Calligraphy: "ishas"

A lexicon of known Ai-Naidari words and their meanings.

Note: Items in red may need author confirmation for accuracy.


adrasar [ AH DRAH saar ], (verb) - to give something of emotional, spiritual or intellectual value (as opposed to giving something of tangible/physical value)

afatra [ ah FAH traa ], (adjective) - for show, or not in earnest.

afravil [ ah frah VEEL ], (verb) - to make sparks because of friction. Originally literal, now usually figurative.

agathe [ ], (noun) - the feelings that arise in response to gaul; the tearing grief and guilt and paralysis of knowing that the fulfillment of one duty causes one to fail in another.

ahha [aa HHah], (noun / interjection) – responsibility; stewardship; care; maintenance; the out-breath of the universe. That which maintains the world, and which maintains everything else. The sacred foundation of all things.

aihhe [ EYE hhe ], (noun) - epiphany through suffering.

aimeth [ eye METH ], (noun) - oneness.

ainan [ EYE nahn ], (adjective) - lost; infrequently meant in the literal sense (as in being lost in a city), ainan usually refers to a mental state where one cannot get one's bearings.

aiqenth [ eye KENTH ], (noun) - epiphany through hard work/long effort.

aisim [ eye SEEM ], (noun) - value; only applies to people. In this case, a person's worth, as measured by the things important to Ai-Naidar: the size of their family, their contribution to society and how well they fulfill their ishas.

aivnar [ EYEV naar ], (noun) - moral duty to influence the universe toward good.

ajzel [ ah JZEHL ], (noun) - touch (non-sexual).

ajzelin [ ah jzehl EEN ], (noun) - touch-lover; beloved; someone allowed to touch your entire body in a non-sexual context at any time and in any situation or company-this word requires it be mutual on each other's parts. This blanket permission is rarely given and always a special intimacy.

akuvrash [ ah koo VRAASH ], (noun) - the local destruction of an individual's community, caused by their inability or unwillingness to accept aid, love or form connections.

alaj [ ah LAHJZ ], (noun/verb) - bloodline love, maternal instinct (but applies more broadly).

alav [ ah LAHV ], (verb)" - to sleep.

aludar [ AH loo DAWR ], (verb) - to discover/know by consulting others or observing natural phenomenon.

alun [ ah LOON ], (noun) - soul-twin (someone who is so much like you that you reinforce each other).

alurais [ ah loo RAYZ ], (noun) - loyalty, allegiance, adoration.

ama [ ah MAH ], (noun) - to long or yearn.

amepad [ AA meh pahd ], (verb) - to force above its natural state.

anajzel [ aan ah JZEHL ], (noun) touch-allowed; someone who is permitted to touch more of you than caste-rank law requires, but who cannot touch all of you; this is not necessarily mutual, and it can have rather careful rules describing its boundaries.

anajzele [ aan ah JZEHL eh ], (noun) - touch-allowed-mutual; someone who is permitted to touch more of you than caste-rank law requires, but who cannot touch all of you, a state that often has rather careful rules describing its boundaries. This is, however, a mutual condition.

anil [ ah NEEL ], (adjective) - happy; not a state, but a moment.

apadisil [ ah pah dih SEEL ], (verb) - bring out of malleable-space; the people allowed to do this are rare, and this almost always refers to the part of Correction that involves easing a person out of the state where they were receptive to Correction and into the state of once again being a normal member of society; this requires the facilitation and guidance of someone else.

aqat [ ah KAHT ], (noun) - physical violence

aridkedi [ ah rid KEH dee ], (noun) - a country merchant.

arvarnari [ ar VAR nee ], (noun) - halo or corona.

arvarnari jzilni [ ar VAR nee JZIL nee ], (noun) - the halo of the world.

as (noun) - existence, life

ashgeten [ aash geh TEHN ], (noun) - a person who is capable of reaching out to someone who is too broken to respond appropriately. The quality of being capable of this is called geten and is one of the rarer forms of esar (quality that makes one fit to lead).

ashil [ ah SHEEL ], (noun) - beauty (applies to a person, and speaks of inner beauty that transforms the body/shell in the eyes of its viewers).

ashlet [ ASH let ], (noun) - someone who works harmoniously with another, complementing their strengths and compensating for their weaknesses.

ashul [ ah SHOOL ], (noun) - compassion in the face of weakness.

ashumel [ ah shoo MEHL ], (noun) - arteries, specifically the large ones near the heart.

asim (verb) - to live by being given your life as Divine duty and gift. That's where most of us are.

astemin (verb) - living like you're creating your life, with intent.

astemir (verb) - to live like you've earned it. Something you say of people you admire, who’ve done good things.

astemshe (verb) - if someone who is about to kill you stays his hand.

atain [ ah TINE ], (adjective) - special (in a bad way).

ataja [ ah tah JZAH ], (noun) - great heart.

atan [ AH tahn ], (noun) - area of responsibility, literally "rays" - for the wedge shape atani are usually divided into.

atse [ ah TSEH ], (noun) - emotional outlets; anything that allows a person to relieve emotional stress in a safe, healthy and socially acceptable way.

aunera [ au NEH rah ], (noun, sing. aunerai) - 1. a color-emerald green, very lush and deep, with a slight tint of blue. 2. anything or anyone alien, from people and worlds to emotions and thoughts (though more rarely used for the latter).

aunfensael [ awn fehn SAIL ], (noun) - furless; some Ai-Naidar are born with no fur (usually on their ventrals, particularly the chest and throat or face); in rare cases, with no fur at all. This is considered exotic and somewhat unseemly.

aunsael [ awn SAIL ], (adjective) - nude, without clothing; has a connotation of "stripped" (as in, to the essential and atomic).

av [AHV], (noun, sing. avrani) - weapons, specifically, for combat/defense.

avadr [ ah VAHDR ], (verb) - to study/do office work.

avadrin [ ah vah DREEN ], (noun) - offices, studies.

avjz [ AHVJZ ], (noun) - war


baij [ ], (adj) - new

bairek narili [ BEHR ek nee REE lee ] , (verb) - to incise wounds while applying the dye. This ritual often cripples, and sometimes kills, those it is bestowed upon. Only Thirukedi is permitted to bestow such marks.

ban [ BAHN ], (verb) to do, to act.

banaj [ bah NAHJZ ], (noun) - non-verbal communication between two people who are close.

banaje [ bah nah JZEH ], (verb) - to communicate non-verbally with one with whom one is intimate.

bashen [ bah SHEN ], (verb) - to make food nourishing. Implies cooking, but not necessarily; raw food that is made nourishing (by the addition of sauces, or by preparing it to make it more easily digested) is also said to have been bashen.

bashendari [ bah shen DAHR ee ], (noun) - person who makes food nourshing. Cook. Chef.

bat [ baht ], (noun) - head

batidindin [ bah tee DEEN DEEN ], (noun) - someone with a constipated head (too full of thoughts to think clearly).

bathe [ bah THEH ], (adj) - tight

bej [ BEHJZ ] (adj) - wet

belevan [ beh leh VAAHN ], (noun) love-gifts.

beqada [ beh KAA dah ], (noun) - outlets; appropriate, safe and healthy ways for non-Ai-Naidar to release stress. This can be emotional stress (as in animals), or it can be mechanical (as in machines). Note that systems, such as societies, do not use this word; they use atse, the word for a thinking person's emotional outlets.

berek [ beh REK ], (verb) - to maintain (things/animals/machines/etc).

biden [ bee DEHN ], (noun) leadership quality (rare form of esar), which allows a person to see a flaw in a person, understand its wellspring, and know implicitly how to Correct it to make that person whole.

bikun [ BEE koon ], (noun) the inability to form deep attachments to those who are capable of returning one's feelings.

bip [ beep ], [noun] - little cups

bipren [ BEEP rehn ], (noun) - cups for drinking from

bip hefa [ BEEP HEH fah], (noun) - bowls for sauce or dips

biret [ bee REHT ], (noun) ambition: defined among Ai-Naidar as a desire to be superior to others by accruing more wealth, achievement, power or fame than is appropriate for a person of one's caste and rank. Considered a sickness that requires Correction.

