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IN studying the
Imperium, Arrakis, and the whole culture which produced Muad'Dib, many unfamiliar terms
occur. To increase understanding is a laudable goal, hence the definitions and
explanations given below.
ABA: loose robe worn by Fremen women: usually black.
AGH: left turn: a worm-steersman's call.
ADAB: the demanding memory that comes upon you of itself.
AKARSO: a plant native to Sikun (of 70 Ophjuchi A)
characterized by almost oblong leaves. Its green and white stripes indicate the constant
multiple condition of parallel active and dormant chlorophyll regions.
ALAM AGM~HAL: the mystical world of similitudes where all
physical limitations are removed.
AL-LAT: mankind's original sun; by usage: any planet's
primary.
AMPOLIROS: the legendary 'Flying Dutchman' of space.
AMTAL or AMTAL RULE: a common rule an primitive worlds
under which something is tested to determine its limits or defects. Commonly: testing to
destruction.
AQL: the test of reason. Originally, the 'Seven Mystic
Ones-
tions' beginning: 'Who is it that thinks ?'
ARRAKEEN: first settlement on Arrakis; long-lime seat of
planetary government.
ARRAKIS: the planet known as Dune: third planet of Canopus.
ASSASSINS' HANDBOOK: Third-century compilation of poisons
commonly used in a War of Assassins. Later expanded to include those deadly devices
permitted under the Guild Peace and Great Convention.
AULIYA: In the Zensunni Wanderer's religion, the female at
the left hand of God: God's handmaiden AUMAS: poison administered in food. (Specifically:
poison in solid food.) In some dialects: Chaumas.
AYAT: the signs of life. (See Burhan3
BAKKA: in fremen legend, the weeper who mourns for all
mankind
BAKLAWA: heavy pastry made with date syrup.
BALISET: a nine-string musical instrument, lineal
descendant of the zithra, tuned to the Chusuk scale and played by strumming. Favourite
instrument of Imperial troubadour.
BARADYE PISTOL: a static-charge dust gun developed on
Arrakis for laying down a large dye marker area on sand
BARAKA: a living holy man of magical powers
BASHAR: (often Colonel Bashar): an officer of the Sardaukar
a fractional point above Colonel in the standardized military classification. Rank created
for military ruler of a planetary sub-district (Bashar of the Corps is a title reserved
strictly for military use.)
BATTLE LANGUAGE: any special language of restricted
etymology developed for clear-speech communication in
BEDWINE: see Ichian Bedwine.
BELA TEGEUSE: a fifth planet of Kuentsing: third stopping
place of the Zensunni (Fremen) forced migration.
BENE GESSERIT: the ancient school of mental and physical
training established primarily for female students after the Butlerian Jihad destroyed the
so-called 'thinking machines' and robots.
B.G.: idiomatic for Bene Gesserit except when used with a
date. With a date it signifies Before Guild and identifies the Imperial dating system
based on the genesis of the Spacing Guild's monopoly.
BHOTANIJIB: see Chakobsa.
PI-LA KAIFA: Amen. (Literally: 'Nothing further need be
explained.')
BINDU: relating to the human nervous system, especially to
nerve training. Often expressed as Bindu-nervature. (See Prana.)
BRINDU SUSPENSION: a special form of catalepsis,
self-induced.
BLED: hat, open desert
BOURKA: insulated mantle worn by Fremen in the open desert.
BURHAN: the proofs of life. (Commonly: the ayat and burhan
of life. See Ayat.)
BURSEG. a commanding general of the Sardaukar.
BUTLERIAN JIHAD): see Jihad. Butlerian (also Great Revolt).
CAID: Sardaukar officer rank given to a military of~cial
whose duties call mostly for dealings with cvvlians; a military governorship over a full
planetary district; above the rank of Bashar but not equal to a Burseg.
CALADAN: third planet of Delta Pavonis; btthworld of
Paul-Muad'Dib.
CANTO and RESPONDU: an invocation rite, part of the
panoplia propheticus of the Missionaria Protectiva.
CARRYALL: a flying wing (commonly 'wing'), the aerial
work-horse of Arrakis, used to transport large spice mining, hunting and refining
equipment.
CATCHPOCKET: any stillsuit pocket where filtered water is
caught and stored.
CHAKOBSA: the so called 'magnetic language' derived in part
from the ancient Bhotani (Bhotani Jib--jib meaning dialect). A collection of ancient
dialects modified by needs of secrecy, but chiefly the hunting language of the Bhotani,
the hired assassins of the Erst Wars of Assassins.
CHAUMAS: (Aumas in some dialects): poison in solid food as
distinguished from poison administered in some other way.
CHAUMURKY: (Musky or Murky in some dialects): person
administered in a drink.
CHEOPS: pyramid chess; nine-level chess with the double
object of putting your queen at the apex and the opponent's king in check.
CHEREM: a brotherhood of hate (usually for revenge).
CHOAM: acronym for Combine Honnete Ober Advancer
Mercaotiles--the universal development corporation controlled by the Emperor and Great
Houses with the Guild and Bene Gesserit as silent partners.
