In the Borgim and Old Borgim languages, I is pronounced as 'ee', E is 'ay', A is 'aw', O is 'oh' and U is 'oo'. G is always hard. Accent marks indicate the 'short' form of that vowel. Typically the third syllable is emphasized.
The names of the Celestial Ones have been preserved from an even older language than Old Borgim. In these words the C and Kh are used to represent the unvoiced palatal and velar fricatives, sounds which exist in neither English, nor in Borgim--where a k sound is usually substituted for both. The J is a voiced sh (DJ sounds like the j in jump, and TJ sounds like a ch). DH is used to represent a voiced th (as in there). Vowels in these names tend to be flatter and the accent is usually on the second syllable.
The word list below includes only Borgim words. A more complete listing can be found on the Glossary page.
| Term | Explanation | | Ampiaso | The Winter Festival. |
| Bazomi | A feminine name meaning 'little' or 'small' |
| Bedime | A title or position. Always used for captain on ships, but not entirely naval in application. It means 'leader,' or 'the one who is in charge.' It is an earned position, not inherited. |
| bempe | Insectivore songbirds with pale blue plumage. |
| bibikiae | Large birds with bright blue and red plumage and the ability to imitate sounds. Palace courtiers frequently blame them for the transmission of gossip, rather than admit that some person of eminence might stoop so low as to spread rumors. |
| bīe-cake | A sweet cake make out of meque meal. |
| bilnor | The length of one of Bildhomor's cycles, or 4 days. |
| Bilte | A masculine name meaning 'Grey' |
| Biltis | A femine name meaning 'bird' |
| binirge | A climbing vine with distinctive round three-lobed leaves, often used for decoration as it is associated with the moons, and considered lucky. |
| Biqui | A feminine name meaning 'peace'. |
| Bīrrili | A feminine name meaning 'bird'. |
| bloge-spider | A large poisonous spider, yellow and black in color. |
| Blōnae | A masculine name meaning 'prize' or 'award'. |
| Bodlika | Another term for bodli-keka. |
| boli | A fruit renowned for its sweet juice. It grows on a yellow colored climbing vine. And has small white blossoms. |
| Boltaqui | A "mother bird" character in the animal tales popular with Borgim peasants. |
| Boresi | |
| Botlo | A masculine name meaning 'stone' |
| dasai | A small bush that flowers either in gold, or in blue dending on the acidity of the soil |
| Deule | A masculine name meaning 'bull'. |
| Deuleyeoshe | A deep jungle principality of of the Borgime empire. It lies just east of Seteblite. |
| Dholka | Another term for dhol-keka. |
| Dimhimofo | One of the Borgim Empire's principalities, located in the mountains east and north of the palace. During 'Cantata in Coral and Ivory' the beautiful orphan Pesodi is its Eplakili. |
| dīnele | A type of fruit. |
| dlaki | An oversized grassy plant, known for it's speedy growth. |
| druz-bug | A small flying insect that subsists on nectar. |
| Egubite | A masculine name meaning 'hard working'. |
| eplakil | A term meaning the 'the one who must be obeyed'. It was originally a military title, but later became an inheritable title of nobility. In theory each eplakil rules one of principalities of Borgim, but in actuality many of Borgim's principalities were conquered several generations ago, and now lie under the rule of the Gidomi. Despite the landless state of those eplakils, the rights and privileges of their noble status have been retained. |
| eplakili | Female variation of eplakil. Coined after the term eplakil became an inheritable title. |
| Eule | A masculine name meaning 'gold' |
| Fatoalo | A masculine name meaning 'vine'. |
| Figo | A masculine name, also a kind of fish. |
| Fisel | A masculine name meaning 'of great worth' |
| folnis | A softwood tree with distinctive red-brown wood whose color does not fade much in sunlight. |
| folnoshe | A plant with scarlet blossoms. |
| Folta | A feminine name meaning 'green' |
| Gelfise | A masculine name, also a kind of tree. |
| Gelikon | A masculine name meaning 'courage'. |
| Gelorai | The name of Munva's hairdresser in the Shadow Tale of the Moonbride and the Monkey Creature. |
