
APE-ENGLISH DICTIONARY
David Bruce Bozarth
Copyright © 2005
Updated: 2020
The Ape-English Dictionary is one of the most popular pages at erblist.com via Tangor Responds, an ERBmania! Contributor.
The original layout was somewhat difficult to read so a new format is in place: APE-ENGLISH on one side and ENGLISH-APE on the other. Both lists are from the Whitman Tarzan and appeared in that volume as an appendix glossary. The listing has been enhanced to break out ALL words in either version, placed in alphabetical order, and contained to the bare minimum, that is, no additonal comments are added.
Further reserach has revealed that a significant number of ape words are NOT in the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, but were authorized inventions for the Dell comics which were published about the same time as the Whitman edition. No effort has been made to identify which words are ERB and which are from the comics, though that might come later when I have more time!
To read Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes an annotated version is available.
If time is of the essense there is a chapter by chapter summary from the Edgar Rice Burroughs Summary Project.
APE — ENGLISH
a — light
ab — boy
abalu — brother
abu — knee
abu — kneel
adu — lose
ala — rise
amba — fall
ara — lightning
arad — spear
argo — fire
aro — cast
aro — shoot
aro — throw
at — tail
atan — male
b'wang — hand
b'yat — head
b'zan — hair
b'zee — foot
bal — golden
balu — baby
balu-den — branch
balu-den — limb
balu-den — stick
band — elbow
bar — battle
bara — deer
ben — great
bo — flat
bolgani — gorilla
bu — he
bund — dead
bundolo — kill
bur — cold
busso — fly
buto — rhinoceros
dak — fat
dak-lul — lake
dako — thick
dako-zan — flesh
dako-zan — meat
dan — rock
dan — stone
dan-do — stop
dan-lul — ice
dan-sopu — nut
dango — hyena
dano — bone
den — tree
dum-dum — drum
dum-dum — gathering
dum-dum — tom-tom
duro — hippopotamus
eho — much
eho-dan — hard
eho-kut — hollow
eho-lul — wet
eho-nala — top
es — rough
eta — little
eta-gogo — whisper
eta-koho — warm
eta-nala — low
etarad — arrow
ga — red
galul — blood
gando — win
gash — fang
gash — tooth
gimla — crocodile
go — black
gogo — talk (buffalo?)
gom — run
gom-lul — river
gomangani — negro
gor — growl
gorgo — buffalo (moon?)
goro — moon
gree-ah — like
gree-ah — love
gu — belly
gu — stomach
gugu — front
gumado — sick
gund — chief
hista — snake
histah — snake
ho — many
ho-wa-usha — leaves
ho-wala — village
hoden — forest
hohotan — tribe
horta — boar
hotan — clan
hul — star
jabo — shield
jar — strange
kagoda! — I do surrender!
kagoda? — Do you surrender?
kal — milk
kalan — female
kalo — cow
kalu — mother
kambo — jungle
kando — ant
kargo — center
kargo — middle
kas — jump
klu — hen
klu-kal — egg
ko — mighty
ko-sabor — mighty lioness
kob — hit
koho — hot
kor — walk
korak — killer
kordo — dance
kota — tortoise
kree-gor — scream
kreeg-ah — beware
kreeg-ah — danger
kudu — sun
kut — hole
lan — right
lana — sting
lano — mosquito
lat — nose
litu — sharp
lob — kick
lot — face
lu — fierce
lufo — side
lul — water
lul-kor — swim
lus — tongue
mado — lame
mal — yellow
mangani — great apes
manu — monkey
meeta — rain
mo — short
mu — she
nala — up
neeta — bird
nene — beetle
nesen — grasshopper
no — brook
numa — lion
nur — lie
nur — untruth
olo — wrestle
om — long
omtag — giraffe
pacco — zebra
pal — country
pal — hunting grounds
pamba — rat
pan — soft
pan-lul — weep
pan-vo — weak
pand — thunder
pand-balu-den — rifle
panda — noise
pandar — loud
pastar — father
pele — valley
pisa — fish
pisah — fish
po — hungry
popo — eat
popo — so
por — mate
por-atan — husband
por-kalan — wife
rak — huh
rak — yes
rala — snare
ramba — lie down
rand — back
rea — word
rem — catch
rep — truth
ro — flower
rota — laugh
ry — crooked
ry-balu-den — bow
sabor — lioness
sato — kind
sheeta — leopard
sheeta — panther
ska — vulture
skree — wild-cat
sopu — fruit
sord — bad
ta — high
ta — tall
ta-pal — hill
tag — neck
tan — warrior
tan-klu — rooster
tand — no, not
tand-ho — few
tand-litu — blunt
tand-litu — dull
tand-lul — dry
tand-nala — down
tand-panda — silence
tand-panda — silent
tand-popo — starve
tand-ramba — get up
tand-unk — stay
tand-utor — brave
tand-vulp — empty
tanda — dark
tandak — think
tandlan — left
tantor — elephant
tar — white
tar-bur — snow
tarmangani — white men
tho — mouth
thub — heart
tongani — baboon
tongoni — baboon
tor — beast
tro — straight
tu — bright
tub — broken
ubor — thristy
ud — drink
ug — bottom
ugh — okay
ugla — hate
ungo (unga) — jackal
unk — go
unk-nala — climb
usha — wind
ut — corn
utor — afraid
utor — fear
van — well
vando — good
ved — mountain
vo — muscle
voo-dum — dance
voo-voo — sing
vulp — full
wa — green
wa-usha — leaf
wala — home
wala — house
wala — hut
wala — neat
wang — arm
wappi — antelope
whuff — smoke
wo — this
wob — that
yad — ear
yang — swing
yat — eye
yato — look, see
yel — here
yeland — there
yo — friend
yud — come
yut — gore
yut — stab
yuto — cut
za — girl
za-balu — sister
za-dak-lul — ocean
zan — skin
zee — leg
zor — in
zu — big
zu-dak-lul — ocean
zu-kut — cave
zu-vo — strong
zugor — roar
zut — out
ENGLISH — APE
ant — kando
antelope — wappi
arm — wang
arrow — etarad
baboon — tongani (tongoni)
baby — balu
back — rand
bad — sord
battle — bar
beast — tor
beetle — nene
belly — gu
beware — kreeg-ah
big — zu
bird — neeta
black — go
blood — galul
blunt — tand-litu
boar — horta
bone — dano
bottom — ug
bow — ry-balu-den
boy — ab
branch — balu-den
brave — tand-utor
bright — tu
broken — tub
brook — no
brother — abalu
buffalo (moon?) — gorgo
cast — aro
catch — rem
cave — zu-kut
center — kargo
chief — gund
clan — hotan
climb — unk-nala
cold — bur
come — yud
corn — ut
country — pal
cow — kalo
crocodile — gimla
crooked — ry
cut — yuto
dance — kordo
dance — voo-dum
danger — kreeg-ah
dark — tanda
dead — bund
deer — bara
Do you surrender? — kagoda?
