[ 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 |
|---|---|
| Adamantium | Adamantium, a fictional super-hard alloy in various uses dating at least as far back as 1912. [WH40k Imperial Material] |
| Aqthracite | Blend of "aqsh" (Dark Tongue for red) and anthracite (a hard variety of coal). [AoS Material] |
| Cameleoline ¹ | Chameleon + "-ine", suffix denoting relation to. [WH40k Imperial Material] |
| Celestite | Blend of "celestian" (heavenly) and "-ite" (suffix denoting a mineral). [AoS Order Seraphon Material] |
| Ceramite | "Ceramic", hard inorganic and non-metal material + "-ite", suffix denoting a mineral. [WH40k Imperial Material] |
| Nadirite | "Nadir", the lowest point + "-ite", suffix denoting a mineral. [AoS Death Material] |
| Plasteel | Blend of "plastic" (solid organic polymer) and "steel" (hardened iron alloy). This is a specific reference to the plasteel of Dune (1965), a novel by Frank Herbert. [WH40k Imperial Material] |
| Plastek | Blend of "plastic" (solid organic polymer) and "tech" (technology). [WH40k Imperial Material] |
| Rockcrete | Blend of "rock" (stone) and "concrete" (a compound building material). [WH40k Imperial Material] |
| 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 Lord of All