#drow conlang

Abban – ally, not-enemy

Abbil – comrade, "trusted" friend

Akh – band, group

Alur – better, superior

Alurl – best, foremost

Alust – forward-facing, in front of, in the forefront

Aluve – i/we leave you

Asanque – likewise, of course, as you wish

Avinsin – doomed

Bae'qeshel – a rare type of drow bardic magic

Bauth – around, about

Bautha – dodge, to dodge

Belaern – wealth, coinage, treasure, profit

Belbau – to give

Belbol – gift

Bol – unknown, unidentified, mysterious or important

Brorn – surprise

Brorna – surprises

C'rintri – noble drow

Cahallin – produce or harvest, including raid-spoils, but not hunted game or cooking

Colbauth – path, known way

Colnbluth – outsider, non-drow

Crinti – high ones

Dal – from (sometimes shortened to da')

Darthiir – surface elf/elves

Del – of (sometimes shortened to d' or de')

Dobluth – outcast

Doeb – out

Dos – you

Dosst – yours

Dosstan – yourself

Draa – two

Draada – second

Dragazhar – underdark bat

*Drider – half–spider/half-drow abomination

Dro – life, alive

Duk–tak – unholy executioner

*Duergar – deep dwarf/dwarves

Duvall – secret adviser

Elamshin – destiny, the will of Lolth

Elend – usual or traditional

Elendar – continue, continued, continuing or enduring

Elgg – death, destroy, kill or slay

Elgg–hor – the destroyer

Elgghinn – death

Faer – magic

Faerbol – magical item

*Faerie – translation of a term used to refer to a surface elf

Faerl – magical

Faern – magic worker or wizard

Gee'antu – Underdark tarantula

Gol – goblin

Golhyrr – ruse, trap or trick

Golhyrrl' fhaazht – The Dream Trap, strange nightmare dreams given out by the giant fungus Araumycos involving the comfort of the mass and the hopeless chaos of individuality

Harl – down, under or below

Harl'il'cik – kneel

Haszak – illithid

Honglath – bravery, calm, clear thinking or good behavior

Iblith – offal, excrement, often used when referring to humans as well as other non-drow races. Can be used as an insult

Ilhar – mother, also to mother as in to give birth but not to raise young

Ilharess – matron mother

Ilharn – patron

Ilindith – aim, goal or hoped for event

Illiyitrii – a formal dance sometimes involving costumes

Ilythiiri – drow

Inth – plan, scheme or stratagem

Inthigg – agreement or treaty

Izil – as

Jabbuk – master, a man who holds an office of power

Jal – all

Jivvin – to play; to play a game, or have other amusement or fun

Jivvin quui'elghinn – torture until death, apparently a cynical distortion of the term for fun

Khal'abbil – my trusted comrade

Khaless - meaning trust or a drow game called Khaless. Because trust is so lacking in drow society, it is often used in an ironic sense to mean misplaced trust

Khazid'hea – to cut

Kolsen'shea orbb – to pull the legs off a spider, an arcane phrase and idiom

Kulg – blockage, hitch or snag

Kulggen – deliberate rampart or shield

Kyone – alert/alerty, careful/carefully, wary/warily

Kyorl – to watch

Kyorlin – guarding, waiting, watching

Lil – the

Llar – three

Llarnbuss – third

Lueth – and

Luth – cast, hurl or throw

Maglust – alone, apart

Malla – honored, a term of respect preceding a title

Mrimm – guide, key or inspiration

Myrlochar – soul spider (minion of Lolth)

Mzild – more

Natha – a/an

Nau – no

Neideirra – a frenzied dance competition favored in Menzoberranzan

Nind – they, them, their, theirs

Nindyn – those

Noamuth – lost, unknown or wanderer

Obsul – opening, door

Ogglin – enemy

Olist – stealth

Oloth – darkness

Orbb – spider

Orbbcress – spiderweb

Orthae – sacred

Parzdiamo – male playmate who is not the house patron, concubine or courtesan

Pera'dene – scapegoat

Phalar – battle-marker or grave

Phindar – non-intelligent monster

Phlar Lolth ssinssrickla – a blasphemous jest meaning when Lolth giggles.