CHUSM: fourth planet of Theta Shalish; the so-called 'Music
Planet' noted for the quality of its musical instruments. (See Varota.)
CIELAGO: any modified Chiroptero of Arrakis adapted to
carry distrans messages.
CONE OF SILENCE: the field of a distorter that limits the
carrying power of the voice or any other vibrator by damping the vibrations with an
image-vibration 180 degrees out of phase.
CORIOLIS STORM: any major sandstorm on Arrakis where winds
across the open Aatlands are amplified by the planet's own revolutionary motion to
reafhspeeds up to 7M) kilometres per hour.
CORRIN, BATTLE OF: the space battle from which the Imperial
House Conino took its name. The battle fought near Sigma Draconis in the year 88 B.G.
settled the axcndancy of the ruling House from Salusa Secundus.
COUSINES: blood relations beyond cousins.
CRUSHERS: military space vessels composed of many smaller
vessels locked together and designed to fall on an enemy position, crushing it
CUTTERAY: short-range version of lasgun used mostly as a
cutting tool and surgeon's scalpel.
CRYSKNIFE: the sacred knife of the Fremen on Arrakis. It is
manufactured in two forms from teeth taken from dead sandwolms. The two forms am '~xed'
and 'un~xed.' An un~xed knife requires proximity to a human body's electrical field to
prevent disintegration. Fixed knives are treated for storage. Ah are about 20 centimetres
long.
DAR AL-HMMAN: school of religious translation or
interpretation.
DARK THINGS: idiomatic for the infectious superstitions
taught by the Missionaria Protectiva to susceptible civilizations.
DEATH TRIPOD: originally, the tripoa upon which desert
executioners hanged their victims. By usage: the three members of a Cherem swom to the
same revenge. BERCH: right turn: a worm steersman's call.
DEW COLLECTORS or DEW PRECIPITATORS: not to be confused
with dew gatherers. Collectors or precipitators are egg-shaped devices about four
centimetres on the long axis. They are made of chromoplastic that turns a reflecting white
when subjected to light, and reverts to transparency in darkness. The collector forms a
markedly cold surface upon which dawn dew will precipitate. They are used by Fremen to
line concave planting depressions where they provide a small but reliable source of water.
DEW GATHERER~: workers who reap dew from the plants of
Arrakis, using a sc)~thelike dew reaper.
DEMIBROTHERS: sons of concubines in the same house hold and
certified as having the same father.
DICTUM PAMILIA: that rule of the Great Convention which
prohibits the slaying of a royal person or member of a Great House by informal treachery.
The rule sets up the formal outline and limit~ the means of assassination.
DLSTRANS: a device for producing a temporary neural imprint
on the nervous system of Chiroprera or birds. The creature's normal cry then carries the
message imprint which can be sorted from that carrier wave by another distrans.
DRUM SAND: impaction of sand in such a way that any sudden
blow against its surface produces a distinct drum sound.
DOORSEAL: a portable plastic hermetic seal used for
moisture security in Fremen overday cave camps.
DUMP BOXES: the general term for any cargo container of
krsgular shape and equipped with ablation surfaces and suspensor damping system. They are
used to dump material from space on to-a planet's surface.
DUNE MEN: idiomatic for open sand workers, spice hunters
and the Like on Arrakis. Sandworkers. Spiceworkers.
DUST CHASM: any deep crevasse or depression on the desert
of Arrakis that has been filled with dust not apparently different from the surrounding
surface: a deadly trap because human or animal will sink in it and smother. (See Tidal
Dust Basin)
plant growth capable of being shaped in situ solely by the
power of human thought.
EGO-LMENESS: portraiture reproduced through a shiga\nire
projector that is capable of reproducing subtle movements said to convey the ego essence.
ELACCA DRUG: narcotic formed by burning blood-grained
elaeca wood of Ecaz. Its e~ect is to remove most of the will to self-preservation. Druggee
skin shows a characteristic carrot colour. Commonly used to prepare slave gladiators for
the ring.
ELSAYAL: the'rain of sand.' A fall of dust which has been
carried to medium altitude (around 2,000 metres) by a coliolis storm. El-sayals frequently
bring moisture to ground level.
ERG: an extensive dune area, a sea of sand
FAI: the water tribute, chief specie of tax on Arralds.
FANMETAL: metal formed by the growing jasmium crystals in
duraluminum; noted for extreme tensile strength in relationship to weight. Name derives
from its common use in collapsible structures that are opened by 'fanning' them out.
FAUFRELUCHES: the rigid rule of class distinction enforced
by the Imperium.'A place for every man and every man in his place.'
FEDAYKIN: Fremen death commandos: historically: a group
formed and pledged to give their lives to right a wrong.
FILMBOOK: any shjgawire imprint used in training and
carrying a mnemonic pulse. 'i FILT-PLUG: a nose filter unit worn with a stiusuit to
capture moisture from the exhaled breath,
mQIIi knowledge, religious law; one of the half-legendary
on~ns of the Zensunni Wanderers' religion.
