Did you know “Mat” actually means “control” in the language of The Wheel of Time’s Old Tongue?

Leading up to the release of The Wheel of Time Companion on November 3, Tor.com and Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons are excerpting portions and entries from its massive store of notes, illustrations, and encyclopedia entries. Unfamiliar with the Companion? Long-time series editor and Robert Jordan’s wife Harriet explains its compilation here and offers a thank you to fans of the series.

Today, we’re offering a glimpse at the Old Tongue dictionary tucked inside the Companion’s pages: the listings for M, N, and O. The full dictionary itself includes additional sections on popular phrases, pluralization, construction of verbs, how apostrophes work, and more.

Read more excerpts from The Wheel of Time Companion at this link.

M

m—(prefix) means “of”

ma—(prefix) indicates importance

ma—(v.) “you give”

maani—(adv.) very

maast—(adj.) necessary

machin—(n.) destruction

Machin Shin—(n.) “journey of destruction”; the Black Wind, a major threat in the Ways

mad—(adj.) loud

mael—(n.) hope

mafal—(n.) mouth or pass

Mafal Dadaranell—(n.) “pass at the father of mountain ranges”; ancient name for Fal Dara

magami—(n.) little uncle; what Amalisa called King Easar in private

mageen—(n.) daisy

mah’alleinir—(n.) he who soars; literally “seeking man of the stars”; the name Perrin gave to his Power- wrought hammer

mahdi—(n.) seeker; used for leader of Tuatha’an caravan

mahdi’in—(n.) seekers

mahrba—(v.) paint

mai—(n.) maiden(s)

makitai—(n.) wheel

mamai—(n. & adj.) future

mamu—(n.) mother

man—(adj.) related to blade/sword (“man” has the same root as “war,” “violence” or “aggression”)

mandarb—(n.) blade; name of Lan’s stallion

Manetheren—(n.) mountain home; one of the Ten Nations

manetherendrelle—(n.) waters of the mountain home

manive—(v.) drive

manivin—(n.) driving

manshima—(n.) sword/blade

manshimaya—(n.) my own sword

mar—(n.) game

maral—(adj.) destined

marath—(prefi x) indicates that something must be done, suggesting urgency; Seanchan word

marath’damane—(n.) those who must be leashed/one who must be leashed; Seanchan term

marcador—(n.) hammer

marna—(v.) swim

maromi—(v.) crush

mashi—(n. & v.) love

mashiara—(n.) my love; but a hopeless love, perhaps already lost; Lan to Nynaeve

masnad—(n.) trade

maspil—(n.) butter

mastri—(n.) fish

mat—(v.) control

matuet—(adj.) important

ma’vron—(n.) watchers of importance

mawaith—(n.) reaction

medan—(n.) sugar

melaz—(n.) inn

melimo—(n.) apple

mera—(prep.) without; lacking

Mera’din—(n.) the Brotherless; used by Aiel

merwon—(adj.) boiling

mesaana—(n.) teacher of lessons;

name of one of the Forsaken

mestani—(n.) lessons

mestrak—(n.) necessity

m’hael—(n.) leader (capitalized implies “Supreme Leader”; title Taim gave himself)

mi—(poss. pron.) my

mia—(pron.) me; myself

Mia’cova—(n.) One Who Owns Me, My Owner; term used by Moghedien after she was enslaved by a mindtrap

miere—(n.) ocean/waves

mikra—(n.) shame

min—(adj.) little

minyat—(adj.) eight, a quantifier of material objects

minye—(adj.) eight, descriptive of the immaterial, such as ideas, arguments or propositions

miou—(n.) cat

mirhage—(n.) pain, or the promise or expectation of pain

misain—(v.) am (insistent; emphatic)

mist—(n. & adj.) middle

mitris—(adj.) dirty

modan—(n.) approval

moghedien—(n.) a particular breed of spider; small, deadly poisonous and extremely reclusive; name of a Forsaken

mokol—(n.) milk

mon—(adj.) related to scythe

moodi—(adj.) frequent

mora—(n.) the people or a population

morasu—(n.) morning

morat—(n. prefix) handler/controller; i.e., one who handles or controls; used by the Seanchan (as in morat’raken, one who handles raken)

mordero—(adj.) death

moridin—(n.) a grave; tomb; also, the name of a Forsaken, for whom the word’s meaning refers to death

