Glossary of terms for Bess

Glossary of terms:

Airling             The Tudor equivalent of airhead

Berfrois           A stand for spectators, originally for tourneys, a level above the ground

Bonded           Those who have made a mental bond, may refer to a pair, one human one dragon, or to either of the pair.  Written with a capital to refer to those Bonded to dragons, but in lower case if bonded to a drakeling

By my troth    Today we should say ‘upon my word!’ or ‘My goodness!’ if used in surprise, or the phrase may be used to express a serious promise e.g. ‘by my troth, mistress, I shall protect you with my life.’

Certes              Certainly

Chapman         A peddler of various small wares who travelled around the countryside with a pack of goods on his back and often a tray he wore suspended from his neck on which to display them in each village.

Chap-book      A pamphlet, often illustrated with wood-cut pictures, about items of interest, usually doings at court, famous people, new fashions, exciting discoveries etc.

Common

Wyrms            Topaz dragons, a mistaken name

Coney             The name used at the time for a full-grown rabbit; rabbit was used only for the young, as pig was used for what today we call piglet, hog being the full grown animal.

Coruscation    A flock of drakelings; coined recently.

Dominie          A schoolmaster

Dortoir            We’d call it a dormitory nowadays

Drakelings       Tiny dragon-like creatures possibly made as pets by dragons in the past.

Draxery           The study and art of dragon care

Draxier            One who has Bonded with a dragon, an honorific even as ‘Doctor’ is

Farced             When roasting poultry, this is when fat or fatty meat is placed under the skin to help keep the bird moist and to crisp the skin.

Farthingale      A wide, hooped skirt .

Fie!                  An expression of disapproval, may indicate surprise but in a negative way

Froward          Contrary; someone who stubbornly resists authority

Galligaskins    Loose breeches caught under the knee, suitable for working in.

Good lack!      An expression of surprise

Gramercy!       An expression of surprised gratitude

Grow a rose    Euphemism for relieving the bladder

Humanism       A belief that the actions of human beings are important individually and collectively, emphasising critical and rational thinking above acceptance of superstition or dogma. Humanists follow this belief.

Jakes               The toilet. Commonly outside, with a seat over a cess pit, dug out by a ‘gong farmer’ twice a year.  Often communal.

Lackaday!       Also well-a-day, an expression of sorrow or misfortune.

Legr                A lair, or cave for a dragon to live.  When capitalised, it is a collection of legrs in a cliff

Leman             Lover

Lorewyrms      Amethyst dragons, known for their knowledge.  The only dragons which would re-Bond

Marry!             An expression of surprise.

Nurture-

Wyrms            Topaz wyrms, mostly female, one of the two colours known to breed

Speedwyrms   Beryl dragons, notable for their speed

Spellwyrms     Diamond dragons, black in colour as diamonds of the time were not cut with the brilliant cut later discovered

Warwyrms      Ruby dragons, known for their aggression.Mostly male, one of the two colours known to breed.

 A quick note for those who are interested

Once, English had a similar construction to European languages in having a familiar form for the second person pronouns, used to children, social inferiors and between those who were very close and do not even get me onto the subject of how T'Pau mangles it in 'Amok Time' [Star Trek Original, series 2].

Thou is subject, thee is object.  It isn't hard.  Thou hast done something. I do something to thee. 

Endings of related verbs have to agree.  in general it's -st for second person and -th for third

He hath been there

Hast thou been there?

I wrote a longer blog post on this on my Renaissance and Regency Rummage Repository; I confess it's a challenge to have to work it out by the rules because I've never had a problem just using it.  Put it down to eclectic reading from an early age. 

You'll also find I use words which have passed largely into lawyer-speak like hitherto, whereof and wherefore [which means 'why', hence, 'Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?'  where Juliet laments that the boy she wants to snog senseless is from the wrong family.]

I am trying to keep that balance of period and readability, and avoiding the sort of smutty puns Master Shakespeare thrived on since we no longer pronounce 'hour' and 'whore' the same way.  I was fortunate to have an English teacher - and American lady as it happens - who was fascinated by linguistic drift and told us all the smutty bits.  Shakespeare could have given Billy Connolly a run for his money.