Place Naming: Word List (2b/4)

Intro 

The following is a list of some words which may come in handy for your naming language. I’m sure some will look at this list and think “how am I going to come up with all of these words? This just got way too complicated”. The good news is, you don’t need all of these words. This list is merely here to get you thinking about what sorts of words you may need. For example, if you have a desert setting, you may not need words for “ocean”, “forest” and “Meadow”. You might also find that you need different terms than those listed, such as different animals, geography, etc.

Even if you are not creating a language, this can be useful for you to come up with names of locations in English.

Next Time (In case you want to skip the list)

Morphology, Character Names & Typology (3/4):This part is about creating some basic morphology for your naming language, naming conventions for surnames, and a supplement on typology.

Geography Terms:

Plains

  • Plain
  • Savannah
  • Meadow
  • Field
  • Prairie
  • Steppe

Forests

  • Forest
  • Woods
  • Grove
  • Copse
  • Stand

Hills & mountains

  • Hill
  • Down
  • Mountain
  • Peak
  • Range
  • Plateau
  • Crest
  • Mesa

Valleys

  • Valley
  • Canyon
  • Cliff

Harsh terrain

  • Marsh
  • Swamp
  • Desert
  • Wilderness
  • Jungle

Rivers

  • River
  • Stream
  • Brook
  • Estuary
  • Channel
  • Rapids
  • Portage
  • Source
  • Confluence
  • Delta
  • Bank
  • Waterfall
  • Spring

Seas & Lakes

  • Ocean
  • Sea
  • Bay
  • Harbor
  • Lagoon
  • Gulf
  • Straight
  • Lake
  • Pond

Coastlines

  • Coast
  • Beach
  • Peninsula
  • Cape
  • Point

Islands

  • Island
  • Archipelago
  • Atoll

Local features

  • Rock
  • Tree
  • Bridge
  • Ford
  • Dam
  • Park
  • Oasis

Human terms

Settlements

  • City
  • Town
  • Village
  • Hamlet
  • Colony
  • Port
  • Market
  • Capital
  • Kingdom
  • Empire
  • Nation

Military

  • Fort
  • Castle
  • Wall
  • Camp
  • Tower

Religion

  • Shrine
  • Oracle
  • Temple
  • Church
  • Chapel
  • Monastary

Other

  • Mine
  • Inn
  • Stopping point
  • Post
  • Lodge
  • Mill
  • House
  • Manor
  • Estate
  • Crossing
  • Farm
  • Orchard

Roads

  • Road
  • Highway
  • Trail
  • Way
  • Path
  • Causeway
  • Bridge

Adjectives

Age

  • New
  • Old
  • Ancient

Size & Shape

  • Round
  • Flat
  • Wide
  • Narrow
  • Small
  • Large
  • Split
  • Vast
  • Greater
  • Lesser

Location

  • High
  • Low
  • Central
  • Upper
  • Lower
  • Near
  • Far

Directions

  • North
  • South
  • East
  • West

Greatness

  • Great
  • Grand
  • Glorious
  • Noble
  • Holy
  • Royal

Descriptive

  • Windy
  • Sandy
  • Cloudy
  • Foggy
  • Rainy
  • Snowy
  • Dry
  • Wet
  • Good
  • Twisted/Twisting/Winding
  • Fertile
  • Beautiful
  • Pleasant
  • Quiet
  • Gold(en)
  • Silver
  • Jewel(ed)

Colors

  • White
  • Black
  • Red
  • Brown
  • Orange
  • Yellow
  • Green
  • Blue
  • Purple
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Grey
  • Pink
  • Tan
  • Etc etc

Numbers

  • Full
  • Half
  • Quarter
  • One
  • Two
  • Three
  • Four
  • Five
  • Six
  • Etc etc

Water quality

  • Fast
  • Slow
  • Clear
  • Muddy

Common Nouns

Animals

  • Horse
  • Ox
  • Chicken
  • Sheep
  • Goat
  • Lion
  • Fox
  • Deer
  • Hawk
  • Eagle
  • Dragon
  • Fist
  • Turtle

Substance

  • Earth
  • Water
  • Ice
  • Stone
  • Fire
  • Ashes
  • Smoke
  • Dust
  • Salt
  • Sand

Professions

  • King / Emperor / Lord
  • Knight / Warrior / Soldier
  • Priest / Holy Man
  • Hunter
  • Fisherman
  • Sailor
  • Baker
  • Forager

Types of trees

  • Aspen
  • Birch
  • Cedar
  • Elm
  • Oak
  • Palm
  • Pine
  • Willow

Flowers

  • Rose
  • Lily
  • Tulip
  • Sunflower
  • Lilac
  • Lavender
  • Petunia

Gems

  • Diamond
  • Emerald
  • Ruby
  • Sapphire
  • Topaz
  • Opal
  • Amethyst
  • Agate
  • Lapis Lazuli
  • Amber
  • Quartz
  • Onyx
  • Pearl
  • Garnet

Positive Attributes

  • Grace
  • Hope
  • Beauty
  • Strength
  • Courage

Space Terms

  • Planet
  • Moon
  • Star/Sun
  • Asteroid
  • Asteroid belt/field
  • Comet
  • System
  • Galaxy
  • Nebula
  • Ship
  • Station

Credit to Jafiki91

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