moro—(adv. & conj.) so

mos—(adj., adv. & prep.) down

mosai—(adj.) low

mosiel—(v.) lower

mosiev—(adj.) lowered or downcast

motai—(n.) Aiel name for a sweet crunchy grub found in the Waste

mourets—(n.) mushroom(s)

mozhlit—(adj.) possible

m’taal—(adj.) of stone

muad—(n., adj. & adv.) foot/on foot/afoot

muad’drin—(n.) infantry/footmen

muaghde—(n.) meat

mukhrat—(adj.) private

mund—(adj.) high

mustiel—(n.) sock

mystvo—(n.) office

N

n—(prep. prefi x) means “of” or “from”

nabir—(n.) fire

nachna—(n.) science

nadula—(n.) force

Nae’blis—(n.) title of Shai’tan’s first lieutenant

nag—(n.) day

nagaru—(n.) snake

nahobo—(adj.) full

nahodil—(n.) cushion

nai—(n.) knife, dagger, blade; a blade smaller than a sword’s blade; can be used in modification also to mean “stabbing”

nais—(v.) smell

naito—(n.) flame

nak—(pron.) who

nakhino—(n.) month

n’am—(adj.) beautiful

naparet—(adj.) parallel

nar’baha—(n.) traveling boxes; literally, “fool box”; used by Sammael

nardes—(n.) thought

narfa—(adj.) foolish

nasai—(n., v. & adj.) wrong

nausig—(n.) boat

navyat—(adj.) nine, a quantifier of material objects

navye—(adj.) nine, descriptive of the immaterial, such as ideas, arguments or propositions

nayabo—(n.) prison

n’baid—(adj.) automatic

n’dore—(adj.) of/from the mountains

neb—(n.) mist

nedar—(n.) tusked water pig found in the Drowned Lands

neidu—(adj.) new

neisen—(adv.) why

nemhage—(n.) distribution

nen—(suffix) like adding “er” to an English verb, indicating one who or that which does, or those who cause

nesodhin—(prep.) through; through this; through it

ni—(prep.) for

niende—(adj.) lost

nieya—(v.) step

ninte—(poss. pron.) your (used more formally than “ninto”)

ninto—(poss. pron.) your

nirdayn—(n.) hate

no—(conj.) but

no—(pron.) me

nob—(v.) cut

nodavat—(n.) produce

nolve—(v.) give

nolvae—(v.) is given

nor—(n.) cutter or slicer

no’ri—(n.) ancient game now called stones

norvenne—(n.) account

nosane—(v.) speak

nothru—(n.) nose

noup—(adj. & adv.) only

nupar—(n.) base, as in bottom or support

nush—(adj.) deep

nyala—(n.) country

nye—(adv.) again

Nym—(n.) a construct from the Age of Legends, a being who has beneficial effects on trees and other living things

O

o—(adj.) a

ob—(conj.) or

obaen—(n.) a musical instrument of the Age of Legends

obanda—(n.) door

obidum—(n.) spade

obiyar—(n.) position

obrafad—(n.) view

obram—(n.) impulse

ocarn—(n.) toe

odashi—(n.) weather

odi—(pron. & adj.) some

odik—(n.) secretary

oghri—(n.) sky

ohimat—(n.) comparison

olcam—(n.) tin

olesti—(n.) pants

olghan—(n.) drawer

olivem—(n.) pencil

olma—(n. & adj.) poor

ombrede—(n. & v.) rain

on—(suffix) denotes plural form

onadh—(n.) arch

onguli—(n.) ring

onir—(n.) star(s)

oosquai—(n.) a distilled spirit; used by Aiel

orcel—(n.) pig

ordeith—(n.) wormwood; name taken by Padan Fain among the Whitecloaks

orichu—(n. & v.) plow

orobar—(n.) danger

ortu—(adj.) open

orvieda—(v.) print

osan—(adj.) left-hand or left-side

osan’gar—(n.) left-hand dagger; name of a Forsaken

ospouin—(n.) hospital

ost—(prep.) on

otiel—(n.) sponge

otou—(n. & adj.) top

otyat—(adj.) four, a quantifier of material objects

otye—(adj.) four, descriptive of the immaterial, such as ideas, arguments or propositions

ounadh—(n.) wine

ovage—(n.) window

o’vin—(n.) a promise; agreement

ozela—(n.) goat