Dune meaning:

Loose robe worn by Fremen women: usually black.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Alia used a corner of Jessica’s aba to wipe the tears from her face. She smoothed the robe where she had dampened and crumpled it.

Original meaning:

Cloak, robe, or mantle.

Dune meaning:

The demanding memory that comes upon you of itself.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

In an eyeblink Jessica moved from the adab into the universe of movement, but it was a different universe from the one which had commanded her attention only a second before.

Original meaning:

In Arabic, Adab means "manners" and also "literature".

Dune meaning:

Mankind's original sun; by usage: any planet's primary.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

The glowing tab of the Fremkit manual between them on the tent floor caught her eye. She lifted it, glanced at the flyleaf, reading: “Manual of ‘The Friendly Desert,’ the place full of life. Here are the ayat and burhan of Life. Believe, and al-Lat shall never burn you.”

Original meaning:

Al-Lat was a principle pre-Islamic goddess, equated with the Greek Venus.

Dune meaning:

The mystical world of similitudes where all physical limitations are removed.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

He wondered if it might be possible that his ruh-spirit had slipped over somehow into the world where the Fremen believed he had his true existence—into the alam al-mithal, the world of similitudes, that metaphysical realm where all physical limitations were removed.

Original meaning:

The term seems to be derived from mystic Sufi traditions. In Arabic it means "World of Similitudes".

Dune meaning:

The mystical world of similitudes where all physical limitations are removed.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

It was there for anyone to read: With her powers, Alia had but to accuse him herself, saying she brought the evidence from the shadow region, the alam al-mythal.

Original meaning:

The term seems to be derived from mystic Sufi traditions. In Arabic it means "World of Similitudes".

Dune meaning:

The name of Paul Muad'Dib's sister.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

And he thought: Yes, mother mine-among the Fremen. You’ll acquire the blue eyes and a callus beside your lovely nose from the filter tube to your stillsuit… and you’ll bear my sister: St. Alia of the Knife.

Original meaning:

Alia was the name of one of the many queens of Jordan under King Hussein. The name is the feminine form of "High above".

Dune meaning:

A common rule on primitive worlds under which something is tested to determine its limits or defects. Commonly : testing to destruction.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“It is the amtal rule,” Stilgar said. “Jamis is demanding the right to test your part in the legend.”

Original meaning:

This could be derived from أمثال (Amthal) which in Arabic means "Proverbs", among other things.

Dune meaning:

The test of reason. Originally, the “Seven Mystic Questions” beginning: “Who is it that thinks?”

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“We’ll give you a name, manling,” Stilgar said, “in the time of the mihna, at the test of aql.”

Original meaning:

The Arabic word means many things, such as "mind", "logic", "reason".

Dune meaning:

The "cloud-darkness of holy judgment" or "the cloud-darkness at the end of the universe"; an apocalyptic concept

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Do not fear the lxians,” he said, and he heard his own voice as a fading whisper. “They can make the machines, but they no longer can make arafel. I know. I was there.”

Original meaning:

Fog, thick darkness, or gloom. Used in Biblical Hebrew, often in reference to the divine presence or mystery of God, especially where clarity is obscured.

Dune meaning:

The planet known as Dune; third planet of Canopus.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

"And take the most special care that you locate Muad’Dib in his place: the planet Arrakis."

Original meaning:

It seems to be derived from the Arabic word for "dancer", which derives from Raqs رقص with "the" prepended, making it ar-rakis الراقص. It seems that Herbert got the name from the star (not planet) Mu Draconis, which means a trotting camel, as well as dancer (masculine form).

Dune meaning:

The name of a House Major.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

It was a warm night at Castle Caladan, and the ancient pile of stone that had served the Atreides family as home for twenty-six generations bore that cooled-sweat feeling it acquired before a change in the weather.

Original meaning:

Descendants of Atreus.

Dune meaning:

In the Zensunni Wanderers’ religion, the female at the left hand of God; God’s handmaiden.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

"Now … I must play the part of Auliya, the Friend of God… Sayyadina to rogue peoples who’ve been so heavily imprinted with our Bene Gesserit soothsay they even call their chief priestesses Reverend Mothers."

Original meaning:

In Arabic, Auliya أولياء is the plural for Wali ولي which means 'an ally', and in some Islamic traditions means 'an ally of god', roughly translating to 'saint'.

Dune meaning:

Tleilaxu "tanks" used for creating gholas, face dancers and other genetic "products."

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

The Duncan had died. Ahh, well—the Tleilaxu always had another in their axlotl tanks.

Original meaning:

It derives its name from the Aztec God of Death Xolotl, who - according to myth - assumed the amphibian's form in an effort to escape exile, and was killed while such.

Dune meaning:

Tleilaxu "tanks" used for creating gholas, face dancers and other genetic "products."

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

"No; let us assume that our wise Sardaukar commander had Idaho's corpse preserved for the axolotl tanks."

Original meaning:

It derives its name from the Aztec God of Death Xolotl, who - according to myth - assumed the amphibian's form in an effort to escape exile, and was killed while such.

Dune meaning:

The signs of life.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

The glowing tab of the Fremkit manual between them on the tent floor caught her eye. She lifted it, glanced at the flyleaf, reading: “Manual of ‘The Friendly Desert,’ the place full of life. Here are the ayat and burhan of Life. Believe, and al-Lat shall never burn you.”

Original meaning:

The same meaning in Arabic, and used in the Quran often.

Dune meaning:

In fremen legend, the weeper who mourns for all mankind.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

"Now you wear the kerchief of the bakka,” he said. “If we become separated, you will be recognized as belonging to Stilgar’s sietch."

Original meaning:

In Arabic, this means someone who weeps often, and in early Islam, it referred to those who cried out of piety, and fear/respect of God.

Dune meaning:

A heavy pastry made with date syrup.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

There was a basket with mish mish and baklawa and mugs of liban—all manner of good things to eat.

Original meaning:

In the modern Middle East, there is a pastry that is made with syrup, but only with sugar (no dates involved). It is made as far north as Turkey, the Levant, Egypt, and the Arabian peninsula.

Dune meaning:

A living holy man with magical powers.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“When religion and politics ride the same cart, when that cart is driven by a living holy man (baraka), nothing can stand in their path.”

Original meaning:

In Arabic, this word means 'blessings'. It can be used as an adjective for people who are pious, considered blessed, or can bestow blessings on others.

Dune meaning:

(Often Colonel Bashar): an officer of the Sardaukar a fractional point above Colonel in the standardized military classification. Rank created for military ruler of a planetary sub-district (Bashar of the Corps is a title reserved strictly for military use.)

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

The planet sheltered people who lived at the desert edge without caid or bashar to command them: will-o’-the-sand people called Fremen, marked down on no census of the Imperial Regate.

