A (Revised, Partial) List of Very Fantasy Words
These are “real,” not newly-minted words, which I almost never encounter outside a fantasy RPG or novel. Note that I intentionally don’t give definitions. If a word looks cool, go look it up! I love projects that expand people’s vocabulary.
Some of these are tied to a concept that just doesn’t come up much outside of fantasy. Others are just terms that sound cool and get bolted on to fantasy to give it a more mysterious feel, or that got used in pulps and similar stories enough that they have a cachet with fantasy fans.
Newest entries are bolded.
Adamant
Analect
Anelace
Archon
Argute
Armiger
Armlet
Aspergillum
Axinomancy
Baleful
Baldric
Banneret
Barrow
Bestiary
Bulwark
Caer
Cantillate
Ceraunomancy
Cerulean
Chiliad
Chronicle
Codex
Coistril
Cozen
Croft
Cthonic
Cudgel
Deliquesce
Demesne
Dexter
Dimunition
Dirk
Disenthral
Deosil or deasil
Dolabra
Dour
Draff
Draught
Eerie
Effable (though ineffable is much more common)
Eldritch
Ensorcel
Ethereal
Evocation
Famulus
Fane
Fel
Flagon
Folio
Froward
Furuncle
Gainpain
Galivant
Gallant
Geas
Gird/Girt
Gride
Glyph
Grimoire
Harbinger
Harrow/harrowers
Haruspex
Haversack
Heraldry
Hind
Imbue
Incant
Incantation
Incunabulum
Inunct
Jazaraint/Jazarant
Justiciar
Karst
Kava
Keck
Kedge
Kef
Kith
Kurgan
Kyrie
Lanthorn
Legerdemain
Lexicon
Liripipe
Lucubration
Mesne
Miscibility
Mudlark
Nacarat
Nacre
Naos
Naphtha
Narthex
Naze
Necrologue
Nephilim
Oculus
Offal
Orrery
Ossuary
Oubliette
Palimpsest
Pauldron
Pavonine
Periapt
Phial
Phylactery
Potable
Prestidigitate
Previse
Puissant
Querulous
Quaff
Raconteur
Realm
Reliquary
Rill
Sage
Samite
Scofflaw
Scry
Seer
Sigil
Signet
Skullduggery
Smallsword
Spadassin
Solander
Souk (or souq)
Stramazoun
Sup
Sward
Tabor
Taciturn
Talisman
Telos
Thalassic
Thew
Tincture
Tome
Trenchant
Troth
Tumulus
Tunic
Umber
Umbrage
Unbated
Undercroft
Uroboros
Valiant
Vavasour (though I prefer the spelling vavasor)
Venerable
Wain
Weir
Welkin
Widdershins
Yale
Yeoman/Yeowoman
Ylem
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Posted on October 20, 2016, in Game Design, Musings and tagged Development, Experiment, Geekery, Slice of Life, Worldbuilding, WTF. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
Pingback: Revised, Partial List of Very Fantasy Words (Update!) | Owen K.C. Stephens
Pingback: Partial List of Very Fantasy Words (Update!) | Owen K.C. Stephens