down — tand-nala
drink — ud
drum — dum-dum
dry — tand-lul
dull — tand-litu
ear — yad
eat — popo
egg — klu-kal
elbow — band
elephant — tantor
empty — tand-vulp
eye — yat
face — lot
fall — amba
fang — gash
fat — dak
father — pastar
fear, afraid — utor
female — kalan
few — tand-ho
fierce — lu
fire — argo
fish — pisah (pisa)
flat — bo
flesh — dako-zan
flower — ro
fly — busso
foot — b'zee
forest — hoden
friend — yo
front — gugu
fruit — sopu
full — vulp
gathering — dum-dum
get up — tand-ramba
giraffe — omtag
girl — za
go — unk
golden — bal
good — vando
gorilla — bolgani
grasshopper — nesen
great apes — mangani
great — ben
green — wa
growl — gor
hair — b'zan
hand — b'wang
hard — eho-dan
hate — ugla
he — bu
head — b'yat
heart — thub
hen — klu
here — yel
high — ta
hill — ta-pal
hippopotamus — duro
hit — kob
hole — kut
hollow — eho-kut
home — wala
hot — koho
house — wala
huh — rak
hungry — po
hunting grounds — pal
husband — por-atan
hut — wala
hyena — dango
I do surrender! — kagoda!
ice — dan-lul
in — zor
jackal — ungo (unga)
jump — kas
jungle — kambo
kick — lob
kill — bundolo
killer — korak
kind — sato
knee (kneel) — abu
lake — dak-lul
lame — mado
laugh — rota
leaf — wa-usha
leaves — ho-wa-usha
left — tandlan
leg — zee
leopard — sheeta
lie down — ramba
lie — nur
light — a
lightning — ara
like, love — gree-ah
limb — balu-den
lion — numa
lioness — sabor
little — eta
long — om
look — yato
lose — adu
loud — pandar
low — eta-nala
male — atan
many — ho
mate — por
meat — dako-zan
middle — kargo
mighty lioness — ko-sabor
mighty — ko
milk — kal
monkey — manu
moon — goro
mosquito — lano
mother — kalu
mountain — ved
mouth — tho
much — eho
muscle — vo
neat — wala
neck — tag
negro — gomangani
no, not — tand
noise — panda
nose — lat
nut — dan-sopu
ocean — zu-dak-lul (za-dak-lul)
okay — ugh
out — zut
panther — sheeta
rain — meeta
rat — pamba
red — ga
rhinoceros — buto
rifle — pand-balu-den
right — lan
rise — ala
river — gom-lul
roar — zugor
rock — dan
rooster — tan-klu
rough — es
run — gom
scream — kree-gor
see — yato
sharp — litu
she — mu
shield — jabo
shoot — aro
short — mo
sick — gumado
side — lufo
silence — tand-panda
silent — tand-panda
sing — voo-voo
sister — za-balu
skin — zan
smoke — whuff
snake — histah (hista)
snare — rala
snow — tar-bur
so — popo
soft — pan
spear — arad
stab, gore — yut
star — hul
starve — tand-popo
stay — tand-unk
stick — balu-den
sting — lana
stomach — gu
stone — dan
stop — dan-do
straight — tro
strange — jar
strong — zu-vo
sun — kudu
surrender — kagoda or kogoda!
swim — lul-kor
swing — yang
tail — at
talk (buffalo?) — gogo
tall — ta
that — wob
there — yeland
thick — dako
think — tandak
this — wo
thristy — ubor
throw — aro
thunder — pand
tom-tom — dum-dum
tongue — lus
tooth — gash
top — eho-nala
tortoise — kota
tree — den
tribe — hohotan
truth — rep
untruth — nur
up — nala
valley — pele
village — ho-wala
vulture — ska
walk — kor
warm — eta-koho
warrior — tan
water — lul
weak — pan-vo
weep — pan-lul
well — van
wet — eho-lul
whisper — eta-gogo
white men — tarmangani
white — tar
wife — por-kalan
wild-cat — skree
win — gando
wind — usha
word — rea
wrestle — olo
yellow — mal
yes — rak
zebra — pacco
Of note: The APE language has many words with multiple use and meanings, thus the two dictionaries are not of the same length, though both contain the same information.
Edgar Rice Burroughs was very inventive with his world creation and supplemental aspects such as developing a coherent "language" for the mangani who are, arguably, between chimpanzees and gorillas, quite possibly an early form of man, much like the Neanderthal were "near human".