bothev [ boh THEHV ], (verb) - to open/unroll a scroll

bri [ BREE ], (prep) be contained in (part of). Roughly analogous to 'of'.

brol [ BROHL ], (noun) - Solar day. Distinct based on season and world.

buf [ BOOF ], (excl) - sound effect made when someone takes a blow that could have been avoided/teaches them not to knock their heads. This word might be scrawled alongside a picture of a teacher smacking a student on the side of the head.



da [ DAA ], (verb) to go.

daler [ dah LEHR ], (adj) - brown, very dark, sable-brown

dan [ DAHN ], (verb) to maze/confuse.

dar [ DAWR ], (noun) people; one person: dari.

darhefa [noun], distracting

dar ieleten [ dahr ee eh LEH tehn ], (noun) extinction; failure of a species/people.

dare [ DAWR eh ], (noun) family; those related to an individual or under his/her protection as a family (important: this includes chosen-family as well as blood-family).

dari-dari [ dah ree dah ree ], (noun) - slang: food that is prepared so that it's easy to share

daridin [ dawr ee DEEN ], (verb) – to tussle with siblings.

daridibin [ dawr ee dee BEEN ], (noun) – sibling fighting.

dashalin [ dah shah LEEN ], (interjection) "What is repented of is forgiven." Since the public condemnation of wrong-doing is one of the duties of the Ai-Naidar, it is not uncommon for people's misdemeanors to be aired in public. It is essential that those who are so seen are assumed to have paid their debts, repented and are "clean" again. This interjection is an expression of that forgiveness.

davraj [ dav RAHJZ ], (verb) - to part from/separate (as in separating dough, fabric, etc from its greater body)

defin [ deh FEEN ], (noun) - squabble. A fight that has nothing to do with the topic; the topic is an excuse to let the participants blow off steam caused by small relationship incompatibilities or day to day stresses.

delet [ dehl EHT ], (noun) - kitchen; place where food is prepared.

deshyet [ dehsh YEHT ], (verb) - to have one's concentration interrupted when one is trying to focus on something that requires a great deal of time.

devre [ ], (noun) clutter, referring specifically and without separation to both the spiritual and physical sorts.

dibin [ dee BEEN ], (noun) - play-fight/mock-fight; banter. Can be verbal or physical.

dif [ DEEF ], (verb) -- to act, in particular to act in a way that is comical or mischievous.

dili [ DEE LEE ], (adj) - dry

dindin [ deen deen ], (noun) - festival desserts made from compacted rice

diqed [ DEE kehd ], (noun, sing. diqedi) mentor; one who can no longer perform all the duties of his/her caste-rank and is now primarily engaged in aiding others to perfect their own understanding of their duties. Often a role that falls to the elderly or disabled, but can sometimes land on one who is very good at teaching.

diquqash [ ], (noun) - the science/study of perpetuating healthy communities

diqut [ DEE koot ], (noun) an herbal compound commonly given to males who want children but are having physical issues performing the act that begets them. Has also come to mean any physically unpleasant or difficult duty that has desirable results.

dira [ DEER ah ], (adjective) special (in a good way).

dosh [ DOHSH ], (verb) - forget

duin [ doo EEN ], (noun) silence.

duini [ doo EE nee ], (adjective) mute.

dul [ DOOL ], (noun) - mold/form (particularly used for scrolls)

duleyov [ dool eh YOHV ], (noun) - scroll handle

dulun [ doo LOON ], (verb) - to serve as something that molds other things. Can be literal or figurative (to set an example for)


echera [ eh CHAIR ah ], (noun) administrator; specifically, an assistant or planner or scheduler or administrator who is so on top of things they seem to be everywhere at once, and yet never seem ruffled. This word used to mean "asset" and has since migrated to mean, specifically, someone who is one.

edari falni [ eh dahr ee FAHL nee ], (noun) - duet

ehenej [ eh heh NEHZH ], (noun) ejecta; vomit. Originally a medical term describing something ejected via force from the body, now generalized for any kind of rejected thing, so long as it is violently flung. It is often used by Guardians to describe shrapnel, for instance. It is never used to describe a part of the object in question, however; the sun's ejecta when it flings off some of its volume is not ehenej, because the ejecta was originally part of the sun.

ekain [ eh KINE ], (noun) story (this is a plural noun with no singular). When Ai-Naidar wish to refer to a discrete story, they use the word for its type (as we would use "novel" for a fictional work of a specific size and intention, rather than, say, a "parable").

eker [ eh KAIR ], (noun) shame.

elejzeneth [ ehl eh jzeh NEHTH ], (noun) acceptance-happiness; the feeling of pleasure one derives from helping those around you when you have the right help to give and they have the right need you can fulfill.

elet [ eh LEHT ], (noun, sing. eleti) eyes.

elev [ eh LEHV], (noun) - "benefit of the doubt." Your willingness to believe that people who do things differently (or believe things you think are stupid, wrong or dangerous), are not bad people who want to destroy you, but that they have some reasonable cause for their actions/thoughts.

elij [ eh LEEJZ ], (noun) - vital spark, the different thing that inspires or gives life to something otherwise stable or stagnant or sterile

enaril [ eh nah REEL ], (noun) - ribbons. Can be literal, also applies to the patterns drawn on Ai-Naidar during the merethek by their lords and ladies.

enel [ eh NEHL ], (adj) - clean, presentable, groomed, dressed. Applies only to people.

emas [ eh MAHS ], (noun) trust; specifically the trust that develops when an authority has power and does not abuse it. This trust is largely responsible for society working, and is not possible if those in power are forbidden every excess or wrongful use of their power.

emejars [ eh meh JAHRS ], (noun) - a fight caused by big, existing emotional problems between two people

emeth [ eh MEHTH ], (noun) perspective; the ability to see oneself in the context of everything else. The cultivation of perspective is considered a necessary requirement for contentment, empathy and healthy, normal behaviors, and many soul-sicknesses are said to be the result of a failure of perspective.

emethil [ eh meh THIHL ], (noun) chain; biological concept, of self as part of a long, unbroken line of blood family, from ancestors to children. Has connotations of eternity and immortality, but without the strong sense of individual persistence.

enaima [ eh nai MAH ], (verb) to let someone go; to let them grow up; to let them take care of themselves. Most often used in a parental context, but not limited to that relationship.

enil [ eh NEEL ] , (verb) to see obliquely; to look at something and see not what is obvious to others. A necessary quality for an Exception, but also useful in others who need to solve problems.

eqi [ eh KEE ], (noun) - family tree shape (a dense globe)

eqet [ ], (noun) - House (group of family members)

equril [ eh koo REEL ], (noun) - family tree/line/lineage

eritkedi [ eh RIT keh dee ], (noun) city noble.

esar [ eh SAAR ], (noun) the quality that makes one a superb leader; this is a sublime thing composed of your character, your actions, your social position (rank and caste), your upbringing. There are many different kinds of esar.

eshan [ eh SHAHN ], (noun) rivers; running water.

eshev [ eh SHEHV ], (verb) - to kiss another when their mouth tastes of your body fluids.

ethek [ eh THEHK ], (noun) condition by which none of the rules apply; this is often referred to in stories where both the rules of rank and caste and the Book of Exceptions have no power over the behavior of a person. There is both an element of fright and fascination with the ethek.

evra [ EHV rah ], (verb) to urinate (aimed).

evrul [ EH vrool ] , (verb) to assign blame and innocence to the proper parties; to correctly place people in the roles of victim, perpetrator, bystander and abettor. A legal term referring to a duty of priests, Guardians and those serving as judges.


fada [ fa DAH ], (noun) guilt, improper; used only when a person feels guilt for a situation for which they are not responsible. Sometimes incorrectly translated "survivor's guilt", but is more broadly applicable to any instance where a person takes on guilt for something undeserving.

fael [ FAYL ], (noun) - eyelashes. Irregular singular faelni does not refer to one eyelash, but to all the lashes of a single eye. A single lash when it falls is known as a gevani elet, "eye-hair."

fail [ FILE ], (verb) - to soak.

fajza [ fah JZAH ], (verb) - to wash (people only).

