A Guide to Wolfspeak and Why Not to Use It

1. "Wolfspeak is a bunch of words created by animal role players to make them sound fancy and intelligent, when it really just makes them look like a pompous with a thesaurus."

2. "'Wolf speak', the practice of thesaurus-humping and replacing perfectly good terms with stupid, nonsensical terms."

In other words, you'll be praised for using terms that are mostly viewed as incorrect.
Are you to blame? No. Unfortunately, inexperienced roleplayers sometimes seek guidance from roleplayers that might seem skillfull at first. Does it look appealing? It does.



It's simple, really.
Anything that bears even the slightest of relevance to the word you're seeking to replace serves as a possible wolfspeak term.
Your mouth is a tuba? Yes, because it produces sound. Your fur is a carpet? Yes, because they are similar in texture. This is the logic behind wolfspeak.


Wolfspeak for MALE

brujo
1. sorcerer (warlock or witch)

? Possibly derived from "brute", another wolfspeak term for the male gender. All things brutal are more often associated with men than with women.

brute
1. an animal; a beast.
2. a brutal, crude, or insensitive person.

? See brujo.

hessian
1. a native or inhabitant of Hesse.
2. a German mercenary in the British army in America during the Revolutionary War.
3. a mercenary soldier.

? Derived from "ruffian", a rough or rowdy personality. See last part of brujo.

he-beast
a beast that is a he?

?

mascu
shortened form of 'masculine'?

? Typing four letters less makes for a very manly man indeed. Congratulations.

Wolfspeak for FEMALE

femme
1. (slang) exhibiting stereotypical or exaggerated feminine traits. Used especially of lesbians and gay men.

? French for "woman". Those with an affinity for using French words in English roleplays, be my guest. I don't advise it unless you're comfortable with being labeled a stereotypical homosexual. I promise you; nothing is wrong with referring to your character as a she-wolf or female wolf. Simplicity is not always bad.

femora (plural of femur)
1. a bone of the leg situated between the pelvis and knee in humans.
2. the thick, most muscular segment of the insect leg, situated between the trochanter and the tibia.

? Words starting with fem- are not necessarily related to the female gender.

fae
1. a device consisting of a container of fuel and two explosive charges; the first charge bursts open the fuel container
at a predetermined height and spreads the fuel in a cloud that mixes with atmospheric oxygen; the second charge
detonates the cloud which creates an enormous blast wave and incinerates whatever is below.
2. a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or
preternatural.

? Possibly derived from "fairy". Fairies are often depicted as women. This does not mean you should start referring to yourself as one. I believe it speaks for itself when I say you should not use the name of beings with only one gender as means of denoting your own. Dryads, for example, are exclusively female. You do not call yourself a dryad, for you, most likely, aren't one. Yes, you are female, but that is about all you have in common with dryads or fairies.

fatale
1. causing or capable of causing death.
2. causing ruin or destruction; disastrous.
3. of decisive importance; fateful: came through at the fatal moment.

? A femme fatale is a seductress. As described at fae, words that are associated with one particular gender should not be used to denote your own.

dame
1. used formerly as a courtesy title for a woman in authority or a mistress of a household.
2. a married woman; a matron.
3. an elderly woman

? Courtesy titles aren't a thing in your normal everyday animal roleplay. It can, however, be used to denote gender, but referring to yourself with a courtesy title is frowned upon. Please don't do it.

Wolfspeak for HEAD

cranium/crania [plural]
1. the skull of a vertebrate.
2. the portion of the skull enclosing the brain; the braincase.

? There is more to your head than just a skull.

crown
1. an ornamental circlet or head covering, often made of precious metal set with jewels and worn as a symbol of
sovereignty.
2. the power, position, or empire of a monarch or of a state governed by constitutional monarchy.
3. the monarch as head of state.
4. a distinction or reward for achievement, especially a title signifying championship in a sport.

? Headwear ≠ head. This one in particular seems to have been birthed by a desperate attempt at originality. Simplicity isn't bad.

pate
1. the human head, especially he top of the head.
3. the mind or brain.

? See cranium.

craniul
no definition found

? It's either a typo or another bland attempt at originality by changing one letter. See cranium.

vertex
1. the highest point; the apex or summit.
2. the crown or top of the head.
3. the highest point of the skull.

? Referring to your head as the highest point of your body isn't necessarily wrong, I suppose, but the other two definitions seem to be the one people have in mind. Refer to cranium.

attic
1. a story or room directly below the roof of a building, especially a house.
2. a low wall or story above the cornice of a classical façade.

? Would anyone in his or her right mind ever refer to his or her head as their "attic"? The only similarities between a head and an attic is that both are generally located at the top of something.

cerebrum
1. the front part of the brain, divided into two symmetrical halves; cerebral hemispheres.

? See cranium.

zenith
1. the highest point reached by a celestial or other object.
2. the point in the sky or celestial sphere directly above an observer.

? The highest point a (celestial) object can reach, not something's highest point.

plat
1. a piece of land; a plot.
2. a map showing actual or planned features, such as streets and building lots.

? Possibly derived from "plateau", an elevated land area. Shortening words leads to more wrong than good. Please spell out your words and please, please don't use words based on one single similarity.

Wolfspeak for EARS

aud/audit/auditory
(adj)
1. a formal examination of an organization's or individual's accounts or financial situation.
2. the final report of an audit.
3. of or relating to hearing, the organs of hearing, or the sense of hearing.
(noun)
4. an assembly of hearers; audience.
5. an auditorium, especially the nave of a church.

? Replacing nouns with adjectives? The actual noun is something entirely different.

antenna
1. one of the paired, flexible, segmented sensory appendages on the head of an insect, myriapod, or crustacean.
functioning primarily as an organ of touch.
2. something likened to this sensory appendage, as in function or form.

