NEWSUN'S WORD HOARD

Copyright © 2022 by Michael Andre-Driussi

ISBN: 978-1-947614-28-4

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

How to Use This Book

New Sun Word Hoard

PREFACE

A Kindle dictionary based upon Lexicon Urthus (Second Edition, corrected 2014), with further notes and corrections (March 2022). This version is a simple word list designed for Kindle. Its definitions are shortened to avoid any spoilers, and character names are not included. It also does not contain the tables, illustrations, or essays that are in Lexicon Urthus because of the limitations of this dictionary format.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

On any Kindle device or app, there are two ways to use this book. Unfortunately the behavior is not consistent on different devices and may not work at all. If you have any trouble, please contact us at contact@siriusfiction.com for more support.

1. As a separate ebook. This Word Hoard can be read as a standalone ebook and has one benefit over the full Lexicon Urthus ebook: the search box leads only to the defined terms in the dictionary. In the full Lexicon Urthus ebook, searching for “autarch” yields many results, of which the first is in the “aeronaut” entry. In this Word Hoard, a search for “autarch” takes you only to the “autarch” entry.

2. As a dictionary overlay on the original novels. The benefit of this edition is that you can turn it into your default dictionary, so that if you click on the word “erebus” while reading any book you’ll get our Word Hoard definition instead of the standard dictionary.

a. On Kindle e-reader devices:

i. Press Home, then Menu, then Settings from the menu.

ii. Do you see a Dictionaries setting?

1. If yes, select it, then select English, then choose the Word Hoard from the list that appears.

2. If no, look for a Menu, then select “Change Primary Dictionary” from that menu.

b. On Kindle Fire or the Kindle apps for iPhone or Android:

i. First, look up any word in any book. In the definition window, you will see an option to change the dictionary. Then select this dictionary from the list that appears.

c. Either way, be sure to change your default back to the standard dictionary when reading any other books!

Frequently Cited Sources

Mrs. Byrne’s = Mrs. Byrne’s Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words

OED = Oxford English Dictionary

Stone = A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armors in All Countries and in All Times

A

abacination — to blind by placing hot irons, or metal plates, in front of the eyes.

Abaddon — Possibly the planet Mercury, but a more hellish, other-dimensional place seems implied. Literature: used in Revelation as the name of “the angel of the bottomless pit” from a Greek word for “destroyer,” and applied by Milton to the abyss of hell itself.

Abaia — A lord of the Other People, Abaia is one of the great monsters of Urth. Myth: (Melanesian) a giant magic eel inhabiting the waters of a lake in the South Pacific, Abaia became angry when an old woman caught fish in his lake, so he sent a deluge. Only an old woman who had eaten of the magic fish escaped.

ablegate — History: an envoy of the papal see who brings a newly appointed cardinal his insignia of office.

Abraxas — History: Gnostic god identified with both Mithra and Jehovah, called “Our Father” and “Lord of Hosts” in the early Christian era. Like Mithra, Abraxas represented “the 365 Aeons,” 365,000 years allotted to the present world’s life span (based upon the Hindu idea that one god year equals 1,000 man-years). Through the Medieval Period, Abraxas was a favorite deity of several heretical sects. He is usually depicted with the torso and arms of a man, the head of a cock, and serpents for legs.

abscititious — [presumably “ab-skih-TIH-shus”] Latin: abscido, “to tear off, wrench away”; transferred into “to divide or separate.”

acarya — History: (“one who knows the rules”) a Hindu religious teacher, or any illustrious or learned person in India.

accretive — History: growing by accretion; increase by external addition or accumulation.

achico — a South American missile consisting of three balls connected by a strong cord, which is thrown to bring down an enemy’s horse or a hunted animal by becoming entangled around its legs. “Bolas” is a more general term for this weapon. (A similar weapon is the somai, a two-balled South American bolas.)

achroma — gray.

Acies — [uh-KEY-us] Latin: “the sword point.”

Acis — [UH-kiss] Myth: (Greek) Acis was the son of Faunus and a Naiad. The cyclops Polyphemus loved the goddess Galatea, but she spurned him for Acis. Enraged, Polyphemus hurtled a mountain at Acis and killed him. Galatea endowed Acis with the honors of his grandfather, a river-god, and thus Acis was changed into a river.

acosmist — History: one who denies the existence of the universe or its distinctness from God.

Adonai — History: one of the names given in the Old Testament to the deity; a name of the supreme being.

aelurodon — History: [ee-LURE-o-don] a wolf-like panther, common ancestor of both canines and felines, that reached a peak of geographic expansion in the Miocene epoch.

aeronaut — a person who serves in the autarch’s aerial force, in the air-galleys and flyers.

aes — [EE-s] a copper coin, buys an egg, from a Roman coin of bronze or copper.

agamite — History: a sexless being.

agathodaemon — Myth: a good divinity or minor spirit.

agnation — History: meaning “relation,” from agnate, related on or descended from the father or male side; from a common source, kin. Figuratively, kinship by descent.

agouti — History: Dasyprocta agouti is a short-eared animal the size and appearance of a hare, common in the West Indies and adjacent parts of South America.

alcalde — History: a magistrate of a town; a sheriff or justice. (Origin: Spain and Portugal.)

Alcyone — Myth: (Greek) Alcyone (or Halcyone) was the daughter of Aeolus (keeper of winds). When her husband Ceyx died in a shipwreck, Alcyone threw herself into the sea, and the gods changed the two of them into the halcyon birds, fabled animals identified with the kingfisher. While the halcyons are breeding, Aeolus holds back his winds and the seas are calm. Thus the halcyon became a symbol of tranquility, and the term “halcyon days” a period of prosperity. Another myth has Alcyone as one of the Pleiades, and beloved of Poseidon.

alfange — History: the Spanish form of the Persian word khanjar, a knife or dagger.

algedonic — [al-juh-DON-ik] “pertaining to pain, especially when associated with pleasure” (Mrs. Byrne’s).

algophilist — Meaning “a person who has a morbid pleasure in the pain either of oneself or of others; a masochist or a sadist.”

alouatte — History: the Howling Monkey of South America.

alraune — Myth: (Germanic) female demon.

alticamelus — [ALL-tee-ka-MEE-lus] History: a prehistoric camel resembling a giraffe.

alzabo — A red animal, roughly the size of a destrier, with a large jaw and large, coarse claws. Arabic: an archaic transliteration of “al-dhi’b,” meaning wolf, jackal, or a star in Canis.

amadou — History: a German tinder, prepared from a species of fungus that grows on trees, employed as both a match and a styptic.

amaranthine — a color, being a dark reddish-purple. History: of or pertaining to amarant(h), a supposedly everlasting flower; or by extension fadeless, immortal, undying.

amphisbaena — Myth: a fabled serpent of the ancients, with a head at each end, and able to move in either direction.

amphitryon — The name of a tribe of the Commonwealth’s extreme north. Myth: Amphitryon (whose name means “harassing on either side” in Greek) was the king of Thebes and foster father of Heracles. History: a host, an entertainer to dinner.

amschaspand — Myth: a Zoroastrian archangel. There are only six of them (or seven, in some sources where Vohu Manah is included) and they attend upon Ahura Mazda in Persian mythology.

anacreontic — History: convivial and amatory, after the manner of the Greek poet Anacreon.

anacrisis — History: preliminary hearing, or interrogation accompanied by torture.

anagnost — History: a reader, a prelector; one employed to read aloud; the reader of the lessons in church.

analeptic — restorative, comforting.

anchorite — a person who has withdrawn or secluded himself from the world; a recluse, a holy hermit.

ancilla — a maidservant, a handmaid.

android — the mechanical men of the star-sailing ships, often referred to as “sailors.” History: tangled and confused with the term robot, android has come to usually denote an artificial man of organic substance, but like the application of “robot” to such creatures (e.g., the original robots of R.U.R.), there is also a tradition of using “android” to describe mechanical men.

androsphinx — statues erected in the ages before Typhon. Myth: a fantastic creature having the body of a lion with human head and hands, symbolizing the union of intellectual and physical powers.

angelus — a devotional prayer said by Roman Catholics at morning, noon, and sunset, at the sound of a bell rung for that purpose.

anpiel — a member of the Artarch’s elite aerial forces. Myth: from rabbinic lore, an angel in charge of the protection of birds, who resides in the Sixth Heaven.

antechamber — a prison for those accused of less serious crimes committed within the precincts of the House Absolute. History: a waiting room or outer office, but it implies the existence of a chamber, or inner office.

antepilani — Roman front-line (hastati) and second-line (principes). The third-line soldiers were known as triarii or pilani (hence the name).

anthroposophy — seemingly a synthesis of all sciences related to the human body. Greek: “the wisdom of man.” History: a spiritualistic movement split from Theosophy.

Antrustione — a foreigner voluntarily serving the Autarch. History: a voluntary follower of the Old Frankish princes at the period of the national migrations.

Apeiron — a god of procreation. Myth: the unlimited, indeterminate, and indefinite ground, origin, or primal principle of all matter, postulated especially by Anaximander, the ancient Greek philosopher.

apocatastasis — the birth of the universe Briah. History: restoration, re-establishment, renovation; return to a previous condition.

apostis — a part of a ship. History: the hulls of classical galleys were very narrow (for speed) and the thole pins against which the oars bore were held in a balcony-like affair, called the apostis, which extended from the side of the ship, running the length of the hull.

apotropaic — designed to avert or avoid evil. History: literally “turning away,” descriptive of any protective device, such as garlic worn to fend off vampires or the Eye of Horus to avert the evil eye.

apport — the categorical name for a creature created or captured by the sails of a ship that travels between the stars. History: motion or production of an object by a spiritualist medium without apparent physical agency, or the object so produced.

Apu-Punchau — Myth: meaning “Head of the Day,” Apu-Punchau is another name for Inti, the Inca Sun god. Inti is portrayed as a human with a bright face surrounded by sun rays. It was believed that he crossed the sky, dove into the sea, and swam under the earth, reappearing again in the east, refreshed from his dip.

aquastor — the scientific term for most, if not all, of the eidolons (phantoms) in the Urth Cycle. Occult: term coined by Paracelsus for a being created by the power of imagination.

Aratron — the Hierodules’ name for the planet Saturn. Myth: Aratron is the alchemist who rules Saturn and leads 17,640,000 spirits in the occult tradition of the Seven Olympic Spirits. He teaches alchemy, magic, and medicine and is able to make a person invisible.

arbalest — a weapon that fires pyrotechnic quarrels. History: a type of crossbow. Medieval Chinese repeater-crossbows could hold up to ten quarrels, but these were probably mounted.

archimage — the high priest of the Persian fire worshippers, or a great sorcerer or wizard.

architrave — the main beam that rests upon the capital (or top) of a column; the epistyle.

archon — the chief magistrate of a town or city, appointed by the Autarch. History: such a rank was used in ancient Athens.

arciones — the peaks of a war-saddle, before and behind the rider; here the pommel is meant.

arctother — a bearlike creature. History: a generic term for a very large bear of prehistoric times, from Greek arcto (bear) and ther (wild beast). The best candidate seems to be the Giant Short-Faced Bear (Arctodus simus), the largest mammal carnivore to exist in North America. It lived from 800,000 to 12,500 years ago and was up to fifty percent larger than the largest living bears.

Arioch — a great monster. Literature: (“lion-like”) the name given in the Book of Daniel (2:14) for the captain of Nebuchadnezzar and also used in Milton’s Paradise Lost for a fallen angel. A demon of vengeance, a follower of Satan, sometimes depicted as bat-winged.

armiger — a social class below exultant and above optimate. History: armor-bearer, squire (of a knight); one entitled to armorial bearings.

armigette — a female armiger; a woman of the petty nobility.

armoire — a cupboard, an ambry.

arquebus — an energy rifle of stellar-level technology that would seem to be as large and difficult to handle as its namesake. History: the early type of portable gun, varying in size from a small cannon to a musket, which on account of its weight was, when used in the field, supported by a tripod or a forked rest.

arsinoither — [ar-SIN-o-theer] an elephantine creature. History: Arsinoitherium was a gigantic herbivore with four horns: two diverging horns on the nose and a smaller pair over the eyes. It grazed in Africa during the Oligocene Period (34 to 26 million years ago).

ascetic — a person not inclined to earthly pleasures.

