The Hunger Games Glossary

Glossary of Terms

Acrid

Having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell

Aloof

Not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant

Apothecary

A druggist or chemist; in Panem, a "healer."

Barbarism

Absence of culture and civilization.

Cannibalism

The practice of eating one's own kind (i.e. humans eating humans)

Catacombs

Either an underground cemetery, or an underground construction resembling such a cemetery

Cornucopia

A symbol of plenty consisting of a goat's horn overflowing with sustenance.

Decadent

Luxurious and self-indulgent

Feral

Wild, uncivilized

Festering

To become rotten and offensive to the senses

Forage

To search widely for food and provisions

Grandeur

Splendor and impressiveness

Groosling

A wild bird found in the arena.

Haggle

To bargain persistently, usually with a merchant

Hovercraft

A vehicle that travels over land or water on a cushion of air provided by a downward blast.

Indifferent

Having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned

Iodine

A chemical solution, used in this novel to treat unclean water

Pretense

A false display of feelings, attitudes or intentions

Sustenance

Food and drink as source of strength and nourishment

Tessera

A small tablet of wood or bone used as a token in ancient Greece and Rome; in Panem a token for food in exchange for additional Hunger Game entries