This is a list of words and terms that have been used in the books comprising the series. Note that all words listed are Hoolian unless otherwise indicated.
Some of these words, specifically the lexicon of the wolves, are expanded upon in the Wolves of the Beyond series. For more, see Wolf Language Glossary.
A[]
Aurora Glaucora
Aurora Glaucora[]
n. The Northern and Southern Lights
B[]
Baggywrinkles[]
n. Powerful and unpredictable air currents found in typhoons and storms. The film's Behind the Scene's lists it as a low pressure air current.
Bangle juice[]
n. Unfermented bingle juice containing no alcohol.
battle claws
Battle claws[]
n. Sharp, claw-shaped weapons, usually forged by a Rogue smith, that are fastened onto an owl's talons.
Bingle juice[]
n. Intoxicating drink made from berries, similar to wine.
Blairn[]
adj. Crazy, loony, out of one's mind. Means the same as the Hoolian term "yoicks."
Bonk[]
adj. The strongest and most energetic fires; also refers to coals.
Bosh[]
n. The backside of a curl wind, or kitibit.
Botkin[]
An owlet branching
n. A special bag for carrying ice weapons or books.
Branching[]
v. The first step toward flight, in which owlets in trees hop from branch to branch while flapping their wings.
Breaklight[]
n. The meal owls enjoy at the end of the night, just before the break of dawn.
Brikta schnee[]
n. (Krakish) Winter; literally means "deep snow."
Brood[]
n. A cluster of eggs that a female owl has laid.
Broody[]
n. A female owl with eggs.
adj. The maternal feelings and instincts that come with laying eggs and caring for chicks
Byrrgis[]
n. (wolf) A formation of wolves, mostly used for hunting and sometimes travelling.
C[]
Cave of Souls[]
n. (wolf) Wolf heaven.
Chaw[]
n. A small team of owls with a valuable skillset in common: search-and-rescue, navigation, weather-interpretation, colliering, tracking, Ga'Hoolology, and metals.
Chaw-chop[]
v. To drop an owl from his or her chaw for an indefinite period of time, which is considered extremely humiliating.
Chawlet[]
n. A mock chaw that helps in tapping owlets for an official chaw.
Chieftain[]
n.(wolf-speak and bat-speak) The ultimate leader of a wolf clan, and is also used to describe the lead bat of a group of bats. (Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (Video game)).
Churr[]
v. To laugh, the sound that owls make when they laugh.
Churrlulu[]
v. To laugh something off and take it lightly.
Cold coal[]
n. An odd coal that can disable the magnetic properties of flecks without burning anything.
Collier[]
n. An owl who collects coals from a fire for various uses such as forging.
Copper-Rose Rain[]
n. The season of Autumn.
Crabbing[]
v. A flight maneuver that involves flying at an angle, similar to the sideways walk of a crab, in order to push through a strong headwind.
Creelies[]
n. Creeps, heebie-jeebies.
Croft[]
n. An infirmary bed in the Great Tree.
Crowl[]
n. The ancestors of both crows and owls, before the two species separated into distinct forms.
D[]
Danyar[]
n. (Jouzhen) A way of fighting without battle claws. The user inhales air, temporarily increasing his or her size, and then releases this air, which propels them forward at great speed.
Danyk[]
n. (Jouzhen) The five senior teachers of the Danyar.
Dead drops[]
n. Trees that have fallen for no apparent reason. Thought to be haunted but in fact are the result of structural failure.
Deep Gray[]
n. Just before dawn, when the black has faded but the sun has not yet spilled its first sliver of a ray over the horizon.
Devil's Triangle[]
Devil's triangle
n. A triangle of flecks positioned in certain places, which disrupts the navigational abilities of all birds trapped inside it.
Dire wolves[]
n. An unusually large species of wolf, thought to be extinct but actually thriving in the region of Beyond the Beyond.
Dong[]
n. (Jouzhen) A knower or sage.
Dragon owl[]
n. One of the blue owls of the Dragon Court, who was, in a past life, a hagsfiend.
Dwenk[]
v. (of the moon) To wane/appear to grow smaller in the sky.
F[]
Fire blinking[]
v. When an owl becomes transfixed by the light of a raging fire and goes yeep.