Ascian — [“uh-SHAY-un”] the nation of the northern hemisphere against whom the Commonwealth is at war. Ruled by the Group of Seventeen. Myth: one of the legendary people of the equatorial area, who twice a year have the sun directly overhead at noon, and then cast no shadow.

ashlar — a square hewn stone for building purposes and pavement; also used as a missile in defending fortresses.

asimi — [uh-SEE-me] a silver coin, buys an optimate’s coat, from a Roman coin of silver.

aspice ut aspiciar — Latin: “Look at me so that I may be looked upon.”

assize — History: a periodic session of a superior court.

astara — History: the Hindu boomerang.

Asterion — Astronomy: the northern dog of the constellation Canes Venatici. His name means “starry” from the little stars marking his body.

atelier — a workshop; an artist’s or sculptor’s studio.

athame — a blade weapon. History: a Greek name for the warlock sword, used for magical rituals. The blade does not have much of a cutting edge, but it does possess a fairly sharp point, used to trace occult symbols and patterns of power.

atole — cornmeal that is cooked and eaten as mush or that is drunk as a thin gruel.

atrox — [AY-trox] is either an ice-age giant lion (Felis atrox) of North America (at eleven feet long, it is larger than a smilodon, and probably too big to easily climb trees); or an artistic horror, a painted or sculptured figure to impress the public with a patron’s danger and importance (Castle of Days, 245). As an example, note that tormented faces are painted on the metal of the Matachin Tower.

aubade — a musical announcement of dawn; a sunrise song or open-air concert.

aureate — golden, gold-colored; brilliant or splendid as gold.

autarch — the supreme leader of the Commonwealth. History: (“self-ruler”) a ruler subject to no restraints, internal or external.

autarchia — the feminine form of autarch (supreme leader of the Commonwealth). History: “perpetual happiness,” at least according to Mrs. Byrne’s Dictionary.

autochthon — a race of people in the Commonweath. History: literally, a human being sprung from the soil he inhabits, hence, the earliest known dwellers in any country.

avern — an artichoke-like plant of extraterrestrial origin. Myth: named after Avernus (“the birdless lake” near Puteoli, said to be an entrance to the infernal regions) because no birds can survive around it.

B

bacele — a military unit of fifty or sixty horsemen commanded by lancers (knights or sergeants) in medieval Europe.

baculus — a staff, a crosier: the pastoral staff of a bishop, shaped like a shepherd’s staff.

badelaire — a short, heavy broadsword, curved like a scimitar, with S-shaped quillions. A weapon from the 16th century.

Baiulo Island — Latin: from baiulo, to carry, bear (a load).

baldric — a wide belt worn over one shoulder to support a sword or a bugle.

balmacaan — a short, rough overcoat.

balneary — a bath or bathing place; a medicinal spring.

baluchither — [ba-LOO-chih-ther] a gargantuan beast of burden. History: from Baluchitherium, a very large Oligocene mammal related to the rhinoceros, but lacking a horn. With a height of eighteen feet at the shoulders, this creature of central Asia dwarfs even the tallest mammoth (fourteen feet).

balustrade — a row of balusters (short pillars or columns), surmounted by a rail or coping, forming an ornamental parapet or barrier along the edge of a terrace, balcony, et cetera.

barbican — an outer fortification or defense to a city or castle, especially a double tower erected over a gate or bridge; often made strong and lofty and serving as a watchtower.

barbute — a type of helmet used from the mid-14th to the late 15th century. Generally bullet-shaped and forged in one piece.

barghest — Myth: a German goblin fabled to appear in the form of a large dog, with various horrible characteristics, and to portend imminent death or misfortune.

bartizan — a turret or small tower that clings to a wall or other structure (in this case, a bridge) and has no foundation of its own.

barylambda — [bar-ee-LAMB-da] large, primitive herbivore. About the size of a pony, with five-toed limbs and a large powerful tail. Almost dinosaurian in appearance, it ruminated in North America during the Paleocene.

basilica — an oblong building typically with a broad nave flanked by colonnaded aisles or porticoes and ending in a semicircular apse. It was used in ancient Rome especially for a court of justice and place for public assembly, later as a church building of similar construction. It has come to mean a place of worship of unusual importance. Greek: “royal.”

basilosaur — a slender-bodied Eocene whale of the Gulf of Mexico area. (The most abundant remains have been found in Alabama and Florida.)

batardeau — a large knife whose hilt is of the same piece of steel as the blade. From the late 16th century.

belvedere — a building overlooking a fine view.

berdiche — a staff-mounted axe used by foot-soldiers in Russia and the Baltic during the 16th and 17th centuries. It has a long, narrow curved head twenty-four to thirty-two inches long. It was also used by the Turks and in the Near East.

beryl — the elfstone, a transparent precious stone of a pale-green color, distinguished only by color from the more precious emerald.

Bethor — The Hierodules’ name for the planet Jupiter. Myth: in alchemical lore, one of the seven angels (or Olympian Spirits) who rule over the 196 provinces of heaven, Bethor is lord of the planet Jupiter and commands 29,000 legions of spirits. He rules forty-two provinces and commands kings, princes, and dukes.

bijoux — plural of bijou, a jewel, a trinket; a “gem” among works of art.

bordereau — [birduh-ROW] French: a memorandum, detailed statement, or schedule (in this case, a list of documents). History: the word was once heavy with associations of corruption and betrayal. Linked to the infamous Dreyfus treason case that convulsed France for a decade (1894–1904), “bordereau” was internationally understood as meaning one thing only: the key document of the case, the secret plans that were allegedly drawn up by Dreyfus.

bosquets — pleasant thickets.

bothy — a small hut for farm hands, or in this case, a shepherd.

brachet — a kind of hound that hunts by scent; always feminine and extended to any kind of hound; a bitch hound.

braquemar — a sword with a simple guard and a wide, short, double-edged blade. Used in the 16th century.

Briah — The universe that Urth inhabits. Myth: from the Jewish Kabbalah, Briah is the second of the four created worlds: Atziluth, world of Supernals (containing the sefiroth Kether, Binah, and Chokmah); Briah, world of Creation (containing Chesed, Geburah, and Tiphereth); Yetzirah, world of Foundation (containing Hod, Netzach, and Yesod); and Assiah, world of Action (containing Malkuth).

Brook Madregot — Occult: “Madregot” is a kabbalistic term for “levels of mystic ascent,” according to Epstein (Kabbalah, Shambhala, 1988, glossary).

burgess — the representative of a borough in a legislative body.

burginot — a type of open helmet having a rounded, longitudinal crest.

C

cabochon emeralds — emeralds polished without cutting, as was the way of all gems in the ancient world.

cacogen — literally, “those filthy born” and more broadly, degenerate. An ethnic slur aimed at those born off-world. Extrasolarian is the neutral term. History: an antisocial person.

Caesalipinia sappan — a tropical tree from which the heavy wood brazilwood is obtained. Brazilwood is used as red and purple dyewoods and in cabinetwork.

caique — a light boat or skiff propelled by one or more rowers, much used on the Bosphorus.

Caitanya — [chai-TUN-yuh] under the usual questioning, Wolfe answers that he means a goddess of consciousness and intelligence (akin to Athena and Minerva), who is called Wisdom in Bible translations. Onomastics: “spirit, consciousness, especially higher consciousness,” “Supreme Being” (Sanskrit). History: an Indian mystic (A.D. 1485–1533) of this name led a Hindu sect focused in part on the love of Krishna and his consort Radha as the archetype of mystical union. He is regarded by his followers as an incarnation of both Krishna and Radha in a single form.

caldarium — a (Roman) hot bath or bath-room.

caliver — a non-lethal rifle-weapon. History: a type of long gun without a rest, used principally for military purposes in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The barrel length is 39 inches. The overall length is 4.5 feet. The bore is 17.

calotte — a skullcap, or a caplike architectural construction, especially the interior of a small cupola or a cup-shaped vault.

caloyer — History: a Greek monk, especially of the order of Saint Basil.

camarilla — (“little room”) a cabal, or kitchen cabinet, i.e., a group of secret schemers or unknown advisors.

camisias — the shirt worn by Arabs and other Mohammedans.

cangues — yoke for oxen, porter’s yoke, or wooden collars having holes for the neck and hands, used to restrict a person’s movement.

cantle — the protuberant part at the back of a saddle; the hind-bow.

capote — a long shaggy cloak or overcoat with a hood, worn by soldiers, sailors, travelers, et cetera. Or a long mantle reaching to the feet, worn by women.

Capulus — the wall that closes off the Acis valley and forms the southern boundary of Thrax. Latin: “the sword haft.”

capybara — the largest extant rodent quadruped, closely related to the guinea pig; it lives around the rivers of tropical South America and has habits much like those of the muskrat.

caracara — a South American bird similar to the vulture.

caravel — History: a small, light sailing ship of the kind used by the Spanish and Portuguese in the 15th and 16th centuries.

carcanet — an ornamental collar or necklace.

carillon — a set of bells so hung and arranged as to be capable of being played upon either by manual action or by machinery.

cariole — a light four-wheel open or covered one-horse carriage; or a light covered cart.

carnelian — reddish semiprecious stone.

carnifex — an executioner. (Note that carnificate means “to hang.”)

carnificial sword — the executioner’s sword. History: the blade is square-tipped and double-edged. Often it is engraved with illustrations depicting Justice, scenes from the Bible, or methods of execution.

carrack — a big square-rigged merchant ship, used in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries; a galleon.

carronade — a short piece of ordnance, usually of large caliber, having a chamber for the powder like a mortar. It is mainly used on ships. (From Carron, near Falkirk in Scotland, where originally cast.)

carthartidae — zoological family of vultures.

caryatid — a draped female sculpture serving as a pillar.

casern — one of a series of small (temporary) buildings between the ramparts and houses of a fortified town for the accommodation of troops; barracks.

castellan — the governor or warden of a castle or fortress; one who administers the affairs of a stronghold but is not the owner.

catachthonian — subterranean.

catafalque — a coffin support used in elaborate funerals.

catamite — a boy used in homosexual (pederastic) relations.

cataphract — a soldier in full armor, typically chainmail.

Catodon — Myth: another name for Leviathan, as in Job 41:1. Rhetorically, the speaker in The Urth of the New Sun is asking whether the human race has god-like power; whether it can catch Leviathan with a hook and tame him with a bit. Onomastics: “down-tooth” (Greek). History: a genus of cetaceans, including the sperm whale, so called from the fact of its having teeth in the lower jaw only.

catoptric armor — (“mirror” armor) full-body armor that is reflective to the point of chameleon-like invisibility.

cavy — any of various short-tailed or apparently tailless South American rodents of the family Caviidae, which includes the guinea pig and the capybara.

celestine — a delicate blue, the color of heaven.

celure — Latin: ceiling, canopy.

cenobite — a member of a religious order living in a community, as opposed to an anchorite, who lives in solitude.

cenotaph — an empty tomb; a sepulchral monument erected in honor of a deceased person whose body is elsewhere.

Cephissus — a tributary of the river Gyoll. Myth: (Greek, “the river of gardens”) a river god who was the father of Narcissus, also attributed to a river surrounding the Garden of Eden. Furthermore, in the myth of Deucalion’s Flood, after the ark lands on a mountain top, the last humans (Deucalion and Pyrrha) pray at the shrine of Themis, beside the river Cephissus. At Themis’s instruction, they throw stones over their shoulders, and these become the men and women of the new human race.

cerbotana — a blowgun of South America. From the Italian and Spanish name for the blowgun.

cerise — a shade of dark red, the color of ripe cherries. “A reminder of the dying of the old sun” (Castle of Days, 246).

chain — a unit of measurement equal to 100 spans, being about 70 feet.

chalcedony — a precious (or semiprecious) stone that in its various tints is largely used in lapidary work, having the luster nearly of wax and being either transparent or translucent.

champian — [SHAM-peean] an expanse; flat or open country.

chandler — one who sells marine supplies, a ship-chandler. The word was originally used for one who makes and sells candles.

chatelaine — [SHAT-lane] polite form of address for a female exultant. History: (English from French) the lady of a chateau (a French castle or large country house).

chatoyant — play of colors in a mineral.

chechia — [SHASH-ya] a cylindrical brimless cap of Arab origin often having a tassel on the crown. From Shash, a town in Persia where it was manufactured in medieval times.

cherkaji — light cavalry of Persia.

chiliad — [KILL-ee-ad] one thousand years.

chiliarch — [KILL-ee-ark] commander of 1,000 men; roughly, a colonel (the officer in charge of a column).