fal [ FAHL ], (verb) - to sing

faln [ FALHN], (noun) - songs

famepad [ FAA meh pahd ], (verb) to leave in its natural state.

fashanil [ ], (adjective) demonstrative in showing affection, the opposite of uvren.

fathra [ FAH THRAA ], (noun) - napkins

fathra bej [ FAH THRAA behjz ], (noun) - wet napkin, used during meal to keep fingers clean

fathra dili [ FAH THRAA dee lee], (noun) - dry napkin, used after meal to finish tidying yourself

fathriked [ FA thri KEHD ], (noun, sing. fathrikedi) Decoration, an Ai-Naidar social caste; can refer to the caste itself or the individual fathriked within the caste.

frafra [ frah frah ] (noun) - a digestive/stimulant herb used as a palate cleanser. Flavor like... mint or pepper (or both); is both piquant and refreshing.

fenza [ FEHN zah ], (noun) fur (not interchangeable with hair, a different word). Ai-Naidari fur is very short and very fine, more like felt or velveteen than animal fur. Singular fenzani refers to a pelt (on or off a person), not to a single hair.

fijza [ FEE jzah ], (noun) need to follow, be subordinate, serve one particular person, be receptive/submissive, be given clear direction (one side of the scale of ieqera).

fil [ FEEL ], (noun) any small thing used to scent a space: incense, essential oils, potpourri, etc. Does not apply to perfume, except in derogatory terms (i.e. saying "he was wearing so much cologne he could have perfumed a temple"). Different kinds of fil are made clear by appending other words. Also used figuratively referring to fil ekain, or "incense stories", short tales which linger long after they have ended.

filirij [ fee lih REEJZ ], (noun) a cover for something that it is inappropriate to look at. Most commonly used for guns.

fol [ fohl ] , (adjective) imperfect.

ful [ FOOL ], (adj) - black, the black of the world, of night skies, of caves, etc.

fulgeth [ fool GEHTH ], (noun) the feeling one feels toward a person who continually pushes one away, usually described as a combination of antipathy and exhaustion.

fushel [ foo SHEHL ], (adjective) rejected; specifically, when one offers a loved one necessary help but is refused, resulting in the loved one limping onward in poor state out of stubbornness.


gabisin [ gah beh SEEN ], (noun) - small, nibbling animals. 'gabisini' singular; colloquially, 'nuisance', in an affectionate way.

gadare [ ], (noun), - house (building)

gafen [ gah FEHN ], (verb) - scraping with the teeth

gaj [ GAHJZ ], (noun) -- the need for singularity, for unique circumstances.

gaij [ GUYJZ ] (noun) - life

gash [ GAHSH ], (noun) - emotional violence, passion, deep emotion, aggression

gathe [ gah THEH ], (noun) torture; specifically "suffering or pain without purpose or result."

gaude [ gow DEH ], (noun) dignity.

gaul [ GOWL ], (noun) a situation in which duties conflict among Ai-Naidar.

gaune [ gow NEH ], (adj) to be focused on the wrong thing; to be using the wrong lens through which to see something, causing all your assumptions about it to be incorrect.

gav [ GAHV ], (noun) - plates

gav qeja [ gahv qehjza ] (noun) - sharing plate

gavjzah [ gahv JZAH ], (verb) - to eat without rushing, for pleasure, in company.

gavye [ gahv YEH ], (noun) - scrolls. Singular is irregular gavyein.

gavye bathe [ gahve yeh BAH theh ], (noun, idiom) - "tight scrolls". Someone who has it together.

gavye san [ gahv yeh SAHN ], (noun, idiom) - "scroll hands." Someone with a delicate touch, literally and/or emotionally. (Someone whose hands doesn't damage scrolls when using/reading).

gavyuthe [ gahv yoo THEH ], (noun, idiom) - "loose scrolls." Someone scattered, disorganized, unable to think clearly.

geles [ geh LESS ], (noun) contrasting note; that which, against a backdrop of similar feelings, items or things offers a distinct counter without which one would lose the appreciation of that which one is experiencing.

gelfen [ gehl FEHN ], (adj) - cream, soft/pale cream color, yellowish in tint

gelme [ gehl MEH ], (adjective) humble.

gelme shera [ GEHL meh sheh RAH nee ], (noun, sing. gelme sherani), the humble plant, the host plant for let arva, the tea vine.

gelmesh [ gehl MEHSH ], (noun) the quality (or qualities), act(s) and/or thought(s) that form the foundation of positive relationship.

geten [ geh TEHN ], (noun) the ability to reach out to someone who is too broken to respond appropriately. This is considered one of the rarer forms of esar (in that if it not often necessary). A person with this quality is known as an ashgeten.

geva [ geh VAH ], (noun) - hair, as in the hair on one's head. Also refers to the hair that grows at the end of the tail, and to the tufts at the end of one's ear.

gevani emethil (noun) - one long hair; genealogists wear this single long hair as a symbol of their profession. Literally (more or less) "hair chain," (as in the biological chain of generations).

geven [ ],(verb) - to make live

gife [ GEE feh ], (noun) glimmer; the shards of colored light cast by stained glass or painted paper when light passes through it. Colloquially used to refer to bits of happiness cast by a single source.

gifele [ GEE feh leh ], (adjective) glimmery; said of something that sheds colored light, like a mirrored ball, stained glass window or painted paper. Also used colloquially to describe anything that causes little bits of happiness. A good relationship is often referred to as gifele.

gilin [ gee LEEN ], (noun) - ear-fluff, ear-decorations, ear-prettiness. Anything that makes the ears more decorative, whether that's coloration, tufts, or even jewelry.

gilindul [ gee leen DOOL ], (noun) - decorations on the end of a scroll rod/handle.

gish [ GEESH ], (verb) - to grab food on the go, or eat quickly because you are between engagements.

gishirashi [ geesh ee RAH shee ], (noun) - a breakfast room, nook, counter, etc, in a house where you grab food. Does not usually have chairs; if it does, they are not comfortable "sit for a long time" chairs. Plural is "gishirash," and can also be applied to food carts or other temporary stands where someone can get quick food.

goli [ goh LEE] (noun) - a stick

goli senulij (noun) - printing/angular writing, literally 'stick writing'


haale [ haa LEH ], (adjective) empty.

hail ( verb ) - to grow

haraa [ ha RAH ], (noun) - courage.

has [ hahs], (noun) - paint

has senulij (noun) - cursive writing, literally paint writing

hasmera [ hahs MARE ah ], (noun) propriety; this is the propriety specifically of Kherishdar, which involves knowledge of the caste and rank relationships and the exceptions that rule them.

hav [ HAHV ], (verb) - to relax.

havran [ hahv RAHN ], (noun) - relaxation.

hefa [ heh FAH ], (adj) - delicious

hefshe [ hef SHEH ], (noun) - qualities in spirit that differentiate castes. Singular is hefsheni.

helun [ heh LOON ], (noun) camaraderie, particularly among those in dangerous or difficult professions.

henej [ heh NEHJZ ], (verb) to reject, violently. Originally medical terminology, used to describe the body's violent expulsion of toxic/poisonous material.

hhaf [ HHAHF ], (verb) - to maintain (relationships/people/society)

hhafran [ hhahf RAHN ], (adj) - maintained (emotionally/socially). Said only of people.

hharane [ hhah RAA neh ], (noun) caste-peer.

hhashan [ HHAH shahn ], (adjective) corrosive.

hhaza [ HHAH zah (extended 'h') ], (noun) caste-rank; literally "responsibility."

hhelfen [ hhehl FEHN ], (noun) - the area beneath the jaw and above the neck; the underside of the jaw.

hhesin [ hheh SEEN ], (noun) catharsis through suffering.

hijz [ HEEJZ ] (verb) - to make

hil [ HEEL ], (noun) - sun (modern/star). Distinct from archaic and now poetic tan.

hon (noun) - sword.