Fire claws[]
n. Battle claws with live coals embedded in the tips; rarely made by Rogue smiths due to the damage they inflict on an owl's talons over time.
Fire juicing[]
v. Heating coals so their interior structure changed slightly so they temporarily radiated a more intense heat.
Firesight[]
n. The ability to see events that take place in faraway places or the future in flames.
Fleckasia[]
n. The collective effect of flecks on the owl brain and gizzard.
Flecks[]
A fleck
n. The smallest bits of an ironlike metal with magnetic property, considered more precious than gold, prized by the owls of St. Aggie's and the Pure Ones with its ability to disrupt birds' navigational abilities.
Flint[]
v/n. 1: To have value. 2: Highly valued type of rock in the owl world.
Flint mop[]
n. The Ga'Hoolian form of punishment. Roughly means to do something to pay back for the value that has been taken away. An example of a flint mop could be burying pellets for 3 days.
Fliv[]
v. To flirt
Foaming-mouth disease[]
n. (wolf-speak) Rabies.
Frink[]
v. A rude remark that means to supremely irritate, considered one of the worst words a owl can say, as in, "This really frinks me off!"
Frisen[]
n. (Krakish) A friend.
Fryke[]
v. (Krakish) To freeze.
G[]
Gallgrot[]
n. Raw courage, mettle.
Ga'[]
n. A term used by owls that means "Great Spirit," as in Ga'Hoole (Great Spirit of Hoole). The seeds of Ga' are said to be in every owl's gizzard, but rarely grows. Hoole had Ga', and the Great tree was named for the spirit of Ga'.
Gadderheal[]
n. (wolf-speak) A ceremonial cave.
Gadfeather[]
n. A singing owl that travels from one region to the next with no planned destination and no real home.
Ga'Hoolology[]
n. The chaw in which owls study the great Ga'Hoole tree and its history.
Gazooling[]
n. The noisy chatter of young owls before their voices are fully formed.
Give it a blow[]
Gizzard
v. Lighten up.
Gizzard[]
n. An owl's second stomach, which compacts bones, feathers, and fur into a pellet, which is then yarped; an invaluable emotional guide, where an owl's deepest feelings are felt. Owls often swear by this: "by my gizzard."
Gizzlemia[]
n. A blankness of the gizzard which leads to malfunction of the brain.
Gizzuition[]
n. Similar to intuition; a kind of thinking beyond the normal reasoning processes by which one immediately apprehends the truth, perceives and understands reality. It cannot really be taught, but can be developed by being extremely attentive and sensitive to the natural world.
Glaumora[]
n. Owl heaven.
Glaux[]
n. The Higher Being worshipped by owls; the owl deity.
Glaux Griven[]
n. An act of pressing the wings to the head and bowing in midair, as a gesture of respect.
Glauxian Brothers[]
Grettir, a Glauxian brother
n. A group of male owls who live at the Glauxian Brothers' Retreat who devote their lives to study, meditation, writing, and the healing arts.
Glauxian Brothers' Retreat[]
n. The home of the Glauxian Brothers. It is located in the Northern Kingdom, specifically on an island in the Bitter Sea.
Glauxian Sisters[]
n. Female counterparts to the Glauxian Brothers.
Glauxian Sisters' Retreat[]
n. The home of the Glauxian Sisters. It is also located in the Northern Kingdom, specifically on Elsemere Island in the Everwinter Sea.
Glauxspeed[]
n. the owl equivalent of Godspeed. Often used to say goodbye and wish someone good fortune or success on their journey.
Gleek[]
v. To goof off or mess around, as in "gleeking about."
Glimpox[]
v. slanderous
Glowworm[]
n. A particular kind of coal valued for its density of heat.
Gnaw-wolf[]
n. (wolf-speak) A deformed wolf in the pack, who is expected to use submissive positions, gnaw bones and train for the Watch of the Sacred Ring. The lowest rank in the pack, similar to omega wolves in reality.
Golden Rain[]
n. The Hoolian owls' term for summer (the time of the Golden Rain).
Gollymopes[]
n. A depressed state or a creature in such a state.
Goodlight[]
n. What owls say to one another before going to sleep for the day.
Grackle[]
v. (wolf-speak) Similar to "crackle" but refers to rocks shattering inside volcanoes.
