Tender Rot Glossary
A spoiler-free field guide to the words, phrases, dialects, dishes, and the Louisiana-isms in the Southern Gothic world surrounding the Moreau Estate.
General Terms, Foods, & Cultural Terms
Bayou (BYE-yoo): A slow-moving body of water that snakes through Louisiana. Bisque doll (Bisque doll): A porcelain doll with a matte lifelike finish.
Café au lait (kaf-AY oh LAY): - Coffee with milk.- A descriptor of skin tone within Creole society where the exact ratio of milk to coffee was treated as social standing.
Chartreuse (shar-TROOZ): A yellow-green color named after a French liqueur.
Cowrie shells (COW-ree shells): Small, glassy sea shells with a long history of being used as currency, jewelry, and adornment across West Africa and the diaspora.
Creole*(shar-TROOZ)*: in Louisiana, in particular, refers to people of mixed French, Spanish, African, and indigenous descent with deep ancestral roots in the region. Also, category of cuisine, language, etc.
Crossroads (KROSS-rohds): Where two paths meet. Within folklore, it is where deals get done with things you probably shouldn’t be making deals with.
Erzuile Dantor: A powerful, protective spirit and Haitian Vodou, often associated with mothers, dog skin women, and righteous vengeance.
Florida water (FLOR-ih-duh WAH-tur) : A citrus-floral cologne used at timesfor spiritual practices.
Freedman (FREED-man) : A formerly enslaved person who has been freed.
Gumbo (GUM-boh) : A soulful Louisiana stew of seafood or meat, vegetables, and roux. Slow-simmered, deeply seasoned.
High-yellow (HYE-YEL-oh) : A historical term for a very light-skinned Black person.
Hydra (HYE-druh) : A mythological serpent that grows two heads when one is cut off.
Lazarus (LAZ-uh-rus) : The man Jesus raised from the dead. Reverend’s sermon is on him for a reason. Don’t worry about it, you’ll know when you know.
Lwa (L-WAH) : Spirits in Haitian Vodou who serve as intermediaries between humanity and the divine. Each has their own personality, color, song, and offerings. Erzulie Dantor is one of them.
Mulatto (muh-LAT-oh) : An outdated, period-accurate term (and slur) for a person of mixed Black and white heritage.
Root worker (ROOT WUR-kur) : A practitioner of hoodoo or folk magic, often skilled in herbs, divination, and translating things best left untranslated. See: Madame Celestine.
Tar brush (TAHR brush) : An old racist phrase (”hit with the tar brush”) implying African ancestry, used cruelly by people to belittle dark skin.
Tea cake (TEE kayk) : A soft, lightly sweet Southern cookie.
Vèvè (VEH-veh) : A symbolic drawing used in Haitian Vodou to invoke a particular spirit. Each lwa has their own. Drawn carefully and precisely.
Lousiana Creole/Cajun French
A patois born from French, African, Spanish, and Indigenous languages.
Bébé / Bebe (beh-BAY) : Baby.
Cher / Chère (SHAH or SHARE) : Dear, darling.
Doudou / Doudoun (doo-DOO / doo-DOON) : Sweetheart, darling.
Fanm deyò (FAHM deh-YOH) : The “outside woman.” A mistress.
Habibi (hah-BEE-bee) : Arabic for “my love” or “darling.”
Mafi (MAH-fee) : My daughter.
Manman / Maman (mahn-MAHN / mah-MAHN) : Mother.
Marenn (mah-REN) : Godmother
M’sieur / Michié (muh-SYUR / mee-SHAY) : Mister, sir.
Mon cher / Mon vielle (MOHN SHAH / MOHN VYEHL) : My dear / my old one.
Nene / Nenen (NEH-neh / neh-NEN) : A nickname for one’s godmother or beloved older female caretaker. Auntie-adjacent.
Pitit / Pitit fi ou (pee-TEET / pee-TEET FEE oo) : Child / your daughter. A reminder, often delivered through clenched teeth.
Ti-bebe / Tibebe (tee-beh-BAY) : Little baby.
Ti-cher / Ti chouchou (tee-SHAH / tee shoo-SHOO) : Little dear / little darling.
Ti-moun (tee-MOON) : Little one, child. From the French petit monde : “little world.”
Tati (TAH-tee) : Auntie.
Haitian Creole (Kreyòl) Glossary
Fabienne’s language. The language of Haiti.
Ale! (AH-leh) : Go! An imperative spoken to those who really do need to leave right now.
Ayiti (ah-yee-TEE) : Haiti.
Bondye (bohn-DYEH) : God. Literally “Bon Dieu” the Good God.
Garde-la, Bondye. Pa kite l tonbe. (gard LAH, bohn-DYEH. pah KEE-teh L tohn-BEH) : Watch over her, God. Don’t let her fall.
Koute m (KOO-teh m) : Listen to me.
Mèsi (meh-SEE) : Thank you.
Mon Dieu (mohn DYUH) : My God. (French, but used freely in Kreyòl exclamations of horror, grief, or “did you just see what I saw.”)
Mwen renmen ou / Manman renmen ou tou (MWEN ren-MEN oo / mahn-MAHN ren-MEN oo TOO) : I love you / Mama loves you too.
Mwen te fè yon rèv sou ou (MWEN teh FEH yohn REV soo OO) : I had a dream about you.
Mwen vle retounen an Ayiti (MWEN vleh reh-TOO-nen ahn ah-yee-TEE) : I want to return to Haiti. A wish.
Nonm mechan / Nonm sa a (NOHM meh-SHAHN / NOHM SAH ah) : Wicked man / that man. No name needed.
Ou pa anyen pou mwen ankò (OO pah ah-NYEN poo MWEN ahn-KAW) : You are nothing to me anymore. Spoken once, with finality.
Pa janm pale de Ayiti konsa ankò (pah JAHM pah-LEH deh ah-yee-TEE kohn-SAH ahn-KAW) : Don’t ever speak of Haiti like that again.
Pitit Mwen (pee-TEET MWEN) : My child.
Pou to bébé ou (POO toh beh-BAY OO) : For your baby.
Retire men sal ou yo sou mwen (reh-TEER men SAHL oo yoh soo MWEN) : Take your dirty hands off me.
Sa k genyen avè w la? (SAH k geh-NYEN ah-VEH w LAH) : What’s wrong with you?
Se manman tibebe (SEH mahn-MAHN tee-beh-BAY) : It’s mama, baby.
Wi (WEE) : Yes.
W’ap tande sa m’ap di a (WAHP tahn-DEH sah MAHP DEE ah) : You’re going to hear what I’m saying.