Pholar – on, upon

Phuul – are

Plynn – take or to seize

Pyrimo – a small, fierce fish with sharp teeth and powerful jaws; a treasured delicacy in Menzoberranzan

Qilovestualt – a type of drow wine made from fermented mushrooms

Qu'ellar – house

Qu'lith – blood

Qu'uente – guts, viscera

Qual'laelay – argument or disagreement

Quarth – to command, used as part of an order

Quarthen – commanded or ordered

Quarvalsharess – the Goddess (Lolth)

Ragar – discover, find or uncover

Rath – back

Ratha – backs

Rathrae – behind

Rivvil – human

Sargh – skill at arms

Sargtlin – a trained drow warrior

Sarn – beware or warning

Sava – a game popular among drow resembling a more complex version of chess

Shavrak – final, last

Shebali – rogue, free agent, a drow without a house or superior commander, lower ones

Sreen – danger

Ssinssrigg – physical lust or selfish greed; passion, longing

Ssussun – brightness or light

Streea – to die in the service of Lolth, suicide similar to sepuku

Streeaka – fearless(ness) or reckless(ness)

Streeaka droc'uh – phrase meaning mad dragon

Taga – than

Talinth – consider or to think

Talthalra – council or meeting

Thalack – war

Thalackz'hind – attack from afar or raid

Thalra – encounter or meet

Tinguin lal'o shrome'cak – promise of a fungal pie. It referred to something used to "sweeten the deal"; fungal pie was a delicious delicacy

Tlu – to be

Tuth – both

Ul-ilindith – destiny

Uln'hyrr – liar

Ultrin – conqueror, highest or supreme

Ultrin sargtlin – phrase meaning supreme warrior

Ultrine – surpreme goddess (Lolth)

Ultrinnan – conquering, victory, to win or prevail

Ulu – to

Uss – one

Usstan – i, me, or anything referring to oneself

Usstan'sargh wael - you arrogant fool

Ust – first

Valsharess – queen/demigoddess

Vel'uss – who

Veldrin – concealment or shadows. This is also a common, androgynous name

Velkyn – hidden or invisible

Velve – blade

Vidrinath – lullaby (songs priestesses sang to young students at the Academy as they went into Reverie)

Wael – fool

Waela – foolish or unaware/unwary

Wun – in

Wund – among, into or within

Xal – may, might, perhaps

Xittalsh – contest of arms to prove (or win) innocence

Xun – to accomplish or to work

Xund – effort, striving or work

Xundus – achievement or work completed

Yath – temple

Yathrin – priestess of Lolth

Yathtallar – high priestess of Lolth

Yochlol – handmaiden of Lolth

Yor'thae – chosen one (High Drow). The word comes from yorn, meaning servant of the goddess, and orthae, meaning sacred.

Yorn – power/servant/will of Lolth

Z'har – to ride

Z'hin – to walk

Z'hind – expedition, to journey

Z'orr – climb

Z'ress – power or strength; to dominate by force of will

Zedrinset – Chosen of Lolth or avatar of Lolth; this was considered a sacred word.

Zhah – is

Zhaun – to learn, to know

Zhaunil – learning, wisdom or knowledge

While we don't have many examples of the Drowic words for formal titles (we commonly see things like Matron or Weapons Master but rarely see these words in proper Drowic), so for this particular analysis I will be pulling some open-source words from the Grey Company and expanding some on what exists including analysis and etymology of the word. Words sourced from the Grey Company will be indicated with a ‡ symbol.

First up to examine are the words for Goddess both Lolth and distinctly Not-Lolth.