Ai-Naidari word samples.

hulv (adj) - old


idin [ ee DEEN ], (verb) – to play-fight someone. Can be verbal or physical. Not the same as teasing, though play-fighting can be done as a form of teasing.

idini faln [ ee dee nee fahln], (noun) - competition song

iekuvren [ yeh KOOV rehn ], (noun) destructive independence; in which a person believes they do not require or must not ask for the aid of others, or the connection of relationships, or love when in fact they do and must, and push all attempts of those who care about them away. This quality leads to akuvrash, the local destruction of an individual's community.

ieleten [ yeh LEH ten ], (noun) the failure that comes from attempting to make one's way alone in a situation or environment where one absolutely needs aid.

iena [ yeh NAH ], (noun) self-negation; the feeling that prompts a person to feel as if they don't deserve help or love, or that their existence is in some fashion a burden on those they care about. Considered a form of sickness.

ienul [ yeh NOOL ], (adjective) "puts on bulk"; said of someone who easily gains weight (with no distinction between fat and muscle). Not a usual quality.

ieqera [ yeh KAIR aa ], (noun) balance between desire to lead and desire to follow. Every person's ieqera is different, leaning more towards one or the other, but every Ai-Naidari has both qualities in them.

ievanset [ yeh VAHN seht ], (verb) to call attention to things that shouldn't be noticed.

ievatashen [ yeh vaht AHSH ehn ], (noun) someone who consistently dwells on things that should not be paid attention to.

ievetsen [ yeh VEHT sen ], (verb) to not ignore the things that should be ignored.

ikirim [ ee kee REEM ], (adjective) "best when small"; used when something is best enjoyed at a small size, in moderation, in a small space, just small in general.

ikul [ EE kool ], (noun) public censure; this leads to shame, which corrects improper/unwanted behavior, and is considered a social moral duty.

ilaven raji [ ee LAH ven RAH zhee ], (noun) strong pavement. Terminology used in the game Rivers and Bridges.

ilthir [ ihl THEER ] (noun) civilization.

ipal [ ee PAAL ], (noun) public demonstration of virtue; this is considered a form of example-setting and is one of the a social moral duties of all Ai-Naidar.

is [ EES ], (noun) - the ability to continue while suffering an excess of emotion; composure; equanimity (a little like)

isaludar [ ih SAH loo DAWR ], (noun) knowledge; the vast body of knowledge that exists outside yourself, as a resource in other people, which can only be accessed through other people.

ishan [ ee SHAWN ], (noun) appreciation of fullness of a thing's span, from its inception to its ending; implies that it is worthy at every moment of its existence, and acknowledges that it is different in the beginning from how it is at its peak and how it is at its end, and that this too is part of its worth.

ishas [ EES haas ], (noun) spirit; very specifically, your ishas is what defines your caste and rank no matter what caste and rank you're born to. This is your social identity (which for the Ai-Naidar is inextricable from your personality and who you are). On a very real level, you simply are your ishas.

ishil [ ih SHEEL ], (noun) belief.

ishte [ YSH teh ], (adjective) the world's quality of being morally neutral. In basic, expresses that the world, fate, life neither leans toward evil and sorrow, nor toward happiness and good, but that the universe is a moral blank awaiting the influence of the Ai-Naidar.

iskad [ EES kahd ], (noun) "book-soul", a copy of a book used by calligraphers and illuminators to create new copies; it is simply the text, with annotations on traditional letter treatments and illuminations.


jars [ jahrs ], (verb) - to fight with someone because of big, existing emotional problems.

jarashemeth [ jahr ah sheh METH ], (noun) -peace after sorting through a huge emotional fight/problem

jenil [ jeh NEEL ], (adjective) pioneering; said of people who have the ability to exist on the leading edge of society. Jenil people are often colonists, observers (scientists), engineers, or exist in any profession where individualism is useful.

jev (noun), - riding beast. If you decline the word, it refers to the animal, and if you conjugate it, it refers to the act of traveling by beastback.

jiliqil [ jee lee KEEL ], (noun) - dreams, fitful. The sort of dreams one has while dozing, that leave one confused and disoriented when one wakes.

jzan [ jzaan ], (adj) - separately apportioned

jzangav [ jzan GAHV ], (noun) - the plate you eat your portion of food off of.

jzankul [ jzan KOOL ], (noun) - single-person serving of food

jzasu [ JZAA soo ], (noun) psychological comfort; jzasu is a state of the soul or heart, and there is a connotation that it is reached by putting the heart at ease or peace. This is not an intellectual process.

jzene [ jzeh NEH ], (noun) - sacred witness.

jzeneth [ jzeh NEHTH ], (adjective) accepted; specifically, when one offers love, comfort or aid to another and is accepted. This includes an emotional feeling of pleasure on the part of both receiver and giver.

jzesil [ jzeh SEEL ], (verb) to touch.

jzesusil [ jzeh soh SEEL ], (verb) touch-permit; to allow to touch a certain area.

jziadrasar [ jzih AH dra saar ], (verb) to receive something of intellectual, spiritual or emotional value (a gift).

jzil [ JZEEL ], (noun) worlds; singular version is irregular jzilni, not jzili.

jzirudar [ jzih roo DAH ], (noun) recipients of a tangible gift (formed from jzirusir); orphans.

jzirusir [ jzih roo SEER ], (verb) to receive something of tangible value (a gift).

jzul (noun) art

jzulshen (noun) artist (singular: jzulsheni)


kabin [ kah BEEN ], (noun) - "where you left off". The place in a scroll where you stopped reading.

kad [ KAHD ], (noun) - books

kadkabin [ kahd kah BEEN ], (noun) - bookmarks. Literally "where you stopped reading in a book."

kadled [ KAHD lehd ], (verb) to know; this is knowing of a deep-seated, instinctual, gut-type feeling, acquired almost subconsciously.

kad livini [ KAHD LEE vee NEE ], (noun ) - office, study (antiquated)

kava [ kaa VAH ], (noun) peer.

kedare [ keh DAWR eh ], (noun) intimate activities that lead to the creation of family members (children or chosen-family). This form of intimate act is highly regulated by social rules and pressure.

kei [ KAY ], (adverb) yes; affirmative.

kelura [ keh LURE ah ], (noun) intimate activities that have no effect on family matters: in other words, does not cause children or form bonds that must be recognized formally as part of family. This form of intimate act is considered a matter of personal choice and largely goes unremarked in Kherishdar

kejev [ ], (noun) the passion, the zest, the daring. An unusual form of esar, one that can become recklessness.

keva [ keh VAH ], (noun) person who's into everything, trying to figure out how it works. This applies equally to children asking "Why" all the time and busybodies who want the latest gossip and elderly relatives who want to know if you really know what you're doing.

kiqirin [ kee kee REEN ], (noun): Archaic. "little sisters" From qirin, "sisters" and ki- (antiquated), "small; precious; to be protected; delicate." In modern use, a type of bird that, once it reaches adulthood, sings each day no matter its estate--even a dying kiqirin will sing--until it perishes. Though the Ai-Naidar do not keep pets, it is considered good fortune (and a pleasure) to have attracted the visitation of a kirqirin, which is usually found only in the small grasses of fields far from cities. From the word for this bird comes the interjection "ki-kiqirin," after the sound of its warm-up call; this is usually translated as "Sing while you yet live."

kirana [ kee RAH nah ], (noun) religion. Note: this word is neither singular nor plural. It cannot be made into a singular form because there are no "religions" there is only "religion."

kiri [ KEE REE], (adj) - small

kiv [ KIHV ], (verb ) - to speak.

kolaqat [ kohl ah KAHT ], (noun) - fight-logic, the logic of violence

kolesh [ koh LEHSH ], (noun) - an argument involving abstractions, conducted logically; a debate.

kolovar [ koh loh VAHR ], (noun) - Guardian jargon, "Guardian's pride." Attitude.

kreva [ KREH vah ], (noun) waste water.

kup [ KOOP], (noun) - small, precious boxes

kul [ KOOHL ], (noun) - food.

kul kup [ koohl koop], (noun) - a covered dish used to hold a damp napkin

kuvanset [ koo VAHN seht ], (verb) to fail to call attention to something that should be paid attention to.

kuvetsen [ koo VEHT sehn ], (verb) to ignore something that should not be ignored.

kuvre [ koo VREH ], (adjective) -- "fortunately built." To be sexually attractive; to have a body with features that are considered advantageous in bedplay.