Original meaning:

Bringer of good news. Bashar is an ancient Arab name that was in use at least since the first Hegira century. It is still in use today (e.g. Bashar is the first name of the current Syrian President).

Dune meaning:

The ancient school of mental and physical training established primarily for female students after the Butlerian Jihad destroyed the so-called “thinking machines” and robots.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that the balances are correct. This every sister of the Bene Gesserit knows.

Original meaning:

Part of quamdiu se bene gesserit: "as long as he shall behave himself well"). Bene also suggests Hebrew "sons/children of."

Dune meaning:

Amen. (Literally: “Nothing further need be explained.”)

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Thine enemies shall fall,” she said. "Bi-la kaifa," they answered.

Original meaning:

In Islamic theological discourse, it refers to an ancient dispute on the attributes of God (e.g. face, hand, ...etc.), and how different groups interpreted them. The traditionalists chose to accept them as is, 'without how'. The rationalists (e.g. Mu'tazili) chose to interpret them allegorically. The phrase Bi-La Kaifa means "without a how". This term is not used often in modern times, except in theological circles.

Dune meaning:

Great Bled: open, flat desert, as opposed to the erg-dune area. Open desert runs from about 60° north to 70° south. It is mostly sand and rock, with occasional outcroppings of basement complex.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Core samplings were made throughout the bled.

Original meaning:

Could be derived from Balad, meaning "country" or "land" or "city"

Dune meaning:

Insulated mantle worn by Fremen in the open desert.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Paul stood an instant assessing the scene, separating the Fremen robes and bourkas from the costumes of those they opposed.

Original meaning:

In classical Arabic, Burqu' is any face cover, whether used for males or females, or even on animals (e.g. in some battles, the Persians used elephants. The Arabs used face covers on the camels so they would not be startled by them). In modern times it refers to women's dress. In Egypt, the Burqu' used to refer to a face mask wore by women when they are out in public. In other countries, such as Afghanistan (spelled Burqa in English), it refers to an all covering dress for women, with a net like area for sight.

Dune meaning:

The proofs of life.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

The glowing tab of the Fremkit manual between them on the tent floor caught her eye. She lifted it, glanced at the flyleaf, reading: “Manual of ‘The Friendly Desert,’ the place full of life. Here are the ayat and burhan of Life. Believe, and al-Lat shall never burn you.”

Original meaning:

In Arabic, Burhan is 'proof', and was used by logicians and philosophers in dialectical debates to mean just that.

Dune meaning:

Sardaukar officer rank given to a military official whose duties call mostly for dealings with civilians; a military governorship over a full planetary district; above the rank of Bashar but not equal to a Burseg.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

The planet sheltered people who lived at the desert edge without caid or bashar to command them: will-o’-the-sand people called Fremen, marked down on no census of the Imperial Regate.

Original meaning:

The Arabic word means "commander" or "chief".

Dune meaning:

The so-called “magnetic language” derived in part from the ancient Bhotani (Bhotani Jib—jib meaning dialect). A collection of ancient dialects modified by needs of secrecy, but chiefly the hunting language of the Bhotani, the hired assassins of the first Wars of Assassins.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Tongues are the Bene Gesserit’s first learning,” Jessica said. “I know the Bhotani Jib and the Chakobsa, all the hunting languages.”

Original meaning:

Chakobsa is a Northwest Caucasian language, possibly in the Circassian subgroup.

Dune meaning:

A brotherhood of hate (usually for revenge).

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Here’s another poor victim bound to the Atreides by a cherem of hate.

Original meaning:

In biblical Hebrew, cherem often referred to things "devoted" to God, which could mean either: Sacred items set apart for holy use OR things marked for complete destruction (as in the conquest narratives)

Dune meaning:

The sacred knife of the Fremen on Arrakis. It is manufactured in two forms from teeth taken from dead sandworms. The two forms are “fixed” and “unfixed.” An unfixed knife requires proximity to a human body’s electrical field to prevent disintegration. Fixed knives are treated for storage. All are about 20 centimeters long.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

It could only be one thing, Jessica knew, the fabled crysknife of Arrakis, the blade that had never been taken off the planet, and was known only by rumor and wild gossip.

Original meaning:

The kris or keris is a Javanese asymmetrical dagger with a wavy blade. The word kris come from the Old Javanese term which means "dagger".

Dune meaning:

School of religious translation or interpretation.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

This was a time for boldness on her part, and she realized what she needed: some dar al-hikman, some school of translation that would give her….

Original meaning:

In the 9th century, the Abbasid Caliph, al-Mamun established an academy for translation, and teaching and called it Dar al-Hikma, meaning House of Wisdom.

Dune meaning:

The “rain of sand.” A fall of dust which has been carried to medium altitude (around 2,000 meters) by a coriolis storm. El-sayals frequently bring moisture to ground level.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

A crystal blowing of sand touched the exposed portions of his face, bringing the scent of the pre-spice mass. “Ei Sayal, the rain of sand that brings the morning,” he said.

Original meaning:

The preposition "El" in Arabic means "The". Sayal is derived from the root, "to flow"

Dune meaning:

An extensive dune area, a sea of sand.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

We are in the desert, Paul remembered. We are in the central erg beyond the Harkonnen patrols. I am here to walk the sand, to lure a maker and mount him by my own cunning that I may be a Fremen entire.

Original meaning:

In the Arab peninsula dialects, the ق letter is pronounced as a G (like in Game). The meaning is the same.

Dune meaning:

The water tribute, chief specie of tax on Arrakis.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Original meaning:

In Muslim law, فئ means land revenue from agriculture.

Dune meaning:

Fremen death commandos; historically: a group formed and pledged to give their lives to right a wrong.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

It had been Chatt the Leaper, captain of the Fedaykin, leader of the death commandos who guarded Muad’Dib.

Original meaning:

I think this term is taken from the Arabic "Feda'yin", which in the 1960s was used for the Palestinian guerillas. The same term was used for Saddam Hussein's special guerilla type forces. Note that the "k" is not the correct sound here, but rather the Arabic "hamza". Certain cultures do transform the hamza to a "k", at least when written, for example, in Indonesia, Mu'min (believer, faithful) can be written as Mukmin.

Dune meaning:

Knowledge, religious law; one of the half-legendary origins of the Zensunni Wanderers’ religion.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

And Jessica thought: Cielago! the clue of the tongue opened wide avenues of understanding: this was the language of Ilm and Fiqh, and cielago meant bat, a small flying mammal.

Original meaning:

The term is a purely Islamic one. It originated from "understanding".

Dune meaning:

Giving oneself up to gadfly distractions. Thus: a changeable person, one not to be trusted.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

There’s too much of violence in Jamis for him ever to make a good leader—too much ghafla, the distraction.

