A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I -J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z - Curses
The following dictionary contains both Pernese canon terms and DF specific terms. If you have suggestions for the dictionary please leave them on the suggestion board. This was originally compiled by Kneazles and on Dorado Weyr.
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Agenothree: A common chemical on Pern, HNO3. It was used in flamethrowers to produce a charring gas that burns Thread, now it may be used as a weapon or holders may use it to clear the land.
Airsled: A transportation vehicle used by the Pern colonists. Non-existent anymore, Landing refrences still refer to them as the main fast transortation and defense against Threadfall before dragons.
AIVAS: Artificial Intelligence Voice Activated System. The computer that gave Pern the plans to sent the Red Star away forever.
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Belior: Pern's largest moon
Between: The strange, cold, black area of nothingness. A dragon may go between and come out in a different location.
Black Rock: Coal
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Candidate: A person, typically between 12 and 21 years old that stands at a hatching in hopes of Impressing. Those who are Searched can be forced to come to a Weyr against their will, though usually this is not approved.
Crafthall (Hall): Crafthalls are the 'guilds' of Pern.
Crawler: Type of Pernese insect that humans find really annoying
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Day Sisters: A trio of stars visible from Pern. Also called Dawn Sisters
Dragon: Genetically engineered from fire-lizards to better fight Thread, their main purpose is gone - but they are still protectors of Pern. They are highly telepathic and a bit less empathic, and bond to a rider at birth. They need their rider to live (and most of them time, vice versa). They are ranked by color and size. They are "cousin" to the fire-lizards and the ugly watch-whers. They grow big enough to carry a rider, or even multiple riders, and they have the powers of teleportation (between), telepathy (and empathy), and telekinesis (not known well outside the Weyrs, and in small doses). They have hide instead of skin or scales, large wings maybe double their length, four clawed feet, and powerful hindquarters and jaws. Their eyes are multifaceted and change colors thanks to their emotions. They need to be oiled often to prevent the hide from going dry and breaking, and their color pales when they are unhealthy. At birth they choose the most likely candidate out of those on the Sands and they tell this person their name (ending with "th") and if the rider is male, they shorten the boy's name with an apostrophe.
Dragonet: A young dragon.
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Fellis Juice: A narcotic painkiller that can be addictive. It is created from Fellis Tree fruits.
Firestone: A phosphorous-bearing mineral which dragons chew to produce flame.
Firelizard (Flit): They are like miniature dragons, their DNA being the basis of the process that engineered dragons. They are small, usually an arms length at full growth, growing up in a matter of weeks. They have thinner and streamlined bodies than those of dragons, and can only communicate by pictures. They are extremely intelligent, though don't always understand humans. They develop unique personalities, Impressing anyone, usually the first that offers them food shortly after hatching.
Fostering: A system where the young are brought up by a couple other than their blood relatives. Common within the weyr
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Glow: a light-source which can be carried in a hand-basket.
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HAD: Hear All Dragons. They are able to hear what other rider's dragon's speak. They are very rare.
Hatching: A public event where a clutch hatches and the dragonets impress
Harpers: The teachers and entertainers. They educate the young of the hall, hold, and weyr through the Teaching Ballads. The Masterharper is responsible for training the younger harpers, the appointment of harpers to Weyr, hold, and hall, and the discipline of the harpers.
Hold: They are generally built into a cliff or a cave system, and are where the common people live and work. A Hold is administered by a Lord Holder.
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Impression: The choice of rider made by a newly-hatched dragon, which occurs at a Hatching. The dragons choose their riders, and the lifelong bond between dragon and rider begins through the joining of their minds.
Interval: The period of time between passes where no thread falls. They were normally 200 turns but there were the occasional Long Intervals lasting up to 400 turns.
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Jr. Weyrwoman: A female dragonrider who rides a queen, and is understudy to the Senior Weyrwoman.
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Klah: A hot stimulating drink made of tree bark and tasting faintly of cinnamon.
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Landing: The place where the original settlers landed and set up base. On modern day Pern it is the place where most scientists go to first learn, and one of the few places with more than a couple of computers. Most great technological ideas come from the Technicians and Computers Crafts which had a Hall here.
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Month: Four Sevendays
Mutant: Product of Shimari's Stones. Creatures and even plants touched by the stone were marked by it, and their children would have strange abilities or looks, with a matching scar in the same place and the same shape as their parents. The scar would be one or two colors - the color of teir primary mutation and fading into a second color if they had a secondary mutation.
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Needlethorn: The needles of the plant can be used as syringe for injections and to draw blood.
Numbweed: It's a medicinal cream which, when smeared on wounds, kills all feeling it is used as an anesthetic. If too much numbweed is used it will cause bleeding and scarring. To prepare the salve, it requires 3 days of stewing, then 1 day to strain it, and the juice skimmed to the right consistency for the salve.
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currently none
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Pass: A period of time during which the Red Star was close enough to drop Thread on Pern.
Pern: Third of the star Rukbat's five planets. It has two natural satellites.
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currently none
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Red Star: Pern's stepsister planet. It has an erratic orbit. No longer a problem.
Rukbat: A yellow star in the Sagittarian Sector, Rukbat has five planets and two asteroid belts.