later [ lah TARE ], (verb) to know via inspiration; to "get it."

lavash [ lah VAHSH ], (noun) - sleeping arrangements.

lebra [ leh BRAH ], (noun) - humor.

lekain [ leh KAYN ], (verb) – to write/create. As in "to write stories," not as in "to write down on paper."

lenil [ leh NEEL ], (noun) - flowers

leshan [ leh SHAHN ], (verb) - to debate

let [ LEHT ], (noun) tea.

let aidaremethil [ LEHT aye DAH reh meh THEEL ], (noun) "tea-plant symbiosis;" the state of working with another to achieve a mutual success.

let arva [ LEHT AHR vah ], (noun) tea vine.

let raikash [ leht RYE kaash ], (noun) tea victory: a victory reached by compromise by the offended parties.

letemereth [leht eh mehr ETH ], (noun) the success gained through working in conjunction with another.

letshilva [ leht SHEEL vah ], (noun) complete usefulness; when every last particle of utility has been wrung from something.

lever [ leh VARE ], (noun, sing. leveri) a private garden or courtyard for the use of guests. Can be entirely enclosed or only partially.

lijzan [ lii JZAHN ], (noun) masks.

livin [ lee VEEHN ], (noun) - alcove, small space; differs from pali in that livin can be closed off with expectation of privacy.

lokiv [ loh KEEV ], (noun) - conversations. Can be literal or unspoken (as when there is banaj). Also, Guardian jargon for fights.

lolnev [ lohl nehv ], (noun) - serving spoons; shovels

lukuvr [ loo KOOVR ], (noun) - the need for emotional intimacy

lura [ LOO raa ], (noun) love.

lus [ LOOS ], (noun) - talent

lusanin [ loos ah NEEN ], (adj) - talented, particularly good talent


madrasar [ mah drah SAHR ], (verb) - to eat with family, deliberately and patiently, as a way of coming together and sharing news/the day. This is a backformation from the word madrasarash, a word for a family's dining hall.

madrasarash [ mah drah sahr AHSH ], (noun) - dining halls (singular: madrasarashi). The room in an Ai-Naidari family house large enough for the whole family to gather for meals.

maien [ my EHN ], (noun) that which creates soul-sickness; a concept, an idea, a thought that, when contemplated, promotes alienation and twisted feelings; it inspires bad thoughts that themselves take root and become breeders of more soul-sickness.

maine [ MY neh ], (adj) - black, the glossy-black of fur

makadled [ mah KAHD lehd ], (noun) knowledge; more properly, instinctual knowledge, or knowledge learned by immersion (as children learn initially, by being surrounded by others and absorbing their behavior, language, and contextual clues).

makadled melesholi [' 'mah KAHD lehd 'meh leh SHOHL ee '], (noun) the kind of knowledge one can only absorb while free of excess stimulation.

manaimas [ mah neye MAHS ], (adjective) to be dominant/a leader.

manais [ mah NEYES ], (noun) duties a lord owes to those in his or her charge.

malater [ mah lah TARE ], (noun) knowledge gotten via inspiration.

maraleva [ mah rah LEH vah ], (noun) reverse-guided tour; in which the participants wander freely under the supervision of the guide, who then explains the points of interest they have found.

masured [ MAA soo rehd ], (noun) liegelords / liegeladies (only applies to nobles who have underlings)

mat [ MAAHT ], (adj) - sweet

medar [ meh DAHR ], (noun) ancestors; those of my bloodline who came before me.

mefizjan [ meh feejz AHN ], (adjective) to be subordinate/a follower.

mehhe [ MEH hheh ], (noun) suffering.

melefar [ meh leh FAHR ], (noun) veil-glow.

meleshol [ meh leh SHOHL ], (noun) a portmanteau of the word for veil-glow and the word for breathpause, shol.

meleshol vekka [ meh leh SHOHL veh kkah (long 'k') ], (noun) “lights-out pilgrims.”

menain [ meh NEYEN ], (noun) duties one owes to one's liege-lord or lady.

menured [ MEHN yoo rehd ], (noun, sing. menuredi) loyal servants of a liegelord or liegelady; a special connotation of fidelity and intimacy. The liegelord/lady counterpart is masured(i).

mepad [ MEH pahd ], (verb) to force down from its natural state.

meqet [ meh KEHT ], (noun) duty; in particular, one's duty to the easily overlooked, without whom one would never be what one is: family, society, those who came before you. The saying "standing on the shoulders of giants" is a perfect illustration of meqet.

merethek [ MARE-eh-thehk ], (noun) A ritual in which someone of lower caste-rank pledges fealty to one of higher, and both acknowledge their mutual duties, lord to vassal. During this ritual, the higher-ranked paints a ribbon pattern on the lower with a dye (or bleach). This dye fades over the course of a year, at which point the ritual is observed again. Only Thirukedi uses permanent dyes.

mesiln [ meh SEELN ], (verb) to submit; a virtue. Everyone submits to someone or something in Kherishdar, and to do so with grace is admired.

met [ meht ], (noun) - body

meteset [ meh teh seht ], (adjective) "best when large"; used when something is best enjoyed at a large size, exuberantly or in large amounts, in a large space, just large in general.

metkivren [ meht KEEV rehn], (noun) - body-speech

metkoj [ meht KOHJZ ], (noun) - body-discipline

metteth [ meh TEHTH ] , (verb) To deal with a crisis and then have any necessary emotional collapse to wait before reacting.

metyave [ meht YAH veh ], (noun) - body-memory, muscle memory

min [ MIHN ], (adverb) no.

mith [ myth ], (noun) interdependence.

morananil [ mohr ahn ah NEEL ], (noun) - world-travel sickness; any physical issue caused by the passage from one world to another, be it illness due to new bacteria, response to local flora/fauna or gravity/breathing/etc issues.

muril [ moo REEL ], (noun) - respect


naima [ neye MAH ], (noun) need to lead, be in charge, take care of others, be aggressive, make decisions (one side of the scale of ieqera).

naimeqet [ neye meh KEHT ] , (adjective) legally antiquated; used of customs, laws or traditions that are held over from earlier times and are not strictly consonant with existing custom.

naiqil [ neye KEEL ], (noun) - your particular family context

nalan [ nah LAWN ], (noun) influence; one's effect on others (conscious or not).

nalureth [ nah lure EHTH], (noun) emotional capacity; the individual ability to cope with, stretch, give or handle emotional situations, carrying with it the understanding that each person's is different. Emotional health is measured in a person's nalureth.

nama [ nah MAA ], (noun) experience, the wisdom that comes from experience, actually living many years. This is almost never considered a quality of the young.

nav [ NAHV ], (noun) - drinks

nav kiri [ nahv kee ree ], (noun) - "small drinks". Drinks that are consumed for taste, not nutrition, and come in limited servings.

navel [ nah VEHL ], (noun) the unhappiness caused by disappointing one's parents, family or elders. Often considered the first moral feeling in children and the first sign of empathy.

nejzen [ ne JZEHN ], (noun) Wall of Birth; the line separating those of Noble or Regal birth from those beneath it.

nelijzan [ neh lii JZAHN ], (verb) to deceive, purposefully; to put on a different face for the specific purpose of misleading someone. Derived from lijzan, masks.

nelojz [ neh LOHZ ], (verb) - to starve from lack of emotional intimacy

nem [ NEHM ], (noun) - grace

nemet [ neh MEHT ], (noun) divination game used to see which family members will teach which values or lessons to an unborn child, usually played with small strips of folded paper.

nemreqet [ nehm reh QWEHT ], (noun) acts, in particular those that require physical rigor: not labor, but rigor, as in going without sleep, a great deal of travel, physical supervision of others, walking, moving or riding. This word does not refer to hobbies or things done for fun, only to duties, obligations, or work/job-related functions.

nemreqet qera [ nehm reh QWEHT QWARE aa ], (noun) active duties; what is expected of adults in the prime of their lives.

nep [ NEHP ], (noun) - shallow, blade-like spoons used for eating

nep kivelu - “spoon speak.” The use of utensils to make commentary.