? The day people start referring to their ears as antennas is the day you'll find me dead on the sidewalk. Wolves are not insects. Wolves are not myriapods. Wolves are not crustaceans. I advise against using words used to describe anything of other classes. (Not a native English speaker. Would I be right in calling it a "class"?)

receivers
1. one that receives something: a receiver of many compliments.
2. a device, such as a part of a radio, television set, or telephone, that receives incoming radio signals and
converts them to perceptible forms, such as sound or light.

? There are many things that can receive. You can receive gifts. You can receive holiday greetings. Your ears detect sound, they do not convert radio signals.

thorns
1. a sharp structure on plants.

? You're not a plant. It's as simple as that.

Wolfspeak for PAWS

pads
1. a thick piece of soft material used to reduce friction or jarring, enlarge or change the shape of something, or hold or
absorb liquid.
2. the soft dull sound of steady steps.

? Your paw pads might be considered "soft material", but your paws as a whole aren't. Paws and pads are two entirely different things. Don't shorten your words.

treads
1. the act, manner, or sound of treading.
2. an instance of treading; a step.
3. a mark made by treading, as in snow.

? What's this now? Do you refer to your feet as "runs" when you're running?

Wolfspeak for EYES

optics
1. the branch of physics that deals with light and vision, chiefly the generation, propagation, and detection of
electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths greater than x-rays and shorter than microwaves.

? Anything relevant to the eye is not neccesarily a synonym for the eye.

oculars
1. of or relating to the eye.
2. resembling the eye in form or function.
3. of or relating to the sense of sight: an ocular aberration.
4. Seen by the eye; visual: ocular proof.

? So much for referring to your eyes as your optical organs, but again, anything that is even slightly relevant to your eyes does not make for a correct synonym.

orbs
1. a sphere or spherical object.
2. a celestial body, such as the sun or moon.
3. one of a series of concentric transparent spheres thought by ancient and medieval astronomers to revolve about the
earth and carry the celestial bodies.
4. a globe surmounted by a cross, used as a symbol of monarchial power and justice.
5. an eye or eyeball.

? Your eyes are shaped like orbs, but they aren't orbs. You wouldn't call your tail a square if it was shaped like one.

pools
1. a small body of still water.
2. an accumulation of standing liquid; a puddle: a pool of blood.
3. a deep or still place in a stream.
4. a swimming pool.

✔ "Her eyes were like deep pools. He could drown in them if he looked long enough."
✘ "Her pools were completely devoid of life."
? Similes are wonderful; please use them. Being like something, however, is not being something.

globes
1. a body with the shape of a sphere, especially a representation of the earth in the form of a hollow ball.
2. the earth.
3. a planet.
4. a spherical or bowllike container, especially a glass cover for a light bulb.
5. a sphere emblematic of sovereignty; an orb.

? See orbs.

spheres
1. a three-dimensional surface, all points of which are equidistant from a fixed point.
2. a spherical object or figure.
3. a celestial body, such as a planet or star.
4. the sky, appearing as a hemisphere to an observer: the sphere of the heavens.
5. any of a series of concentric, transparent, revolving globes that together were once thought to contain the moon,
sun, planets, and stars.
6. the extent of a person's knowledge, interests, or social position.

✔ "Her eyes lit up like spheres in the sunlight."
✘ "Her spheres were closed when he walked up to her."
? See orbs

Wolfspeak for TAIL

banner
1. a piece of cloth attached to a staff and used as a standard by a monarch, military commander, or knight.
2. the flag of a nation, state, or army.
3. a piece of cloth bearing a motto or legend, as of a club.
4. a headline spanning the width of a newspaper page.

✔ "She waved her tail like a proud soldier during a military parade."
✘ "She lost her banner after a fight."
? Can you imagine a banner sticking out of your rear end? It's not a pretty sight.

tassel
1. a bunch of loose threads or cords bound at one end and hanging free at the other, used as an ornament on curtains
or clothing, for example.
2. something that resembles such an ornament, especially the pollen-bearing inflorescence of a corn plant.

? No comment.

Wolfspeak for LEGS

pillars
1. a slender, freestanding, vertical support; a column.
2. such a structure or one similar to it used for decoration.
3. one who occupies a central or responsible position: a pillar of the state.


✔ "Man, look at that body... His legs oughta be pillars to support all that weight."
✘ "She fell and broke a pillar."
? The only similarity is that pillars support weight like your legs support your body.

columns
1. a supporting pillar consisting of a base, a cylindrical shaft, and a capital.
2. something resembling an architectural pillar in form or function: a column of mercury in a thermometer.
3. one of two or more vertical sections of typed lines lying side by side on a page and separated by a rule or a blank
space.

? See pillars.

Wolfspeak for MUZZLE

dial
1. a graduated surface or face on which a measurement, such as speed, is indicated by a moving needle or pointer.
2. the face of a clock.
3. a sundial.

? No comment.

orifice
1. an aperture or hole that opens into a bodily cavity

? Ah, yes. The orifice. Can be used to refer to your mouth just as it can be used to refer to the thing your food comes out of at the end of the day in the form of a lovely brown present. The kind that one's dog might leave around the house now and then.

Wolfspeak for BODY

build
1. the physical makeup of a person or thing; physique: an athletic build.
2. any of various versions of a software product as it is being developed for release to users.

? No comment.

bodice
1. The fitted part of a dress that extends from the waist to the shoulder.
2. A woman's laced outer garment, worn like a vest over a blouse.

? Body and bodice share three letters. Does that make them synonymous to each other? No.