The Akashic Record: W


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Waddiwasi: A spell used by Lupin to eject some chewing gum from a keyhole.

Etym: Possibly the first element is as in a wad of gum... no idea otherwise.

Waffling, Adalbert: Author of Magical Theory.

Etym: No etymology.

Wagga Wagga Werewolf: A beast that Lockhart claimed to have cured with the Homorphus Charm. Wagga Wagga is a city in Australia.

Wailing Widow (CoS ch. 8): A ghost from Kent who came to Nearly Headless Nick's 500th deathday celebration.

Walden Macnair: Etym: From Old English wealh "foreigner, Briton, serf" + denu "valley".

wands: An essential tool for a wizard, used in nearly all magic (a notable exception being potions). Wands have four distinguishing characteristics: length, flexibility, the material used in the core, and the wood used for the exterior.

Wand cores are taken from magical animals or beings: phoenix feathers, unicorn hairs, veela hairs, and dragon heartstrings have been mentioned so far. The core determines the "identity" of the wand. The significance of the wood used and the flexibility of the wand are not clear, but it appears to affect the type of magic it is best suited for. This lexicographer hesitates to offer a hypothesis on the significance of wand length.

wand carriers: Goblin term for wizards. (Is a wizard just a wand's way of making another wand?)

Wanderings with Werewolves: One of Gilderoy Lockhart's books.

Wand of Destiny (DH ch. 21): Another name for the Elder Wand. Not, of course, to be confused with the Destiny Wand.

Warbeck, Celestina (CoS ch. 3): The Singing Sorceress, as featured on Witching Hour.

Etym: No name etymology found, but this was the name of a piano manufacturer. There is also a British musician and composer named Stephen Warbeck.

Warlocks' Convention: Some kind of rule-making body or event. One in 1709 outlawed dragon breeding.

Warrington (PoA ch. 15): A Chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team.

Etym: From a town in Lancashire, from Old English Woeringtun, "settlement by a weir".

Weasley, Arthur [Wesseley]: The head of the Weasley clan; Ron's father.

Etym: Variation of the Russian patronymic Veselov, from a nickname meaning "cheerful".

Weasley, Barny (DH ch. 8): Harry's semi-secret identity while at the Burrow for a wedding.

Etym: See above.

Weasley, Bill Arthur: The oldest of the Weasley children. He became Head Boy during his time at Hogwarts and is now a curse-breaker for Gringotts.

Weasley, Charlie: Second-oldest of the Weasley children, he became captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team when he was a student. Now, he is studying dragons in Romania.

Etym: See above.

Weasley, Fleur Isabelle Delacour: The Beauxbatons entry in the Triwizard Tournament. Wand: 9.5", inflexible, rosewood and veela hair (one of her grandmother's). Now works for Gringotts, and is married to Bill.

Weasley, Fred and George: Twins, 2 years older than Harry and Ron, who were the Beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team until being banned, and members of Dumbledore's Army until leaving school in a blaze of joke-firework glory. Loosed on an unsuspecting world, they formed a gag-manufacturing company called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, now left to George to run by himself after Fred was killed.

Etym: See above.

In-depth article at HPLexicon

Weasley Potter, Ginny: Etym: See above.

Weasley, Hermione Granger: One of Harry's two best friends, and the smartest student in the school in her time; a constant fighter for truth, justice, and proper study habits.

Etym: See above.

In-depth article at HPLexicon

Weasley, Hugo (DH ch. 37): Hermione and Ron's younger child, born sometime later than 2006.

Etym: See above.

Weasley, Molly: Ron's long-suffering mother.

Etym: See above.

Weasley, Percy Ignatius: One of Ron's older brothers, the Arnold Rimmer of his class (except for actually getting somewhere), now a junior assistant to the Minister of Magic.

Etym: See above.

In-depth article at HPLexicon

Weasley, Ron: Harry's best friend, a Gryffindor in the same year; the perfect sidekick until their fifth year, when he has suddenly developed talents of his own, becoming the Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and also a prefect. Are independent interests going to be next?

Wand: 14", willow and unicorn hair.

Etym: See above.

Weasley, Rose (DH ch. 37): Hermione and Ron's older child, in the same year at Hogwarts as Albus Potter.

Etym: See above.

Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs (OotP ch. 28): The Weasleys' joke fireworks.

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes: The newest, flashiest gag manufacturer on the block, founded by Fred and George Weasley and based in Diagon Alley.

Weird Sisters (GoF ch. 22): A band which does music in some sort of Celtic vein.

Weird Wizarding Dilemmas and Their Solutions: A book in the Hogwarts library.

Wendelin the Weird (PoA ch. 1): A witch who was burned 47 times in various guises.

Etym: From gwen, "fair".

Wendell Wilkins: Etym: Derives from the Wend, an extinct Germanic tribe.

werewolf: So far the werewolves here appear to be the standard Western model, infected by another werewolf and turning into an unthinking man-eater when a full moon is above the horizon. A partial antidote to lycanthropy exists in the Wolfsbane Potion.

Werewolf Code of Conduct: Enacted in 1637, the specifics have not been given.

West Country (HBP ch. 4): The western part of Scotland or England; there was an alleged hurricane there which was actually the work of giants.

Whalley, Eric (HBP ch. 13): Another of the children at the orphanage with Tom Riddle.

Etym: From Old English hwealf "vault, hill" + leeah "wood, clearing". Also a variant of wall-eyed.

Where There's a Wand, There's a Way: A book in the Hogwarts library.