Graymalkin[]
n. (wolf-speak) A bad owl that dives for the Ember of Hoole.
Great Ursa[]
n. The polar bears' Higher Being.
Grog tree[]
n. A tree where owls come to drink and socialize. They fell out of use a thousand years ago but have become common again.
Grosnik[]
adj. Forbidden food, such as baby animals.
Grot-ghot[]
n. (Krakish) A native.
Guanjho[]
n. (Jouzhen) Vastness.
Gunden[]
adj. (Krakish) Good.
Gutter[]
n. Edging troughs of a variety of winds
Gwuil[]
n. (Jouzhen) A guest.
H[]
Hagscraft[]
n./adj. Witchcraft. Can also refer to something especially evil or appalling, such as the fake poster created by the Striga that accused the Band of treason.
Hagsfiend[]
n. Surviving crowl with magical powers, now extinct. Hagsfiends are also the ancestors of the Dragon Owls in the Middle Kingdom.
Hagsfiend
Hagsmire[]
n. Owl hell.
Hail cusp[]
n. A furrow in the air where hailstones can form.
Hireclaw[]
n. A lone owl that can be recruited for battle for the price of a good set of battle claws.
Hoolespyrrs[]
n. Swirling winds over the Sea of Hoolemere.
Hoolian[]
n. The common language of the Southern Kingdoms.
Hordo[]
n. (Krakish) A snake.
Hordonphonk[]
n. (Krakish) A supremely beautiful snake.
Hordox[]
n. 1. The Kielian snakes' serpent spirit.
2. The constellation that appears briefly at the end of the summer moons.
H'ryth[]
n. (Krakish/Jouzhen) The innermost part of the gizzard. In the Middle Kingdom, the H'ryth is the spiritual leader.
Hukla, hukla[]
exclamation (snake-speak) "Young owls will be young owls!"
Hoole[]
n. The name of the first owl, and of Hoole, the first king of Ga'Hoole - the foster son of Grank and son of H'rath and Siv. Also means "first of a kind."
I[]
Issen[]
n. (Krakish) Ice.
Issen bhago[]
n. (Krakish) Pieces of special ice the Glauxian Brothers inscribe things on.
issen blauen
Issen clarren[]
n. (Krakish) Clear ice.
Issen blauen[]
n. (Krakish) Blue ice, used to make goggles. It can also refer to the goggles themselves.
Issen vintygg[]
n. (Krakish) Deep ice.
J[]
Jing jang[]
n. (Jouzhen) A furrow in the air where hailstones can form, identical to the Hoolian term "hail cusp."
Jouzhen[]
n. The language of the Middle Kingdom, which the blue owls speak. Most likely inspired by Chinese or Japanese.
Jouzhenkyn[]
n. (Jouzhen) The Middle Kingdom (the Sixth Kingdom) located across the Sea of Vastness.
K[]
Kerplonken[]
adj. (Krakish) All over, broken, useless.
Khyre[]
n. (Krakish/Jouzhen) Many faces, i.e. the Khyre of Glaux = the many faces of Glaux.
Kitibit[]
n. Minor swirls of wind that appear around peninsulas and points of land that create wind holes or vortexes
Krall[]
n. (Krakish) A pirate.
Krakish[]
n. The ancient language of the Northern Kingdoms
Kronkenbot[]
n. (Krakish) A transport vacuum for wounded or prisoner owls (a windless chamber formed by four owls arranged in a diamond configuration).
L[]
Lapin[]
n. Rabbits' higher being.
Liffen schmoo[]
n. (Krakish) Autumn, literally means "light frost."
Lochinvyrr[]
n. A code of honor between the hunter and the hunted, where the hunter locks eyes with prey in a form of respect.
Long Night[]
n. The longest night of the year.
Lupus[]
n. Wolves' Higher Being.
M[]
Mage[]
n. An owl or other animal with magic powers.
Magen[]
n. Good magic, or magic in general.
Malcadh[]
n. (wolf-speak) A deformed wolf pup taken away by an Obea and left to die. If it manages to survive and return, it becomes a gnaw wolf. Also means "cursed one."
Marked Owl[]
n. A criminal owl that has been marked for death by a faction (such as the Pure Ones), and were supposed to be killed on sight.