FIRE, PILLAR OF: a simple pyrocket for signalling across
the open desert
FIRST MOON: the major satellite of Arrakis, first to rise
in (he night; notable for a distinct human Bst pattern on its surface.
FREE TRADERS: idiomatic for smugglers
FREMEN: the free tribes of Arrakis, dwellers in the deserf
remnants of the Zensunni Wanderers ('Sand PL·ates' according to the Imperial Dictionary.)
FREMKIT: desert survival kit of Fremen manufacture.
FRIOA~: largest spaceship that can be grounded on a planet
and taken oh in one piece.
GALACH: otticial language of the Imperium. Hybrid
IngloSlavic with strong traces of cultural-specialization terms adopted during the long
chain of human migrations.
GAMONT: third planet of Niushe; noted for its hedonistic
culture and exotic sexual practices. CARE: butte.
GATHERING: distinguished from Council Gathering It is a
formal convocation of Fremen leaders to witness a combat that determines tribal
leadership. (Council Gathering is an assembly to arrive at decisions involving all the
tribes.)
GEYRAT: straight ahead; a worm steersman's call.
GHAFLA: giving oneself up to gadfly distractions. Thns: a
changeable person, one not to be trusted GHANIMA: something acquired in battle or single
combat Commonly, a memento of combat kept only to stir the memory.
GIEDIPRIME: the planet of Ophiuchi B (36), homeworld of
House HarLonnen. A median-viable planet with a low active-photocynthesis range.
GMAZ, HOUSE OF: one-time allies of Duke Leto Atreides. They
were defeated in the War of Assassins with G~an.
GIUDICHAR: a holy truth. (Commonly seen in the expression
Giudichar mantene: an original and supporting truth.)
GLOWGLOBE: suspensor-buoyed illuminating device,
selfpowered (usually by organic batteries).
GRABEN: a Long geological ditch formed when the ground
sinks because of movements in the underlying crustal layers.
GREAT CONVENTION: the universal truce enforced under the
power balance maintained by the Guild, the Great Houses and the Imperiun. Its chief rule
prohibits the use of atomic weapons against human targets. Each rule of the Great
Convention begins: ~he forms must be obeyed... GREAT MOTHER: the horned goddess, the
feminine principle of space (commonly: Mother Space), the feminine face of the
male-female-neuter trinity accepted as Supreme Being by many religions within the
Imperium.
GREAT REVOLT: common term for the Butlerian Jihad (See
Jihad, Butlerian.) GRIDEX PLANE: a differential-charge separator used to remove sand from
the melange spice mass; a device of the second stage in spice refining.
GRUMMAN: second planet of Niushe, noted chiefly for the
feud of its ruling House (Moritani) with House Ginaz.
GOM JABBAR: the high-handed enemy; that specific poison
needle tipped with meta-cyanide used by Bene Gesserit Proctors in the death-alternative
test of human awareness.
GUILD: the Spacing Guild. one leg of the political tripod
maintaining the Great Convention. The Guild was the second mental-physical training school
(see Bene Gesserit) after the Butlerian Jihad. The Guild monopoly on space travel and
transport and upon international banking is taken as the beginning point of the Imperial
Calendar.
HAGAL: the'Jewel Planet' (n Theta Shaowei), mined out in
the time of Shaddam I.
HAIIILI-YOH ! : command to action; wonn steersman's call.
HAIJ: holy journey.
HAIR: desert journey, migration.
HAJRA: journey of seeking, HAL YAWM: 'Now! At last!'a
Fremen exclamation.
HARMONTHEP: Ingsley gives this as the planet name for the
sixth stop in the Zensuuni migration. It is supposed to have been a no longer existent
satellite of Delta Pavonis.
HARVESTER or HARVESTER FACTORY: a large (often 120 metres
by 40 metres) spice mining machine commonly employed on rich, uncontaminated melange
blows. (Often called a'crawler' because of buglike body on independent tracks.)
HEIGHLINER: major cargo carrier of the Spacing Guild's
transportation system.
HIEREG: temporary Flemen desert camp on open sand.
HIGH COUNCIL: the Landsraad inner circle empowered to act
as supreme tribunal in House to House disputes.
HOLTZMAN EFFECT: the negative repelling etIect of ashield
generator.
HOOKMAN: Premen with Maker hooks prepared to catch a
sandworm
HOUSE: idiomatic for Ruling Clan of a planet or planetary
system.
HOUSES MAJOR: holders of planetary ~efs; interplanetary
entrepreneurs. (Set House above.) HOUSES MINOR: planet-bound entrepreneur elasn (Galach:
'Richece3.
HUNTER-SEEKER: a ravening sliver of suspensor-buoyed metal
guided as a weapon by a near-by control console; common assassination device.
IBAD, EYES OF: characteristic effect of a diet high in
melange wherein the whites and pupils of the eyes turn a deep blue (indicative of deep
melange addiction), IBN QIRTAIBA: Thus go the holy words...'Polrnal beginning to Fremen
religious incantation (derived from panoplia propheticus).
ICHWAN BEDWINE: the brotherhood of all Fremen on Arrakis.
UAZ: prophecy that by its very nature cannot be denied;
immutable prophecy.
