Richard Adams’ Watership Down (New York: Macmillan, 1972) is one of the classic works of xenofiction (the fiction set in strange cultures, real or imagined), placed as it is among and between the warrens of rabbits in the English countryside. Lapine, the language he sketches for his rabbits, is arguably the best naming language ever created, and is a minimalist virtuoso performance, a haiku of a language compared to the sonnet of Sindarin. The following documentation of the language is derived from Adams’ own appendix to Watership Down, but is reconstructed as extensively as possible from the limited examples. All hypothetical reconstructions are preceded by an *asterisk. Vocabulary from the sequel has been deliberately left out, as the point of this example is how much can be accomplished with how little. Lapine went a long way towards establishing the verisimilitude of the rabbits’ culture. LapinePluralEtymologyPOSTranslation Crixaproper nounA crossroads, the center of Efrafa, located at the crossing point of two bridle paths. Efrafaproper nounA warren founded by General Woundwort. El-ahrairah[< Elil + hrair + rah, “Enemies Thousand Prince” or “The Prince with a Thousand Enemies”.]proper nounThe legendary rabbit folk hero. *eli[Hypothetical reconstruction of the singular, based on the patterns of other plurals. Could, alternatively, be *ela (as in hombil from homba).]common nounEnemy of rabbits. elilcommon nounEnemies of rabbits. embleeradjectiveStinking, as in the smell of a predator, esp. a fox. fa[Reconstruction from Owslafa.]common nounWatcher? Augmentative? flay*flaycommon nounFood, especially grass or other edible plants. flayrah[< Flay + rah, “Food Prince” or “The Prince Of Foods”.]common nounLettuce, or other unusually good food. Frithproper nounThe sun god of the rabbits. Frithrah[< Frith + rah, “Sun Prince” or “The Lord Sun!”.]exclamationAn exclamation. fuprepositionAfter (later than), afterwards. fu inléphraseAfter moonrise. *hain*hainil[Reconstructed from Nildro-hain, “Blackbird’s song”.]common nounMeaning uncertain: either blackbird or song. Probably song. hlao*hlao-ilcommon nounAny dimple or depression formed in the grass, such as that formed by a daisy plant or a thistle, which can hold moisture. Hlaoproper nounThe name of Pipkin in Lapine. Hlao-roo[< Hlao + roo, diminutive.]proper nounA nickname of Pipkin. hlessihlessilcommon nounAn outcast rabbit, living above ground, without a regular hole or warren. hombahombilcommon nounA fox. hrairadjectiveAny number over four, a great many, an uncountable number. Loosely translated as “a thousand”. Hrairoo[< Hrair + roo, diminutive.]proper nounThe name of Fiver in Lapine, so called for being the last in a litter of five or more rabbits. hraka*hrakilcommon nounDroppings, excretions. hrududuhrududilcommon nounA motor vehicle such as a car or tractor. *hy(z)[Reconstruction from Hyzenthlay.]verbTo shine. Hyzenthlay[< *hy(z) + *zen(th) + thlay, “Shine Dew Fur” or “Fur Shining Like Dew”.]proper nounThe name of a doe who lived in Efrafa. Inléproper nounLiterally, the moon or moonrise. Figuratively, darkness, fear and death. lendri*lendrilcommon nounA badger. li*lilcommon nounHead (body part). marli*marlilcommon nounLiterally, a doe. Figuratively, a mother. m’saionsentence“We meet them.” narnadjectivePleasant to eat. *ni[Reconstructed from ni-frith.]common nounTime? High or highest? ni-frith[< ni, “high”? + frith, “sun”.]common nounNoon. *nildro*nildril[Reconstructed from Nildro-hain, “Blackbird’s song”.]common nounMeaning uncertain: either blackbird or song. Probably blackbird. Nildro-hain.[< “Blackbird’s Song”.]proper nounThe name of a doe who lived in Efrafa. Owslaproper nounThe strongest rabbits in a warren. The elite rulers. Owslafa[< Owsla + fa.]proper nounCouncil Police. A term only used in Efrafa. Pfeffa*pfeffilcommon nounA cat. RahaugmentativeA prince, leader or chief. Usually suffixed, dropping the ‘r’ when following an ‘r’. RoodiminutiveA diminutive, usually affectionate. Suffixed. sayn*saynilcommon nounGroundsel. silfadjectiveOutside, not underground. silflay[< silf + flay, “outside food”.]verbTo go above ground to feed. silflay*silflay[< silf + flay, “outside food”.]common nounFood available above ground (outside the warren). tharnadjectiveLiterally hypnotized with fear (think of the “deer caught in the headlights” only with a rabbit), stupefied, distraught. Figuratively, foolish, forlorn or heartbroken. Thethuthininang[< “Movement of Leaves.”proper nounThe name of a doe who lived in Efrafa. thlay*thlaycommon nounFur. thlayli[< thlay + li, “fur head”]proper nounA nickname. threar*threarilcommon nounA rowan tree or mountain ash. Threarah[< Threar + rah, “Lord Threar”.]proper nameLord Threar. udefinite articleSimilar to “the” in English. U Hrair[< U + Hrair + Elil, “The Thousand Enemies”.]The Thousand (Enemies) vairverbTo excrete. yonayonilcommon nounA hedgehog. *zen(th)[Reconstruction from Hyzenthlay.]common nounDew. zornadjectiveDestroyed, murdered; suffered a catastrophe. ???proper nounTranslated by Adams as “Lapine”, meaning the language and religion of the rabbits. Whether Lapine actually has a word for Lapine is unknown. [From English lapin n. Rabbit fur, especially when dyed to imitate a more expensive fur.] ???proper nounThe Lapine word is unknown, but Adams translates it as “bob stones” and calls it a traditional game among rabbits. Photo credit: Photo by Ансплэш Степана on Unsplash.