Clan Terminology

The terms outlined on this page are those words that the clan cats use in place of plain human English. It should be supplemented with our Clan Vernacular page.


General Terms

  • Crowfood – A dead prey animal that has begun to rot.
  • Cutter – A veterinarian.
  • Food-nest – A bird feeder. Hunting near them is considered depending on humans and only done in the most desperate of times.
  • Fresh-kill – A dead prey animal caught for the purpose of consumption.
  • Gathering – The monthly meeting of the Clans held at Fourtrees.
  • Halfbridge – A boat dock.
  • Horseplace – A stable.
  • Hunting Patrol – A group of cats that hunt together to bring back Fresh-kill for their clan.
  • Kittypet – A cat that lives with humans.
  • Loner – A cat that lives away from humans and is not considered a threat by the clan.
  • Monster – A vehicle operated by humans that they ride within. Examples include cars, trucks, and vans.
  • Monster, Little – Refers to the sort of vehicle that humans ride on rather than within. Examples include ATVs, snowmobiles, and tractors 
  • Moonstone – The place in the Forest where medicine cats and leaders share tongues with StarClan.
  • Mothermouth – The opening to the cave where the Moonstone is located.
  • Nursemother – Adoptive mother. A she-cat who adopts a kitten is considered its ‘nurse mother’.
  • Rogue – A cat that lives away from humans and is considered a threat by the clan.
  • Sharing Tongues – Cats grooming each other while sharing the latest gossip.
  • Silverpelt – A thick band of stars in the sky considered to be the physical representation of StarClan.
  • Thunderpath – An asphalted road.
  • Twoleg – A human.
  • Twoleg kit – A human child.
  • Twoleg nest – A human’s house.
  • Twolegplace – A town or village belonging to humans.

Time Terms

  • Newleaf – The season of spring.
  • Greenleaf – The season of summer.
  • Leaf-bare – The season of winter.
  • Leaf-fall – The season of autumn.
  • Moon – The time between one full moon and the next, spanning 29 days.
  • Moonhigh – The point during the night when the moon is highest in the sky; “midnight”.
  • Half-Moon – 14 days.
  • Quarter-Moon – 7 days.
  • Sunhigh – The point during the day when the sun is highest in the sky; “noon”.
  • Season – Usually 3 moons. Occasionally 4, depending on the placement of the blue moon in the year by the Medicine Cats.

Distance Terms

  • Fox-length – About the length of a fox; approximately a yard.
  • Kittenstep – Less than an inch.
  • Tail-length – About the length of a cat’s tail; approximately a foot.
  • Rabbit-hop – About a foot and a half away.
  • Mouse-tail – About an inch.
  • Mouse-length – About two or three inches.
  • Pawprint – About the length of a cat’s paw; approximately three and a half inches
  • Pawstep – About the length of a cat’s step, roughly six inches.

Living Spaces

  • Camp – The place where a Clan makes their home.
  • Leader’s Den – The den in camp that belongs to the Clan leader.
  • Medicine Cat’s Den – The den in camp that belongs to the Clan’s medicine cat. Sometimes referred to as the Medicine Den.
  • Warriors’ Den – The den in camp that is shared between the warriors of that Clan.
  • Apprentices’ Den – The den in camp that is shared between the apprentices of that Clan.
  • Elders’ Den – The den in camp that is shared between the elders of that Clan.
  • Nursery – The den in camp that is shared by the queens and kits of that Clan.
  • Dirtplace – The place near, but not in the camp, where the cats go to the bathroom.
  • Fresh-kill pile – The place that prey is stored.

Clan Ranks

  • Kit – A kitten six moons or younger that is not yet training for warriorship.
  • Apprentice – A cat at least six moons old, and training to be a warrior.
  • Mentor – A fully-grown (usually experienced) cat who is currently training an apprentice.
  • Warrior – A mature cat who has completed their warrior training. A she-cat is considered a warrior when she does not have kits.
  • Queen – A she-cat currently nursing kits, or too heavily pregnant to serve as a warrior.
  • Elder – Cats who have retired from active duty.
  • Medicine Cat – The healer and priest to the clan.
  • Deputy – The second in command of a clan, who will inherent the position of leader when the current one dies.
  • Leader – The cat who posses nine lives and the responsibility to lead the clan.

Directions

  • Sunlive – East
  • Sunfall – West
  • Shadowwise – North
  • Thunderwise – East
  • Windwise – West
  • Riverwise – South