Original meaning:

In Arabic, it means lack of alertness.

Dune meaning:

Something acquired in battle or single combat. Commonly, a memento of combat kept only to stir the memory.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“My brother’s ghanima is annoyed with me,” Alia said in her half-lisp.

Original meaning:

Ghanima in Arabic comes from the root GH-N-M, which means "to win", "to gain". Many Arabic proper names use this root, as in "Ghanem", "Ghannaam". If pronounced with a long "i" vowel, Ghanima could mean war booty. With a short "i" sound, it would mean "one who gained".

Dune meaning:

Clones, manufactured in Axlotl tanks by the Tleilaxu.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Some show how Muad'dib was made to accept the services of a ghola, the flesh brought back from the dead and trained to destroy him.

Original meaning:

The word seems to be derived from the Arabic mythical creature "ghūl" (ghoul)

Dune meaning:

In the Tleilaxu culture members must be "cleansed" of all communicable sins and ideas after contact with non-believers (powindah). Ghufran designates a rite of purification.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

It was proper that even Waff, the most powerful of all Tleilaxu, could not leave his world and be readmitted without abasing himself in the ghufran, begging pardon for contact with the unimaginable sins of aliens.

Original meaning:

It means "forgivness" or "absolution". If a Muslim commits a sin, he asks for forgiveness from God, which can be called Ghufran (there are other terms, such as Tawbah توبة, ...etc.) One of God's name in Islam is "Al Ghafur الغفور" (The Forgiver).

Dune meaning:

The high-handed enemy; that specific poison needle tipped with meta-cyanide used by Bene Gesserit Proctors in the death-alternative test of human awareness.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Sleep well, you sly little rascal,” said the old woman. “Tomorrow you’ll need all your faculties to meet my gom jabbar.”

Original meaning:

Qawm means people, nation. Jabbar in Arabic means "mighty" or "powerful", and in the form "Al Jabbar" is a name of God.

Dune meaning:

A long geological ditch formed when the ground sinks because of movements in the underlying crustal layers.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“There’s little to tell them from the folk of the graben and sink. They all wear those great flowing robes. And they stink to heaven in any closed space. It’s from those suits they wear—call them ‘stulsuits’—that reclaim the body’s own water.”

Original meaning:

This is a direct borrowing from geology, where Graben (German for "ditch" or "trench") describes a depressed block of land.

Dune meaning:

A name of an area, including an erg, a basin and a ridge.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“And I am a Fremen born this day here in the Habbanya erg. I have had no life before this day. I was as a child until this day.”

Original meaning:

Habbaneyya is the name of a real district in Baghdad, Iraq.

Dune meaning:

Holy journey.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Far down the corridor, an image-voice screamed: “They denied us the Hajj!”

Original meaning:

In Islam, this exact term refers to a religious obligation on every Muslim who is physically and financially able to visit Mecca once in his lifetime, and participate in the rituals with millions of other Muslims.

Dune meaning:

Journey of seeking.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“The Reverend Mother tells me she cannot survive another hajra,” Stilgar said. “We have lived before without a Reverend Mother, but it is not good for people to seek a new home in such straits.”

Original meaning:

In Arabic, Hijra it means immigration. In Islam, it refers specifically to the incident when prophet Muhammad immigrated from oppression in his native Mecca north to Madina. It marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

Dune meaning:

“Now! At last!” a Fremen exclamation.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Hal yawm! You are a sandrider this day.”

Original meaning:

This term is used in many Arab countries today to mean "today".

Dune meaning:

Desert journey, migration

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

N/A

Original meaning:

In Arabic, this term means "confusion", referring to people running around aimlessly when a disaster strikes.

Dune meaning:

The name of a House Major.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Thufir Hawat, his father’s Master of Assassins, had explained it: their mortal enemies, the Harkonnens, had been on Arrakis eighty years, holding the planet in quasi-fief under a CHOAM Company contract to mine the geriatric spice, melange.

Original meaning:

Finnish surname, possibly related to härkä – bull/ox

Dune meaning:

Breaking of the Habit

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

I will give you a new name. From this moment, you'll be called Breaking of the Habit, which in our tongue is Harq al-Ada.

Original meaning:

Breaking of the custom/habit (often for miracles).

Dune meaning:

Eyes of Ibad: characteristic effect of a diet high in melange wherein the whites and pupils of the eyes turn a deep blue (indicative of deep melange addiction).

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

"He has not the eyes of the ibad. Yet he does not speak or act like a weakling of the pans."

Original meaning:

Ibad could be derived from the Arabic word عباد which is plural for عبد meaning slave, or just person.

Dune meaning:

“Thus go the holy words….” Formal beginning to Fremen religious incantation (derived from panoplia propheticus).

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Ibn qirtaiba,” she said,“as far as the spot where the dust ends.” She stretched out an arm from her robe, seeing Stilgar’s eyes go wide.

Original meaning:

Ibn means "son of", so this could refer to a person who is the son of another person called Qirtaiba, author of these texts. Qirtaiba could derive from قتيبة a known author, or قرطبة referring to Cordova. Many authors in Arabic and Islamic matters hailed from this city, and had the title قرطبي or Qurtubi.

Dune meaning:

The brotherhood of all Fremen on Arrakis.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Presently Paul stood again before Stilgar, who said: “Now, you are of the Ichwan Bedwine, our brother.”

Original meaning:

Ikhwan means brotherhood, and has been used in ancient times, such as Ikhwan al-Safa إخوان الصفا and in modern times as well, such as the Muslim Brotherhood political organization الإخوان المسلمون. Bedwine could be derived from Bedouin or بدويين meaning just that.

Dune meaning:

Prophecy that by its very nature cannot be denied; immutable prophecy.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

She said: “The seeress who brought you the legend, she gave it under the binding of karama and ijaz, the miracle and the inimitability of the prophecy—this I know. Do you wish a sign?”

Original meaning:

The Arabic term refers to a miraclous thing that cannot be immitated by a non-prophet.

Dune meaning:

Theology; science of religious tradition; one of the half-legendary origins of the Zensunni Wanderers’ faith.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

And Jessica thought: Cielago! the clue of the tongue opened wide avenues of understanding: this was the language of Ilm and Fiqh, and cielago meant bat, a small flying mammal.

Original meaning:

The Arabic word means "science" and "knowledge".

Dune meaning:

Jessica translated silently: “These are ashes! And these are roots!”

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Deep within the cave, someone began chanting: “Ima trava okolo! I korenja okolo!”

Original meaning:

There's grass around! And roots around!

