[ 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 |
|---|---|
| Bonebreaka | "Bone", component of a skeleton + "breaker", one that fractures. [WH40k Ork Vehicle] |
| Bubblechukka ¹ | "Bubble", a liquid sphere containing a gas + "chucker", one that throws. Note that it pre-dates the pointer machine from the computer game Puzzle Bobble (1994). [WH40k Ork Weapon] |
| Dakkajet | "Dakka", an onomatopoeic term for heavy gunfire + "jet", an aeroplane using a jet engine. [WH40k Ork Vehicle] |
| Deff Dread | "Death", the cessation of life + a clipping of Dreadnought. [WH40k Ork Vehicle] |
| Deffkopta | "Death", the cessation of life + "copter", a clipping of helicopter. [WH40k Ork Vehicle] |
| Flash Git | "Flash", British slang for something expensive-looking + "git", British slang for an annoying person. [WH40k Ork] |
| Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka | There is a persistent fan theory that "Mag Uruk Thraka" is meant to represent Margaret Thatcher. According to the character's creator, Andy Chambers, this is not true: "The real answer is far more arcane than that. In the early eighties my friends and I used to do live roleplaying (it wasn't called that then, but that's what it became in later years). We played monsters a lot, particularly Orcs, so we worked out basic Orcish based on the bits of Black Speech in Lord of the Rings so we could communicate without the adventurers understanding what we said. In that framework, Mag Uruk Thraka = big orc leader, Ghazghkull = metal skull (coincidentally the sun we called 'ghash-kul' = fire-skull). No Maggie involved; we were doing out best to forget about the wicked witch." [WH40k Ork Goffs] |
| Goffs | Goths, a Germanic people that raided Rome amongst other places. [WH40k Ork Clan] |
| Gork | See: Gork and Mork. [WHFB BloodBowl Orc WH40k Ork God] |
| Gork and Mork ¹ | Blend of Gog and Magog (two individuals/peoples/lands from the Bible) and Ork. Later, Gogmagog, a giant in Welsh mythology. [WHFB BloodBowl Orc WH40k Ork God] |
| Gorkamorka | See: Gork and Mork. [AoS Destruction Orruk God WH40k SegmentumUltima Ork] |
| Gorkanaut | Gork + Ancient Greek ναύτης, "sailor". [WH40k Ork Vehicle] |
| Great White Squig | Refers to both the great white shark and the White Whale from Moby-Dick (1851) by Herman Melville. See also: Squig. [WH40k Ork Snakebites Squig] |
| Gretchin ¹ | Blend of Goblin and "wretched" (miserable). [WH40k Ork] |
| Growler ¹ | "Growler", British slang for a lady's hairy genitals. [WH40k Ork Squig] |
| Killa Kan | "Killer", one that murders + "can", a metal cylinder for conserving food. [WH40k Ork Vehicle] |
| Kommando | "Commando", an army trooper specialising in covert raids. [WH40k Ork] |
| Loota | "Looter", one that steals during rioting. [WH40k Ork] |
| Mag Uruk Thraka | See: Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka. [WH40k Ork Goffs] |
| Makari ¹ | Greek μακάρι, "if only". This is probably coincidence rather than a deliberate allusion. [WH40k Ork Goffs Grot] |
| Mork | See: Gork and Mork. [WHFB BloodBowl Orc WH40k Ork God] |
| Morkanaut | Mork + Ancient Greek ναύτης, "sailor". [WH40k Ork Vehicle] |
| Ork ¹ | Orc, a monster in European mythology. [WH40k Ork] |
| Snakebites | Snakebite, a mixed drink made of lager and cider in equal parts, popular in the UK in the 1980s. [WH40k Ork Clan Snakebites] |
| Squig ¹ | In-universe clipping of "squiggly beast". [WH40k Ork Squig] |
| Squigosaur | Blend of Squig and dinosaur. [WH40k Ork Squig] |
| Stompa | "Stomper", one that tramples heavily. [WH40k Ork Vehicle] |
| Trukk | "Truck", a lorry. [WH40k Ork Vehicle] |
| Waaagh! | Corruption of "war", armed conflict. [WH40k Ork] |
| 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 Plague