IKHUT-EIGHI: cry of the water-seller on Arrakis (etymology
uncertain). See Soo-Soo Sookl LLM: theology; science of religious tradition, one of the
halflegendary origins of the Zensunni Wanderers' faith.
IMPERIAL CONDITIONING: a development of the Suk Medical
Schools: the highest conditioning against taking human life. Initiates art: marked by a
diamond tattoo on the forehead and are permitted to wear their hair long and bound by a
silver Suk ring.
INKVINE: a creeping plant native to Giedi Prime and
frequently used as a whipin the slave cribs. Victims are marked by beet-coloured tattoos
that cause residual pain for many
IS~eI~AH: a rule for the general welfare; usually a preface
to brutal necessity. M: see Richese,
JIHAD: A religious crusade; fanatical crusade.
JIHAD, BUTLERIAN: (see also Great Revoltt-the crusade
against computers, thinking machines and conscious robots begun in 201 80. and concluded
in 108 B.O. Its chief commandment remains in the O.C. Bible as Thou shalt not make
.machine in the likeness of a human mind.'
JUBBA CLOAK: th, all-purpose cloak (it can he set to
reflect o, admit radiant heat, converts to a hammock or shelter) commonly worn over a
stillsuit on Arrakis.
IUDGE OF THE CHANGE: an official appointed by thc Landsraad
High Council and the Emperor to monitor a change of fief, a kanly negotiation, or formal
battle in a War of Assassins. The Judges arbitral authority may be challenged only before
[he High Council with the Emperor present.
KANLY: formalfeud ., vendetta under the rules of the Great
Convention carried on according to the strictest Limitations. (See ludge of the Change.)
Originally the rules were designed to protect innocent bystanders.
KARAMA a miracle; an action initiated by the spirit world.
KHALA: traditional invocation to still the angry spirits of
a place whose name you mentloo. sword (or long knife) with
KINDJAL: double-bladed short
about 20 centimetres of slightly curved blade.
KISWA: any figure or design from Fremen mythology.
KITAB AL-IBAR: the combined ,u~vival handbook-religious
manual developed by the Fremen on Arrakis.
KRLMSKELL FLBRE or KRTMSKELL ROPE: the %law fibre' woven
from strands of the iluf~d vine from Ecaz. Knots tied in krim~kell will claw ti~tfr and
tighter to preset limits when the knot-lioes are pulled. (For a more detailed study, see
Holjance Vohnbrook's 'The Strangler Vines of ~a,AD,: ·, am profoundly stirredl' A sincere
e*-
clamation of sumrise common in the Imperium. Strict
interpretation depends on context. (It is said of Muad'Dib that once he watched a desert
hawk chick emerge from its shell and whispered: 'KuU wahad!')
KULON : wild ass of Terra`s steppes adapted for Arrakis.
KWISATZ HADERACH: 'Shortening of the Way.' This is the
label applied by the Bene Gessent to the unknown for which they sought a genetic solution:
a male Bene Gesserit whose organic mental powers would bridge space and time.
LA, LA, LA: Fremen cry of grief. (La translates as ultimate
denial, a 'no' from which you cannot appeal.)
LASGUN: continuous-wave laser prolector. Its use as a 496
weapon is limited in a field-generator-shield culture
beca~se of the explosive pyr0technics (technically, subatomic fusion) created when its
beam intersects a shield.
LEGION, IMPERIAL: ten brigades (about 30,000 men).
LIBAN: Fremen liban is spice water infused with yucca
flour.
Originally a sour milk drink.
LISAN AL-GALB: 'The Voice from the' Outer World.' In Fremen
messianic legends, an oh-world prophet Sometimes translated as 'Giver of Water.' (See
Mahdi.)
LITREJON: a one-litre container for transporting water on
Arrakis; made of high-density, shatterproof plastic With positive seal.
LIITLE MAKER: the half-plant-half-animal deep-sand vector
of the Arrakis sandworm. The Little Maker's excrg tions from the pre-spice mass.
MAKDI: in the Fremen messianic legend, The One Who FI~'~
Lead Us to Paradise.'
MAKER: see Shai-hulud.
MAKER H0O1<S: the hooks used for capturing, mounting and
steering a sandworm of Arrakis.
MANTENE: underlying wisdom, supporting argument, first
principle. (See Giudichar.)
MATING INDEX: the Bene Gesserit master record of its human
breeding programme aimed at producing the Kwisatz Haderach.
MAULA: slave.
MAULA PISTOL: spring-loaded gun for firing poison darts;
range about forty metres.
MELANGE: the 'spice of spices,' the crop for which Arrakis
is the unique source. The spice, chiefly ooted for its geriatric qualities, is mildly
addictive when taken in small quantites, severely addictive when imbibed in quantities
above two grams daily per seventy kilos of body weight (Sec Ibad, Water of Life, and
Pre-spice Mass.) Muad'Dib claimed the spice as a key to his prophetic powers. Guild
navigators make similar claims. Its price on the imperial market has ranged as high as
620,000 solaris the decagram.