Dune meaning:

A rule for the general welfare; usually a preface to brutal necessity.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

"I will take the boy-man, your son, and he shall have my countenance, sanctuary in my tribe. But for you, woman—you understand there is nothing personal in this? It is the rule, Istislah, in the general interest. Is that not enough?”

Original meaning:

The word is used in modern Arabic (specifically Egypt) to mean land reclamation. It could also mean reform.

Dune meaning:

A religious crusade; fanatical crusade.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Through it all, the wild jihad still loomed ahead of him, the violence and the slaughter. It was like a promontory above the surf.

Original meaning:

In Arabic it means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim.

Dune meaning:

Evil spirit, demon.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“What have we here—jinn or human?” he asked.

Original meaning:

Genie, spirit.

Dune meaning:

The all-purpose cloak (it can be set to reflect or admit radiant heat, converts to a hammock or shelter) commonly worn over a stillsuit on Arrakis.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

He wore a jubba cloak with Atreides crest at the breast, and wore it in a way that betrayed his unfamiliarity with the garment. It clung to the legs of his stillsuit on one side.

Original meaning:

In Arabic it refers to a flowing robe type of clothing, worn in many countries, such as Egypt, specially by graduates of Al Azhar university.

Dune meaning:

One of the books of the OC Bible

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Presently Paul recalled the words of 467 Kalima in Yueh’s O.C. Bible. He said: “From water does all life begin.”

Original meaning:

Literally: word. But كلمة التوحيد (kalimat at-tawḥīd) - The word/declaration of monotheism: "لا إله إلا الله" (There is no god but Allah)

Dune meaning:

Formal feud or vendetta under the rules of the Great Convention carried on according to the strictest limitations. Originally the rules were designed to protect innocent bystanders.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“He says: ‘The art of kanly still has admirers in the Empire.’ He signs it: ‘Duke Leto of Arrakis.’ ” Piter began to laugh. “Of Arrakis! Oh, my! This is almost too rich!”

Original meaning:

Literally: bloody.

Dune meaning:

A miracle; an action initiated by the spirit world.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

She said: “The seeress who brought you the legend, she gave it under the binding of karama and ijaz, the miracle and the inimitability of the prophecy—this I know. Do you wish a sign?”

Original meaning:

In Islam, it refers to a semi-miraclous act performed by a pious person who is not a prophet. If a prophet is involved, then it is a miracle.

Dune meaning:

Traditional invocation to still the angry spirits of a place whose name you mention.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“When you live upon Arrakis,” she had said, “khala, the land is empty. The moons will be your friends, the sun your enemy.”

Original meaning:

In Arabic, this word refers to empty spaces, void, ...etc.

Dune meaning:

Tleilaxu guards.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

The khasadars who policed all Tleilaxu frontiers and guarded the selamliks of the women were right to suspect even Waff.

Original meaning:

In Persian-derived Turkish words, -dar means “having” or “possessing” or "in charge of." For example Selahdar سلاحدار means in charge of arms, khazendar خازندار means in charge of treasury, ....etc. Khasa خاصة means "private" in Arabic, so Khasdar means "in charge of privacy", alluding to "in charge of women in the family".

Dune meaning:

Double-bladed short sword (or long knife) with about 20 centimeters of slightly curved blade.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Then why haven’t you directed the doctor to slip a kindjal between his ribs quietly and efficiently?” Piter asked. “You talk of pity, but—”

Original meaning:

The term in Arabic means dagger, but spelled as Khinjar. The Kindjal spelling is used in Russian and the Indian subcontinent to refer to some types of short swords. The kindjal is primarily a Caucasian weapon copied from the (rather smaller and generally finer) Georgian qama and is presumably closely related to the Persian quaddara

Dune meaning:

Any figure or design from Fremen mythology.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

And it came to pass in the third year of the Desert War that Paul-Muad’Dib lay alone in the Cave of Birds beneath the kiswa hangings of an inner cell.

Original meaning:

The Arabic word could refer to كسوة (kiswa) meaning "cover", referring to clothing for children, or covering for a religious building. It could also be derived from قصة (qissa) meaning story.

Dune meaning:

The combined survival handbook-religious manual developed by the Fremen on Arrakis.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Paul took a deep breath, looked up at the moon-frosted escarpment, and quoted from the Kitab al-Ibar: “Travel by night and rest in black shade through the day.”

Original meaning:

Kitab means book. Ibar means stories with a moral meaning.

Dune meaning:

One of Muad'Dib's Fedaykin.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Many times many,” Paul said. He looked at Chani. “Find Korba. Tell him that Gurney has warned me there are men among this smuggler crew who’re not to be trusted.”

Original meaning:

Nearness, closeness, proximity | Good deed or act of devotion performed to gain closeness to Allah

Dune meaning:

“I am profoundly stirred!” A sincere exclamation of surprise common in the Imperium. Strict interpretation depends on context. (It is said of Muad’Dib that once he watched a desert hawk chick emerge from its shell and whispered: “Kull wahad!”)

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Enough,” the old woman muttered. “Kull wahad! No woman-child ever withstood that much. I must’ve wanted you to fail.”

Original meaning:

The literal Arabic meaning means "every one".

Dune meaning:

“Shortening of the Way.” This is the label applied by the Bene Gesserit to the unknown for which they sought a genetic solution: a male Bene Gesserit whose organic mental powers would bridge space and time.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“He’s awake and listening to us,” said the old woman. “Sly little rascal.” She chuckled. “But royalty has need of slyness. And if he’s really the Kwisatz Haderach … well….”

Original meaning:

It's likely that the term was borrowed from the Kabbalah and its foundational Sefer HaZohar ("The Book of Splendor"), ascribed in Jewish tradition to the 1st century sage Rabbi Shimon bar-Yohai and by modern scholars to the 13th century Jewish mystic Moses de Léon. The term itself is the Hebrew Q'fisat ha-Derekh (קְפִיצַת הַדֶּרֶךְ) or "The Leap of the Way," by means of which an initiate may travel some distance instantaneously.

Dune meaning:

Fremen cry of grief. (La translates as ultimate denial, a “no” from which you cannot appeal.)

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“La, la, la, the women cried,” said Harah.

Original meaning:

The Arabic word لا (La) means 'no'.

Dune meaning:

Inner circle empowered to act as supreme tribunal in House to House disputes.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Yet, Hawat had said, this appearance contained the deadliest peril, for the Duke Leto was popular among the Great Houses of the Landsraad.

Original meaning:

Literally translates to "land council" or "country council"

Dune meaning:

War party or raid.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Every time he left the inner worlds of the Bene Tleilax Waff felt himself to be on lashkar, a war party seeking that ultimate revenge which his people named secretly as Bodal (always capitalized and always the first thing reaffirmed in ghufran or khel). This most recent lashkar had been exquisitely successful.