nep raina – “spoon courtesies” (more or less). The warm fuzzies you’re given by someone who treated you well with spoon-speak.

nesthae [ nehs THAY ], (noun) exception; has unsavory connotations: ghost, demon, outside, unlike. Not quite alien, but contra-societal.

niv (exclamation) - "there are no discarded Ai-Naidar" (one word to mean this whole phrase)

no [ NOH ] - thus

nojzel [ noh JZEHL ], (noun, sing. nojzeli) touch-points: these are specific zones or parts of the body that require specific permission (either under caste law or by individual permission) to be touched, and include points such as the nape of the neck, the face and the spine.

norveh [ nohr VEH ], (verb) - to eat methodically, for fuel (with or without company).

noshan [ noh SHAWN ], (adjective) weird, absurd, strange or unexpected, usually in a funny way.

noshan ekain [ noh SHAHN eh KAYN ], (noun) funny story/stories (this word has no numbered form). An anecdote where the humor derives from something odd, absurd, strange or unexpected. This is the kind of story that you might start by saying, "So I was walking to work and the funniest thing happened to me..."

noshelash [ noh shehl AHSH ], (noun) a person to whom strange, absurd or unexpected things are always happening. This person usually has an endless supply of funny stories to tell, most of them starting, "So I was just on my way to [do something normal] when..."

nubril [ noo BREEL ], (noun) - glasses (for drinking)

nuil [ noo EEL ], (noun) a gratefulness that comes only from having a poison drained from one's spirit, a gratitude known most frequently from Correction.

nul [ NOOL ], (noun) - moon.

nulin [ noo LEEN ], (adj) - white, the pale blue-ish white like moonlight.


oj [ OHJZ ], (adj) - evidence of/existence/visible/tangible. Not entirely sure of the part of speech.

ojun [ oh JZOON ], (noun) rifles, any long-barreled gun. Singular, ojuni.

okoli [ oh koh LEE ], (noun) - building of logical proofs, construction of arguments

oneril [ oh neh REEL ], (noun). Relieving-room; restroom; contains toilet and sink for washing.

oni [ oh NEE ], (noun) -- stick figures. Very simplistic/stylized art depicting people.

onini lebra [ oh NEE NEE leh BRAH ], (noun) -- stick figure humor. An art form that uses stick figures in sequence (or single panels) to depict humorous situations. Sometimes abbreviated to "onini."

onoj [ oh NOHJZ ] - starvation from the lack of emotional intimacy

oseven [ oh seh VEHN ], (adj) - busy, overly busy.

osulked [ ah SOOL ked ], (noun, sing. osulkedi) minister; highest rank in Public Servant caste, with few members. Osulked serve Thirukedi (the Emperor) directly, but this is not their distinguishing characteristic, as all Ai-Naidar may be called to serve Him. Osulked are known by their service to anyone in the Empire who asks, no matter their rank or their location. They are often sent by Thirukedi to different communities to offer their services, if it is perceived those communities need special aid.

oven [ oh VEHN ], (adj) - unavailable, unconscious. Said of someone who is not available because they are asleep, unconscious or fainted.


pad [ PAWD ], (noun) state (only refers to an individual's state).

pad melesholi [ PAHD meh leh SHOH lee ], (noun) the receptive and restful mental state brought about by turning off the lights and accepting the cessation of activity.

padetsek [ pah deh TSEHK ], (noun) Soul-Sickeness of all types. This word has no numbered form.

padinil [ pah dih NEEL ], (noun) - cheer--the state of being able to always find things to be happy about. Also, 'shine' or glaze or gloss.

padisil [ pah dih SEEL ], (verb) bring into malleable-space; the people allowed to do this are rare, and this almost always refers to the part of Correction that involves easing a person into a state receptive to being Corrected and it requires the facilitation and guidance of someone else.

padreme [ pah DREH meh ], (verb) to be reminded of one's natural state (this is cause for relief and comfort, and implies that you are grateful for the reminder).

paisathi [ pah ee SAH thee ], (noun) when an inevitability comes into life, brought there by changes your spirit requires to grow.

pajz [ PAHJZ ], (noun) - night, solar. Distinct based on world and season.

pali [ pah LEE ], (noun) - alcoves; small nooks; little rooms.

panaeth [ pah NAYTH ], (noun) trial-period; can be any length of time, but is common enough in many Ai-Naidari relationships and customs to have its own word.

pani [ pah NEE ], (adj) (1) - available (conscious). Said of a person when they are awake and available.

pani [ pah NEE], (adj) (2) - well-done, well-enacted, well-realized

 pash [ PAHSH ], (verb)  - to walk.

pashel [ paa SHELL ], (noun) trial-married; among Ai-Naidar it is common for there to be three stages of marriage: betrothed, where two are promised to one another; a trial marriage, which lasts anywhere from one month to several years, during which the two decide whether they are suited; and finally married until death's parting. Trial-marriages are more common among arranged pairings; during a trial, no children are begotten. A trial-marriage may be broken at any time by one of the parties with no shame.

pauser [ pow SEHR ], (verb) to allow what must be, to be; to acquiesce without rancor, resentment or struggle. Often mistakenly translated by aliens with an implication of victimhood.

pesi [ peh SEE ], (adverb) here (in this room). This connotation of here is very specifically within eye- and ear-shot.


qafinij [ kah fee NEEJZ ], (adj) - good because it makes sense/has harmony/is all of one piece

qal [ kahl ], (verb) - to entertain guests.

qamithil (noun) - transmission of psychologies through generations, (like a geneline or a bloodline, but for psychologies)

qajzasu (noun) - wellbeing of a community, point of health and stability

qanja [ kahn JZAH ], (noun) - crucible, has the sense of it being inflicted by other people.

qarasav [ kah rah SAHV ], (noun) - knowledge gained from the comparison of more than one point of view

qare [ kahr EH ], (verb) - to grasp, to apprehend, to see a pattern.

qeja [ keh JZAH ], (verb) - to share (resources and physical things)

qek [ KEHK ], (verb) to slay a person's body.

qekast [ qeh KAHST ], (noun) identity (?).

qel [ KEHL ], (noun) - day, Ai-Naidari. Separate from the concept of the solar day, brol. Different worlds (and even different seasons) might have different brol, but the qeli is the same from world to world and season to season.

qepad [ KEH pahd ], (verb) to allow to lapse into its natural state.

qera [ QWARE ah ], (noun) quality of solving problems by applying pure effort at them. This is a quality considered the realm of adults in the prime of their power, and refers to those times when something seems completely insolvable until someone just keeps at it long enough and it seems to "give in" to the willpower of the person trying to solve it.

qereva [ care EH vah ], (noun) - mountain range, wall of mountains. Has come to mean a barrier, one that people no longer notice or consider crossing. Singular qerevani does not mean "one mountain," but rather "part of a mountainous wall."

qerish [ care IHSH ], (noun) all that is worth knowing/encompassing (deprecated; exists now only as part of the word for the Ai-Naidari empire, "Kherishdar," a compound formed from root qerish and udar, society or nation).

qenev falni [ keh NEHV fahl nee], (noun) - responsorial

qeneve [ keh NEH veh ], (noun) - a seeking-journey (undertaken on purpose, in search of insight; does not have to be spiritual, might also be solution to more common problems).

qet [ KEHT ], (noun) responsibility-defenselessness; quality describing the social duty one one has to another person based on your responsibility to them and how defenseless they are. To an adult, a child will have more qet than another adult. Most qet is relative based on caste and rank, but some qet is absolute (children and self, for instance).

qetaim [ keh TIME ], (noun) acts, in particular those that involve advising, guidance, negotiation, thinking, refereeing; anything where the activity involves mental rigor, observation or language skills. Does not apply to hobbies or for-fun acts, only to acts that are obligations, duties or job/work-related.

qetaim nama [ qeh TIME nah MAA ], (noun) wisdom duties; the work expected of elders as they "retire" from more active physical duties.

qil [ KEEL ], (adjective), pure; clean; unstained.

qiqirini [ kee KEE ree nee ] (adjective) endearment, "little sister" ??

qirin [ kee REEN ], (noun), sisters.