Chimera — [kih-MERE-uh] a symbol of the Septentrion Guard painted upon their breastplates, consisting of winged women with the paws and hindquarters of lions. Myth: a fire-breathing monster of Greek mythology, usually described as either constantly shifting in form, or as being part lion, part goat, and part dragon.

choralcelo — a keyboard instrument like the piano but with electromagnets vibrating the strings and producing an organlike effect with string quality.

chrism — oil mingled with balm, consecrated for use as an unguent in the administration of certain sacraments in the Eastern and Western churches. The chrism of the torturers is blood.

chrisos — the gold coin of the Commonwealth, stamped with the profile of an autarch. A chrisos will purchase a good mount.

chronon — the hypothetical smallest unit of time, according to a theory that time is not continuous but rather made up of tiny particles jammed together like beads on a string. The chronon is calculated to be 10-24 seconds (one million, million, millionth of a second).

cithara — an ancient musical instrument of triangular shape with seven to eleven strings, not unlike the lyre or phorminx.

citrine — a pale-yellow variety of quartz, resembling topaz, or the greenish-yellow color of a lemon.

citron — fruit trees related to orange and lemon trees, and their fruit.

clava — Latin: a staff or cudgel.

clave — a key the size of a small crowbar. Because of its size, it serves as a club as well as an emblem. Latin: from clavis, key.

claviger — a guard or detective. Literally “one with keys.” History: applied to the key-bearers of Janus, Roman god of portals.

clerestory — the upper part of a cathedral containing a series of windows admitting light to the central part of the building.

cloisonné — decorative enamelwork in which metal filaments are fused to the surface of an object (jewelry, vases, and other decorative accessories) to outline a design that is filled in with enamel paste. The word comes from Old French cloison (meaning “divided into compartments”), from Latin clausion- (meaning “closed, locked”).

coati — an American carnivorous mammal somewhat resembling the civet and the raccoon, with a remarkably elongated and flexible snout. Two species exist: the Brazilian (original) and the Mexican or brown coati.

coffle — a train of men or beasts fastened together, specifically a gang of slaves chained and driven along together.

cohort — one of the ten divisions of a Roman legion, consisting of 300 to 600 men.

columbine — a saucy, fantastically dressed young lady.

comfits — hard, candied fruits.

condottiere — a professional military leader or captain who raises a troop and sells his services to states or princes at war; the leader of a troop of mercenaries. History: the name arose in Italy, but the system prevailed broadly over Europe from the 14th to the 16th centuries.

contarii — a unit of contus-bearing soldiers.

contus — a pyrotechnic energy weapon. History: Roman term for a long pole with a metal tip used for taking soundings, pushing a boat, and performing other maritime operations. Synonymous with words meaning “javelin” and “spear,” the contus was used by the Roman cavalry under Vespasian (A.D. 9–79), and the mounted soldiers thus armed (contarii) formed the wings of battle formations. Its features and functions were close to those of the later boarding pike and boat hook.

conventicle — a secret or unauthorized meeting or assembly house.

cordwain — a soft, fine-grained leather made of horsehide. Originally applied to goatskin from Cordoba, according to John Brunner.

cornet — a military ranking. History: the fifth grade of commanding officer in a British Cavalry troop who carried the standard, or the lowest commissioned rank in the U.S. Cavalry.

coronas lucis — “crown of lights,” a kind of firework.

corselet — a breastplate.

coruscant — glittering, sparkling, gleaming.

coruscate — to sparkle; glitter.

coryphaeus — the leader of a chorus.

coryphee — the chief dancer in a ballet.

coryphodon — [ko-RIFF-o-don] a large hippopotamus-like creature, about seven and a half feet from nose to base of tail, possessing tusk-like eyeteeth. Lived in and around rivers of North America and Europe during the Late Paleocene.

cothurni — plural of cothurnus, a thick-soled boot reaching to the middle of the leg, worn by tragic actors in the ancient Athenian drama; a buskin.

coutel — a short knife or dagger in use during the Middle Ages. Carried by irregular troops in the 13th and 14th centuries.

coypu — a South American aquatic rodent nearly equal in size to the beaver.

craquemarte — French: a large cutlass. Used in the 17th century.

crenelations — details of castle architecture: embrasures, loop-holes; battlements.

crotal — a kind of rattle.

cubicula — Latin: cubiculum, a small sleeping chamber.

cubit — a unit of measurement equal to 18 inches.

cucurbit — Latin: cucurbita, a gourd, a cupping glass.

cuir boli — French cuir-bouilli: leather armor, with the leather boiled or soaked in hot wax and, when soft, molded or pressed into any required form; on becoming dry and hard it retains the form given to it, and offers considerable resistance to cuts, blows, et cetera. History: this may be a misspelling, but the OED lists so many versions (quir-, quyr-boilly, -boyly, -boile, boy[l]e, quere-boly, qwyrbolle, coerbuille, -boyle) that I cannot be certain. John Brunner suspects it to be Provençal.

cuirass — armor made originally of leather and covering the body from neck to girdle; especially one consisting of a coupled breastplate and backpiece.

culina magna — Latin: main kitchen.

cultellarii — cutthroats in 12th-century France.

culverin — a type of artillery. History: a large cannon, very long in proportion to its bore: length 10 to 13 feet; diameter 5 to 5.5 inches; and weight of shot 17 to 20 pounds.

curtelaxe — a short axe.

cuvee — a bulk wine, especially wine in casks or vats so blended by the vintner as to ensure uniformity and marketability: usually used of French wine (Burgundy, for example); or a blend of still wines prepared for use in secondary fermentation in the production of champagne.

cymar — a robe or loose light garment for women; especially an undergarment, a chemise.

cynaeous — probably a typo of “cyaneous,” sky-blue.

cynocephalus — one of a fabled race of men with dog’s heads, or a kind of ape having a head like that of a dog: the Dog-faced Baboon.

D

damassin — a type of woven damask with gold and silver flowers.

Danaides — Myth: the fifty daughters of Danaus, son of Belus and brother of Aegyptus, from whom he fled to Argos. By extension, of or belonging to the Greeks (before Troy).

decollation — beheading, from “decollate,” to behead.

decolletage — a low neckline on a garment.

Deeses — icons representing the Heavenly Court.

defenestration — the act of throwing something out of a window, usually a person who is being executed.

delator — an informer or accuser.

demagogue — popular leader or leader of the mob.

demilancer — the light cavalry of the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

demilune — a probably pyrotechnic weapon. History: a pole arm with a crescent-shaped blade at right angles to the shaft.

Demiurge — Myth: a name for the maker or creator of the world, in the Platonic philosophy; in certain later systems, such as the Gnostic, the Demiurge is considered a being subordinate to the supreme being, and sometimes as the author of evil.

deodand — On Urth, a deodand seems to be a person exiled to the wilderness for his crimes, “the deodands mourning their unspeakable abominations in the wilderness.” History: a thing forfeited or to be given to God; specifically in English law, personal property which, having been the immediate occasion of the death of a human being, was given to God as an expiatory offering; i.e., forfeited to the Crown to be applied to pious uses, such as being distributed in alms.

destrier — highly modified horses, possessing clawed feet and large canine teeth, sometimes referred to as “tushes,” or tusks. History: a warhorse, a charger.

dhole — the wild “red dog” of the Deccan in India, famous for group attacks. Onomastics: probably from the Kannada word meaning “wolf.” Literature: dholes appeared in Kipling’s “Red Dog” (The Second Jungle Book) as a threat to Mowgli’s wolf pack.

dhow — a native vessel used on the Arabian Sea, generally with a single mast, and of 150 to 200 tons burden; a kind of lateen-rigged trading boat.

diakka — ghosts who trouble the souls of the blessed (likely from Sanskrit).

diatryma — [DIE-ah-TRY-mah] The plural is diatrymae [DIE-ah-TRY-me]. History: rapacious ground birds of the Paleocene who stood seven to eight feet tall and had strong four-toed feet and deep, powerful beaks. They roamed throughout Europe and North America.

Didugua — Latin: from diduco “to cause to come apart, divide, split, separate” or diduco causam “to decide.”

dimarchi — an archon’s uniformed police as well as his troops. History: literally, “those who fight in two ways.” A species of dragoons formed by Alexander the Great, soldiers trained to act as infantry or cavalry. Usually this meant riding to the front lines and dismounting to fight on foot. In contemporary (post-WWII) terms, mechanized infantry.

Dis — the Urth name for the outermost planet of the solar system, presumably our (former) planet Pluto. Myth: from the Latin name meaning “riches,” a translation of Pluto, the Greek word for riches and an alias for Hades.

Diuturna — the northernmost part of the Commonwealth, forty leagues (as the bird flies) from Thrax. The Shore folk live in a village called Murene. The Lake folk live on floating islands. According to the map in Plan[e]t Engineering, the lake is drained by the river Fons. Latin: lasting a long time; of long duration.

dolman — a long robe open in front, with narrow sleeves, worn by the Turks, or the uniform jacket of a hussar, worn like a cape with the sleeves hanging loose, or a kind of mantle with cape-like appendages instead of sleeves, worn by women.

drachm — a unit of measurement equal to sixty minims or one dram, also known as a drachma. History: from the weight of an ancient Greek coin called “drachma.”

dray — a low cart used for heavy loads.

dryad — an oak-nymph. Ash-nymphs, by the way, are called meliae.

dulcimer — a stringed musical instrument of trapezoidal shape encompassing two or three octaves and played with light hammers held in the hands.

dulcinea — a mistress, sweetheart, lady of one’s devotion (originally from Don Quixote).

dux — probably a high-level military title, but could be a rank of exultant. Latin: a leader, ruler, commander; this word gave rise to the title duke.

E

echidne — a typo for echidna, the spiny anteater (Castle of Days, 237).

Echopraxia — the name of a specific brothel, or more likely, a category of brothel where the theme is mimicry. History: habit of repeating the actions of others as if echoing them; mimicry, imitation.

eclectic — in the Commonwealth, the mixed-race descendants of settlers from the south and autochthons. History: borrowing or borrowed from diverse sources.

eidolon — an unsubstantial image, specter.

eisegesis — the interpretation of a text (for example, the Bible) by reading into it one’s own ideas.

ell — a unit of measurement, roughly forty-five inches.

embrasure — a slanting or beveling in the sides of an opening to a wall or window, so that the inside profile of the window is larger than that of the outside.

emerald bench — an artifact located in the most ancient part of the Citadel. History: alchemical writings of the medieval period are full of references and allusions to the Emerald Table of Hermes. According to the legends, the original emerald slab carved with the Thirteen Precepts of Hermes was discovered in the tomb of Hermes by Alexander the Great.

enchor — from “enchorial” meaning “native, endemic”: thus native things, native people, or perhaps even “common” people.

entheal — inspired by an indwelling god.

ephemerid — a mayfly.

ephor — Greek: a judge.

epitagm — Greek: a reserve force or subsidiary force; literally “command,” the command of some officer, not forming a regular unit.

eponym — one who has given his or her name to a group or place, such as a tribe or town.

epopt — a “beholder”; a person fully initiated into the ancient Greek Eleusinian mysteries; an initiate.

equerries — the stables belonging to a royal or princely household; the body of officers in charge of the stables.

Erebus — A lord of the Other People. Myth: the proper name of “a place of darkness, between Earth and Hades.” Also an ancient Greek god, son of Chaos (god of darkness) and Nox (goddess of night).

eremite — literally, “desert dweller,” one who has retired into solitude for religious motives; a recluse, a hermit. Or a quasi-religious mendicant, a vagabond.

erentarii — meaning “light infantry,” this is a persistent typo for “ferentarii,” a class of skirmishers in the ancient Roman Army, as mentioned by Stone. (Hat tip to James Wynn.)

Erinys — the Furies of Roman mythology.

eschatology — the department of theological science concerned with the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell.

escritoire — a writing-desk constructed to contain stationery and documents.

espalier — a kind of latticework or framework of stakes upon which fruit trees or ornamental shrubs are trained.

estafette — a courier on horseback.

esthete — variant of aesthete; one who professes a special appreciation of what is beautiful, and endeavors to carry his ideas of beauty into practical manifestation.

estoc — a small stabbing sword. Having a long, narrow, quadrangular blade, it was used from the 13th to the 17th century.

estrapade — a torture consisting of attaching a person’s hands and feet to a rope, drawing him up by them to a great height, and then letting him fall suddenly.

ethnarch — An exultant title. History: a governor of a nation or people; a ruler over a province.

evzone — a member of a select infantry corps in the Greek army.

exarch — an ecclesiastic ranking between patriarch and metropolitan.

externs — foreigners; those born on Urth outside of the Commonwealth.

exultant — a member of the hereditary aristocrats of the Commonwealth.

F

faille — a light kind of ribbed silk fabric.

falchion — a European sword with a broad, curved, single-edged blade that is wide near the point, with the back joining the edge in a concave curve. Stone calls it a “sword of the middle ages.”

famula — the female servant of a medieval scholar or magician.

