tongan settlement.
boulu (Eng.) n. bowl.
bouta (Archaic) n. a function of certain clans only in certain parts of Fiji, special service for the chief,
usually the duty to bury him when dead. Clans often have a traditional function, such as fishermen
(gonedau), spokesman for the chief (matanivanua), warrior (bati), priest (bete), empowering the chief
(na sau), and bouta, occasionally spelled bauta. The functions are maintained usually with appropriate
ceremony. The divisions are more elaborate in coastal areas of Polynesian influence and less elaborate
among tribes in the interior of Viti Levu.
bovu n. a well known common shrub or small tree, much used as a general digestive medicine for babies,
and to help control overheating of a baby; Mussaenda raiateensis, formerly M. frondosa. Tiny yellow
flowers subtended by very large sepals that look like huge white petals. One uses the inner bark of
stem or branch and the leaves. Syn. vobo. (West, Bua, Macuata) bobo.
bovoro v. to crush open, crack (as of a nut).
bowai (Archaic) n. type of pole-shaped fighting club.
bowiri dizzy, faint standing up. wiri suggests spinning.
bu 1. n. coconut at the drinking stage, with a very small amount of gelatinous flesh. bu sosou bu with
little or no flesh to eat. kabata na bu climb up for the bu. la’i kaba bu mai. go climbing to fetch
down bu. vakavidika na bu. tap, snap the fingers against the bu to test it. sau, sauca na bu to cut or
pierce the bu for drinking. diri, dirika na bu crack the top off the bu. vida, vida na bu split,
cleave open the bu. See drokai for coconut with gelatinous flesh but also drinkable liquid.
Idiom: bu ni Bau a poor substitute (because Bau has so very few coconuts that one could never
obtain a fine drinking-nut at the right stage of maturity).
bu 2. n. form of address for grandmother (father’s mother). Syn. bubu. (Lau) pu, pupu. bu levu great
grandmother. bu-na n. grandmother.
bua 1. n. Tahiti gardenia, Gardenia taitensis, Rubiaceae, indigenous in Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, probably
Samoa, aboriginal introduction to Hawaii. The name is tiare from French Polynesia where it is the
national flower of Tahiti. Flower usually white, propellor-shaped, delightful scent. pua is an ancient
Polynesian name meaning “flower”, and sometimes refers to certain specific flowers in the various
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