In Watership Down, the rabbits have their own language. Sometimes it's hard to understand exactly what's what. Here's a helpful dictionary to aid you in reading and writing all things Watership.
- Bob-stones: A traditional game among rabbits. It is played with small stones, fragments of sticks and the like. Fundamentally it is a very simple kind of gambling, on the lines of "Odds and Evens." A "cast" of stones on the ground is covered by the player's front paw. The opponent must then hazard some sort of surmise about its nature-- e.g. one or two, light or dark, rough or smooth.
- Crixa, the: The center of Efrafa, at the crossing point of two bridle paths.
- Efrafa: The name of the warren founded by General Woundwort. The first syllable is stressed and not the second, as in the word "Majesty."
- El-ahrairah: The rabbit folk hero. The name (Elil-hriar-rah) means "Enemies-Thousand-Prince" = the Prince with a Thousand Enemies (of rabbits). The stresses in the name are the same as in the phrase "Never say die."
- Elil: Enemies of rabbits-- e.g. fox, stoat, weasel, cat, owl, man, etc.
- Embleer: Stinking-- e.g. the smell of a fox.
- Flay: Food-- e.g. grass or other green fodder.
- Flayrah: Unusually good food-- e.g. lettuce.
- Frith: The sun, personified as a god by rabbits. Frithrah! = the lord Sun-- used as an exclaimation.
- Fu Inlé: After moonrise.
- Hlao: Any dimple or impression in the grass, such as that formed by a daisy plant or a thistle, which can hold moisture.
- Hlao-roo: "Little Hlao." An affection diminutive of the name Hlao, one of the rabbits in the story.
- Hlessi: A rabbit living above ground, without a regular hole or warren. A wandering rabbit, living in the open. Also scrathers, vagabonds. Solitary bucks and unmated rabbits who are wandering do this for quite long periods, especially in the summer. Bucks do not usually dig much in any case, although they will scratch small shelters or make use of existing holes where these are available. Real digging is done for the most part by does preparing for litters. (Plural, hlessil.)
- "Hoi, hoi u embleer Hrair,/ M'saion ulé hraka vair.": "Hoi, hoi the stinking Thousand,/ We meet them even when we stop to pass our droppings."
- Homba: A fox. (Plural, hombil.)
- Hrair: 1. A great many; an uncountable number; any number over four. (Rabbits can only count up to four.) 2. U Hrair = The Thousand (enemies) = elil.
- Hrairoo: "Little Thousand." The name of Fiver in Lapine-- i.e. the little one of a lot, or, as they say of pigs, "the runt."
- Hraka: Droppings, excreta.
- Hrududu: A tractor, car, or any motor vehicle. (Plural, hrududil.)
- Hyzenthlay: Literally, "Shine-dew-fur" = Fur shining like dew. The name of a doe.
- Inlé: Literally, the moon; also moonrise. But a second meaning carries the idea of darkness, fear, and death.
- Lendri: A badger.
- Marli: A doe. Also carries the meaning "mother."
- M'saion: "We meet them."
- Narn: Nice, pleasant (to eat).
- Ni-Frith: Noon.
- Nildro-hain: "Blackbird's Song." The name of a doe.
- Owsla: The strongest rabbits in a warren, the ruling clique. Nearly all warrens have an Owsla, or group of strong or clever rabbits-- second-year or older-- surrounding the Chief Rabbit and his or her mate and exercising authority. Owslas vary. In one warren, the Owsla may be the band of a warlord; in another, it may consist largely of clever patrollers or garden-raiders. Sometimes a good storyteller may find a place; or a seer, or intuitive rabbit. In the Sandleford warren at this time, the Owsla was rather military in character (though, as will be seen, not so military as some, like Efrafa).
- Owslafa: The Council police (a word found only in Efrafa).
- Pfeffa: A cat.
- Rah: A prince, leader, or chief rabbit. Usually used as a suffix-- e.g. Threarah = Lord Threar.
- Roo: Used as a suffix to denote a diminutive-- e.g. Hrairoo.
- Sayn: Groundsel.
- Silf: Outside, that is, not underground.
- Silflay: To go above ground to feed. Literally, to feed outside. Also used as a noun.
- Tharn: Stupefied, distraught, hypnotized with fear. But can also, in certain contexts, mean "looking foolish," or again "heartbroken" or "forlorn."
- Thethuthinnang: "Movement of Leaves." The name of a doe. The first and last syllables are stressed, as in the phrase "Once in a way."
- Thlay: Fur.
- Thlayli: "Fur-head." Bigwig's nickname.
- Threar: A rowan tree, or mountain ash.
- Vair: To excrete, pass droppings.
- White Blindness, the: A terrible sickness, most likely rabies.
- Yona: A hedgehog. (Plural, yonil.)
- Zorn: Destroyed, murdered, finished. Denotes a terrible catastrophe.
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