Home> The Name Behind

Thanks to Theninemuses.net. Edited by Harry's Haven.

A

Alchemy- science devoted to turning substances (especially lead) into pure gold.

Azkaban- Similar to "Alkatraz", on which I believe Azkaban was based.

Auror - Based on Latin, there are two possible directions we can go. It could be based on "aurum", which means "gold", or "aura", which means "heaven, breeze". From English, there are also several ways the word "auror" can take us. An "aura" is "a distinctive quality that seems to surround a person or thing". Possibly the aurors sense this? Also "aurora" can mean "dawn", which hints at a new dawn, free from the tyranny of dark wizards.

Avada Kedavra- "Avada Kedavra" is an Aramaic phrase that means "may the thing be destroyed."

Animagus- The word "Animagus" is a combination of "animal" and "mage" (sorcerer).

Arithmancy- An early form of numerology dealing with the study of numbers, where divination is made through numbers, especially those numbers associated with the letters of a person's name.

Apparate- "Appareo" is Latin for "to become visible".

Alohomora- this is a combination of "Aloha" (Hawaiian, "Goodbye") and "mora" (Latin, "obstacle").

B

Basilisk- The mythical king of the serpents. In art, the basilisk symbolized the devil and the antichrist. To the Protestants, it was a symbol of the papacy. According to legend, there are two species of the creature. The first kind burns everything it approaches, and the second kind can kill every living thing with a mere glance. Both species are so dreadful that their breath wilts vegetation and shatters stones. The only way to kill a basilisk is by holding a mirror in front of its eyes, while avoiding looking directly at it. However, even the basilisk has natural enemies. The weasel is immune to its glance. A more dangerous enemy is the cock for should the basilisk hear it crow, it would die instantly.

Also Basilisks are a legendary reptile with fatal breath and glance. The original legend of the basilisk is this: The name is derived from a mythological monster, the basilisk, whose breath and glance were fatal. The basilisks are from about two to three feet long when 
fully grown, most of the length being in the slender, whip-like tail. Their back legs are developed far out of proportion to the rest of their bodies, so that when at rest the basilisks squat like frogs. When moving, their either hop on the hind legs or run on all fours. They are harmless to humans. 

Bicorn- The bicorn is a mythical beast, fabled by the early French romancers to grow very fat through living on good and enduring husbands. It was the anti-type of the Chichevache, which is monster who lives only on good women, and was hence all skin and bone, because its food was so extremely scarce.

Bludger- "Bludger" is a word from Australian slang, meaning a goldbricker (that's an old US Army term) - someone who hangs around and appears to be working but is not pulling his/her weight - a do-nothing. It was one of the "Aussie words of the day" in the Olympics. Also, "bludgeon" means "to hit, usually with a large, blunt object, like a club". That's what bludgers do!

Boomslang Skin- The boomslang (Dispholidus typus) is a species of South African snake. Boomslangs live in trees and bushes and feed on small animals and bird eggs. They are greenish to brown or black in color and grow to about 1.5 m (about 5 ft) long. Most members of the family (Colubridae) to which the boomslang belongs are harmless, but the boomslang has potent venom that it delivers through large, deeply grooved fangs that are located at the rear of the mouth. The bite of the boomslang can be fatal.

Bezoar- Bezoars are real and have indeed been reputed in folklore to be a proof against poison.

Bubotuber- "Bubo" is an inflamed swelling of a lymph node. A "tuber" is a swollen, underground stem.

Beauxbatons- French Wizarding School, led by half-giant headmistress Olympe Maxime.

"Beaux": handsome [French] + "batons": sticks [French]. Together, "handsome sticks", which is close enough to "handsome wands". "Handsome wands" would be Beauxbaguettes, which sounds like a French pastry.

Banshee- Seamus' boggart; Bandon Banshee banished by a hare lipped witch (Lockhart took credit)

Crying spirits or fairies whose scream announced immanent death. She has long streaming hair and is dressed in a gray cloak over a green dress. Her eyes are fiery red from the constant weeping.

Boggart- Household spirits from the north of England. The dark and hairy boggarts are dressed in tattered clothes, with meddling hands and clumsy feet. The presence of a boggart is betrayed by the unusual number of small accidents and strange noises after dark. They tip over milk bottles, frighten cats, pinch little children, blow out candles, and cause many other mishaps.

C

Centaur- Stargazing creatures that are half-man, half-horse. A race of monsters believed to have inhabited the mountain regions of Thessaly and Arcadia. They were represented as human down to the waist, with the lower torso and legs of a horse. They were the followers of the wine god Dionysus and are well known for drunkenness and carrying off helpless young maidens.

Cruciatus curse- "Crucio", which is the spell word, is Latin for "to torture".

D

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus- Translates to "Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon" in Latin. Jo said that she wanted a very solid, practical motto for Hogwarts as opposed to the strict "onwards and upwards" mottoes of the schools she attended.

Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous No-Heat Wet-Start Fireworks- A filibuster is an obstructionist tactic, especially prolonged speechmaking, used to delay legislative action. It's possible that these fireworks that last so long could be linked to a really long speech. A bit of a stretch, in my opinion. Filibuster was also an adventurer engaged in private warfare abroad. From "filibustero", which is Spanish for "freebooter" (pirate/plunderer).

Durmstrang- Probably a spoonerism of "sturm und drang", which in German means "storm and stress". Sturm und Drang was a German literary movement in 1765-85 that arose in reaction to traditional authority and the prevailing formality of literary style. Durmstrang is probably in Latvia (which is in Europe and was in the former USSR) and its language of instruction is German: for a couple of centuries, there was a LOT of Germans living in Latvia. The students whose first language is something Slavic wouldn't be any worse off than all medieval students whose schools taught in Latin!

Dervish and Banges- Dervish is a class of Sufi Muslim devotees.

Divination- The art of act of foretelling future events or revealing knowledge by means of augury (a sign or omen) or alleged supernatural agency.

Dissendium- It could come from "dissect", which means to cut open.

Densaugeo- "Dens" is Latin for "teeth". "Augeo" is Latin for "to enlarge".

E

Expecto Patronum- Patronus means protector, so "expecto patronum" means to expect a protector.

Enervate- Curiously, the word "enervate" means to "weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of", which is the opposite of the spell's effect.

Expelliarmus- Combination of "expel" (to force or drive out; eject forcefully) and "arma" (weapons [Latin]).

F

Floo Powder- A "flue" is a pipe, tube, or channel for conveying hot steam or smoke (like a chimney).

Ford Anglia- The Weasleys' Anglia is probably the 105E edition, which was popular in the 1960's. The 105E is depicted on the cover of CoS (UK edition) and Jo arrived in one when she launched GoF at King's Cross Station this year. According to Neil on HP4GU, it's a tiny car, which is important to the humor in references to the magically roomy seats and capacious boot (trunk). In reality, four people squeezed into a Muggle version would feel a bit like four gorillas in a shoebox.

Ferula- "Ferule" is a wooden stick, which is used in a splint.

Finite Incantatem- Combination of "fini" (stop, end) and "incantation" (ritual recitation of verbal charms or spells to produce a magic effect).

G

Gryffindor- Gryffindor comes from French "gryffin d'or", which means "golden griffin". Griffins are half-lion, half-eagle. Griffins are a symbol of the dual nature (divine and human) of Jesus Christ, precisely because of its mastery of earth and sky. The solar associations of both the lion and the eagle favored this positive reading. The griffin thus also became the adversary of serpents and basilisks, both of which were seen as embodiments of satanic demons."

Galleons- 15th-century sailing ship with rectangular sails on the middle mast, foremast, and rear mizzenmast. They were often used for trade between China and Mexico.

Grim- I think the grim was based on the Barghest, a monstrous dog with huge teeth and claws from the area around Yorkshire, northern England. It only appears at night. People believe that anyone who sees the dog clearly will die soon after the encounter. In Wales, they have the red-eyed Gwyllgi, the Dog of Darkness. On the Isle of Man it is called Mauthe Doog.

H

Hogwarts- "Hogwart" is a type of lily. It's also "warthogs" switched around.

House Elf- Comparable to the Fenoderee or Brownie. The Fenoderee is not very intelligent, but he is a hard worker who performed labor for the farmers of the Isle of Man. He goes around naked, for the offer of clothes will greatly offend him, causing him to stop working. He was originally very handsome, but after making the mistake of wooing a mortal girl, he was punished and lost his good looks. He turned into the ugly, solitary creature he is now. Brownies are good-natured, invisible brown elves or household goblins who live in farmhouses and other country dwellings in Scotland. While people are asleep, they perform their labors for them. If offered payment for their services or if they are treated badly, they disappear and are never seen again. Supposedly, a "Dobby" is a brownie that can't do anything right.

Howler- To howl is to cry or wail loudly. Also, a "howler" is slang for "a laughably stupid blunder".

Hag- The hag is a fairy from the British Isles. She is said to be the traces of the most ancient goddesses. The hag is regarded as the personification of winter. In the winter months she is usually old and very ugly looking. As the season changes though she becomes more and more beautiful and younger.

Hippogriff- A legendary animal, with the hindquarters of a horse and the head, beak and wings of an eagle. The hippogriff is often found in ancient Greek art and appeared largely in medieval legends. It is also a symbol of love.

I

Imperius curse- "Impero" is Latin for "to command", and "imperium" is Latin for "absolute rule".

J- None

K

Kappa- Japanese water spirits who pull little children into the water and drown them, and attack and fight travelers. The Kappas feed themselves with cucumbers and blood, and use cucumbers for travel; these cucumbers fly like dragonflies. They're very intelligent.

L

Locomotor Mortis- Locomotion is the act of moving from place to place ("Locus" is Latin for "movement"), and "mors" is Latin for "death".

