[ 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 |
|---|---|
| Adepta Sororitas | Latin adepta, "having obtained" + sororitas, "sisterhood". [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Amalia Novena | Amalia, a name + novena, a nine-day period of devotional praying in Christian tradition. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Castigator | "Castigator", one who punishes. [AoS Order StormcastEternal WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle Vehicle] |
| Celestian | "Celestian", heavenly. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Celestine | "Celestine", a heavenly being. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Dialogus | Latin dialogus, "conversation". [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Dogmata | "Dogmata", religious doctrines. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Dominion | Dominion, an angelic rank in Christian angelology. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Ephrael Stern | Raphael, the archangel that announces the Day of Judgement from the Bible + "stern", grim and forbidding. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Eruita | See: Junith Eruita. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Exorcist | "Exorcist", one who drives out evil spirits. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle Vehicle] |
| Hospitaller | "Hospitaller", one who attends to visitors of a religious institution. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Immolator | "Immolator", one who offers in sacrifice. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle Vehicle] |
| Junith Eruita | Iunit, a goddess in Egyptian mythology + Latin eruit, "she casts out". [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Mortifier | "Mortifier", one that practises abstinence. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle Vehicle] |
| Novena | See Amalia Novena. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Palatine | "Palatine", a palace official. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Paragon | "Paragon", the highest example. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle Armour] |
| Penitent Engine | "Penitent", feeling sincere guilt + "engine", mechanical device. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle Vehicle] |
| Repentia | "Repent", to be sorry for. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Retributor | "Retributor", one who punishes from moral outrage or vengeance. [AoS Order StormcastEternal WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Rhino | Clipping of rhinoceros. [WH40k Imperial Inquisition ImperialGuard SpaceMarine SistersofBattle AdeptusCustodes Vehicle] |
| Sacresant | "Sacrosanct", very holy / "sacristan", a maintainer of sacred objects. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Seraphim | Plural of seraph, a class of angel in Judaic mythology. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Stern | See: Ephrael Stern. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Veridyan | Viridian, a blue-green pigment. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| Zephyrim | One of the Anemoi, Zephyrus, god of the west wind in Greek mythology. [WH40k Imperial SistersofBattle] |
| 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 Papa Noigul