qiveln [ kee VEHLN ], (verb) - to betray the trust of society by abusing its rules in order to destroy others. To hold oneself above the law.  (noun) a gut wound.

qor [ kohr ], (noun) - breath, "life's breath"

qun [ KOON], (noun) - bowl for ceremonies/ceremonial bowl

qunapesi [ koo NAA peh see ], (adjective) here; a virtual or abstract space. This word does not refer to a physical location, but a non-physical proximity.

qupesi [ koo PEH see ], (adjective) here (in the same general vicinity); this might be outside of a room or outside of immediate view, but definitely within a city.

qur [ koor ], (noun) - context

quradari [ koor ah DAH ree ], (noun) - genealogist

qushiq [ koo SHEEK ], (noun) - satellite families (families that are related to you off your main tree)


raikash [ RYE kaash ], (noun) victory.

rakadhas [ rah KAHD haas ], (noun) a person with an ishas that does not match his hhaza, his social position. A very rare occasion.

ran [ RAHN ], (noun) - the fighting mind, the aggressive spirit reined by a disciplined mind. Guardian jargon.

rash [ RAHSH ], (noun) - small local places. Usually translated as "room" but not correctly; a rash is any small place local to where you currently are in space. So if you are in a house, a rash is a room (but could be a garden). If you are out, a rash could be a fountain, or an alley, etc.

ravalin [ rah vah LEEN ], (adj) - proper, romantically; the way you want to do things for a beloved/lover to honor/pamper them.

renainen [ re NYE nehn ], (noun) city walls; these are the walls that separate districts of the city from one another so that the Nobles and Regals who administrate them know the boundaries of their responsibilities. They are invariably low, usually hip-height: low enough for adults to easily converse, high enough to keep small children from wandering.

revasil, [ reh vah SEEL ], (noun) a Correction; specifically used in instances where somone has transgressed against the rules of society and must be reminded how they are to act. Correction is not punishment, but an attempt to bring a person back in harmony with their ishas.

revasil ekain [ reh vah seel eh KAIN ], (noun) Correction stories; using words or scenarios to Correct.

ril [ reel ], (verb) to relieve oneself; this refers to any bodily need from hunger and thirst, to passing waste, to sexual requirement.

rilvi [ reel VEE ], (noun) - place to relieve oneself. Usually has a toilet and a sink.

roshi [ roh SHEE ], (adj) - gingery yellow-orange

ruj [ ROOJZ ], (noun) - breath shared between people, "the living air".

rul [ ], (noun) proper guilt, felt at wrongdoing for which one is judged responsible.

rulen [ ROO lehn ], (noun) bridges; anything that bridges or covers a gap, used lyrically or emotionally to evoke imagery or a feeling of bridging something.

rulesh [ roo LEHSH ], (noun, sing. ruleshi) reparations; separation from Correction, rulesh are intended to comfort or repair the breach between two people as a result of an error, and are often levied in addition to Correction.

rusir [ roo SEER ], (verb) to give something of tangible value (as opposed to giving something of emotional/spiritual/intellectual value).


san [ SAHN ], (noun) - hands (singular sani, "hand").

saraa [ sah RAH ], (noun) - aloneness in a crowd. Considered a pleasing thing; describes the sense of calm and comfort one derives from being out among people, but not engaging with them actively. "know you are not alone"ness.

sasrith [ sahs REETH ], (noun) favors promised to balance a small trouble or debt: the word is often extended to refer to the token used to denote that favor; righting imbalances in the social give-and-take is part of hasmera.

savre [ sah VREH ], (verb) confess.

savresil [ sah vreh SEEL ], (noun) confession.

sedar [ seh DAHR ], (noun) - familial love

sel [ sehl ], (verb) listen; in particular, to listen closely to another in order to connect with them and truly learn and understand their desires, needs, challenges and problems. Considered the foundation of personal relationships and society at large, this skill is so important that to be without it is to be less than a person.

sen (verb) - to write (as in "to write down, using letters").

senulij ( noun) - writing (as in physical, the product of writing letters; cannot be used to mean story)

sha [ SHAH ], (noun) light, has come to mean "natural light" (instead of artificial).

shanul [ shah NOOL ], (noun) potable water.

shava [ shah VAH ], (adjective) - "fortunately shaped." To have a pleasing set of features, or a body of unusual symmetry/standard beauty. To have a beautiful body.

shavelan [ shah veh LAHN ], (noun) A blossom that falls of its own accord. Also, a fortuitous thing.

shauve [ sh ow VEH ], (verb) to err (shamefully); suggests that the error has some kind of social or moral stigma attached.

sheberek [ sheh beh REK ], (adj) - well-maintained (said of things/animals/non-people).

shedre [ sheh dreh ], (verb) - to dress/make oneself presentable.

shedre rashi [ sheh dreh RAH shee ], (noun) - dressing rooms. From shedre, "to dress" and "rash," small local place.

sheis [ SHEYS ], (noun) - spiritual love, love of priests, devotion

shejaril [ sheh jahr EEL ], (noun) - the hollowed-out/queasy feeling of a relationship that has just gone through a big fight.

shekolesh [ sheh koh LESH ] (noun) - a hypothetical situation built on arguments constructed by reason; thought exercise.


shemailn [ ], (noun) preciousness; treasure; rarity.

shemena [ SHEH meh nah ], (noun) maiden. Also "The Maiden," as in kirana, Ai-Naidari religion.

shevet [ sheh VEHT ], (noun) decorum; specifically, knowing when to ignore things that should be ignored, when not to call attention to things that shouldn't be called attention to, and when to pay attention to and call attention to necessary things.

shevetdar [ sheh veht DAAR ], (noun, sing. shevetdari) people with outstanding decorum.

shidar [ shih DAWR ], (noun, sing. shidari) children, progeny; those who come after me.

shidet [ shih DEHT ], (noun/verb) - adolescent love, crush, puppy love

shiln [ SHEELN ], (noun) - the trust one develops when those beneath you are good followers, when they are not afraid to speak for themselves and know they will be respected. When you know they will not betray you.

shim [ SHEEM ], (noun) motion; almost always used for emotional/spiritual motion, in the sense of a person changing or growing. This is usually considered an awkward, uncomfortable or painful process, but also ultimately an joyful one. Also used to describe a visual trope, in that the character/person in an illustration with the most motion is the one that is changing the most. This is often depicted as external motion (wind in hair or clothes) even if the character is not moving, as a symbol that they can't stop growing/changing even when they seem physically still.


shinje [ sheen JZEH ], (noun) soul-complement; someone who is shadow to your light/vice versa; someone who is so complementary to you that you compensate one another's weaknesses

shiqera [ shih CARE ah ], (verb) to take care of; to parent; to mother. Most often used in a parental context, but not limited to that relationship.

shol [ SHOHL ], (noun) breathpause.

shon [ SHOHN ], (verb) - to part, to be separated from.

shove [ shoh VEH ], (verb) to worship.

shul [ shool ], (noun) - change, personal change; the kind of interior epiphany or decision or revelation that changes a life.

sim [ SEEM ], (verb) to be, to exist. (More literally: to have (by receiving or being given it, in a way that suggests divine externality) – so, say, duty and caste are things you receive this way.)

simai - to have (by intrinsic quality) – so, say, you were born pretty or smart

skevrada [ skehv rah DAH ], (verb) someone so arrogant they're completely sure they'll always hit what they aim to urinate on. Slang and rude male vocabulary.

sol [ SOHL ], (pronoun) - what

son [ SOHN ], (noun) - rain; pleasing/not-troublesome.

stigil [ stee GEEL ], (noun) - gemmed weights (as in those hanging from tassels on the end of scroll handles).

stin [ STEEN ], (noun) - pointers/placeholders, weight. Originally used for a long narrow weighted rod for holding down scrolls.

sulivej [ soo lih VEHJZ ], (adj) nourishing. Can be said of food or relationships, etc.

sumil (noun), - freedom


tadi [TAH dee], (adj/adv/exclamation) - excellent, great, an enthusiastic "good!"

taj (noun) - heart

taja [ tah JZAH ], (adj) - great-hearted.