Lumos- "Lumen" is Latin for "light", and "luminous" can mean "giving off light".

M

Mirror of Erised- Its inscription is "I show not your face but your hearts desire". Erised backwards is desire.

Muggle- J.K. Rowling derived it from "mug", a British slang word for "fool". However, unbeknownst to J.K., it has been used several times before; the most noteworthy being slangs term for marijuana.

Mandrake- Regarded as a plant with special powers because the root roughly resembles the human figure. It was supposed to grow under the feet of a hanged man and could only be pulled from the ground after performing the necessary rituals. It was advisable to put wax in the ears before one attempted to do this: the mandrake would scream when pulled free and this could cause deafness. The mandrake root was used for invulnerability, for discovering treasures, and as a charm for pregnancy.

Morsmodre- A combination of "Mors" (Latin for "death") and "modere" (Latin for "to bite"). Therefore, "death eaters".

N

Nimbus 2000- The Nimbus "halo" in painting was developed in Christian art in the 400's. According to Greek myths, a radiant

O- None

P

Pensieve- A combination of "pensive", which means deeply thoughtful; and "sieve", which is a utensil of wire mesh or closely perforated metal used for straining, sifting, or pureeing.

Philosopher's Stone- a substance which turns any metal into gold and produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. The earliest alchemy works were bythe English monk Roger Bacon and the German philosopher Albertus Magnus. Roger Bacon believed that gold dissolved in aqua regia was the elixir of life.

Parselmouth- According to Jo, a "parselmouth" was actually someone with a deformity of the mouth.

Phoenix- The phoenix was a legendary bird thought to live near a well in Arabia. Its song was thought to be so beautiful, that even the sun god would stop to listen. Only one phoenix could exist at a time, and they lived from between 500 to 1500 years. When it thought death was near, it would build a fire and throw itself into the flames. A new phoenix would be born from the flames, which would embalm the old phoenix in an egg of myrrh and bring it to Heliopolis, the temple of the sun. The phoenix represented the sun, which dies at night and is reborn in the morning. A symbol of immortality and resurrection. (Egyptian and Greek mythology, also mentioned in early Christianity).

Pensieve- A combination of "pensive", which means deeply thoughtful; and "sieve", which is a utensil of wire mesh or closely perforated metal used for straining, sifting, or pureeing.

Peskipiski pesternomi- Breaks up into "pesky pixie pester no me", which translates from complete gibberish to "don't pester me, pesky pixies".

Priori Incantatem- "Prior" means "preceding". An incantation is a charm or spell.

Q

Quidditch- Elvira points out that "Quidditch" is a combination of the three balls used in the game. (Qu)affle + Blu(d)ger + Sn(itch).

R

Riddikulus - "Ridiculous" means "absurd".

Reducio - "Reduce" means "to bring down in extent, amount or degree; diminish", and comes from Latin "reducere", which means "to bring back; return".

S

Sickle- A tool made up of a curved blade attached to a short handle, used for cutting grain or tall grass. It could be the equivalent of "nickel". Of course, they don't have nickels in the UK...

Spellotape- A spoof on "Sellotape", the British equivalent of scotch tape.

Squib- A "Squib" is a term used in cinematography for a device that makes it appear as if someone has been shot.

Surrey- A county in the southeast of England, adjoining the county of Greater London. The city of Little Whinging is fictional, though.

T- None

U- None

V

Veela- "Vila" are Eastern Slavonic wind and storm spirits, capable of calling forth whirlwinds, hailstorms and rain. Depending on their habitats, people speak of land, water, wood and cloud vilas. These female spirits appear in the form of a swan, horse or wolf or, if in human form, as beautiful women, winged and with long hair. They possess eternal youth and are usually friendly towards humans. In Slovakia they are the souls of deceased girls. Veela are ghosts of un-baptized women or virgins that are doomed to remain on earth. They often dance in circles and any human who sees them will be forced to join the circle, dancing to his death.

W

Weird Sisters- "Wyrd Sisters" is the first Terry Pratchet book with the Lancre Witches: Magrat Garlick, Nanny Ogg, and Granny Weatherwax. Also known as "The maiden, the mother, and the... er... other one." This doesn't really have any significance, but I just felt like sharing. However, the 3 witches in Macbeth are usually called "weird sisters", and some writers use the term "weird sisters" for the three Fates, women that spin threads of life in Greek and Roman mythology.

Wagga Wagga Werewolf- "Wagga Wagga" is a place in New South Wales, Australia, and means "place of many crows" Incidentally, it's fairly close to the city of Lockhart.

X- None

Y

Yew- Yew is the tree of death, depicted on Victorian mourning cameos showing a woman weeping at a gravestone next to a tree. Yew berries are poisonous, and yew wood is the natural composite that made the English longbow so deadly, and TEX AND MOLLY IN THE AFTERLIFE says that yews are planted in graveyards because they 'thrive on corruption' i.e. eat rotting corpses.

Z-None