MENTAT: that class of Imperial citizens trained for supreme
accomplishments of logic.'Human computera'
METAGLASS: glass grown as a high-temperature gas infusion
in sheets of jasmium quartz. Noted for extreme tensile strength (about 450,000 kilos per
square centimetre at two centimetres' thickness) and capacity as a selective radiah~on
~tcr.
MIHNA: the season for testing Fremen youths who wish
admittance to manhood.
MINIMIC FILM: shigawire of one-micron diameter often used
to transmit espionage and counter-espionage data
MISH-MISH: apricots.
MISR: the historical Zensunni (Fremen) term for themselves:
~he People.'
MISSIONARLA PROCTECTIVA: the arm of the Bene Gesserit order
charged with sowing infectious superstitions on primitive worlds, thus opening those
regions to exploitation by the Bene Gesserit. (See Panoplia propheticus.)
MONITOR: a ten-section space warcraft mounting heavy armour
and shield protection. It is designed to be separated into its component sections for
lift-off after planet-fall.
MUAD'DIB: the adapted kangaroo mouse of Arrakis, a creature
associated in the Fremen earth-spirit mythology with a design visible on the planet's
second moon. This creature is admired by Fremen for its ability to survive in the open
desert.
MUDIR NAHYA: the Fremen name for Beast Rabban (Count of
Lankiveil), the Harkonnen cousin who was dridar governor or Arrakis for many years. The
name is often translated as'Demon Ruler.' MUSHTAMAL: a small garden annex orgarden
courtyard
MUSKY: poison in a drink. (See Chaumurky.)
MU ZEIN WALLAHI: Mu zein literally means'nothing good,' and
wallah is a reflexive terminal exclamation. In this traditional opening for a Fremen curse
against an enemy, WaUah turns the emphasis back upon the words Mu zein, producing the
meaning: 'Nothing good, never good, good for nothing.'
NA-: a pre~x meaning "nominated' or next in lioc~'
Thus: naBaron means heir apparent to a barony.
NAIB: one who has sworn never to be taken alive by the
enemy; traditional oath of a Fremen leader.
NEZHONI SCARF: the scarf-pad worn at the forehead beneath
the stillsuit hood by married or'associated' Fremen· women after birth of a son.
NOUKKERS: of~cers of the imperial bodyguard who are related
to the Emperor by blood Traditional rank for sons of royal concubines.
O OIL LENS: hnfaf oil held in static tension by an
enclosing force held within a viewing tube as part of a magnifying or other
light-manipulation system. Because each lens element can be adjusted individually one
micron at a time, the oil lens is considered the ultimate in accuracy for manipulating
visible light
OPARRE: one of the rare opaline jewels of Hagal.
ORANGE CATHOLIC BIBLE: the 'Accumulated Book,' the
religious text produced by the Commission of Ecumenical Translators. It contains elements
of most ancient religions, including the Maometh Saari, Mahayana Christianity, Zensunni
Catholicism and Buddislamic traditions. Its supreme commandment is considered to be: Thou
shalt not disfigure the soul.'
ORNITHOPTER (commonly: 'thopter): any aircraft capable of
sustained wing-beat flight in the manner of birds.
OU^T-FREYN: Galach for'immediately foreign,' thatis: not of
your immediate community, not of the select.
PALM LOCK: any lock or seal which may be opened on contact
with the palm of the human hand to which it had been keyed.
PAN: on Arrakis, any low-lying region or depression created
by the subsiding of the underlying basement complex. (On planets with sufficient water, a
pan indicates a region once covered by open water. Arrakis is believed to have at least
one such area, although this remains open to argument.) PANOPLIA PROPHETICUS: term
covering the infectious superstitions used by the Bene Gesserit to exploit primitive
regions. (See MissionaJia Protectiva.)
PARACOMPASS: any compass that determines direction by local
magnetic anomaly: used where relevant charts are available and where a planet's total
magnetic field is unstable or subject to masking by severe magnetic storms.
PENTASHIELD: a five-layer shield-generator field suitable
for small areas such as doorways or passage (large reinforcing shields become increasingly
unstabl~ with each successive layer) and virtually impassable to anyone not wearing a
dissembler tuned to the shield codes. (See Prudence Door.)
PLASTEEL: steel which has been stabilized with stravidium
fibres grown into its crystal structure.
PLENICENTA: an exotic green bloom of Ecaz note for its
sweet aroma.
POLING THE SAND: the art of placing plastic and ~bre poles
in the open desert wastes of Arrakis and reading the patterns etched on the poles by
sandstorms as a clue to weather prediction
pOR~RIN: third planet o~ Epsilon Alangue, considered by
many Zensupol Wanderers aJ their planet of origin, although cluff in the language and
mythology show far more ancient planetary roots.
pORTYGULS: oranges.
PRANA: (prana-muscuiatun): the body's muscles when
considered as units for ultimate training. (See Bindu.)
PRE-SPICE MASS: the stage of fungusoid wild growth achieved
when water is hooded into the excretions of Little Makers. At this stage, the spice of
Arrakis forms a characteristic'blow, exchanging the material from deep underground for the
matter on the surface above it. This mass, after exposure to sun and air, becomes melange.
