little dragon related language lesson
OK, so, let's say you want to describe the quality of being dragon-like, or of having the essence of dragonhood (in English).
We're all familiar with the adjective "draconic", right? When you say that something is draconic, you are saying that it is of or like the quality of a dragon.
You don't say "dragonic", you say "draconic". Why? Dunno. That's just how English has been doing things. Sounds better that way because we're all used to it now.
But it works, because "draco" comes from the same Greek root that "dragon" comes from, so it carries the same meaning.
So, OK, there's another, very similar word you can use that can be modified further that means nearly the same thing but is more on par with "feminine" and "masculine". So it would be great to use, for instance, if you're describing the quality or essence of being a dragon in gendered terms. The inherent nature of being a dragon.
That word is "draconine":
See? Real word that's been in use long enough that you'll find it in books.
So, say, now you want a noun to describe your personal essence of dragonhood, you just the suffix "-ity" to it.
Draconinity.
Like that.
It gets underscored in red because it's not so commonly used and maybe you won't find it in dictionaries, but it's totally cromulent. It follows the same rules as "masculine -> masculinity" and "feminine -> femininity".
And now you have a piece of that Special Knowledge that heroes have to sacrifice something precious for.










