Terminology used in the Texas Vampire universe is taken whenever possible from medieval Spanish, supplemented by modern Spanish. The only exception is that patrones are given an honorific appropriate to their or their esfera’s ethnicity, for example, don in Texas, madame in New Orleans, lord in England, and so on.

Adieu. Good-bye forever. (French)

Alcalde. The alcalde, the most important official in the Spanish municipality, not only acts as the chief executive in a Spanish town, but also functions as a judge of minor cases and as the head of the ayuntamiento, or town council. The alcalde not only officially issues laws for a municipality but also holds the authority to arrest and punishes those who violate city ordinances.

Alferez mayor. al-FEH-reth. Military commander in chief, overseeing all warriors in an esfera.

Ami/amie/amis/amies. Friend. (French)

Amour. Love. (French)

Ange. Angel. (French)

Au revoir. Good-bye. (French)

Bandolerismo. Banditry. Vampiros owing allegiance to no patrón and living outside the esfera’s laws.

Bien. Good. (French and Spanish)

Benvido. Welcome. (Gallego)

Bodega. A wine cellar or storehouse. Because of the distillation process, it’s the equivalent of the vintner for sherry.

Bon día. Good day. (Gallego)

Bonjour. Good morning. (Formal) (French)

Buenas noches. Good evening. (Spanish)

Caballero. Knight.

Cachorro/cachorra/cachorros/cachorras. “Cub.” Immature vampiro, who is unable to shapeshift except to feed.

Certainement. Certainly.

Cher/chère. Dear. (French) However, “cher” is a common term of endearment in Cajun French, meaning “sweet,” and is pronounced “sha.”

Chéri/chérie. Beloved, dearest. (French)

Chou. Cabbage. (French)

Coeur. Heart. (French)

Comitiva. “Retinue.” Assemblage of prosaicos attached to a single esfera, patrón, or vampiro.

Commandery/commanderies. Garrison of vampiro warriors. A large, stable esfera has a commandery in every major city (e.g., Dallas, Houston, Austin, etc.) and also at every major strategic point, such as border crossings. They are rarely staffed by mesnaderos, since those are always concentrated near the patrón. Usage primarily taken from medieval Spanish military orders.

Compañero/compañera/compañeros. “Companion.” Someone who drinks vampiro blood regularly but has not become a vampiro. A compañero always has greater strength, speed, senses, and healing powers than a prosaico. The anticipated life span is a century, while surviving two centuries is extremely rare.

¿Comprendes? Do you understand? (The question, using the second personal, informal form of address.)

Concubino compañero. A compañero who needs both blood and sexual congress with a specific vampiro in order to survive.

Connarde. Idiot. (French)

Cónyuge. CON-yuh-heh. “Spouse” or “partner.” Life mate, to whom a vampiro is linked by a psychic bond of total trust. The creation of this bond cannot be forced in any way.

Copita. Small glass. Specifically, the tulip-shaped glass used to drink sherry from.

Creador. “Creator.” Sire of a vampiro.

Dios mediante. God willing.

Don/doña. Sir/lady. (A formal title of respect.)

El Abrazo. “The embrace.” The entire process of becoming a vampiro.

En clair. Unscrambled, specifically for coded messages. (From the French)

Enchanté. Enchanted. (French)

Escudero. “Shield-bearer. Squire.

Esfera/esferas. “Sphere,” as in “sphere of influence.” A vampiro territory, which does not necessarily exactly coincide with a present-day geophysical territory. Esferas’ boundaries are fluid and frequently fought over. The basic concept is adapted from gangster territories during Prohibition Chicago and New York.

Frère. Brother. (French)

Gallego. A Romance language spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community in northwest Spain with the constitutional status of “historic community.” In medieval times, Galician-Portuguese was a language of culture, poetry, and religion, used throughout Galicia, Portugal, and Castile. The separation between Gallego and Portuguese didn’t occur until the fourteenth century.

Gracias. Thanks.

Gran. Big/great.

Grandpère/Grandmère. Grandfather/grandmother. (French)

Hé. Hey. (French)

Heraldo. “Herald.” Herald, who is also a diplomat and a spy. Usage is taken from medieval and Renaissance Europe.

Hermano. Brother. (Spanish)

Hijo/hija/hijos. E-hoh. “Son/daughter/sons.” A vampiro sired by a specific creador.

Je t’adore. I love you; I adore you. (French)

Je vous en prie. Please say yes; I beseech of you. (French)

La Lujuria. “Lechery.” The Rut. Upon awakening as a vampiro, every cachorro will undergo months of insanity, during which their only goal is to obtain blood and emotion.

Mademoiselle. Miss. Traditionally, young (or little) lady. (French)

Madre. Mother.

Merde. Shit. (French)

Mesdames. Ladies. (French)

Mesnadero/mesnaderos. A vampiro warrior who’s a member of a patrón’s personal guard. Taken from medieval Spanish, for a member of the royal household guard.

Messieurs. Gentlemen. (French)

Meu. Mate, friend, buddy. (Gallego)

Mierda. Shit.

Mozarabic. The Romance languages spoken in Muslim-dominated areas during the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. Written in Arabic script and containing many words of Andalusi-Arabic origin, Mozarabic greatly influenced Andalusi-Arabic and vice versa. In some aspects, it’s more archaic than the other Romance languages and greatly influenced Spanish and Portuguese. It was spoken primarily by Mozarabs, Iberian Christians living under Muslim domination, who had adopted Arabic language and culture although they never converted to Islam.

Nom. Name. (French)

Non. No. (French)

Oui. Yes. (French)

Parbleu. By Jove. (French)

Patrón/patrona/patrones. The ruler – who is an absolute monarch – of an esfera. He is also usually the creador of all the esfera’s vampiros.

Por favor. Please.

Prosaico/prosaica/prosaicos. “Prosaic” or “mundane,” similar to the Society for Creative Anachronism’s usage. A mortal human, neither vampiro nor compañero. If he has drunk vampiro blood, it has happened so rarely and in such small quantities that it has not affected his everyday life in any noticeable manner.

Puta. Whore. (Spanish)

Quel canon. What a knockout! (French)

Sabe Dios. God knows.

Salopard. Bastard or swine. (French)

Salut. Hello. (Informal) (French)

Santísima. Most holy.

Señorita. Miss. Traditionally, young (or little) lady; the equivalent “señorito” means young lord. (Spanish)

S’il vous plait. If you please, or please. (French)

Sí. Yes.

Silencio. Silence. (Instruction to do so, using an informal form of address.)

Siniscal. Seneschal. Responsible for the patrón’s entire household and its accounts. The siniscal can also call out the esfera’s warriors. Taken from fourteenth-century Spanish usage, but rooted in ninth-century Visigothic customs.

Tío. Uncle.

Valgame Dios. God bless me.

Vampiro/vampira/vampiros. Vampire. Someone who survives on emotional energy carried through human blood. Mature vampiros can shapeshift to at least one other form (if only mist) and are resistant to telepathic suggestions.

Vampiro mayor/vampira mayor/vampiros mayores. “Elder vampire.” A vampiro who has lived for at least three hundred years, can walk in full daylight, and drinks less than a quarter cup of blood per day (except in times of great physical need). He also becomes more and more difficult to detect, even with the heightened senses of other vampiros mayores.

Vampiro primero/vampira primera. “Primary vampire.” The vampiro that a compañero is principally interested in drinking blood from. The compañero becomes utterly loyal to that vampiro, when fed from him long enough. The amount of time needed to form this bond is extremely varied.

Verdaderamente. Truly.

Virgen. Virgin.

Vraiment. Really; truly; veritably. (French)