‡ Quarval-sharess – Goddess (Lolth) ‡ Quar'valsharess – Goddess (Not-Lolth)

It's unclear how these words would be pronounced differently excepting for their obvious differences in pauses, and it seems differentiating between the two would be difficult if someone were to be speaking quickly. Let's note, however, that “valsharess” is present in both and move on to examine the next words in order of Drowic hierarchy.

Ilharess – Matron [Mother] Ilharn – Patron

These both begin with the same prefix “il” which we also see in the word “Ilythiiri” meaning “the people from Ilythiir” which was the major established domain of the dark elves on the surface prior to the First Sundering and the subsequent Crown Wars which ended in the dark elves becoming the Drow and being banished to the Underdark. It's reasonable to make the conclusion then that the prefix “il” is in some cases in reference to a Drow, but more importantly an aspect of Drowness that is greater than average or more pure than average. A quality of nobility perhaps, or perhaps simply of elevated status. We also see significant tie in to the the next word on the heirarchy.

Ilhar – Mother

The existence of a unique word for “mother” gives us two-fold insight into the etymology at play here, because there does not exist a unique word for “father” besides “ilharn” indicating that “father” is about the lowest title worth giving to a male in a family situation. This also allows us to single out the suffix “ess” and evaluate it. Remember we also see the “ess” suffix in both words for Goddess, thus leading me to conclude that the suffix “ess” is indicative of not just nobility, but some divine aspect. In a Goddess (Lolth or not) the “ess” is indicative of her godhood, but in a Matron Mother the “ess” is perhaps indicative of her divine approval because Matron Mothers who fall out of favor with Lolth, as we know, do not live long. This evaluation brings interesting implications to other words referring to other titles less familiar within Drow society proper.

Valsharess – Queen ‡Valuk – King

It is worth noting in both of these cases that the concept of queen and king do not exist in the traditional sense in Drow culture due to their oligarchal city-state political structure. A queen could, of course, be in reference to Lolth as the Queen of Spiders, but considering that she is a Goddess this causes the meaning of “queen” to take on a different aspect. This is, further supported by “Valsharess” being a segment of the words “ Quarval-sharess” and “ Quar'valsharess”, indicating that the word for queen in Drowic may be better equated to the word “demigoddess”. This follows then, because based on Drow political structure a queen in the traditional sense (a woman who rules over a large domain including a significant portion of land, many cities, hundreds of thousands of subjects, and a vast military force) would be a step existing somewhere between a Matron Mother and Lolth herself. It makes sense as well that “queen” and “demigoddess” may be conflated when one considers how counter to Lolth's manipulative intent an actual unified country under a single ruler would be as it fuels neither her desire for constant strategical warfare between her subjects, nor her desire for absolute control over the Drow. By pitting the Drow against each other Lolth is able to remain in the position of total power she is, an a unified monarchy would break that absolute control. Thus the word for “queen” and the word for “demigoddess” and the concept of both are one and the same in Drowic.

This brings us to Valuk. Valuk ends in a common suffix “uk” which is a male indicator also seen in words like “jabbuk” (master) and “‡dalharuk” (son). This allows us to single out the common portion of the word “Val” to indicate something to do with power but not with divinity. It is well established in Drow society that men do not have the favor of Lolth nor any of her divine blessings, they cannot be clerics or priests and cannot hold any kind of divine office. A king still has power over the same domain as a queen though, the same land, the same subjects, the same military. It's reasonable to assume then that the meaning of “Val” is in having an incredible amount of power.

It is interesting to note then that “Ilharn” is not “Ilharuk”, which can get grammatically confusing when considering the pluralization of nouns in Drowic involves appending “en” or “n” to the end of the noun, meaning the word for “mothers” would be “ilharen”. This may be to indicate that Patrons only hold power in a somewhat artificial figurehead-like way, much like any other male (such as allies or consorts) in favor of the Matron Mother holds power. The Patron holds power in much the same way that a mirror is a person, it only really appears so when there is a person in front of it.