Original meaning:

A corruption of an Arabic word "Al 'Askar العسكر" meaning "the soldiers" or "a group of soldiers", and came to mean "army". It is corrupted in Hindi/Urdu to Lashkar.

Dune meaning:

Heart of my enemy.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

"Leb Kamai," she whispered. "Heart of my enemy, you shall not be my heart."

Original meaning:

It literally means “the heart of my adversaries” - a biblical phrase from Jeremiah 51:1, using a Hebrew cipher (Atbash) to refer to the ruling class of Babylon (Kasdim).

Dune meaning:

Fremen liban is spice water infused with yucca flour. Originally a sour milk drink.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

There was a basket with mish mish and baklawa and mugs of liban—all manner of good things to eat.

Original meaning:

Milk (specifically fresh milk, often from cows or goats)

Dune meaning:

“The Voice from the Outer World.” In Fremen messianic legends, an off-world prophet. Sometimes translated as “Giver of Water.” (See Mahdi.)

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

But their shout was more a question than a statement, for as yet they could only hope he was the one foretold as the Lisan al-Gaib, the Voice from the Outer World.

Original meaning:

The term in Arabic is composed of two words. Lisan means literally "Tongue", and means "speaker". Ghaib (a more phonetic version of Gaib) means "Unknown" or "that which is not revealed", or "things that will come in the future, unknown to us know". One of the basic tenets of the Muslim faith, is the belief that God alone knows what is hidden in the future.

Dune meaning:

In the Fremen messianic legend, “The One Who Will Lead Us to Paradise.”

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

On that first day when Muad‘Dib rode through the streets of Arrakeen with his family, some of the people along the way recalled the legends and the prophecy and they ventured to shout: “Mahdi!”

Original meaning:

In Islam, the Mahdi ("The Rightly Guided One") is an all human Messianic figure, who comes to "fill the world with justice" after much of the opposite. Both Sunni and Shia Muslims believe in the future arrival of the Mahdi to restore justice, but they differ significantly on his identity and status. Twelver Shia believe the Mahdi is Muhammad al-Mahdi, the 12th Imam born in 869 AD who lives in hiding. Sunnis generally believe the Mahdi is a future leader not yet born, destined to appear near the end of times.

Dune meaning:

Maula: slave. Maula pistol: spring-loaded gun for firing poison darts; range about forty meters.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“To save one from a mistake is a gift of paradise,” Stilgar said. He touched his lips with his left hand, lifted the weapon from Paul’s waist with the other, tossed it to a companion. “You will have your own maula pistol, lad, when you’ve earned it.”

Original meaning:

In early Islamic society, it could refer to a freed slave in relation to their former master. It can mean protector. In a religious context, it could mean master or lord.

Dune meaning:

The “spice of spices,” the crop for which Arrakis is the unique source. The spice, chiefly noted for its geriatric qualities, is mildly addictive when taken in small quantities, severely addictive when imbibed in quantities above two grams daily per seventy kilos of body weight. (See Ibad, Water of Life, and Pre-spice Mass.) Muad’Dib claimed the spice as a key to his prophetic powers. Guild navigators make similar claims. Its price on the Imperial market has ranged as high as 620,000 solaris the decagram.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Thufir Hawat, his father’s Master of Assassins, had explained it: their mortal enemies, the Harkonnens, had been on Arrakis eighty years, holding the planet in quasi-fief under a CHOAM Company contract to mine the geriatric spice, melange.

Original meaning:

Mixture, blend.

Dune meaning:

That class of Imperial citizens trained for supreme accomplishments of logic. “Human computers.”

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

"Have you studied the Mentat in your service?”

Original meaning:

of the mind

Dune meaning:

The season for testing Fremen youths who wish admittance to manhood.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“We’ll give you a name, manling,” Stilgar said, “in the time of the mihna, at the test of aql.”

Original meaning:

In Arabic it means "test" or "ordeal".

Dune meaning:

Apricots.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

There was a basket with mish mish and baklawa and mugs of liban—all manner of good things to eat.

Original meaning:

In Arabic it also means apricots.

Dune meaning:

The historical Zensunni (Fremen) term for themselves: “The People.”

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“We are the people of Misr,” the old woman rasped. “Since our Sunni ancestors fled from Nilotic al-Ourouba, we have known flight and death. The young go on that our people shall not die.”

Original meaning:

The Arabic word means "Egypt", as well as "country", "land".

Dune meaning:

The arm of the Bene Gesserit order charged with sowing infectious superstitions on primitive worlds, thus opening those regions to exploitation by the Bene Gesserit.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Bad enough, but not all bad. The Missionaria Protectiva has been in there and softened it up somewhat.” The Reverend Mother heaved herself to her feet, straightened a fold in her gown. “Call the boy in here. I must be leaving soon.”

Original meaning:

Protective mission.

Dune meaning:

Mu zein literally means “nothing good,” and wallah is a reflexive terminal exclamation. In this traditional opening for a Fremen curse against an enemy, Wallah turns the emphasis back upon the words Mu zein, producing the meaning: “Nothing good, never good, good for nothing.”

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

A distant rhythmic chanting came to them through the hangings that separated them from the sietch corridors. It grew louder, carrying distinct sounds now: “Ya!Ya! Yawm! Ya! Ya! Yawm! Mu zein, wallah! Ya! Ya! Yawm! Mu zein, Wallah!”

Original meaning:

In Arabic, Mu zein literally means 'not good,' and wallah is a reflexive terminal exclamation, meaning "I swear by Allah". This term is used in slang modern day Arabic in some countries (Arabia and the Levant).

Dune meaning:

The adapted kangaroo mouse of Arrakis, a creature associated in the Fremen earth-spirit mythology with a design visible on the planet’s second moon. This creature is admired by Fremen for its ability to survive in the open desert.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

To begin your study of the life of Muad‘Dib, then, take care that you first place him in his time: born in the 57th year of the Padishah Emperor, Shaddam IV.

Original meaning:

The Arabic term (Mu'adib), means "private tutor" or "teacher". It used to be that the Caliphs, the rulers of the Muslim world, would hire one or more Mu'adibs to teach their children various subjects. The practice seemed to be common for other strata of society as well. Although the English pronounciation of this word calls for a long "i", the Arabic word sounds like a short "e".

Dune meaning:

The Fremen name for Beast Rabban (Count Rabban of Lankiveil), the Harkonnen cousin who was siridar governor on Arrakis for many years. The name is often translated as “Demon Ruler.”

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

More than two years we’ve been here, she thought, and twice that number at least to go before we can even hope to think of trying to wrest Arrakis from the Harkonnen governor, the Mudir Nahya, the Beast Rabban.