Famulorum — A village near the House Absolute. Latin: “famulor” to be a servant, to minister (to), serve or be subject (to), be at the orders (of).

fantassin — a foot-soldier.

Fauna — Myth: ancient Roman earth-mother and fertility goddess usually termed the Bona Dea (the Good Goddess), and considered the wife, sister, and/or daughter of Faunus. She was identified with Terra, Tellus (“earth”), or Ops (“plenty”).

fearnought — a thick, heavy overcoating made of wool (often mixed with shoddy) that has a rough, shaggy surface; and a garment made of this material, called also “dreadnought.”

Felicibus brevis, miseris hora longa — Latin: “Happiness is brief, misery’s hours long.”

felucca — a small vessel propelled by oars or lateen sails, or both, used mainly in the Mediterranean for coasting voyages.

fen — Marsh or bog. The peat bogs of northern Europe have amazing preservative powers, as shown by the ancient corpses discovered therein.

fennec — an animal (Canis zerda) found in Africa, resembling a small fox, but having very long ears.

fiacre — a small four-wheeled carriage for hire; a hackney-coach; a French cab, usually drawn by two animals.

fibula — an ornamental safety pin; a brooch.

Fiend — arch-enemy of mankind; the devil.

figurantes — female extras in a theatrical production; also, female spear carriers.

Fish’s Mouth — A star. History: Fomalhaut (meaning “Fish’s Mouth” in Arabic) is the brightest star in the Piscis Austrinus constellation. Although classified as an A3-type white star, it has a reddish color just as Severian reports. It is one of the four ancient Royal Stars (Aldebaran, Regulus, Antares, and Fomalhaut).

flagae — spirits visible only in mirrors (the reverse of the vampire legend), they are usually summoned to reveal the future.

flageolet — a small wind instrument with a mouthpiece at one end, six principal holes, and sometimes keys. Similar to a recorder.

flambeau — a torch, especially one made of several thick wicks dipped in wax; a lighted torch.

Fluminis — the stream leading from Vici through Gurgustii to Os, where it empties into Gyoll. Latin: a river or stream.

folio — a very large book, in the range of 12 x 15 inches to 15 x 24 inches.

fourragere — a shoulder ornament or award, usually made of cord.

fricatrice — a lewd woman.

fulgurator — a priest who interprets lightning.

fuligin — a sooty color, powdered black; perhaps originating as a back-formation from “fuliginous,” it appears in Dictionary of the Neutral Language (1903) as meaning “soot.”

Fulstrum — Latin: a marker, most likely a buoy, in a lake or along a beach (Late Latin).

fuscina — Latin: a trident.

fusil — an energy rifle. History: a 17th-century flintlock, whose name means “fusing, melting.” More advanced than the arquebus and the caliver, it fired a .65 caliber ball and weighed around nine pounds.

G

galleass — a heavy, low-built vessel, larger than a galley, using both sails and oars, chiefly employed in war.

gallipot — an old slang word for those assistants or apprentices who pounded drugs, rolled pills, collected herbs, et cetera, for an apothecary. From the term for a small earthen glazed pot used by apothecaries for ointments and medicines.

gamboge — a strong and brilliant yellow, originally from a gum-resin based pigment of the same name. “No doubt supplied here by the remaining three quarters of the sun breaking through the clouds” (Castle of Days, 246). Here is a case where sunlight on Urth is definitely yellow in color. History: John Brunner reports that the word comes from the name Cambodia, origin of the resin.

Gandharvas — Myth: in the Hindu Veda, a deity who knows and reveals the secrets of heaven and divine truths in general, thought by some to be a personification of the fire of the sun. The Gandharvas generally have their dwellings in the sky or atmosphere, and one of their offices is to prepare the heavenly soma juice for the gods.

gateaux secs — simple cookies. French: “dry cakes.”

gegenschein — a faint elliptical nebulous light in the sky best seen during September and October when in the constellations Aquarius and Pisces.

genicon — an imagined sexual partner.

Gentle Right — in a contest between two gentlemen, the right of a man knocked down to rise and rearm before being attacked again.

giddypate — “Giddy” is frivolous and lighthearted, flighty; “pate” is head.

Glacies — easternmost of the Southern Isles of the Commonwealth. Latin: ice.

glaive — a kind of halberd; a pole arm with a head like the blade of a sword. Used in the 12th and 13th centuries.

glamour — a spell affecting outward appearances but not reality.

gligua — a term used in Chile for a worker of black magic.

glyptodon — [GLIP-tow-don] a South American prehistoric quadruped similar to a cat-headed armadillo the size and shape of a Volkswagen Beetle. Covered with a solid carapace, this odd creature also had fluted teeth and a clublike tail.

gnomon — a pillar, rod, or other object that serves to indicate the time of day by casting its shadow upon a marked surface.

gonfalon — a banner or ensign, frequently composed of or ending in several tails or streamers, suspended from a cross-bar instead of being directly fastened to the pole.

gosport — communication tube on a ship, leading below decks to the engine room.

gowdalie — a three-pointed fish spear.

graisle — a trumpet used in signaling.

gravid — pregnant.

Gurgustii — a village located on Fluminis. Latin: plural of gurgustium, hut, hovel.

gymnosophist — one of a sect of ancient Hindu philosophers of ascetic habits who wore little or no clothing, denied themselves flesh meat, and gave themselves up to mystical contemplation. Known to the Greeks through the reports of the companions of Alexander.

Gyoll — A major river of the Commonwealth. Myth: “Gjoll,” meaning “icy” or “freezing,” is the river of death in Norse mythology, one of the eleven rivers flowing from the primal spring Hvergelmir. The others are Svol (cool), Gunnthra (defiant), Fjorm, Fimbulthul (bubbling), Slid (fearsome), Hrid (storming), Sylgar, Ylg, Vid (broad), and Leiptr (lightning flash).

gyves — [jives] shackles.

H

hanger — a loop or strap on a sword belt from which the sword is hung; also (as is this case) the generic term for the sword so worn.

harena — Latin: arena, named after the sand that covers the floor.

hastarii — spearmen, a unit of hastarus-equipped men. History: Roman legionaries or spearmen.

hastarus — a pyrotechnic weapon. History: the Greek spear.

hatif — Myth: (Arabic) a familiar spirit, like Socrates’s daemon.

haubergeon — a sleeveless coat or jacket of mail or scale armor, originally smaller and lighter than a hauberk, but sometimes applied to the same.

hecatonchires — Myth: (Greek) three giants (Briareus, Cottus, and Gyges), each having 100 arms.

heliotrope — a color that is moderate, light, or brilliant violet to moderate or deep reddish purple.

hellebore — a name given by the ancients to certain plants having poisonous and medicinal properties, and especially reputed as cures for mental disease. This group includes the Christmas Rose.

heptarch — a ruler of one of seven divisions of a country; one of the rulers of the Heptarchy. Since the heptarchs mentioned in the text are authorities on transcendence, they are probably the seven Olympic Spirits (Kabbalah), whose names are used by the Hierodules.

hesperorn — a prehistoric fish-eating ostrich.

Hesperus — a celestial object in the night sky of Urth, as named in a story in the brown book. History: the Latin form of Greek Hesperos, “the Evening Star,” a term for the planet Venus seen in the evening. Originally it was paired with Phosphorus, Venus seen in the morning, until Pythagoras realized that the two were a single object.

hetaerae — those who participate in extramarital sex, or members of a communal marriage. Greek: a plural of “hetaera,” a female companion, a mistress, a concubine; a courtesan, a harlot.

heteroclite — deviating from the ordinary rule or standard; irregular, exceptional, abnormal, anomalous, eccentric. Said of persons and things.

hetrochthnous — a misspelling of heterochthonous, meaning “not indigenous: foreign, naturalized; not formed in the place where it now occurs—transplanted.”

hexaemeron — the six days of the creation.

Hierarch — the human-like larva of a Hierogrammate. History: priest of high rank; angel of high rank. Literally, “Holy Lord.”

Hierodule — Greek: holy slave.

Hierogrammate — History: a sacred scribe, one of a lower order of the Egyptian priesthood; a writer of sacred records, specifically of hieroglyphics.

hieromonach — a monk who is also a priest. History: from the Eastern Church.

hierophant — an official expounder of sacred mysteries or religious ceremonies, especially in ancient Greece; an initiating or presiding priest. Also the name of a Tarot card.

hipparch — the commander of a xenagie of cavalry—about 500 mounted soldiers.

hobiler — a retainer bound to maintain a hobby (a small or middle-sized horse) for military service; a soldier who rides a hobby; a light horseman.

homunculus — an artificial humanoid of organic origin.

hoplite — a heavy-armed foot-soldier of ancient Greece.

howdah — a seat to contain two or more persons, usually fitted with a railing and a canopy, erected on the back of an elephant.

huanaco — variant of guanaco, a South American mammal (Lama guanico) that is related to the camel, lacks a dorsal hump, resembles a deer in appearance, and has a soft, thick, fawn-colored coat.

hundred — a military unit of 100 men, commanded by a lochage.

Hunter, the — a constellation near the Hounds. Commentary: while our constellation Orion is considered the Hunter, in this case it seems to be Boötes (the Ploughman).

huzzar — a variant of hussar, horseman of Hungarian light cavalry in the 15th century.

hyalite — a colorless variety of opal, occurring in globular concretions.

hydraknife — a multibladed throwing dagger from tropical Africa.

hydrargyrum — the “metal heavier than iron, though it flows like water” is quicksilver.

hyla — a type of large tree toad.

hypethral — Greek: “hypaethros,” open to the sky, uncovered, unroofed; a temple open to the sky.

hypogeum — an underground chamber, or a catacomb—burial chamber or series of burial chambers.

hypostases — on Urth, the persons whose union constitutes the Increate. History: base, foundation; essence, principle, essential principle. Specifically, of the same divine substance, but separate, like the persons of the Christian Trinity. In the early days of Christianity, Wisdom or Sophia was a hypostasis of God.

Hypotherm Classis — Greek: something like “the glass-roofed meeting place of the council.”

I

Ihuaivulu — A constellation. Myth: (Mapuche) “Ihuaivilu” is a seven-headed fire-monster among the Araucanian Indians of Chile and Argentina. Said to inhabit volcanic neighborhoods. The “vilu” part means snake.

ile — Greek: a squadron of cavalry.

imp — Myth: a small demon, or by extension, a mischievous child.

Increate — one of several names for the Ultimate Power. History: not created, uncreated: said of divine beings or attributes.

Incusus — a town. Latin: forged, fabricated.

indanthrene — an obsolete English word for a blue dye now known as indanthrone, or Vat Blue 4.

ingenue — the youngest and prettiest girl in a theatrical troupe. The ingenue plays Juliet.

ironwood — a very heavy, hard, tropical wood which, when cast into water, will sink.

Isangoma — the word (sometimes written “isAngoma”) is a Zulu name for a diviner. An Isangoma is usually a woman, but a man can be one, too.

isochronon — Either a sort of night-watch robot, or more likely, a mechanical clock (high-tech in a world where the wealthy use water-clocks). History: “isochronous” means taking place in or occupying equal times; equal in metrical length; equal in duration, or in intervals of occurrence, as the vibrations of a pendulum.

Iubar — [YEW-bar] a street in Nessus. Latin: becoming light, radiance; a heavenly body, especially the sun.

J

jacal — (Mexican Spanish) a crude house or hut in Mexico and southwestern United States with a thatched roof and walls made of upright poles or sticks covered and chinked with mud or clay.

jazerant — a light coat of armor composed of splints or small plates of metal riveted to each other or to a lining of some strong material, often silk. Also known as “kazaghand,” it was used in Turkey, Persia, and Arabia from the 11th century onward. While expensive, it must have been quite popular because it was comfortable and attractive. Durable it was not, however, and the cloth soon wore out, especially under conditions of actual warfare.

jelab — a hooded cloak worn in Morocco.

jennet — a small Spanish horse, or a Spanish light horseman.

jerkin — a close fitting jacket, jersey, or short coat, often made of leather.

jezail — a stellar-level energy rifle. History: an old type of Afghan gun with a crooked stock. Its original matchlock had a serpentine match holder that operated in a slit of the stock with the trigger underneath. The barrel was very long, usually at least forty-seven inches, with a smooth or rifled bore that was sometimes as large as one inch. Range: 218 to 323 yards.

jonquil — a species of narcissus (N. jonquilla) having long linear leaves and spikes of fragrant white and yellow flowers; the rush-leaved daffodil.