| Geplo | A masculine name meaning 'copper', also the name of the Snake character in the animal tales popular with Borgim peasants. |
| Ghifi | A femine name meaning 'rain'. |
| Gidifai | |
| gilfishe | A hardwood tree native to the coastal areas of the Borgim Empire. |
| giliges | A whelk-like sea creature that forms a spiraling shell with spiky protrusions. |
| gīniliklito | The country manors of the nobility. This is where a coutier's relatives live, and where a courtier retreats to when he is banished from court. |
| giosseboque | A carnivorous long-necked sea creature. |
| gisgir | Neither trousers or skirts, but a full sack-like garment with openings at the bottom for the legs to emerge. Peasants (genunkimdi) wear them to the knees. For the nobility fashion dictates the length and bulkiness. During the reign of Tasole the Fourth (Cantata) ladies wear them full to the ankle, and gentlemen wear them full to the knees, where they separate into actual 'trouser legs' for the rest of the way down to the ankles. These trouser legs are then gathered carefully and tied to the calves with decorative cords. |
| gisiupur | Playful green-scaled creatures, fond of riding the wake of a boat, and leaping into the air. |
| golfoyi | An alcoholic beverage. |
| goloqui | A bushy ground covering plant that bears large orange and red blossoms. |
| gonuli | A plant with white flowers that open at night. |
| Hemle | A masculine name meaning 'honor'. |
| ibźpeli | A specis of gourd |
| ifosi-nuts | Small brown nuts that grow in clusters |
| ikuiltomdo | A sweet but otherwise bland alcoholic beverage, often served spiced. |
| Ilimhi | |
| Inake | A masculine name meaning 'friend' |
| inelaoli | A bushy plant with lots of dark green foliage, that bears large and heavily scented white or pale pink flowers. |
| Inilosi | A feminine name meaning 'lovable'. |
| inoaxi | A plant with violet colored blossoms. |
| Inōmte | A masculine name |
| inomtoi | A medium tall and narrow plant favored by Court gardeners for its slow growth. |
| iqus | A bluish climbing vine, whose seeds grow in yellow pods. |
| irzuase | Small golden brown monkey specie. They rarely grow longer 4-6 inches in the body, though they have extremely long prehensile tails. |
| Isde | Meaning 'high', this term is used as a modifier or honorific attached to a person's name or title. Nobility use it when addressing one of equal or higher rank. Peasants, however, use it when addressing anyone involved with the court. |
| Isdeun | An informal, but respectful form of address, meaning 'high one'. |
| Isdule | |
| Isoklai | A feminine name meaning 'joy'. |
| Keka | A mythical magical people. The keka are said to be made of magic, rather than matter, and to have strange incalculable powers. The stories about them are out of favor at the court, but still popular elsewhere in the empire. |
| kemrer | A species of migrating waterfowl. |
| Kiafedi | A feminine name meaning 'Gull' |
| Kide | A masculine name meaning 'hunting cat'. |
| Kligoye | A masculine name meaning 'jest' or 'joke'. |
| kobi | A tree much prized for its nutritious and tasty nuts. Peasants 'cultivate' in a primitive way it by cutting back and burning growths around it, encouraging it to spread. |
| koloyi | A flowering tree with gold blossoms |
| Lare | A masculine name meaning 'cheerful'. |
| Leghe | A masculine name meaning 'rock'. |
| Leri | A feminine name maning 'pink' |
| leuxames | A species of ground-fowl with fluffy tangerine colored tail feathers. |
| Liaque | A masculine name meaning 'root'. |
| libilaki | Palace serving girls, principly responsible for transporting and pouring drinks. |
| Lizoqui | A feminine name meaning 'valuable' |
| Losīnbike | A masculine name meaning 'lightening'. |
| Loti | This is probably a short form or diminuative of the name Zolati, which means 'beloved'. |
| meque-nuts | A large ground nut, hard, and bland in taste, but very nutritious. It is traditionally ground into a flour-like meal and then combined with other food items. |
| milaque | A red-brown antelope with yellowish underbody, common in the fesc grasslands. |
| nadnor | The length of one of Nadal's cycles, or 9 days. |