Milkberry[]
n. A berry that grows on the Great Tree, which the Ga'Hoolian owls harvest and turn into different foods and drinks.
Mishnacht[]
v. (Krakish) To understand.
a moon blinked owlet
Moon blink[]
v. To expose for long periods to the full shine of the moon, forcing owl's minds to become confused and incapable of making simple decisions; to destroy an owl's will and individual personality, making him or her perfectly obedient.
Mooncalf[]
n. the worst insult a commander can give to a lower-ranking soldier, meaning both idiot and coward.
Moon scald[]
v. a process similar to moon blinking, in which an owl is exposed to an enormous amount of light from the moon, which not only has the brainwashing effects of moon blinking, but can also wipe memories.
Mu[]
n. A very soft metal that blocks magnetic fields, possibly the owl analogue of lead.
N[]
Nachsun, nynik, nuftan[]
exclamation (Krakish) Means "No, never, no way."
Nacht Ga'[]
n. A spell cast by the hagsfiends, that freezes the seeds of the Ga' in a gizzard so as to eliminate the powers of this one, and consequently the personality of the owl on which it is launched.
Nachtmagen[]
n. (Krakish) Black magic, often referring to the magic used by hagsifends and vyrwolves.
Nest-maid[]
Mrs. Plithiver, a nest-maid
n. A blind snake that does household chores of some owl families, such as ridding the nest of vermin.
Nevermoves[]
n, The only star in the night sky that never moves, also known as the "North Star."
New[]
v. (of the moon) To wax/appear to grow larger in the sky.
Nimsy Night[]
n. The festival held on the shortest night and longest day of the year.
Noh[]
n. (Jouzhen) A sea.
Nooties[]
n. Flavorful nuts that grow on the Great Ga'Hoole Tree.
Nyrolian Owls[]
n. Owls of any species who are born at night during a lunar eclipse. Such owls were said to be given an enchantment by the moon at birth, although whether it is a blessing or curse, and whether it brings great good or great evil, depends on the owl themselves. Nyrolian Barn Owls had extremely large, white, and round faces, as if the moon itself had fallen from the sky and landed there. Females are often named Nyra, and males, Nyroc. Among the Pure Ones, Nyrolian owls belonged to the most exclusive and special group. Some known Nyrolian owls include Hoole, Nyra, and Coryn.
Ny schnee[]
n. (Krakish) Summer, literally means "no snow."
O[]
Owl stone event[]
n. An event of great significance in the development of a young owl.
Owlipoppen[]
n. Owl dolls made from down, molted feathers, sticks, etc.
Owlyk[]
adj. (Jouzhen) (Of killing) As bloodlessly and painlessly as possible, presumably related to danyk. Presumably has a broader use.
P[]
Pheng[]
adj. (Jouzhen) Honored.
Phonqua[]
n. (Jouzhen) The sum of all of an owl's past actions. One can have either a good or a bad phonqua. It is similar to the concept of karma.
Pyte[]
n. A unit of measurement roughly equal to the wingspan of a Whiskered Screech Owl (approx. 17 inches)
Punkie Night[]
n. A holiday celebrated by the Guardians during the time of the Copper-Rose Rain, similar to Halloween.
Q[]
Qui dong[]
n. (Jouzhen) A kite.
R[]
Raccoon droppings, called "racdrops" in the form of a swear word
Racdrops[]
exclamation Short for raccoon droppings one of the worst curse words an owl can say.
Riffle[]
v. To ruffle one's feathers so as to accentuate the white spots (applies to Spotted Owls only).
Ryb[]
n. A teacher/leader of a chaw.
S[]
Schneddenfyrr[]
n. (Krakish) A nest composed of packed snow and moss, typical of the Northern Kingdoms. Although these are made even with snow, are warm and cozy.
Scroom[]
n. The disembodied spirit of a dead owl that has unfinished business on earth, a ghost.
Scroomsaw[]
n. A soul.
Scuppers[]
n. A high pressure air current.
Shatter[]
v. To expose an owl to flecks under "certain conditions" that cause the owl to become massively disoriented and lose his or her sense of self. The gizzard becomes like a stone, and the owl loses the ability to sort out emotions, which can cause delusions.