Jurupari — Myth: chief god of the Uapes tribe of Brazil, Jurupari was born of a virgin after she drank some “cachari” (native beer). His cult was associated with male initiation rites from which women were excluded. If by accident a woman witnessed even a part of the rite, she was poisoned as a punishment.

K

kaberu — African mountain wolf.

kafila — a body of travelers who have banded together for mutual protection.

kelau — light infantry armed with the sling. (Note that they carry incendiary bullets, also known as “shooting stars.”) The term is probably Hebrew or Aramaic.

kelpie — Myth: lowland Scottish name of a fabled water-spirit or demon assuming various shapes, but usually appearing in that of a horse; it is said to haunt lakes and rivers, and to take delight in, or even cause, the drowning of travelers and others.

kestrel — a common small European falcon (Falco tinnunculus) that is noted for its habit of hovering in the air against a wind. It is around a foot long, bluish-gray above in males and reddish-brown in the female.

khaibit — a clone of an autarch’s concubine. History: the ancient Egyptians believed a personality to be made up of a “Ka” (or double), a “Ba” (or soul), and a khaibit (or shadow).

khan — a building (unfurnished) for the accommodation of travelers; a caravansary.

kheten — an Egyptian pole-axe, according to Stone.

korseke — a pyrotechnic pole arm. History: medieval Italian three-pointed pole arm with a large tassel below the head. In response to the question, Gene Wolfe explains that “It is much like a partizan, with large side blades and a main blade like a cinqueda.” Used in the 15th century.

kraken — a sea-monster of enormous size, said to have been seen at times off the coast of Norway, thus probably the giant squid.

krater — ancient Greek punch bowl. At a party or dinner, wine was mixed with water (often at a ratio of 1:4 or 1:5) in the krater by the oldest guest. Only alcoholics drank unmixed wine.

kronosaur — an aquatic dinosaur with a head nearly eight feet long.

L

labyrinth — a maze of rooms and passages, or just rooms.

lambrequin — a scarf or piece of stuff worn over the helmet as a covering.

lamia — Myth: a female demon of ancient Greek mythology. Lamias drink blood, are were-snakes, and may appear with a woman’s head and a snake body.

lammergeir — also known as the bearded vulture, the largest European bird of prey. It inhabits lofty mountains in South Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

lancegay — a light lance, occasionally used as a dart. It was carried in place of the war lance in the 14th century; the latter was about fourteen feet long and very heavy.

Land of Virgins — History: at the beginning of the American Civil War, Union forces scuttled the powerful steam frigate Merrimack. She was then raised by the Confederates, converted into an ironclad, and renamed the Virginia. When the Virginia (aka Merrimack) met the Union ship Monitor, it was the first engagement between ironclads. “Land of Virgins” is another way of saying “Virginia.”

lansquenet — a class of mercenary soldier in the German and other continental armies in the 17th and 18th centuries.

lantern — an architectural ornament consisting of a small dome lifted on pillars.

lanugo — down, either of the face, or of plants.

larva — Latin: a ghost, hobgoblin, specter; also, a mask. History: the newly hatched stage of various animals that differ markedly in the adult form, as a tadpole, for example.

lazaret — a house for the reception of the diseased poor, especially lepers; a hospital, pest-house. From Lazarus of the New Testament (Luke 16:20).

lazaretto — earlier form of lazaret. Note that the word usually refers to a quarantine house or location.

lazulite — hydrous phosphate of aluminum and magnesium, found in blue monoclinic crystals; also the color of this mineral. Sometimes used to mean Lapis Lazuli.

league — a distance of three miles.

lechwe — Kobus leche, a kind of antelope.

leeks — a food for torturers and their clients. “The national food of Wales. They are similar to spring onions, but larger” (Castle of Days, 237).

legion — a large-scale military unit developed by the Roman Republic and Empire, consisting of 5,000 men. This could be made up of ten cohorts, each one having two maniples of antepilani (240 heavy infantry), one maniple of pilani (sixty heavy infantry), one maniple of skirmishers (120 light infantry), and one maniple of cavalry (thirty horsemen).

leman — a lover or a sweetheart; a kept woman.

lemures — hostile spirits of the unburied dead, driven from homes in religious observances of early Rome.

lentils — a food for torturers and their clients. “Brown, bean-like seeds. Excellent with leeks. Lentils boiled with ham bone make great soup, too” (Castle of Days, 238).

lethe — Myth: a river in Hades, the water of which produced, in those who drank it, forgetfulness of the past. Hence, the “waters of oblivion.”

leveret — a young hare, especially one less than a year old.

liana — a tropical vine.

lictor — the chief subordinate officer of the archon. Latin: literally, “he who binds”; one who attends the chief Roman magistrates.

linnet — a small Old World songbird, Acanthis cannabina, having brownish plumage. A similar bird Carpodacus mexicanus is found in Western North America.

lipsanotheca — a shrine or container for holy relics.

litch — variant of lich: a body, a corpse.

Liti — Latin: “litus,” meaning seashore, beach, or coast.

llanero — [yaw-NAY-row] a cowboy.

lochage — [LOCK-ij] leader of a “lochus,” a 100-man unit of the army in Sparta and some other Greek states.

loggia — a gallery or arcade having one or more of its sides open to the air.

lucivee — (French “lynx”) the holdout weapon used by Agia.

Lune — [loon] the natural satellite of Urth, Lune (French: “the Moon”) is covered in green forests and is said to be 50,000 leagues (150,000 miles) from Urth, but the length of the month suggests it is at its historical orbit of 240,000 miles (227,000 miles at closest).

Lux dei vitae viam monstrat — Latin: “the light of God shows the road of life.”

M

machionations — this is a not uncommon garbling of the word “machicolations,” the stone balconies projecting from castle walls from which the defenders can drop discouraging substances upon the heads of storming parties. Commentary: it could be a sign that Agia is overstretching her lexicon (what does a rag shop woman know of castle architecture?) in an attempt to impress Severian, or it could be a Freudian slip, since it is very close to “machinations,” the exact sort of underhanded scheme that she is leading him into at the dueling grounds, as she has done with men before him. Finally, it could be a rare typo for Wolfe.

magistrate — a civil officer with power to administer the law, but in the Commonwealth the term would seem to apply to a military judge who hears all cases in his district.

Magitae — a race or group within the Green Empire. History: the people of Arabia Felix (Yemen), where high coastal mountains receive the moist southwest monsoon winds during the summer. In classical times the name Arabia Felix was applied to a much larger area than present Yemen.

mammoth — the Ice Age ancestor of the elephant, common to Asia, North America, and Europe. Some species were covered with a thick woolly fur. Slightly smaller than modern elephants and weighing four to seven tons, they were hunted to extinction by humans who used the meat, tusks, and hide extensively.

manatee — the sea cow, Trichechus, one of the origins of the mermaid legend because the breasts of the female are similar to those of human females.

mandragora — the plant mandrake, the root of which bears an uncanny resemblance to the human form, in miniature. Literature: in conversation with the mandragora, Severian says, “If I can do anything for you, tell me what it is.” “Break the glass.” I hesitated. “Won’t you die?” “I have never lived.” In its answers, the enigmatic creature echoes the immortal sibyl: “For I saw with my own eyes the Sibyl hanging in a jar at Cumae, and when the acolytes said, ‘Sibyl, what do you wish?’ she replied, ‘I wish to die’” (Petronius, Satyricon, chap. 48). That sibyl’s story is in Ovid’s Metamorphoses (book XIV). The mandragora also bears some resemblance to the homunculus of Goethe’s Faust, Part 2 (Act II).

maned wolf — Chrysocyon brachyurus, also known as the “giant fox,” is a rare solitary and nocturnal animal that ranges from Brazil to Argentina.

maniple — a subdivision of the Roman legion, a unit varying in size by type: numbering 120 men each among the antepilani and light infantry, sixty each among the pilani, and thirty among the cavalry. A manipular legion (509 B.C. to 217 B.C.) would have ten maniples of each type, amounting to 2,400 antepilani, 600 pilani, 1,200 light infantry, and 300 cavalry. In time the maniple was replaced by the cohort.

manskin — leather made of human skin.

manvantara — a term Severian uses to mean the life of a universe. History: a measure of time in Hindu cosmology, composed of four yuga or ages of the world. These ages devolve, like the four ages of Roman myth, from an Edenic state of happiness to a brutal state of misery.

Marchfield — a place on Urth, perhaps during the Age of the Monarch. History: the ancient Romans had a Field of Mars, but the rites that Jonas describes are similar to those of the Frankish State of the early Middle Ages, where the people (free peasant-warriors entitled to political rights) acted jointly with the king at the annual Field of Mars celebration (until circa A.D. 732, at least).

margay — a kind of wild cat, Felis tigrina.

marge — margin.

margrave — a lord or military governor of a medieval German border province, or a hereditary title of certain princes in the Holy Roman Empire.

marmoreal — resembling marble, or made of marble.

martello — a small circular fort with massive walls, containing vaulted rooms for the garrison, and having on the top a platform for one or two guns; usually erected on a coast to prevent the landing of enemies.

Maser — the word, like “laser,” comes from an acronym: Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

mastiff — a fighting dog. History: a very large, powerful, deep-chested, and smooth-coated dog of old breed used chiefly as a watchdog and guard dog. In medieval times, mastiffs were used as war dogs, outfitted with lances, and trained to attack cavalry horses.

matelasse — a French dress goods of silk, or silk and wool, having a raised design; also, quilted silk.

matross — a guild in charge of the energy cannons at the Citadel. History: a soldier next in rank below gunner in a train of artillery, who acted as a kind of assistant or mate. Particularly civilians employed to operate artillery. (The word originally meant “sailor,” as armed merchant ships were where matrosses learned their gunnery. John Brunner points out that the German word for sailor is still “Matrose.”)

meander — a circuitous winding or sinuosity of a stream.

Media Pars — a location in or near Orithyia. Latin: media (“middle”) pars (“a portion of territory”).

Medoc — a general name for the red wines produced in Medoc, comprising all the best growths of claret.

megatherian — from a book in the Library entitled Lives of the Seventeen Megatherians, this term is used to describe a person or creature not unlike the Beast of Revelation. Greek: “great beast.”

megathere — [meg-a-THEER] a genus of huge herbivorous edentates (Megatherium) resembling the sloths, the fossil remains of which are found in the upper tertiary deposits of South America. It had huge claws on its forefeet, was larger than the modern elephant, and was able to reach leaves twenty feet off the ground by rearing up on its hind feet.

mensal — a place supplying a monthly rent to a religious order or official, particularly if the rent is given in the form of food.

meretrix — a prostitute (plural is meretrices).

merlon — the solid portion of a crenelated wall between two open spaces.

merychip — a riding mount, suitable for someone as light as a child. History: Merychippus was a small, pony-sized precursor to the modern horse.

metamynodon — the hornless rhinoceros. A not-uncommon riding mount in Nessus.

midinette — a Parisian shopgirl; especially a Parisian seamstress.

mimalone — a sect of maenads who wore horned headdresses and were more violent than most. The Thracian women of Greek mythology who killed Orpheus for Dionysus were probably mimalones.

minim — a unit of measurement, one sixtieth of a drachm.

misericorde — a dagger with a stiff, diamond cross-section or three-sided blade; used to dispatch a man in armor by stabbing through some chink, usually in the armpit. Named “dagger of mercy” because the sight of the uplifted weapon caused the intended victim to surrender.

Moira — Greek term for one’s personal fate, destiny. A sacred lottery: luck as an instrument of the Increate.

monach — a monk.

monstrance — a receptacle used for the exhibition of relics, or of a host.

montane — pertaining to or living in mountains.

mora — one of the divisions of the Spartan Army. There were originally six, each composed of around 1,272 men: 576 infantry, sixty cavalry, and one slave (helot) for each man to carry baggage.

mucid — moldy, from Latin “mucidus,” musty.

muni — a sage.

Murene — a village on the shore of Lake Diuturna. History: (variant of “muraena”) in early use applied vaguely as the name of a kind of eel mentioned by ancient writers.

myrmidon — a blindly loyal though unscrupulous faction, from the Greek word for “ant,” the name of a group that fought on the side of the Greeks at Troy.

myrrhic — resembling myrrh, an aromatic resin formerly used in embalming. “The gold, frankincense, and myrrh brought to Jesus by the magi symbolized his kingship, divinity, and death” (Castle of Days, 245).

myste — one initiated into mysteries.

N

nacker — one who buys the bodies of dead horses and other dead animals. Also spelled “knacker.”

naiad — a river nymph.

narthex — an old church portico. So the “narthex sigil” probably shows three doorways.