| nasi | A flower whose orange petals are speckled with white spots. |
| nelimke | A groundcover with tiny crimson blossoms. |
| Nemdimhe | A masculine name meaning 'mountain'. |
| Nesli | |
| nigi | A tall plant with distinctive blue fan-shaped leaves. |
| nilanpi | A musical instrument made up of differing lengths of reeds, set in a frame, and struck with a mallet. |
| nilibique | A term of endearment, and a diminutive. |
| Nimhi | A feminine name meaning 'dawn' |
| Niun | A polite form of address used when speaking to someone of a lesser station. Once common, it is now mostly only used by the emperor and his immediate family. |
| Orbolimgi | A feminine name meaning 'hope'. |
| Orbuni | A feminine name meaning 'foam' |
| Ordlōsi | |
| Oso | Meaning 'above', this term is used as a modifier or honorific attached to a person's name or title, identifying the user as a member of the imperial family. |
| paoxo-bone | Ivory from pisoai fangs. |
| Pesodi | A feminine name derived from the word for 'butterfly'. |
| Pesoqui | A feminine name meaning 'beauty' |
| piki | A small tree with tiny turquoise blossoms. |
| pisoai | Giant sea creatures, known for their beautiful voices. |
| Plimgi | A feminine name meaning 'White' |
| Plimte | A feminine name meaning 'soft' |
| plipilgai | A tentacled sea beast. |
| plique gulfi | A dance term refering to the movement of the arms/scarves. |
| quas beetle | A flightless beetle. Its wing-cases are electric blue with lavender markings. |
| Quōse | A masculine name meaning 'zeal' |
| raordi | The hottest time of the day, stretching from high noon to mid afternoon. No work is done during raordi, and the time is often used for napping (the little sleep). |
| remkuo | A plant with crimson blossoms. |
| ribe-toad | An undistinguised green-brown toad notable mostly for the size of its throat sack. |
| Ripae | A masculine name meaning 'wisdom'. |
| risgae | A fibrous plant, used for making hats, mats, and screens. |
| risnīe | A type of fish. |
| risri | A fern with scarlet leaves |
| rolli | A musical instrument that provides a variation in tone by altering tension on a strip of metal, which has been bowed to set it vibrating. |
| romheli | The term romheli indicates an unmarried lady of good family, with a strong implication of being of marriageable age as well. The term is used as if it were a formal title, although it is never formally assigned, and there is no male equivalent. It is a convenient way to refer to the abundance of ladies, hopeful of making a good marriage, who flock to the Palace. Most of them act as attendants to an eplakili who is a distant relation or friend of the family, in order to obtain living space in the Palace, and to expand their social connections. |
| Romride | A masculine name that means 'sensible'. |
| Samti | A feminine name meaning 'pretty'. |
| Sepe | A male name meaning 'wolf'. |
| Sidīe | A masculine name meaning 'Brass' |
| sidienon | The name given to the door guards to differentiate them from other sorts of guards. It means 'men of brass'. |
| silimye | A softwood tree that bears a fruit with a violet rind. |
| Soīe | A masculine name meaning 'lion'. |
| sopgipli | The imperial deer. These elegant little creatures are about a foot high, and usually are quite tame. They have large soulful brown eyes, and sharp three-pronged antlers. |
| Sui | A feminine name meaning 'moon'. |
| Tafoldi | A feminine name meaning 'amusing' |
| Tega | A feminine name meaning 'Sweet'. |
| Tofol | A masculine name meaning 'duty'. |
| Ulre | A masculine name meaning 'bear'. |
| vake | A plant with wide green leaves, and deep blue blossoms. |
| Vaos | A masculine name meaning 'loyal'. |
| Veldo | A masculine name meaning 'strong'. |
| viai | A climbing vine with small crimson flowers, and narrow green leaves. |
| Vloaxe | A masculine name referring to a kind of tree |
| Volle | A masculine name meaning 'iron' |
| Vosaque | A masculine name meaning 'happy'. |
| Vselorai | |
| Vudeka | The 'plant people' --one of the three types of keka. |
| vumte | A poisonous snake marked with a blue and orange diamond pattern. |
| Yium | |
| Yuaque | A masculine name meaning 'judgement' |
| Zolati | A feminine name meaning 'beloved' |