Runnerbeast: Also, 'runner'. An animal adapted to Pern's conditions. There are racing, farm working beasts, and placid riding types that are distinctly bred for these conditions.
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Sevenday: A week on Pern
Sky-broom: The wood is difficult to work, but highly prized in the WoodcraftHall. Its used for some harps and other instruments. It's also the highest quality of material for a painter's 'canvas'
Star Stones: A figuration of stones set up on the rims of a Weyr used to foretell the arrival of a pass, which is when the red star can be seen through the eye rock.
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Thread: A parasitic organism that originateed from spores from the Red Star, which descend on Pern and burrow into it, devouring all organic material they encounter. Only stone and metal are impervious to Thread. The best way to fight Thread was to burn it out of the sky before it can hit ground; but water can also destroy the silver strands by drowning them.
Timor: The smaller of the two moons of Pern
Tunnel Snake: Technically not snakes because they do have six pairs of legs, these creatures are a minor annoyance to the people of Pern.
Turn: A Pernese year.
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Currently None
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Currently None
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Watch-dragon: the dragon whose rider has pulled a watch duty on the Weyr roster. A watch is generally 4 hours long. During a Pass, they watch for any erratic Threadfall that might, by chance, occur. Also watch for anyone entering or leaving the Weyr.
Watchwher: An ungainly nocturnal creature, a cousin to the dragons. They are vicious when aroused, protective of those they see as friends. They are used as a watch dog in the holds and halls, but can also be used in mining ventures.
Weyr: a home of dragons and their riders.
weyr: the individual living quarters of a dragon and his/her rider
Weyrhealer: A healer specially trained in dragon anatomy, though of course they do have knowledge of human anatomy, but while their can be many Healers - some Impressed, some assigned there - Weyrhealers are few and far between and especially covetted.
Weyrleader: The rider of the dragon that has mated to the queen of the Weyrwoman during her flight. The Weyrleader is in charge of the fighting wings of the Weyr, responsible for their conduct during battle, and the discipline of all riders. He is chosen when his dragon flies the Senior Queen.
Weyrling: Dragons and their riders up to about two years old. They are still learning under the Weyrlingmaster and usually have a strict code of conduct.
WeyrlingMaster:Teacher of Weyrlings. Can be male or female, on any dragon but a queen.
Weyrsecond The Weyrleader's second in command. Chosen by the Weyrleader or if the Weyrleader has no preference, by the next Flight of a junior queen.
Weyrsinger: The Harper for the dragonriders, usually a dragonrider him or herself. They teach the weyrlings and other youngsters with traditional songs and lessons.
Weyrwoman: the rider of a dragon queen, and co-leader of the Weyr, along with the Weyrleader. She is responsible of the conduct of the Queen's wing during battle, under the Weyrleaders orders; for the care of the dragons, riders, and all Weyrfolk. She appoints all subordinates, insures that all tithes are delivered and collected, and mediates disputes among riders. As any dragon or rider will obey the queen dragon of the Weyrwoman, or the weyrwoman herself, she is one of the most powerful people on Pern. She is chosen when her dragon Flies after the old Senior dies or retires, traditionally.
Wherries: a type of fowl roughly resembling the domestic turkey of Earth, but about the size of an Ostrich.
Wingleader: The dragonrider in command of a Weyr's fighting wing, the Weyrleader is in charge of all the fighting wings, usually in the main one.
Wingsecond: the dragonrider second in command to the Wingleader.
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Currently None
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Currently None
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Currently None
---|Pernese Curses, Oaths, Explicatives|---
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A dragon among the wherries: a cat among the pigeons
A hunk of firestone: all gas and ash: a blowhard
As convincing as a cyan: It suggests the person is quite persuasive
Begreened: A mild curse. Foolish, moronic
Bend a tail: defecate, take it and lump it
Benighted: A mild curse
By the Egg: On my honor
By the Egg of Faranth: Really over my dead body: Or I swear it on my grave
By the first egg: Over my dead body
By the shards of my dragon's egg: over my grandmother's dead body
By the Shell: On my honor
Chew it raw and swallow: accept the inevitable. Take it and believe it
Crackdust: equivalent to ?horse poop? or said in disbelief
Deadglow: numbskull; dumb poop
Eggshells Mild curse
Fardles Mild curse
Getting between an aquamarine and his A dangerous undertaking
Great Faranth Pernese equivalent to 'Good Lord' or the like
Great shells and stars mild to moderate curse
Hatching fire lizards: building castles in the air
He was born under the Red Star: someone evil or generally disliked.
Like trying to draw an inside straight in Bitra: impossible
Scorch It: Shove it
Shaffit!: irritation expletive, another word for the D word
Shards: equivalent to 'horse poop' or said in disbelief
Shells: any one of the four letter words
Shimari's Stones: Similar to the expression 'Hell's Bells,' has negative connotations toward mutants.
Smokeless weyrling: useless
Tail fork first: backward
Take a long hop between: Go Away!
That's well dusted: It's nasty or unpleasant
Thread-lost: Being out in the open while Thread is falling
Through Fall, Fog and Fire to stop for nothing
Trying to anger an Emerald Extremely difficult if not impossible
Wherry hunt: wild-goose chase
Wherry teeth: nonsense; I don't believe you