Natrium — an old name for sodium.

naviscaput — believed to be a Wolfe coinage. Latin: navis (ship) + caput (head).

nenuphar — a water lily with a wide, blue flower.

Nessus — the major city of the Commonwealth, so called because the river Gyoll, which passes through it, is poisoned. Myth: (Greek) the centaur who was killed by Heracles, yet had his revenge by killing Heracles with a poisoned shirt.

newel post — the pillar forming the center from which the steps of a winding stair radiate.

nidorous — having the odor of burnt fat.

nigrescent — of a blackish hue or color.

nixie — probably a term for a small undine. Myth: (Norse) water-sprites who live in rivers and lakes. Considered malignant in some areas, harmless and friendly in others.

noctilucent — of or relating to marine phosphorescence, from Noctiluca, a species of phosphorus.

nocturne — a musical piece that evokes night.

Nones — the word originally applied to the ninth hour of the Roman day, which would be around 3 p.m., but over time it shifted backward into midday, our noon.

notule — creatures used on an alien world for ritual murders. Commentary: the notule seems to be a night or darkness elemental. On Earth “noctule” is a large red bat (Nyctalus noctula) common to Eurasia (from “Nottola,” Italian for bat or owl; and “noctua,” Latin for night owl). But “notule” is also French for a brief note (or perhaps “an abstract”), which makes a kind of nightmare sense for this weird creature.

noyade — the execution of persons by drowning, as practiced by Carrier at Nantes in A.D. 1794.

Numen — deity, divinity; divine or presiding power or spirit.

O

Oannes — The fish god of the “floating islands” folk of Lake Diuturna. Myth: Babylonian god, half-man, half-fish, from Akkadian Ea (and ultimately the Sumerian god Enki). In the beginning of time, when people lived in a lawless manner like beasts, Ea (“lord of the house of water”) appeared from the sea, and he instructed humankind in handicrafts, farming, letters, laws, architecture, and magic. After a day of instruction Ea retired to the sea, from which he made only three other appearances over a period of thousands of years. (One of these appearances was to warn Utnapishtim, the “Babylonian Noah,” about the coming deluge.)

odalisque — a female slave or concubine in an Eastern harem, especially in the seraglio of the Sultan of Turkey.

oillet — an aperture or loophole for observation; a spy-hole.

omophagist — an eater of raw flesh. Myth: omophagia (“eating-into-the-Belly”) is an ancient Greek ritual of holy communion by eating the flesh of sacrificial victims, human or animal, so there is also a hint of cannibalism in the word. Practiced by the mimalones, among others.

onegar — a misspelling (Castle of Days, 243) of onager, the wild ass.

ophicleide — a musical wind instrument of powerful tone, a development of the ancient “serpent,” consisting of a conical brass tube bent double, with keys, usually eleven in number, forming the bass or alto to the key bugle.

optimate — a wealthy trader of the Commonwealth; a member of the “middle” class.

oread — Myth: (Greek) a nymph of mountains and grottoes.

oreodont — [o-REE-o-dont] a plant-eating prehistoric animal about the size of a sheep.

oribi — a small, brownish African antelope, Ourebia ourebia (Castle of Days, 268).

orichalk — the large brass coin of the Commonwealth, which is a day’s pay for a common laborer.

oriflamme — a banner that is golden, bright, or conspicuous like the Oriflamme (banner) of Saint Denis.

Orithyia — a northern district of the Commonwealth. Myth: (Greek) Oreithyia (“she who rages on the mountains”), daughter of Erechthous and Praxithea (King and Queen of Athens), was ravished by Boreas (the north wind). She became his wife and bore him twin sons and two daughters. (Boreas has serpent tails for feet, not unlike Abraxas.)

orpiment — a bright yellow mineral substance used as a pigment called King’s Yellow.

Os — a town on the river Gyoll. Latin: “mouth”; hence, “opening,” “source.”

Osela — a golden bird on a goldsmith’s sign. History: from a medal of a bird ordered by the doge (elected chief magistrate in the former republics of Venice and Genoa) as a substitute for real birds usually presented to nobles on New Year’s Day.

ossifrage — the “bone breaker” bird of prey. (1) the Lammergeyer or Geir Eagle, or (2) the Osprey or fish-hawk.

ostiary — “that has charge of the door,” a person assigned to guard a door.

ostler — a stableboy.

oubliette — [OO-blee-ET] the subterranean levels of the Matachin Tower. History: literally, “a place of forgetting.” A dungeon entered from above.

P

pace — a measurement of 2.5 feet.

pacho — Spanish: toothed clubs from Mexico, Peru, et cetera.

paduasoy — a strong corded or grosgrain silk fabric, much worn in the 18th century by both sexes, of which Poult-De-Soie is the modern representative.

pagne — a loincloth, or a short petticoat, worn by uncivilized races, or retained by the more civilized as a part of their costume.

palatinate — the territory or district under the rule or jurisdiction of a palatine or count-palatine, a lord having sovereign power over a province. In the Middle Ages Hungary, Poland, and Lithuania (to name a few) were palatinates. Commentary: the territory implies a corresponding rank of earl-palatine, palatine, count-palatine, or palsgrave.

palfrenier — a groom.

palinode — an ode or song in which the author retracts something said in a former poem; hence, generally a recantation.

palmer — a pilgrim wearing palm leaves as proof of a holy visit.

Pancreator — “Creator of All,” a title or aspect of the Increate. Myth: a partial list of creator gods drawn from world mythology would include Allah, Ahura-Mazda, Amen, Brahma, El, Elohim, Ptah, and Quetzalcoatl.

pandour — super-soldier. History: “soldier of unusual size and strength, originally recruited from private guards, gamekeepers, and the like” (Castle of Days, 249).

Panjudicator — Judge of All, another title or aspect of the Increate. Myth: to show the spectrum of deities of judgment, justice, and law, here are a few figures drawn from world mythology: Marduk, Nemesis, Osiris, Shamash, Themis, Yama, and Zeus. (Of this group, Marduk, Osiris, and Shamash are noteworthy as they are also solar gods.)

panoply — a magnificent array.

pantheon — a temple consecrated to all the gods.

pantocrator — “those who have mastered the physical. Also, incarnations of the Pancreator. Those fit for spiritual and philosophical ‘wrestling.’ Originally, the word designated what we would call all-around athletes; but its figurative meanings have overwhelmed its literal one” (Castle of Days, 237).

paphian — pertaining to love; especially pertaining to, or devoted to, unlawful sexual indulgence; belonging to the class of prostitutes. From Greek Paphos, ancient city of Cyprus that was the center of Aphrodite worship.

Paraclete — a name or aspect of the Increate. Myth: a title of the Holy Spirit; properly “an advocate, one called upon for assistance, and intercessor” but often taken as equal to “comforter.”

paracoita — the female partner in sexual intercourse. (The male partner is the paracoitus.)

Paralian — a group living in the northern region of the Commonwealth. History: a dweller by the sea.

paramour — a lover, of either sex, especially in an adulterous relationship, or (archaic) a sweetheart.

pardal — another name for the panther or leopard; more commonly identified with the leopard when this was supposed to be distinct from the panther.

pardine limers — leopard-spotted hounds hunted on the leash so that they will not overtake the peccaries (wild pigs) before the hunters do (Castle of Days, 239).

par-terre — a flat garden, as opposed to a landscaped one, and particularly a garden (or garden-like area) in which large potted plants, statues, and the like stand on a floor or pavement.

Pascua — a Commonwealth town on the pampas. Latin: a pasture. Note that Commonwealth towns and villages are often named after the local terrain.

paterissa — a staff topped by a cross.

pavonine — of or pertaining to, resembling, or characteristic of a peacock.

peccary — a wild pig that is small but very aggressive. It can be found in herds as large as twenty or thirty members.

pelagic — a term used as a code word. History: of or pertaining to the open or high sea, as distinguished from the shallow water near the coast; oceanic.

pele tower — a tower-house, like a small keep, in or near the marches of Scotland. The barmkin is an enclosure subsidiary to a pele.

pelerine — History: a mantle or cape worn by women, from the feminine form of Pilgrim’s mantle or cape in French. Made of fur or cloth, it is close-fitting, usually waist-length in back and having long ends in front like a tippet. Commentary: the domnicellae’s garment is something like a red riding hood.

pelisses — long fur cloaks; similar cloaks of cloth trimmed with fur.

peltast — a type of soldier in Nessus. History: a kind of foot soldier, between heavy-armed and light-armed, furnished with a pelta (or light shield) and a short spear or javelin.

pelycosaur — “sail reptile,” the earliest known mammal-like reptiles, from the Permian period. The sail-fin dinosaurs.

penetralia — the innermost parts of a building; the inner sanctum.

pentad — a period of five years.

pentadactyl — Severian’s name for the Ascian air-striding machines. Greek: “having five fingers or toes.”

peon — a sub-class of the peasantry. History: a day-laborer in Spanish America; (Mexico) a debtor held in servitude by his creditor until his debts are worked off.

peregrine — a typical species of falcon (Falco peregrinus) of very wide distribution and held in the greatest esteem for hawking since ancient times.

peri — [PEE-ree] in Persian mythology, one of a race of super-human beings, originally represented as of evil or malevolent character, but subsequently as good genii, fairies, or angels, endowed with grace and beauty.

peridot — a name of the chrysolite; a jeweler’s term for the variety of chrysolite called Olivine.

perischii — [pear-ISH-ih-eye] variant of “Periscii,” a legendary people dwelling within the polar circles, whose shadows revolve around them as the sun moves around the heavens on a summer day.

peryton — the name of a constellation. History: any creature (animal, demon, et cetera) that flies with batlike wings. Myth: in The Book of Imaginary Beings, Borges reports the Sibyl of Erythraea prophecy that Rome would finally be destroyed by the perytons. A peryton is said to be half deer and half bird, with the head and legs of a deer. Instead of casting its own shadow, it casts the shadow of a man.

Pestis — Latin: ruin, pest.

petasos — a variant of “petasus,” a low-crowned broad-brimmed hat worn by the ancient Greeks, and frequently represented as worn by the god Hermes or Mercury.

Phaleg — the Hierodule name for the planet Verthandi. Occult: the governing spirit of planet Mars, often called the Warlord. Of the 196 Olympic Provinces, Phaleg has dominion over thirty-five.

pharmacon — a medicine, drug, or poison.

phenocod — [FEEN-ah-code] an animal that skulks around battlefields in Orithyia. History: from “phenacodus,” a prehistoric carnivorous mammal about the size of a goat, being 5.5 feet in length from head to base of tail. Fore and hind feet have five digits ending in small hoofs. Adapted to moving in forests and on soft ground, but performance on the plains would have been inferior to that of a gazelle or donkey. Late Paleocene to middle Eocene in North America and Europe.

philomath — a lover of learning; a student, especially of mathematics, natural philosophy, and the like; formerly popularly applied to an astrologer or prognosticator.

philonoist — a searcher for knowledge.

philosophist — one who is a lover of sophistry.

Phlegethon — Myth: a fabled river of fire, one of the five rivers of Hades. Literature: in Dante’s Inferno, Phlegethon runs as a river of boiling blood through the seventh circle, inhabited by violent souls of tyrants and warmongers like Attila and Alexander the Great. Centaurs guard the bathers, and it is Nessus (significantly) who carries Dante and Virgil across the river.

phoebad — [FEE-bad] one possessed by a spirit of divination, traditionally Phoebus or Apollo.

Phoenix — a symbol of the autarch. Myth: the Egyptian myth of “benu,” a cyclical and deathless bird, was elaborated upon by the ancient Greeks and Romans and is widespread. The Chinese Phoenix (male “Feng” and female “Huang”) in prehistoric times visited the gardens and palaces of virtuous emperors as a visible token of celestial favor. Feng lives in the sun, and together with Huang forms the emblem of everlasting love.

phororhacos — a misspelling of “phorusrhacos” [FOR-russ-HOCK-us], a genus of gigantic flightless birds from the Miocene period of Patagonia.

phrontiserion — one who is in charge of a phrontistery: a place for thinking or studying; a “thinking-shop.”

