[ Models | Lore | Sources | Inspiration ]
With a rich background stretching back decades in time, the various Warhammer games contain a vast array of names (of people, places, items, and so on). Many of these names are original, but some happen to have a meaning in the real world, as obscure terms, foreign words, or cultural references. This page lists some of these underlying etymologies for your edification. Note that some of these are best guesses (speculative fan theory) rather than confirmed derivations.
Where a name is followed by the symbol ¹, if you hover over or click on that symbol you will see when that name was first mentioned in a publication.
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ambulon ¹ | Latin ambulo, "I walk". [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector ScintillaSystem City] |
| Commorragh | Gomorrah, a city of great wickedness from the Bible. See also: Shaa-Dom. [WH40k Eldar DarkEldar City] |
| Heterodyne Station ¹ | The Heterodyne family of mad scientists from the Girl Genius comic (first published in 2000) by Phil and Kaja Foglio. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector UzielSystem City AdeptusMechanicus] |
| Hive Primus | Latin primus, "first". [WH40k SegmentumSolar Necromunda City] |
| Lahmia | Lamia, a monster in Greek mythology. [WHFB Nehekhara City] |
| Magnagorsk ¹ | Magnitogorsk, a city in Russia. See also: Volg. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector FenksworldSystem City] |
| Shaa-Dom | Sodom, a city of great wickedness from the Bible. See also: Commorragh. [WH40k Eldar DarkEldar City] |
| Sibellus ¹ | French si belle, "so beautiful". [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector ScintillaSystem City] |
| Skeggi | Skeggy, slang shortening of Skegness, a seaside town in England. [WHFB Lustria Norscan City] |
| Tarsus ¹ | Latin tarsus, "flat part of the foot" or "edge of the eyelid". [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector ScintillaSystem City] |
| Volg ¹ | Volga, a river in Russa. See also: Magnagorsk. [WH40k SegmentumObscurus CalixisSector FenksworldSystem City] |
| Zalktraa | Anagram of "alkatraz", in reference to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. [WH40k SegmentumSolar Necromunda City] |
| Inspiration | |
| Warhammer Setting | The Dark Tongue; Daemonic Names; Lexicon; Short Stories; Cut-ups; Cool Stuff |
| Art | Golden Demon; Nurglesque Music |
| Speculation | Chaos God Correspondence; Dark Heresy Backgrounds; Sevenfold Path; Sevenrot; Seven Deadly Sins |
| Real World References | Nergal in Mesopotamian History; Symbolism of Three Circles; Symbolism of Seven |
dedicated to the Plague God Nurgle