tajadari [ tah jzah DAHR ee ], (noun) -great-hearted person

tainankest [ TYE naan KEHST ], (noun) A state of being outside society, to exist outside the system; to refuse civilization and your ishas and to attempt to be separate from all other Ai-Naidar. To be free, when freedom is isolation, loneliness and meaninglessness. To be unnamed. To not fit. A heinous, horrible thing.

tainanpad [ tye naan PAHD ], (adj) emotionally disabled or incompetent; to be in a state where one is incapable of fulfilling one's duties or responsibilities or courtesies, or the ability to do so is impaired.

tan [ TAHN ], (noun) sun; antiquated, now has literary/spiritual overtones.

tan avaja [ tahn AH vah jah ], (noun) -- a meditation exercise in which one watches the sunrise or sunset and attempts to separate all the colors in the gradient in the sky. Teaches patience, and ishan.

tansha [ tahn SHAH ], (adjective, informal) shiny; refers to cities which are “lights-free,” (do not observe meleshol).

tanshani [ tahn SHAH nee ], (adjective) sunlit.

tanshe [ tahn SHEH ], (adverb) - 'til days' endings'. Poorly translated as 'eternally' or 'forever', but more specifically from that point until the point you die.

temin – to have by making – so, something you have because you practice or create it

temir - to have by earning – so, say, a level of skill or an award for valor

temshe – to have by being given it, in a normal interpersonal way – like a gift

the [ theh (as in "thigh" not as in "the") ], (conj) - and. Also used as an interjection, meaning (loosely), "there's always something more/else (unknown)." So, equally used in exasperation (for instance, after a long day, having one more thing happen) and resignation, in acknowledgement of unspoken things that still exist.

theqil [ theh KEEL ], (noun) - generations

toj [ TOHJZ ], (verb/adverb) - please

toril [toh REEL ], (noun) – broken piece; shard; particularly, a piece of shattered glass through which one can see refractions.

toverash [noun], - the idea that everywhere is local.

tsan [ TSAAN ], (noun) heart-beat; a measure of subjective time.

tsara [ TSAA rah ], (noun) fortitude; in particular, the kind of strength that leads to serenity, associated with the gut. An "iron stomach," in the sense of being strong-enough-minded that few things penetrate your peace.

tsarena [ tsaa REH nah ], (adverb) well; a connotation that things are as they should be, or are in their ideal state.

tsavai [ tsah VEYE ], (adjective) done, forgotten, has been emotionally put in the past... what one says of something that one has made peace with, that it's "done" as far as you're concerned, done hurting or influencing or changing you. Can also be used as an interjection: Done! Gone! Done!

tsekil [ tseh KEEL ], (adjective) sick; refers only to soul-sicknesses.

tset [ TSEHT ], (noun) a ritual knife.

tsol [ TSOHL ], (noun) - grand plans, dreams.

tsuni [ TSOON ], (noun) - great room, hanging-out place, den, etc.

tuf [ TUUF ], (verb) - to burn food. Colloquially used to express the concept that someone useful has been transformed to something completely useless.

tuvil [ too VEEL ], (noun) – friction; the kind of irritation caused by two people interacting whose personalities don’t mesh well. Never used for mechanical friction.


udar [ oo DAHR ], (noun) society or nation.

udar vabanil [ oo DAHR vah bah NEEL ], (noun) - the Correction/refinement of society, so that it includes only those qualities, traditions, customs and laws that serve it.

ukulij [ oo koo LEEJZ ], (noun) - the concept that society/civilization requires refinement/paring away of things that no longer serve it.

ulivet [ oo lee VEHT ], (adj) - flexible, mentally flexible.

unil [ oo NEEL ], (noun) quiet. Particularly, a quiet one cultivates in order to calm the spirit and silence the busy mind and its voices.

ush [ oosh ], (noun) - meals.Not the same as food ("kul"); ush are prepared foods meant to be consumed.

ushkev [ oosh KEHV ], (noun) - restaurants. Singular is irregular ushkevani

uvrel (verb) to cull.

uvren, (adjective) reserved, in terms of showing affection. The opposite of fashanil.


va [ vah ], why

vabanil [ vah bah NEEL ], (noun) Correction when effected with actions, rather than words.

vaesha - To move toward Him (Thirukedi), to center, or more abstractly toward civility, or peace, or harmony with others.

vamsaun [ vaam SON ], (verb) to stretch reality; roughly equivalent to lying, but with the connotation that in holding this belief, you are choosing to knowingly distort reality as you know it (this is different from unknowingly stretching reality, or denying it; vamsaun has a connotation of hoping to make something true just by deciding it will be).

vanar [ vaa NAAR ], (verb) to arrive.

vanset [ VAHN seht ], (verb) to not call attention to something, which should not be called attention to.

vara [ vah RAH ], (noun) - originally "sleeping niche/room/alcove" but has come to be "place where someone sleeps", implying the bed itself.

vashkavr [ vahsh KAHVR ], (adjective) messed up; usually refers to a community substantially crippled by missing connections or broken ones.

vauni haale [vauhn nee HAA leh], (noun) an empty vessel used as a meditation aid; popularized by a historical poem that spoke of filling an empty vase with one's spirit so one could contemplate it from a remove.

vasil [ vah SEEL ], (noun) to correct; specifically used in instances where somone has transgressed against the rules of society and must be reminded how they are to act. Correction is not punishment, but an attempt to bring a person back in harmony with their ishas.

vatheren [ vah THERE EHN ], (noun) - shoulders and upper chest. Includes the ribcage.

vaun [ VOWN ], (noun) objects of contemplation; a meditative aid. Can be anything, from a person to a vase. Something you fix your eye upon in order to calm yourself. Touchstone.

vekka [ VEHK kah ], (noun, sing. vekkani) pilgrims.

veli [ veh LEE ], (noun/verb) - to like, liking

vesh [ vehsh ], (adjective) contented.

veshem [ vehsh EHM ], (noun) contentment.

vetsen [ VEHT sehn ], (verb) to ignore something that should be ignored.

viqi (verb) - to rush, to race

vol [ VOHL ], (adj) - unbreakable.

vrashil [ vraa SHEEL ] (noun) - the catastrophic end/destruction/lack of because of destruction of civilization

vremet [ vreh MEHT ], (noun) - attraction (a form of love, in this case, body-love)

vulaij [ vfoo LEYEJZH ], (noun) ephiphany through crisis/breaking point.

vuler [ voo LEHR ], (noun) truth.

vuln [ VOOLN ], (noun): The impressions others leave on us, when they've passed in and out of a person's life.

vuqerin [ voo care EEN ], (noun) - habits or traditions or laws that no longer serve civilization/society.




yan [ YAHN ], (noun) - hope.

yat [ YAHT ], (noun) - knife (table/non-ritual/non-work)

yat jurevu – “knife rejection”. Being spurned in a very unmistakable way by someone’s table speech. (This is the harshest table-speech rejection you can get. Some people might tease: “Are you sure it wasn’t a spoon rejection” in response, for instance.)

yave [ yah VEH ], (noun) - paper. Plural unless it has been cut on purpose.

yavele [ yah VEH LEH ], (noun) - memories

yeles [ yeh LEHS ], (verb) - appraise with sexual intent.

yelme [ yehl MEH ], (noun) - shoulder yoke(s). The area of the body including the collarbones, shoulders, and below the nape of the neck. Singular is irregular yelmein (yehl MAYN).

yen [ YEHN ], (noun) - stars.

yenel [ yeh NEHL ], (verb) - to clean/groom/make presentable. (applies only to people.)

yeqev [ yeh KEHV ], (noun) - serving dish, platter

yolikul [ yoh lee KOOL ], (noun) - bowl for eating food (personal)

yolikulidar [ yoh lee kool ee dahr ], (noun) - "bowl people" Someone you trust enough to share bowls with.

yolnav [ yohl NAHV ] (noun) - bowl for drinking from

yulun [ yoo LOON ], (noun) - dreams, restful. The dreams that make sense of the world and the day's events, from which one wakes feeling together, capable, and even inspired.

yuvrin [ yoov REE NEE ], (noun) - small room for meditation, usually containing a vauni haale.