(See also Melange and Water of Life.)
PROCES VERBAL: a semiformal report alleging a crime against
the imperium. Legally: an action falling between a loose verbal allegation and a formal
charge of crime.
pROCTOR SUPERIOR: .Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother who is
also regional director of a B.G. school. (Commonly:
Bene Gesserit with the Sight.)
PRUDENCE DOOR or PRUDENCE BARRIER (idiomatically: pru-door
or pre-barrier): any pentashield situated for the escape of selected persons under
conditions of pursuit (See Pentashield.) PUNDI RICE: , mutated rice whosegratns,high in
natural rice whose grains,
sugar, achieve lengths up to four cenamerres; chief export
of Caladan.
PyONS: planet-bound peasantsor labourers, one of the base
classes under the Faufreluches. Legally: wards of the planet.
PyRETIC CONSCIENCE: so-called 'conscience of fire'; that
inhibitory level touched by Imperial conditioning. (See Imperial conditioning.)
QANAT: an open canal for carrying irrigation water under
controlled conditions through a desert QIRTAIBA: see Ibn
Qirtaiba.
QUIZARA TAFWID: Premen priests (after Muad?)ib),
RACHAO: 8 caf~einPtype stimulant from the yellow berries
of ak~uso. (See AkarsoJ RAMADHAN : ancient religious period
marked by fasting and prayer; traditiollally, the ninth month of the solar-lunar calendar,
Premen mark the observance according to the ninth meridian-crossing cyclc of the first
moon, 500
RAZZIA: a semi~atical guerrilla raid.
RECATHS: body-function ~ubes linking the human waste
disposal system t, the cycling filters of a stiUsuir
REPK~: repair and replacement essentials for a stillsuit
RESIDUAL POISON: an innovation attributed to the Mentat
Piter de Vries whereby the body is impregnated with a substance for which repeated
antidotes must be administered. Withdrawal of the antidote at any time brings death.
REVEREND MOTHER: originally, a proctor of the Bene Gesserif
one who has transformed an 'illuminating poison' within her body, raising herself to a
higher state of awarrness. Title adopted by Fremen for their own religious leaders who
accomplished a similar 'illumination' (See also Bene Gesserit and Water of Life.)
RICHESE: fourth planet of. Eridani A, classed with Ix as
supreme in machine culture. Noted for miniaturization~ (For a detailed study.n how Richese
and Ix escaped the more severe effects of the Butlerian Jibad, see The Lost lihad by Sumer
and Kautman.)
RIMWALL: second upper step of the protecting blufts on the
Shield Wall of Arrakis. (See Shield Wall.)
RUH-SPIR~: in Fremen belief, that part of the individual
which is always rooted in (and capable of sensing) the metaphysical world. (See Alam
al-Mithal.)
SADUS: judges. The Fremen title refers to holy judges,
equivalent to saints.
SALUSA SECUNDUSi third planet of Gamma Waiping; designated
Imperial Pnson Planet after removal of the Royal Court to Kaitain. Salusa Secundus is
homeworld of House Corrino, and the second stopping point in migrations of the Wandering
Zensunni. Fremen tradition says they were slaves on S.S. for nine generations.
SANDCRAWLER: general term for machinery designed to operate
on the Arrakis surface in hunting and collecting melange.
SANDMASTER: general superintendent of spice operations.
SANDRIDER: Fremen term for one who is capable of capturing and riding a sandworm.
SANDSNORK: breathing device for pumping surface air into a
sandcovered stilltent.
SANDTIDE: idiomatic for a dust tide: the variation in level
within certain dust-filled basins on Arrakis due to gravitational effects of sun and
satellites. (See Tidal Dust Basin.)
SANDWALKER: any Fremen trained to survive in the open
desert.
SANDWORM: see Shai-Hulud.
SAPHO: high-energy liquid extracted from barrier roots of
Ecar Commonly used by Mentats who claim it amplifies mental powers. Users develop deep
ruby stains on mouth and lips.
SARDAUKAR: the soldier-fanatics of the Padishah Emperor.
They were men from an environmental background of such ferocity that if killed six out of
thirteen persons before the age of eleven. Their military training emphasized ruthlessness
and a near-suicidal disregard for personal safely. They were taught from infancy to use
cruelty as a standard weapon, weakening opponents with terror. At the apex of their sway
over the a~airs of the Universe, their swordsmanship was said to match that of the Ginaz
tenth level and their cunning abilities at in-fighting were reputed to approach those of a
Bene Gesserit adept. Any one of them was rated a match for any ten ordinary Landsraad
military conscripts. By the time of Shaddam IV, while they were still formidable, their
strength had been sapped by overconfidence, and the sustaining mystique of their warrior
religion had been deeply undermined by cynicism.
SARFA: the act of turning away from God.
SAYYADINA: feminine acolyte in the Fremen religious
hierarchy.
SCHLAG: animal native to Tupile once hunted almost to
extinction for its thin, tOngh hide.