Original meaning:

The term Mudir in modern Arabic means "manager", and is derived from Ottoman Turkish "governor, local administrator", and Nahya means district or place. The term is still in use verbatim in modern Iraq.

Dune meaning:

A small garden annex or garden courtyard.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“The raiders came through the mushtamal, rushing at us with their knives dripping red from the lives of our men,” Jessica said.

Original meaning:

The Arabic terms means complex or compound.

Dune meaning:

Na-: a prefix meaning “nominated” or “next in line.” Thus: na-Baron means heir apparent to a barony.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

In honor of the na-Baron’s nativity and to remind all Harkonnens and subjects that Feyd-Rautha was heir-designate, it was holiday on Giedi Prime.

Original meaning:

The na- preposition is likely derived from the concept of an heir, as in "наследник" (naslednik).

Dune meaning:

One who has sworn never to be taken alive by the enemy; traditional oath of a Fremen leader.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“I am a Naib,” Stilgar said, “never to be taken alive. I am a leg of the death tripod that will destroy our foes.”

Original meaning:

Deputy, representative. The word is used today for members of parliament in Arab countries.

Dune meaning:

The name of one of the Fish Speakers.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“I remain Your worshipful servant, Nayla.”

Original meaning:

The name is an ancient Arab female name, and also the name of a pre-Islamic Goddess in Arabia. It means one who attains or achiever.

Dune meaning:

The scarf-pad worn at the forehead beneath the stillsuit hood by married or “associated” Fremen women after birth of a son.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

He touched the nezhoni scarf at her forehead where it protruded from her stillsuit cap. “Why will you not talk about the sietch?”

Original meaning:

Beautiful or pretty.

Dune meaning:

Officers of the Imperial bodyguard who are related to the Emperor by blood. Traditional rank for sons of royal concubines.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

With covert glances, the Baron had studied the metal-walled room and its occupants—the noukkers, the pages, the guards, the troop of House Sardaukar drawn up around the walls, standing at ease there beneath the bloody and tattered captured battle flags that were the room’s only decoration.

Original meaning:

Companion-in-arms, loyal follower, or retainer, especially in Turco-Mongol military culture.

Dune meaning:

Support your brother in his time of need, whether he be just or unjust!

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

And she lapsed into the old tongue which only those in this room who could profit by it would understand: "Onsar akhaka zeiiman aw maslumen!"

Original meaning:

Better transliteration would be: Unsur Akhaka Zaliman Aw Mazlooman. The original is a saying of prophet Muhammad, meaning "Support your brother whether he is a oppressor or oppressed". When his companions say: we know how to support him when he is oppressed, what about when he is an oppresser? He replies: by stopping his oppression.

Dune meaning:

(commonly: ’thopter): any aircraft capable of sustained wing-beat flight in the manner of birds.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Hawat glanced at his folder. “About nine hundred and thirty harvester-factories that can be sent out in a few days. About sixty-two hundred and fifty ornithopters for survey, scouting, and weather observation … carryalls, a little under a thousand.”

Original meaning:

Ornis means bird, pteron means wing or feather.

Dune meaning:

The name of on of the Fedaykin.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Paul lowered his voice, said: “Stilgar, I want sandwalkers out this night and cielagos sent to summon a Council Gathering. When you’ve sent them, bring Chatt, Korba and Otheym and two other lieutenants of your own choosing.

Original meaning:

It'ss derived from an ancient Arabic name, عثمان, a companion and third successor to prophet Muhammad, in its diminutive form.

Dune meaning:

The ruler of the Known Universe.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

To begin your study of the life of Muad‘Dib, then, take care that you first place him in his time: born in the 57th year of the Padishah Emperor, Shaddam IV.

Original meaning:

It breaks down into two parts: pād / pād (پاد) from Old Persian pat or pati → meaning "master," "lord," or "protector" and shāh / شاه meaning "king."So pādshāh literally means: "Master King" or "Lord King"

Dune meaning:

Term covering the infectious superstitions used by the Bene Gesserit to exploit primitive regions.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

The prophetic legends had taken on Arrakis even to the extent of adopted labels (including Reverend Mother, canto and respondu, and most of the Shari-a panoplia propheticus).

Original meaning:

πᾶν (pan-) = “all” or “every” and ὅπλον (hoplon) = “weapon” or “armor” - literally full set of armor, provided by prophecy

Dune meaning:

Oranges.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

There was a tree of portyguls, round and deep in color, near at hand.

Original meaning:

In Arabic, oranges are known as "bortoqal". The name is derived from the ancient name of the country of Portugal which was Roman for Porto Callis.

Dune meaning:

Unclean, alien, outsiders to the Tleilaxu.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

To go out among the powindah could soil even the mightiest.

Original meaning:

The word powindah refers to a nomadic tribe or person, especially in the regions of Afghanistan and western Pakistan. It is closely associated with Pashtun nomadic herders, particularly those who migrate seasonally between regions. "Pavidan" (پَویدن) — an old verb meaning "to walk" or "to go on foot." So, powindah (پوینده) literally means: "One who walks" or "traveler", "migrant"

Dune meaning:

Instinct-wisdom, a high level of awareness.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

The Reverend Mother had been engaged in prajna meditation interspersed with examinations of the tarot.

Original meaning:

Insight, transcendental wisdom.

Dune meaning:

Bene Gesserit nerve and muscle control training.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Indeed, and it’s obvious we must have a hold on him. I’ll plant deep in his deepest self the necessary prana-bindu phrases to bend him.”

Original meaning:

Prana (life force, vital breath) + bindu (point, drop).

Dune meaning:

An open canal for carrying irrigation water under controlled conditions through a desert.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

He tried to think of moisture in the air—grass covering this dune … open water somewhere beneath him, a long qanat flowing with water open to the sky except in text illustrations.

Original meaning:

The is the same as the Arabic word meaning "Canal", e.g. as in Suez Canal قناة السويس. The origin of the word Qanat in Arabic is the straight shaft of a spear.

Dune meaning:

Fremen priests (after Muad’Dib).

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

This Fremen religious adaptation, then, is the source of what we now recognize as “The Pillars of the Universe,” whose Qizara Tafwid are among us all with signs and proofs and prophecy.

Original meaning:

The Arabic term Tafwid means "to delegate". Quizara and Quizarate are not Arabic words but use the -ate ending of Caliphate to suggest a state,

Dune meaning:

The name of one of the nephews of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

He looked at the beet-colored inkvine scar on the man’s jaw, remembering the story of how it had been put there by Beast Rabban in a Harkonnen slave pit on Giedi Prime.

Original meaning:

In Arabic, a similar-sounding word ربّان (rubbān) means “captain” (e.g. of a ship), from the root rabb (lord, master). In Hebrew, רַבָּן (Rabban) means “our teacher” or “master”, used as a title of respect for high-ranking rabbis.