Pietist — one who hopes to achieve direct contact with the Increate; a follower of a 17th-century religious movement originating in Germany that stressed informal meetings, Bible study, and personal religious experience.

pika — any of several small, tailless, harelike mammals of the genus Ochotona, of the mountains of North America and Eurasia. Also called “cony.”

pilani — experienced Roman soldiers, drawn up in the third rank, behind the two ranks of antepilani. Also known as “triari.”

pilaster — a rectangular column set into a wall.

pilete — a simple pole of wood tipped with iron. A pike, according to Stone.

pinakotheken — [PINE-uh-ko-THEE-ken] a place for the keeping and exhibition of pictures and other works of art; a picture gallery. Mrs. Byrne’s Dictionary gives “pinacotheca” for the singular, and “pinakotheken” seems to be the plural form (art galleries). Ultimately the word comes from Greek.

piquenaires — pikemen.

planteration — according to the text, using food as a torment; causing death by force-feeding. The word “planteration” remains stubbornly obscure in origin; it may be authentic (yet still unfound in any prior text); it might be a typo by Wolfe for an authentic word not yet found; or it could be a coinage of Wolfe. User “Apocryphal” (SEP 2019) of the Internet guesses “planteration” to be a typo/coinage of a hypothetical “plenteration,” based upon the Latin root “plene” for “full” (which gives such English words as plenitude and plenipotentiary).

platybelodon — a beast of burden used by the Ascians. History: an elephant-sized shovel-tusker mammal. Short and broad tusks were presumably used to dig up the soil for edible roots. From Asia during the Pliocene.

pleasance — a secluded garden or landscaped area.

pochette — a handbag.

pointille — the result of a painting technique characterized by the application of paint in small dots that blend together when seen from a distance.

pomegranate — tree bearing a fruit of the same name, said fruit being large, red, seedy berries about the size of an apple.

pommander ball — misspelling of “pomander ball,” a case or box for holding pomander, a mixture of aromatic substances formerly worn as protection against odor and infection.

popul vuh — (meaning “what is written on leaves” or “book of the community”) sacred book of the ancient Quiche Maya Indians of Guatemala. It is divided into four parts: the first deals with the creation of the world, the second and third are concerned with the heroes of the Indians, and the last gives myths of cult origins, accounts of tribal wars, and records of historic rulers.

portico — a porch or walkway with a roof supported by columns, often leading to the entrance of a building.

portreeve — the ruler or chief officer of a town or borough.

potboy — a boy or young man employed by a tavern to carry pots of ale or beer to the customers.

Preceptress — from “preceptor,” a teacher, instructor.

primesong — the song sung at Prime, the first hour of the day, at 6 a.m. or sunrise.

proscenium — the wall that separates a theatrical stage from the seating area, including the arch over the stage. The arch is often highly decorated.

pseudothyrum — Latin: a secret door.

psychopomp — a conductor of souls to the place of the dead.

pteriope — “those able to fly from birth,” usually applied to pterosaurs on the assumption that the young received no care from their parents.

purlieu — the parts about the border of any place; the outskirts.

pursuivant — an assistant to a herald. A messenger with some limited authority to negotiate.

pylon — a pyramidal or conical marker.

pyrolater — a fire worshipper.

pyx — the Host case or ciborium, or a ship’s binnacle: the non-magnetic stand that the compass rests upon.

Q

quadrille — a card game played by four persons with forty cards, the eights, nines, and tens of the ordinary pack being discarded.

quaesitor — An official who signals the carnifex to begin his task. Latin: investigator, inquirer, especially judicial.

Quasar — a ship that Hethor served on. History: the word was coined by astronomers in the 1960s to name a class of “quasi-stellar radio sources” that had been discovered. A quasar can release energy in levels equal to the output of hundreds of galaxies combined, and it does this as a single point source. Quasars are often found to be moving at relativistic speeds. Commentary: Wolfe is slyly suggesting that quasars are starships. Quasar, like Maser, is one of the more modern words in the Urth Cycle.

quercine penetralia — “Quercine” is from the Latin “quercus,” meaning oak. Thus the password probably means something like “the oaken inner sanctum.” Oak is a sacred tree for many thunder gods and is host to the parasite mistletoe that was venerated by the Druids.

Quiesco — a town or village in the Commonwealth, located on Gyoll between Saltus and the House Absolute. Latin: “I rest,” from “quiescere,” to rest; to be at peace; to sleep; to cease (from action).

quillions — the arms of a simple cross guard on a blade weapon.

R

raddle — to beat, thrash.

ransieur — a pyrotechnic pole arm used by the Ascian army. History: a 16th- and 17th-century staff weapon with a three-pronged head comprising a long double-edged spike flanked by two short upcurved blades. Also known as “rawcon.”

rebec — variant of “rebeck,” a musical instrument.

refulgence — splendor, brightness, radiance.

remontado — someone who has fled to the mountains; a person who has renounced civilization.

rheostat — a variable resistor used to control the flow of current in an electrical circuit, like a dimmer switch on a lamp.

ridotto — an entertainment or social assembly consisting of music and dancing.

robot — “‘Why you’re all three just robots!’ (You must understand that . . . there had been a strong Czech influence on this planet)” (Castle of Days, 272). The word “robot” is not used on Urth, where “android” is used for mechanical men, and “homunculus” designates an artificial man of organic origin. History: from robata, a Czech word meaning “forced labor” that first appeared in Capek’s play R.U.R. (1921), but the robots in question were artificial men of organic origin, not the mechanical men that the term has since come to mean.

rood — a cross.

rosolio — a sweet Mediterranean liqueur of brandy and raisins, or a sour black currant wine mentioned in Thackeray’s The Great Haggarty Diamond.

rotunda — a circular building, hall, or room, especially one with a dome.

roundsman — one who makes rounds of inspection, a patrol man.

S

Sabaoth — Hebrew: Lord of Hosts.

sabarcane — French: a blowgun.

sabretache — [SA-bur-TAHSH] a leather satchel suspended on the left side by long straps from the sword belt of a cavalry officer.

sacar — a type of energy cannon. History: an old form of cannon smaller than a demi-culverin, formerly much employed in sieges and on ships. Also known as “saker.”

saffian — a leather made from goatskin or sheepskin and tanned with sumac. It is often dyed in bright colors, typically red or yellow.

saffian book — one of the four books Thecla requested. Wolfe writes it is “almost certainly a history of Thecla’s own family, its wide pages occupied by genealogical charts” (Plan[e]t Engineering, 9).

sagum — a Roman soldier’s cape, fastened and draped at the right shoulder.

salamander — a monster. Myth: a small dragon that lives in fire. Just as the phoenix was used as an argument by theologians to prove the resurrection of the flesh, so was the salamander cited as proof that bodies can live in fire.

salpinx — [SAL-pinks] an ancient Greek trumpet. Anatomy: the supposedly trumpet-shaped Eustachian tubes (connecting inner ear to throat) and Fallopian tubes (connecting ovaries to uterus).

salsify — a biennial composite plant, the purple goat’s beard, indigenous to Great Britain and Europe, producing an esculent root.

Saltus — a village on the river Gyoll roughly ten leagues north of Nessus. Latin: narrow wooded valley.

Samru — a specific ship. Myth: an alternative name for Sinurqh, the bird of immortality in Persian myth. A third name is Akra, and the creature may be akin to the Roc.

sanbenito — under the Spanish Inquisition, a penitential garment of yellow cloth, resembling a monk’s sleeveless robe in shape, ornamented with a red Saint Andrew’s cross before and behind, worn by a confessed and penitent heretic; also, a similar garment of a black color ornamented with flames, devils, and other devices worn by an impenitent confessed heretic at an auto-da-fé.

sanguinary — attended by bloodshed; characterized by slaughter; bloody.

sannyasin — a wandering mendicant Hindu ascetic; a holy man; monk; specifically one belonging to a Brahman or Jain order comprising men in the fourth ashrama.

sarcin — from Latin “sarcina,” a load, pack.

sardonyx — a variety of onyx or stratified chalcedony having white layers alternating with one or more strata of sard.

saros — a time span with two senses: the ancient period of 3,600 years; the modern period used by astronomers for the cycle of eighteen years and ten and two-thirds days, in which solar and lunar eclipses repeat themselves. Both meanings apply to Urth.

sateen — a cotton or woolen fabric with a glossy surface like that of satin.

Savitar — (also Savitri) a Hindu king of heaven and god of active power. Savitri is the principle of movement which causes all things to move and work. He makes the sun shine, the winds blow, the plants grow, and the tides ebb and flow. He rides in a chariot of gold pulled by white horses.

schiavoni — a word seemingly synonymous with “mercenary.” History: Italian term meaning “Slavonic” for a sword with a distinctive basket hilt, peculiar to the Slavonian corps, mercenary bodyguards to the Doge until the end of the Venetian Republic in A.D. 1797.

scopolagna — [skoh-poh-LAG-nuh] meaning “A woman whose appearance others find stimulating in the extreme” (Castle of Days, 247). History: Mrs. Byrne’s Dictionary gives scopolagnia [skoh-poh-LAG-nih-uh] as “the pleasure gained from voyeurism.”

scorpion — a weapon. History: in Europe, a halberd with a very deep and narrow blade (Stone).

Scylla — [SIL-la] Myth: (“she who rends”) a half-human sea-monster of Greek myth, located in the Straits of Messina, that snatched and devoured men from passing ships; usually paired with Charybdis.

Sefiroth — plural of sefira, a divine emanation through which God manifested His existence in the creation of the universe. In the Kabbalah, there are ten holy successive sefiroth: Kether (crown), Chokmah (wisdom), Binah (understanding), Chesed (mercy), Geburah (strength), Tiphereth (beauty), Netzach (victory), Hod (splendor), Yesod (foundation), and Malkuth (kingdom).

seneschal — a bailiff, steward, or majordomo of a great medieval lord or king representing the lord in, for example, the feudal courts, in the management of his estate, and in the superintendence of feasts and domestic ceremonies.

sennet — the trumpet flourish used to cue an actor.

septentrion — elite corps guarding the northern frontier of the Commonwealth. Astronomy: the constellation of the Great Bear.

seraph — commander of the anpiels. Myth: one of the seraphim, the highest rank of the nine orders of angels.

sere — dry, withered.

Serenus — Latin meaning “serene,” this is the name Severian uses for the planet Jupiter.

several — whenever Severian writes “several” he means “three.”

servitrix — a female personal servant.

shah mat — (Arabic “the king is dead”) the game of chess, or an early version of chess, or a chess-like game, from the phrase meaning “checkmate” (in chess), from Persian “shah,” meaning king.

shallop — a usually two-masted ship with lugsails, or a small open boat propelled by oars or sails and used chiefly in shallow waters.

shewbread — bread displayed upon an altar.

shotel — Ethiopian sickle-shaped, double-edged weapon. Length thirty inches from base of hilt to point, and up to thirty-nine inches measured along curve. Its shape allows it to strike around shields. Stone calls it an “extremely awkward weapon” and says the Ethiopians have no idea of fencing.

Sieur — a term of address applied to men of armiger (or higher) rank. The OED lists two forms of this word, both “alien, not naturalized” to English. The first is an archaic word related to the French “monsieur” and used as a courtesy title or form of address; the second is a South African word related to the Dutch “sinjeur” (lord, master) but ultimately assimilated into the first word, used as a respectful form of address to a superior; master, “sir.” In a cited example from 1812, the Hottentots addressed their master as Baas (i.e., Boss) while the slaves addressed him as Sieur.

sikinnis — Greek: a picture of nymphs and satyrs.

Silva — Latin: a wood or forest.

simar — a woman’s dress consisting of two long strips of linen or cotton that cover the wearer from neck to ankle but leave an opening at each side from ankle to arm.

simples — single ingredients that would later be compounded into medicines. Usually herbs of various kinds.

Sirius — the brightest star in the sky, also known as the Dog Star. Located in the constellation of Canis Major.

sisal — the name of a port in Yucatan, used attributively with fiber, grass, hemp, to designate the prepared fiber for use in rope making.

skewbald — irregular markings on animals, especially horses, of white and brown or red, or some similar color. Distinct from piebald (white with black), which is sometimes inexactly used for it.