Whitby, Kevin (GoF ch. 12): A Hufflepuff, 3 years behind Harry.

Etym: From one of two places of the same name, in Yorkshire and Cheshire.

Which Broomstick: The definitive reference on all brands of broom.

Whizzing Worms: Something available in Hogsmeade; probably from Dervish and Banges.

Whomping Willow: A magical tree growing on the Hogwarts grounds which has an urge to batter anyone and anything in its reach, though it can be temporarily paralyzed by touching a certain spot on its trunk. This particular one was planted to guard the secret passage from Hogwarts to the Shrieking Shack.

Widdershins, Willy (OotP ch. 22): A prankster and spy of sorts who appears to have friends in high places.

Etym: From the English word, meaning a counter-clockwise rotation, associated with black magic.

Wilbert Slinkhard: Etym: From Germanic wil "will, desire" + berht "bright, famous".

Wilfred the Wistful (OotP ch. 14): A wizard commemorated with a statue at Hogwarts.

Etym: From Old English will "will" + frith "peace".

Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank: Etym: Name of the queen of the Netherlands during World War II, a symbol of the Dutch resistance.

Wilkes (GoF ch. 27): A Death Eater, killed before Voldemort's fall.

Etym: From a medieval given name related to William. EA mentions a John Wilkes (1727-1797), an English reformist politician, rake, and wit.

Wilkie Twycross [Wilkins]:

Etym: Like above. Or, after Wilkie's Mounds in Westray, Orkney, where locals leave offerings of milk for a resident spirit.

Wilkins, Monica (DH ch. 6): New assumed name of Hermione's mother.

Etym: Like Wilkes.

Wilkins, Wendell (DH ch. 6): New assumed name of Hermione's father.

Etym: Like Wilkes, although I can't help thinking there was unconscious influence from Wendell Wilkie.

Williamson (OotP ch. 36): An employee of the Ministry of Magic.

Etym: Patronymic from William; see Bill.

willow: Any shrub or tree of the genus Salix, grown variously for ornament, shade, or timber. Willow bark is the source for salicin, the parent of a whole set of pain relievers.

Willy Widdershins [William]:

Etym: See Bill.

Wiltshire (OotP ch. 15): Where Lucius Malfoy's mansion is located. A popular place for ancestral country estates, having better weather than most of the UK and easy access to London. Also, the area where Stonehenge is located.

Wimbledon (OotP ch. 7): The site of one of the regurgitating toilet pranks.

Wimbourne Wasps: The team Ludo Bagman played for professionally. Wimbourne could be a misspelling for Wimborne, as in Wimborne Minster.

Wimple, Gilbert (GoF ch. 7): A wizard on the Committee on Experimental Charms who acquired a pair of horns somewhere along the way.

Etym: In addition to a head covering, wimple is a verb meaning to enfold or cover up.

Wingardium Leviosa: The incantation for a levitation charm.

Etym: From wing or something similar, and Latin levis, "light".

Winky: A house-elf once in the employ of Bartemius Crouch senior, set to guard Crouch junior and later dismissed by him. Last seen being sheltered by the Hogwarts house-elves.

Etym: Like winky is 19th/early 20th century abbreviation for like winking, i.e., very fast.

Wisteria Walk (OotP ch. 1): A street in the Dursleys' neighborhood.

Witching Hour: A wizard radio program.

Witch Weekly: A weekly publication focusing on soft news; something along the lines of People for wizards.

Witherwings (HBP ch. 3): Buckbeak's alias on his return to Hogwarts.

Etym: The withers is the highest part of the back, where a hippogriff's wings are traditionally connected to its body.

Wizard and the Hopping Pot, The (DH ch. 7): Included in the Tales of Beedle the Bard.

Wizarding Examinations Authority (OotP ch. 31): The department in charge of O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s.

Wizarding Wireless Network: A wizard radio network.

Wizengamot (OotP ch. 5): The high court of wizard-dom.

Etym: May be from roots meaning "wisdom" and "coming together". Not very sure of this.

wolfsbane: see monkshood.

Wolfsbane Potion: A potion which can cancel the mental effects of a werewolf's transformation, allowing them to remain sane. Rendered ineffective by the addition of sugar.

Wood, Oliver: The former Keeper and captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, now a reserve player for Puddlemere United.

Etym: What it sounds like.

Wormtail: Peter Pettigrew's nickname among James Potter's gang.

wormwood: Artemisia Absinthium, used as a tonic and vermifuge. One of the ingredients of the Draught of Living Death.

Worple, Eldred (HBP ch. 15): Author of Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires, and a friend of Slughorn's.

Etym: As a name, from German würfel "die, dice" and by extension a gambler or dice-maker. As an English word, a variant of warple, meaning a green lane or bridle-road.

Wrackspurt: One of the Quibbler's favorite creatures, which has siphons.

Wronski Defensive Feint: A Quidditch move in which a Seeker pretends to have seen the Golden Snitch, making the other team's Seeker follow and possibly causing them harm.

Etym: Russian patronymic from a nickname meaning "crow". Jósef Maria Wronski (1778-1853) was a Polish mathematician and philosopher.

Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Albus Percival: Etym: The name elements mean "wolf" and "ruler".

WWN: The Wizarding Wireless Network, with intimations of the BBC.


Index & Introduction | Format
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Spoilers to end of: Book 1 | Book 2 | Book 3 | Book 4 | Book 5 | Book 6 | Book 7 | Full Spoilers |
Abbreviations & Sources | Contributions

Petréa Mitchell
pravn@m5p.com