Dune meaning:

Ancient religious period marked by fasting and prayer; traditionally, the ninth month of the solar-lunar calendar. Fremen mark the observance according to the ninth meridian-crossing cycle of the first moon.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

When the sound had dimmed sufficiently, Jessica began the ritual, the sadness in her voice: “It was Ramadhan and April on Bela Tegeuse.”

Original meaning:

In the Muslim Lunar calendar, the ninth month is the month of fasting by the name Ramadan.

Dune meaning:

A semipiratical guerrilla raid.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

I was on razzia, Paul recalled. We went raiding to recover the water of our dead in Arrakeen. And I found the remains of my father in the funeral pyre. I enshrined the skull of my father in a Fremen rock mound overlooking Harg Pass.

Original meaning:

The word is said to have Arabic roots, from Ghazwa غزوة meaning a small scale military campaign or battle. In modern Italian, the meaning is "warrior expedition in strange territory for plunder" (thanks to Marco Calvani).

Dune meaning:

in Fremen belief, that part of the individual which is always rooted in (and capable of sensing) the metaphysical world. (See Alam al-Mithal.)

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

He wondered if it might be possible that his ruh-spirit had slipped over somehow into the world where the Fremen believed he had his true existence—into the alam al-mithal, the world of similitudes, that metaphysical realm where all physical limitations were removed.

Original meaning:

The word Ruh means soul or spirit in Arabic.

Dune meaning:

Judges. The Fremen title refers to holy judges, equivalent to saints.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

He reads to the Sadus of the Trial and this is what he reads:

Original meaning:

"Good person," "holy person," or "ascetic." It refers to someone who has renounced worldly life to pursue spiritual goals.

Dune meaning:

N/A

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

The prayer of the salat has carved out our hiding place.

Original meaning:

Ritual prayer in Islam.

Dune meaning:

The soldier-fanatics of the Padishah Emperor. They were men from an environmental background of such ferocity that it killed six out of thirteen persons before the age of eleven. Their military training emphasized ruthlessness and a near-suicidal disregard for personal safety. They were taught from infancy to use cruelty as a standard weapon, weakening opponents with terror. At the apex of their sway over the affairs of the Universe, their swordsmanship was said to match that of the Ginaz tenth level and their cunning abilities at in-fighting were reputed to approach those of a Bene Gesserit adept. Any one of them was rated a match for any ten ordinary Landsraad military conscripts. By the time of Shaddam IV, while they were still formidable, their strength had been sapped by overconfidence, and the sustaining mystique of their warrior religion had been deeply undermined by cynicism.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Room to maneuver,” Piter sneered. “Already you have the Emperor’s eyes on you, Baron. You move too boldly. One day the Emperor will send a legion or two of his Sardaukar down here onto Giedi Prime and that’ll be an end to the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.”

Original meaning:

"leader" or "commander" - from Persian sar (head) + dār (holder) → "head-holder" or chief.

Dune meaning:

The act of turning away from God.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

There’s too much of violence in Jamis for him ever to make a good leader—too much ghafla, the distraction. He gives his mouth to the rules and his heart to the sarfa, the turning away.

Original meaning:

"Leaving" or "abandoning"

Dune meaning:

Feminine acolyte in the Fremen religious hierarchy.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“The Sayyadina,” he said. “Our Reverend Mother is old.”

Original meaning:

"Our master/lady" (from Arabic sayyidunā/sayyidatunā) or "mistress/lady" (sayyidah).

Dune meaning:

Imperial audience chamber.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

THE BARON Vladimir Harkonnen stood with eyes downcast in the Imperial audience chamber, the oval selamlik within the Padishah Emperor’s hutment.

Original meaning:

Arabic: سلام (salām) = peace or greeting  +  Turkish suffix: -lık = place of / related to  →  literally means “greeting place”

Dune meaning:

"Well-dipper"; Fremen honorific (e.g., Shadout Mapes).

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Anyone who hates Harkonnens. You may even want to keep the head housekeeper: the Shadout Mapes.”

Original meaning:

A device for lifting water.

Dune meaning:

The half-legendary First Book of the Zensunni Wanderers.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Thus it is spoken,” Chani said. “Giudichar mantene: It is written in the Shah-Nama that water was the first of all things created.”

Original meaning:

شاه (shāh) = king + نامه (nāmeh) = book, letter, or epic -> There are real chronicle books by that name about the lives and deeds of Persian kings, most famously, that of al-Firdawsi.

Dune meaning:

Sandworm of Arrakis, the “Old Man of the Desert,” “Old Father Eternity,” and “Grandfather of the Desert.” Significantly, this name, when referred to in a certain tone or written with capital letters, designates the earth deity of Fremen hearth superstitions. Sandworms grow to enormous size (specimens longer than 400 meters have been seen in the deep desert) and live to great age unless slain by one of their fellows or drowned in water, which is poisonous to them. Most of the sand on Arrakis is credited to sandworm action.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Mapes returned knife to sheath, said: “This is an unfixed blade, my Lady. Keep it near you. More than a week away from flesh and it begins to disintegrate. It’s yours, a tooth of shai-hulud, for as long as you live.”

Original meaning:

Thing of eternity, or Old Man of Eternity/Immortality.

Dune meaning:

Satan

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Yueh lowered himself to one knee beside the Duke. “I made a shaitan’s bargain with the Baron.

Original meaning:

Satan, devil, fiend.

Dune meaning:

That part of the panoplia propheticus which sets forth the superstitious ritual.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

The prophetic legends had taken on Arrakis even to the extent of adopted labels (including Reverend Mother, canto and respondu, and most of the Shari-a panoplia propheticus

Original meaning:

Path, way; specifically Islamic law.

Dune meaning:

Fremen: “Place of assembly in time of danger.” Because the Fremen lived so long in peril, the term came by general usage to designate any cave warren inhabited by one of their tribal communities.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Hawat looked at Paul. "From food processing and other evidence, Idaho estimates the cave complex he visited consisted of some ten thousand people, all told. Their leader said he ruled a sietch of two thousand hearths."

Original meaning:

Fortified Cossack encampment (sich). / Possibly "to camp" in Arabic

Dune meaning:

Fremen: the desert springtime with religious overtones implying the time of fruitfulness and “the paradise to come.”

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“You are Sihaya,” he said, “the desert spring.”

Original meaning:

Debated; possibly related to "pouring water" or "fertility."

Dune meaning:

The passage in the O.C. Bible that describes human life as a journey across a narrow bridge (the Sirat) with “Paradise on my right, Hell on my left, and the Angel of Death behind.”