SECOND MOON: the smaller of the two satellites of Arrakis,
noteworthy for the kangaroo mouse ~gure in its surface markings.
SELAMLM: Imperial audience chamber.
SEMUTA: the second narcotic derivative (by crystal extrao
tion) from burned residue of clacca wood. The effect (described as timeless, sustained
ecstasy) is elicited by certain atonal vibrations referred to as semuta music. SERVOK:
clock-set mechanism to perform simple tasks; one of the limited 'automatic' devices
permitted after the Butlerian Jihad.
SHAH-NAMA: the half-legendary First Book of the Zcnsunni
Wanderers.
SHAI-HULUD: Sandworm of Arrakis, the 'Old Man of the
Desert~''Old Father Eternity' and'Grandfather of the Desert~' Significantly, this name,
when referred to in a certain tone or written with capital letters, designates the earth
deity of Fremen hearth superstitions. Sandworms grow to enor-. mous size (specimens longer
than 400 metres have been seen in the dei~p desert) and live to great age unless slain by
one of their fellows or drowned in water, which is poisonous to them. Most of the sand on
Arrakis is credited to sandworm action (See Little Maker.)
SHARI-A: that part of the panoplia propheticus which sets
forth the superstitious ritual. (See Missionaria Protectiva.)
SHADOUT: well-dipper, A fremen honourific.
SH~AN: Satan.
SHIELD, DEFENSIVE: the protective field produced by a
Holtrman generator. This held derives from Phase One of the suspensor-nullification effecr
A shield will permit entry only to objects moving at slow speeds (depending on setting,
this speed ranges from six to nine centimetres per second) and can be shorted out only by
a shire-sized electric held.
(See Lasgun.)
SHIELD WALL: a mountainous geographic feature in the
northern reaches of Arrakis which protects a small area from the full Force of the
planet's coriolis storms.
SHIGAWIRE: metallic extrusion of a ground vine (Narvi
nnrviium) grown only on Salusa Secundus and m Delta Kaising. It is noted for extreme
tensile strength.
SIETCH: Fremen:'Place of assembly in time of danger.
Because the Fremen lived so long in peril, the term came by general usage to designate any
cave warren inhabited by one of their tribal communities.
SIHAYA: Fremen: the desert springtime with religious
overtones implying the time of fruitfulness and 'the paradise to come.'
SINK: a habitable lowland area on Arrakis surrounded by
high ground that protects it from the prevailing storms.
SINKCHART: map of the Arrakis surface laid out with
reference to the most reliable pgracompass routes between places of refuge. (See
Paracompass.) SIRAT: the passage in the O.C. Bible that describes human life as ajourney
across a narrow bridge (the Sirat) with 'Paradise on my right, Hell on my left, and the
Angel of Death behind.'
SLIP-TI~: any thin, short blade (often poison-tipped) for
left-hand use in shield fighting.
SNOOPER, POISON: radiation analyser within the olfactory
spectrum and keyed to detect poisonous substances.
SOLARI: official monetary unit of the Imperium, its
purchasing power set at quatricentennial negotiations between the Guild, the Landsraad and
the Emperor.
SOLIDO: the three-dimensional image from a solido projector
using 3hO-degree reference signals imprinted on a shigawire reel. Ixian solido projectors
are commonly considered the best SONDAGI: the fern tulip of Tupali
SOOS00 SOOKI: water-seller's cry on Arrakis. Sook is a
market place. (See Ikhut-eighl)
SPACING GUILD: see Guild.
SPICE: see Melange.
SPICE DRIVER: any Dune man who controls and directs movable
machinery on the desert surface of Arrakis.
SPICE FACTORY: see Sandcrawler.
SPOTTER CONTROL: the light ornithopter in a spice-hunt ing
group charged with control of watch and protection.
STILLSUIT: body-enclosing garment invented on Arrakis. Its
fabric is a micro-sandwich performing functions of heat dissipation and filter for bodily
wastes. Reclaimed moisture is made available by tube from catchpockets.
STIILTENT: small, sealable enclosure of micro-sandwich
fabric designed to reclaim as potable water the ambient moisture discharged within it by
the breath of its occupants.
STUNNER: slow-pellet projectile weapon throwing a poisonor
drug-tipped dart. Effectiveness limited by variations in shield settings and relative
motion between target and projectile.
SUBAKH UL KUHAR: 'Are you well?' a Fremen greeting.
SUBAKH UN NAR: 'I am well. And youl' traditional reply.
SUSPENSOR: secondary (low-drain) phase of a Holtzman field
generator. It nullifies gravity within certain limits prescribed by relative mass and
energy consumption
TAHADDI AL-BURHAN: an ultimate test from which there can be
no appeal (usually because it brings death or destruction).
TAHADDI CHALLENGE: Fremen challenge to mortal combat,
usually to test some primal issue.
TAQWA: literally: 'The price of freedom.'.Something of
great value. That which a diety demands of a mortal (and the fear provoked by the demand).
TAU, THE: in Fremen terminology, that oneness of a sietch
community enhanced by spice diet and especially the tau orgy of oneness elicited by
drinking the Water of Life.