Skuld — the planet corresponding to our Venus. Myth: (Norse) the Norn representing the Future.

smilodon — [SMY-low-don] a kind of sabertooth tiger.

sommelier — a servant under the wine steward; a barman or wine waiter.

soubrette — a maidservant or lady’s maid; or a “saucy maid” in the tradition of French theater. It is first mentioned regarding a set of paper dolls that includes “soubrettes, columbines, coryphees, harlequinas, figurantes, and so on” which seems like a theatrical cast of saucy maids, pretty ladies, prima ballerinas, clownettes, and female extras. So when Odillo chides Pega for calling herself a soubrette rather than an ancilla, one wonders if he thinks she is either trying to claim a higher station (where a soubrette is above an ancilla) or being frivolous (where soubrettes only exist on the stage).

spado — a eunuch.

spadone — one of the names of the two-handed fighting sword of the Middle Ages.

spadroon — an 18th- to 19th-century sword much lighter than a broadsword and made to both cut and thrust. A German sword used as an officer’s weapon.

spahis — Persian: a Turkish horseman.

span — a measurement unit of 8 inches.

spatha — a broad two-edged sword. Greek: “broad blade.” History: the long sword of the Roman cavalry; the plural is “spathae.”

specie — coins.

specula — mirrors.

spelaeae — cave-dwelling creatures.

spiracle — a breathing hole, airhole, or vent.

squab — young pigeon or young rabbit.

starost — an exultant title. History: in Russia and Poland, one whose estate is his for life only and cannot be deeded to his heirs.

stele — an upright slab bearing sculptured designs or inscriptions. Sometimes loosely applied to any prepared surface, such as the face of a building or a rock, that is covered with an inscription.

stephane — a kind of diadem or coronet, represented in statuary as worn by the goddess Hera and other deities; also worn by military commanders.

stride — a measurement unit of 5 feet.

stuns’ls — studding sails. Sails extended from the sides of a square sail, as by lashing additional spars to the yard.

sumpter — an animal (less often, a person) used to carry supplies.

supercargo — “A clerk put aboard a vessel by a shipper to attend to his shipment” (Castle of Days, 249).

surtout — a man’s greatcoat or overcoat.

Surya — the most distinct of several Hindu sun gods. Also, in Hindu demonology, a good angel or genie.

sutler — one who follows an army or lives in a garrison town and sells provisions to the soldiers.

sweepsmen — rowers using long oars (sweeps) that require them to stand.

sylph — originally a spirit of the air, “sylph” has come to mean a beautiful, slender girl.

T

taffrail — the rail at the stern of a ship.

tambour — a small drum.

Tarentine — the name of a race or group in a part of the Commonwealth. History: of or pertaining to Taranto, a city in the heel of Italy, established by Greek colonists in 700 B.C. It was the only colony of Sparta. They named it “Taras” after the son of the Sea God Poseidon and the local nymph Satyrion. Another source claims Herakles founded it.

tarn — a small mountain lake.

Tarnung — German: camouflage.

teratoid — having the appearance or character of a monster or monstrous formation.

teratornis — a prehistoric bird similar to a condor, but larger.

tessellated — composed of small blocks of variously colored material arranged to form a pattern; formed of or ornamented with mosaic work; of a pattern resembling a chessboard.

tetrarch — probably an exultant title. History: a minor king under Roman protection, originally a ruler of any of the four provinces together making up a larger kingdom.

thalamegus — a large, richly decorated barge used for luxurious water travel, ceremonies, floating parties, and the like; a ship fitted with cabins. The plural is thalamegii.

thalassic — connected with the sea; marine.

thaumaturge — a worker of marvels or miracles; a wonder-worker.

Theoanthropos — a variant of “Theanthropos,” a title given to Jesus Christ as being both God and man.

theogony — the origin and genealogy of the gods, especially as recounted in ancient epic poetry.

Theologoumenon — a theological statement or utterance on theology as distinguished from an inspired doctrine or revelation.

Theophany — a manifestation or appearance of God or a god to man.

thiasus — a company assembled to celebrate the festival of one of the gods (especially Bacchus) with dancing and singing.

thodicy — a misspelling of “theodicy,” a vindication of divine justice in the face of the paradox that God is both omnipotent and benevolent and yet permits evil to exist among men.

tholus — a circular domed building or structure; a dome, cupola; a lantern.

Thrax — the city in Acis Valley. History: Thrace was the mountainous northern frontier of ancient Greece. Latin: [tracks] “Thrace,” and “Thraxacis” (Thrax + Acis) means “Thracian,” or “a Thracian.” Myth: (Greek) Thrax was a child of Ares by an unknown mother. When he attacked the shrine of Apollo on Delos, the god afflicted him with leprosy. The region of Thrace is named after him.

threnodic — of or related to a “threnody,” a song of lamentation; specifically a lament for the dead, a dirge.

thurible — a burner for incense; a censer.

thyacine — a wild animal. History: a misspelling of “thylacine,” the native Tasmanian “wolf” or “zebra-wolf.” Thylacinus cynocephalus was about the size of a collie and had a long tail and a wolflike head with short ears and strong jaws. Its coat was brownish with black stripes across the back. A nocturnal hunter, the thylacine preyed on animals up to the size of small kangaroos. It was marsupial.

thylacodon — a primitive opossum.

thylacosmil — a marsupial saber-tooth, very similar to the saber-toothed cats except that it had no incisors at all. A flange covered the sabers when the mouth was closed. Stalked about in South America during the Pliocene.

tincture — a medicinal substance dissolved in alcohol.

tokoloshe — Myth: in African folklore a mischievous and lascivious hairy dwarf, according to the OED. Fear of these monsters is apparently widespread in Africa, suggesting that the missionaries Robert and Marie of the Jungle Garden are in equatorial Africa.

travail — a rough framework to which a load can be tied to facilitate carrying or dragging it.

tribade — lesbian.

trilhoen — German: a swivel gun mounted on a saddle or howdah.

trilophodon — a genus of mastodons having molar teeth with three transverse ridges.

trompe l’oeil — (French “deceive the eye”) a technique of depicting objects so realistically that the viewer is tricked into believing that they really exist in three dimensions, or a trick painting in this style, such as a window frame on a sheer brick wall.

trumeau — a trumeau mirror is a wall mirror set in a decorative frame that often features a painted or carved panel below or above the mirror. (Hat tip to James Wynn.)

tushes — tusks.

tyrannosaur — the largest meat-eating animal ever to have lived, it measured about forty-five feet from head to tail, stood about twenty feet tall, and had a four-foot head with six-inch teeth. From the Cretaceous.

tyrian — from “Tyrian purple,” a reddish dyestuff obtained from the bodies of certain mollusks of the genus Murex and highly prized in ancient times, from Tyre, source of the dye.

U

uakari — the short-tailed monkey, Cacajao.

uhlan — A road patrol. History: (from Turkish “boy, servant”) a special type of cavalryman or lancer in various European armies (originally in Slavonic countries, especially Poland; latterly specific to the German Empire). Of Tartarian origin, they were armed with lances, pistols, sabers, and later with carbines, and were employed mainly as skirmishers and scouts.

uintather — [yew-in-ta-THEER] an Ascian beast of burden. History: uintatherium, a grotesque rhinoceros-sized mammal, with three pairs of bony protuberances on its head: a front pair on the tip of the nose, a second on the forehead, and a third at the back of the head. The upper canines were enlarged, saber-like structures protected by a flange on the lower jaw. Lived in North America during the Eocene.

upanga — the nose flute.

uranic — astronomical, celestial.

Urbis — Latin: walled town.

Uroboros — in the Commonwealth, it seems to mean 1. The equator. 2. A river or sea at the equator separating the Commonwealth from Ascia proper, hence Ocean. 3. An equatorial monster. History: (also Ouroboros) in world folk belief, a serpent or dragon devouring its own tail; often a symbol of eternity. A Gnostic symbol.

Urth — Myth: (Norse) Urth is the eldest of the Norns and represents the Past.

urticate — [ER-tick-ATE] to sting, as or like a nettle; to affect with a tingling pain or stinging sensation; or to flog with fresh stinging-nettles; also to flagellate, whip.

Urvasi and Pururavas — Myth: when the Hindu gods churned the ocean, among the beings that emerged were the Apsaras (“daughters of pleasure”), multiple spirits of all possibility, dancers and singers of the heavens, renowned for wantonness. Urvasi (a name sometimes used of Ushas) was the most famous, born when a sage surrounded by tempting Apsaras slapped his thigh. Urvasi once consented to live with a human king, but she told him that human nakedness disgusted her. He promised she would never have to see him unclothed, but then he forgot one day, and she fled. (In some versions, a flash of lightning exposes him.) Only when he promised to leave his throne and become an erotic singer-dancer did she agree to return.

Ushas — Myth: the Hindu dawn goddess who is reborn every morning and rides in a chariot pulled by cows or red horses. She is a wanton goddess, and she is said to be the mother or lover of the sun.

uturuncu — a shaman of the Quechua (Peru and Bolivia), capable of assuming the form of a tiger.

V

vasculum — a special kind of case used by botanists for carrying newly collected specimens. Usually made of tin in the form of a flattened cylinder, with a lid on one side opening along the length.

vates — a poet or bard, especially one who is divinely inspired; a prophet-poet.

Veil of Maya — the Indian word “maya” is complex in meaning. It can mean an illusion created by a supernatural agency, but it can also mean the generative force within the primeval substance. Buddha is said to have awakened from the dream-like process of maya and escaped the web of illusory experience.

Velleity — a street in Nessus. History: the fact or quality of merely willing, wishing, or desiring, without any effort or advance toward action or realization.

vermilion — a color, vivid red to reddish orange.

Vert — French: green.

Verthandi — as a planet of Urth’s solar system, this corresponds to our planet Mars. Myth: (Norse) one of the three Norns (along with Urth and Skuld), Verthandi represents the Present.

vespers — time of day from around 6:10 p.m. to sunset.

Vici — [viky] Latin: “vicis” meaning change, interchange.

vicuna — a South American animal closely related to the llama and alpaca, inhabiting the higher portions of the northern Andes and yielding a fine silky wool used for textile fabrics; also, cloth made of this wool. In pre-Columbian Peru, cloth made of vicuna was reserved for the use of the Inca himself, thus becoming a symbol of his semidivine status as a descendant of the Sun God.

vincula — “the house of chains,” the prison of Thrax. Latin: “vinculum,” a band, cord, chain, fetter, or tie.

vingtner — a sergeant commanding twenty infantrymen, from the Renaissance British Army.

virescence — the state or condition of becoming green.

viridian — a durable bluish-green pigment; a shade of bluish-green.

vivarium — a place of enclosure especially adapted or prepared for the keeping of living animals under their normal conditions.

voulge — a kind of halberd. A long-bladed axe with two loops at the rear, secured to a haft that was usually about the height of the user. Stone says that historically the halberd was evolved from the voulge, but that this form was a later peasant weapon.

W

wain — a large, open farm wagon.

Waldgrave — a title, same as wildgrave. History: formerly the chief magistrate of an uncultivated or forest region in Germany; specifically the title of a hereditary race of rulers in parts of the Rhineland.

watch — a period of time based on the length of a sentry’s duty (III, appendix, 301), one twentieth of a twenty-four hour day (Castle of Days, 228), being equal to an hour and twelve minutes. At the equinox there are ten watches of daylight and ten watches of night.

waterbuck — a species of antelope found in watered districts in central South Africa; an animal of this species, which is marked with a characteristic white ring around the buttocks.

wend — to proceed on or along (one’s way); go.

wildgrave — a title for “the chief of a band of foresters” in the Commonwealth (Castle of Days, 236). It seems to be an armiger title. History: formerly the chief magistrate of an uncultivated or forest region in Germany; specifically the title of a hereditary race of rulers in parts of the Rhineland.

wingward — the farm worker who cares for the doves (Castle of Days, 276).

X

Xanthoderms — a group of people on Urth, presumably living in the Xanthic Isles. Meaning “yellow-skinned.”

xebec — a small three-masted (originally two-masted) vessel, commonly lateen-rigged but with some square sails, used in the Mediterranean, formerly as a ship of war, now as a merchant ship.

xenagie — a cavalry unit of about 500 men, or a dimarchi unit of 1,000 men.

Y

yellowbeard — a South American pit viper, the fer-de-lance or Barba amarilla, which has a yellow spot below the chin. Also the jararaca (Bothrops atrox).

Yesod — the higher universe. Myth: (Hebrew) the angel invoked by Moses to bring death to the firstborn males in Egypt. The name means “foundation.” Yesod is also one of the sefiroth, the one that links Malkuth (Earth and the physical universe) to all the other sefiroth.

Ylem — an aspect of the Increate. History: (probably from Greek “hyle”) the primordial first substance from which, according to some theories, the elements are formed.

ylespil — the hedgehog.

yurt — a circular domed hut consisting of skins or felt stretched over a collapsible lattice framework. Used by the Kirghiz and other Mongol nomads of Siberia.

Z

ziggurat — a jungle prison. History: a form of temple common to the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians, it was a pyramidal structure, built in receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval, or square platform, with a shrine at the summit. Access to the shrine was provided by a series of ramps on one side or a continuous spiral ramp from base to summit. Similar structures were built by the Mayan cultures of Central America.

zoanthrop — one afflicted with “zoanthropy,” a form of insanity in which a man imagines himself to be a beast.

zoetic — of or relating to life; living, vital.