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Paul sped his steps, hearing the swish of robes behind. And he thought of the words of the sirat from Yueh’s tiny O.C. Bible.

Original meaning:

The term Sirat in Islam refers to a passage between Hell and Paradise that people would have to pass on the day of Judgement. The concept is not exclusive to Islam, it is found in Zoroaster's teaching as well.

Dune meaning:

Official monetary unit of the Imperium, its purchasing power set at quatricentennial negotiations between the Guild, the Landsraad, and the Emperor.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“I am thinking that the spice brings six hundred and twenty thousand solaris the decagram on the open market right now. That is wealth to buy many things.”

Original meaning:

Sun

Dune meaning:

Water-seller’s cry on Arrakis.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

A weird cry sounded from the road outside the house. It was repeated: “Soo-soo-Sook! Soo-soo-Sook!” Then: “Ikhut-eigh! Ikhut-eigh!” And again: “Soo-soo-Sook!”

Original meaning:

Street vendors in Türkiye will shout "Su, soğuk su", meaning "Water! Cold water".

Dune meaning:

Marketplace.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

A weird cry sounded from the road outside the house. It was repeated: “Soo-soo-Sook! Soo-soo-Sook!” Then: “Ikhut-eigh! Ikhut-eigh!” And again: “Soo-soo-Sook!”

Original meaning:

Market

Dune meaning:

the self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp that thing

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

The Fremen were supreme in that quality the ancients called “spannungsbogen” —which is the self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp that thing.

Original meaning:

Literally: arc of tension. Dramatic arc; a sequence of events which serve to allow tension or suspense to rise and fall.

Dune meaning:

“Are you well?”: a Fremen greeting.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

In the formal manner that befitted a member of her son’s household, Jessica said: “Subakh ul kuhar, Harah. This night finds you well?”

Original meaning:

In modern Egypt, this is the morning greeting, meaning: "Morning of good things". Its correct spelling should be "Sabah El Kheir".

Dune meaning:

“I am well. And you?”: traditional reply.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

With the same traditional formality, she said: “Subakh un nar. I am well.” The words were almost toneless.

Original meaning:

In modern Egypt, this is the reply to a greeting, meaning: "Morning of light". Its correct spelling should be : "Sabah El Nour"

Dune meaning:

An ultimate test from which there can be no appeal (usually because it brings death or destruction). Also, Fremen challenge to mortal combat, usually to test some primal issue.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Do not try to forgive me,” Yueh had written. “I do not want your forgiveness. I already have enough burdens. What I have done was done without malice or hope of another’s understanding. It is my own tahaddi al-burhan, my ultimate test.

Original meaning:

In Arabic this means: "Challenge of the Proof". The word Tahaddi is Arabic for challenge.

Dune meaning:

Literally: “The price of freedom.” Something of great value. That which a deity demands of a mortal (and the fear provoked by the demand).

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

Presently, he said: “I will say it once more: I’ve given the tribe’s word-bond. My people know your worth to us now. What could the Harkonnens give us? Our freedom? Hah! no, you are the taqwa, that which buys us more than all the spice in the Harkonnen coffers.”

Original meaning:

God-consciousness, piety, fear of God.

Dune meaning:

One of Stilgar's wives.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

A woman’s voice, and Jessica recognized it: the voice of Tharthar, one of Stilgar’s wives.

Original meaning:

Talkative, chattering.

Dune meaning:

A Zensunni doctor of theology.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

C.E.T. Chairman Toure Bomoko, a Ulema of the Zensunnis and one of the fourteen delegates who never recanted (“The Fourteen Sages” of popular history), appeared to admit finally the C.E.T. had erred.

Original meaning:

Scholars (plural of ʿālim).

Dune meaning:

One of the brotherhood of prophets. (A term of scorn in the Imperium, meaning any “wild” person given to fanatical prediction.)

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“One of the Umma, surely,” the Baron said. “A Fremen fanatic, a religious adventurer. They crop up regularly on the fringes of civilization. Your Majesty knows this.”

Original meaning:

Community, nation (especially the Muslim community).

Dune meaning:

Fremen: “The base of the pillar.”

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

"Tell me about the waters of your homeworld, Usul."

Original meaning:

The Arabic root A-S-L أصل means "base". Usul is the plural, and is used for "basis", "principles", "methods" as well, like in Usul Al Fiqh أصول الفقه which is the science of principles of jurisprudence.

Dune meaning:

One of the Ecaz will-destroying narcotics. It renders a person incapable of falsehood.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“Have you been chewing verite or semuta, Piter?”

Original meaning:

Truth.

Dune meaning:

Name of the mentat serving the Baron Harkonnen

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

She had never before seen the man who entered to stand beside the Baron, but the face was known—and the man: Piter de Vries, the Mentat-Assassin.

Original meaning:

A very common Dutch surname, meaning "The Frisian."

Dune meaning:

An untried Fremen youth.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

“A child who thinks and speaks like a man,” the tall man said. “Well, now, to answer your question, my young wali, I am one who does not pay the fai, the water tribute, to the Harkonnens. That is why I might welcome a fugitive.”

Original meaning:

In Arabic this is the singular for Auliya (see above).

Dune meaning:

“Long live the fighters!” The Fedaykin battle cry. Ya (now) in this cry is augmented by the hya form (the ever-extended now). Chouhada (fighters) carries this added meaning of fighters against injustice. There is a distinction in this word that specifies the fighters are not struggling for anything, but are consecrated against a specific thing—that alone.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

A deafening roar filled the cavern, echoed and re-echoed. They were cheering and chanting: “Ya hya chouhada! Muad‘Dib! Muad’Dib! Muad’Dib! Ya hya chouhada!”

Original meaning:

Long live the martyrs!

Dune meaning:

Fremen chanting cadence used in time of deep ritual significance. Ya carries the root meaning of “Now pay attention!” The yawm form is a modified term calling for urgent immediacy. The chant is usually translated as “Now, hear this!”

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

A distant rhythmic chanting came to them through the hangings that separated them from the sietch corridors. It grew louder, carrying distinct sounds now: “Ya!Ya! Yawm! Ya! Ya! Yawm! Mu zein, wallah! Ya! Ya! Yawm! Mu zein, Wallah!”

Original meaning:

In Arabic, Ya is a preposition before calling someone, like "Hey John" in English. Yawm is "day". Ya Yawm can mean "Oh, what a day!"

Dune meaning:

A Fremen’s personal quarters within the sietch.

Book(s) it shows up in:

Used in a sentence:

"His yali … his quarters, are yours. His coffee service is yours … and this, his woman.”

Original meaning:

Originally meaning "shore,", a yalı is a waterside mansion or villa, especially one built along the Bosporus in Istanbul. These are historic wooden seaside homes, often luxurious and elegant.