TEST-MASHAD: any test in which honour (de~ned as spiritual
standing) is at stake.
THUMPER: short stake with spring-driven clapper at one end.
The purpose: to be driven into the sand and set 'thumping' to summon shai-hulud. (See
Maker hooks.)
T2DAL DUST BASIN: any of the extensive depressions in the
surface of Arrakis which have been filled with dust over the centuries and in which actual
dust tides (see Sandtides) have been measured
~LELLAX: lone planet of ~alim, noted as renegade trainine
centre for Mentats; source of'twisted' Mentats. T-P: idiomatic for telepathy.
TR~LNING: when applied to Bene Gesserit, this otherwise
common term assumes special meaning, referring to that conditioning of nerve and muscle
(see Bindu and Prana) which is carried to the last possible notch permitted by natural
function.
TROOP CARRltR: any Guild ship designed speci~cally for
transport of troops between planets.
TRUTHSAYER: a Reverend Mother qualified to enter
truthtrance and detect insincerity or falsehood.
TRUTHTRANCE: semihypnotic trance induced by one of several
'awareness spectrum' narcotics in which the ptit betrayals of deliberate falsehood are
apparent to the truthtrance observer. (Note: 'awareness spectrum' narcotics are frequently
fatal except to desensitized individuals capable of transforming the poison-configuration
within their own bodies.)
TUPILE: so-called 'sanctuary planet' (probably several
planets) for defeated Houses of the Imperium. Location(s) known only to the Guild and
maintained inviolate under the Guild Peace.
U
ULEMA: a Zensunni doctor of'I~eology.
UMMA: one of the brotherhood of prophets. (A term of scorn
in the imperium, meaning any 'wild' person given to fanatical prediction.f
UROSHNOR: one of several sounds empty of general meaning
and which Bene Gesserit implant within the psyches of selected victims for purposes of
control. The sensitized person, hearing the sound, is temporarily immobilized
USUL: Fremen: The base of the pillar.'
V
VAROTA: famed maker of balisets; a native of Chusuk.
VERITE: one of the Ecaz will-destroying narcotics. It
renders a person incapable of falsehood.
VOICE: that combined training originated by the Bene Gek
selit which permits an adept to control others merely by selected tone shadings of the
voice.
W WALI: an untried Premen youth.
WALLACH IX: ninth planet of Laoujin, site of the Mother
School of the Bene Gesserit
WAR OF ASSASSINS: the limited form of warfare permitted
under the Great Convention and the Guild Peace. The aim is to reduce involvement of
innocent bystanders. Rules prefclibe formal declarations of intent and restrict
permissible weapons.
WATER BURDEN: Fremen: a mortal obligation.
WATERCOUNTERS: metal rings of different size, each
designating a specific amount of water payable out of Fremen stores. Watercounters have
profound significance (far beyond the idea of money) especially in birth, death and
courtship ritual.
WATER DISCIPLINE: that harsh training which ~ts the
inhabitants of Arrakis for existence there without wasting moisture.
WATERMAN: a Fremen consecrated for and charged with the
ritual duties surrounding water and the Water of Life.
WATER OF LIFE: an 'illuminating' poison (see Reverend
Mother). Specifically, that liquid exhalstion of a sandworm (see Shai-hulud) produced at
the moment of its death from drowning which is changed within the body of a Reverend
Mother to become the narcotic used in the sietch tau orgy.
An'awareness spectrum' narcotic.
WATERTUBE: any tube within a stillsuit or stilltent that
carries reclaimed water into a catchpocket or from the catchpocket to the wearer.
WAY. BENE GESSER~: use of the minutiae of observation
WEATHER SCANNER: a person trained in the special metho(ls
of predicting weather on Arrakis, including ability to pole the sand and read the wind
patterns.
WEIRDING: idiomatic: that which partakes of the mystical or
of witchcraft
WINDTRAP: a device placed in the path of a prevailing wind
and capable of precipitating moisture from the air caught within it, usually by a sharp
and distinct drop in temperature within the trap.
YA HYA CHOUHADA:'Long live the BghteRI' The Fedaykin battle
cry. Ya (now) in this cry is augmented by the hya form (the ever-extended now). Chouhada
(fighters) carries this added meaning of fighters against injustice. There is a
distinction in this word that specifies the fighters are not stru~gling for anything, but
consecrated ~g~inst a speci~c thing--that alone.
YALI: a Fremen's personal quarters within the sietch
YAI YAI YAWM!: Fremen chanting cadence used in time of deep
ritual significance. Ya carries the root meaning of 'Now pay attention!' The yawm form is
a modified term calling for urgent immediacy. The chant is usually translated as 'Now,
hear thisl'
ZENSUNNI: followers of a schismatic sect that broke away
from the teachings of Maometh (the so-called 'Third Muhammed') about 1381 B.G. The
Zensunni religion is noted chiefly for its emphasis on The mystical and a reversion to'the
ways of the fathers.' Most scholars name Ah Ben Ohashi as leader of the original schism
but there is some evidence that Ohashi may have been merely the male spoke~ man for his
second wife, Nisai
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