A Warhammer 40k glossary is your decoder ring for a setting that’s been building its own vocabulary for nearly forty years. Between the gothic lore terms and the tabletop shorthand, there’s a lot of jargon, and this guide covers the ones you’ll actually run into.
What a warhammer 40k glossary actually covers
40k runs on two vocabularies that overlap constantly. One is in-universe lore language, words like Manufactorum or Waaagh! that come from the fiction and the rulebooks. The other is tabletop shorthand, words like MEQ or FNP that players use to talk about rules quickly.
You’ll see both mixed together in forum posts, battle reports, and codex discussions, which is exactly why a glossary helps. Knowing which bucket a word belongs to makes it much easier to follow what people are saying.
Lore terms you’ll see everywhere
These come up constantly in novels, codexes, and lore videos. A few of the most common ones:
- Heresy: going against the Imperial Creed. In practice it often means Chaos worship, and it’s the accusation behind a lot of the Imperium’s worst behaviour.
- Loyalist: someone still true to the Emperor. You’ll hear it most about Space Marines, contrasted with the Traitor Legions.
- Psyker: someone whose connection to the Warp lets them channel psychic powers. Powerful, and feared for good reason.
- Pariah (or Blank): a rare person who’s effectively invisible in the Warp. Psykers find them deeply unsettling.
- Abhuman: a human subspecies adapted to a hostile world, like Ogryns or Ratlings.
- Manufactorum: a huge factory complex. Think of it as the Imperium’s industrial backbone.
Ork, Tau, and Eldar words
Xenos factions have their own slang, and Ork talk is the most fun. A Boy is a rank-and-file Ork, a Nob is a leader, a Yoof is a young one, and a Grot is a Gretchin servant. Teef are Ork teeth used as currency, and Waaagh! works as a battlecry, a massive invasion, and a tribal prefix all at once.
Tau society splits into castes with prefixes: Aun (Ethereal leaders), Fio (Earth Caste engineers), Kor (Air Caste pilots), Por (Water Caste diplomats), and Shas (Fire Caste soldiers). Their two military philosophies are Mont’ka, the killing blow, and Kauyon, the patient hunter. Gue’la is their word for humans.
Tabletop shorthand
If you’re getting into the game itself, these are the abbreviations you’ll hear across the table. Save notation uses plus signs: 3+ is a normal armour save, 4++ is an invulnerable save, and 5+++ is a Feel No Pain roll that ignores damage.
MEQ means Marine Equivalent, a unit with roughly Marine stats (Strength 4, Toughness 4, a 3+ save). TEQ is the Terminator version. AP stands for Armour Penetration, and an alpha strike is a plan to hit as hard as possible on turn one.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| MEQ | Marine Equivalent statline |
| TEQ | Terminator Equivalent statline |
| FNP | Feel No Pain, ignore damage on a roll |
| AP | Armour Penetration |
| Alpha strike | All-out aggression on turn one |
Key facts
- 40k vocabulary splits into lore terms (Waaagh!, Manufactorum) and tabletop shorthand (MEQ, FNP).
- Save notation uses plus signs: 3+ armour, 4++ invulnerable, 5+++ Feel No Pain.
- Ork terms like Boy, Nob, and Grot describe ranks and roles in Ork society.
- Tau castes use prefixes: Aun, Fio, Kor, Por, and Shas.
- A Pariah or Blank is a rare person who’s effectively invisible in the Warp.
FAQ
What does MEQ mean in Warhammer 40k?
MEQ stands for Marine Equivalent. It’s shorthand for a unit whose stats roughly match a standard Space Marine: Strength 4, Toughness 4, and a 3+ save. TEQ is the Terminator version.
What’s the difference between heresy and treason in 40k?
Heresy means going against the Imperial Creed, and it’s often tied to Chaos worship. Treason or rebellion is about defying the Imperium politically. You can rebel without being a heretic, and the Imperium treats them as separate crimes.
What does Waaagh! actually mean?
It does triple duty. It’s the Ork battlecry, the name for a massive Ork invasion, and a prefix meaning ‘we are’ or ‘tribe of’. Context tells you which one is meant.