Short Light[]
n. In the Northern Kingdoms, the two days surrounding the longest night of the year, when the sun never rises any more than the tiniest bit above the horizon.
Shred[]
n. A colliering maneuver in which an owl darts in and out of the edges of the fire.
Silver Rain[]
n. The Hoolian owls' term for spring (the time of the Silver Rain).
Skog[]
n. (Krakish) A singer and storyteller for one of the Northern clans.
Slink melf[]
n. (wolf-speak) An assassination squad. Also a term used by the Pure Ones.
Slipgizzle[]
n. A spy.
Sliptween[]
n. A nest-maid snake and member of the harp guild at the Great Tree who leaps from one octave to another while playing the great grass harp.
Smee holes
Smee hole[]
n. A natural steam vent in the earth.
Snaggle[]
n. Kielian snake word for a group of snakes between six and twelve.
Snood[]
n. An ornamental net woven from seaweed that is worn on an owl's head and drapes over their shoulders and face.
Soffen issen[]
n. (Krakish) Spring, literally means "soft ice."
Sprink[]
v. and exclamation The worst curse word an owl can say.
Spronk[]
n. Forbidden knowledge.
Starsight[]
n. The ability to see the future, and sometimes the present, in dreams using the stars, like ESP.
Stresschen[]
adv. (Krakish) Originating from, hailing from.
Strezhing[]
adv. (Jouzhen) Originating from, hailing from, same as Krakish "stresschen."
T[]
Taiga[]
n. (wolf-speak) A teacher.
Talzzard[]
n. A nickname to describe a fighting owl - they are all talon and gizzard, and fight.
Tap[]
n. To be chosen for a specific chaw.
Thronkenspeer[]
thronkenspeer
n. A threat display.
Trufynkken[]
adj. (Krakish) Drunk.
Turnfeather[]
n. An owl traitor.
Turnpelt[]
n. A wolf traitor.
Turnscale[]
n. A snake traitor.
Tween time[]
n. Dusk/the time between the last drop of sun and the first shadows of the evening.
Tweener[]
n. The evening meal/the food owls consume immediately after waking.
Twixt time[]
n. Dawn.
V[]
Vyrwolf[]
n. Evil ancestors of modern dire wolves with magical powers, now extinct. Comparable to wingless hagsfiends in magical ability and personality. Sometimes called "hagwolf."
W[]
Weathertrix[]
n. A female owl knowledgeable in the study and navigation of weather. (This word is never explicitly defined. This definition was inferred based on how the word is used in the books and how the -trix suffix in used in the English language.)
Wet pooper[]
n. What nest-maid snakes and owls call the birds that do not yarp pellets.
White Rain[]
n. The Hoolian owls' term for winter (the time of the White Rain).
A Screech Owl wilfing
Wilf[]
v. When an owl becomes frightened and their feathers lie flat, making them appear smaller.
Williwaw[]
n. A sudden violent wind.
Wind bong[]
n. (Jouzhen) The last shriek of a mighty wind as it breaks through a narrow gap in a rock formation.
Wingfast[]
adj. Describing two owls who are mates.
Wingicap[]
n. A handicap.
Wykensprat[]
n. (Krakish) Witness stand.
Y[]
Ya ni ni[]
n. (Jouzhen) The feather of the H'ryth of the Middle Kingdom that sticks up from his head; it is said to help concentration and perception of zi fields.
An owlet "yarping"
Yarp[]
v. To throw up/the act of yarping a pellet from the gizzard.
Yarpie barpies[]
n. Owl diarrhea.
Yeep[]
adj. A term used by owls to describe when, in a state of shock and/or fear, an owl loses its instinct to fly, its wings lock mid-flight, and it suddenly plummets to the ground or water, as in "going/gone yeep." Fire blinking often causes owls to go yeep, as well as Twilight's battle cries.
Yeepish[]
adj. The worst insult a commander can give to a lower-ranking soldier, meaning both idiot and coward.
Yoickers[]
adj. (Krakish) Yoicks.
Yoicks[]
adj. Crazy, loony, out of one's mind.
Z[]
Zi field[]
n. (Jouzhen) A field of energy surrounding every living being, similar to an aura.
Zong Phong[]
n. (Jouzhen) Also called the River of Wind, the Zong Phong is the air current required to take to reach the Middle Kingdom.