Armaya	An oath. It is phrased in terms of: "May [insert awful occurance here] happen [optional: insert time frame here] if [insert conditional circumstance here]."
	Examples: "May I die if what I say is not true."  "May my best horses go lame if I lie!" "May you burn candles at my grave by nightfall if I do not finish this!"
Atchen’tan	A campfire.
Bar	A stone.
Baro Manush	A great man; someone with wisdom and charisma.
Batalo Manush	A happy man.
Bavo	Complaint. A case as presented to the Kriss, as opposed to a "bayo," which is the decision that results from the case and the precedent it sets.
Bayo	(pl. Bayura) A court case or legal precedent from the Kriss. The bayura comprise the ‘laws’ of the Rom. Among themselves, the men’s two favorite topics of conversation are horses and the bayura. Men sitting around in camp with nothing to do; take note!
Bengh	Evil.
Besom	A broom.
Bibi	Auntie. An elderly woman is called this to show a combination of fondness and respect.
Bok	Bad luck. For good luck, see kushti bok.
Bori	(pl. Bora) A daughter-in-law.
Cham	The sun.
Chaveske chei	Granddaughter.
Chaveske chav	Grandson.
Chavo	Son.
Chavvi	A gypsy child.
Chei	Daughter.
Chivani	Head Wise Woman.
Dad	Father.
Dej	Mother.
Detlene	A particularly vicious sort of ghost; the ghost of a stillborn child that had died without being named. The way to chase it off was to give it its own name.
Devla	God. He is also called "O Del" or "O pouro Del."
Dijili	(pl. Dijilia) A song. There are several types of song, some are:
Brigaki dijilia	Songs of sorrow and hardship.
Mulengi dijilia	Dirges for the dead.
Patshivaki dijilia	Songs to honor important guests.
Dijili nevi	A "new song," one sung for the first time. There are also songs for fun and dancing, but I have yet to find out what they are called. Apparently there are only a limited number of tunes, called "glasso," and new lyrics are made up as the situation requires.
Diklo	A neck scarf worn by members of the Lowara gypsies.
Draba	Magic; a charm or talisman.
Drabarni	Herb woman, one who makes love potions.
Drabbering	Fortune telling.
Dunhi	A elderdown quilt used for sleeping. We can refer to our sleping bags by this term is customers are listening.
Gadje	(pl.) Non-gypsies. This may or may not be a derogatory term, it depends on the gaujo.
Gadji	Feminine non-gypsy.
Gaujo	Masculine non-gypsy.
Glasso	A tune or melody, as distinct from the lyrics sung to it (the "dijilia").
Glasso	A horse.
Jal a drom	To travel the road.
Jamutrea	Son-in-law.
Jezbek	An ‘ibruk,’ a long-handled brass pot for making Turkish coffee. The drinking of coffee is favored by the Lowara.
Jukul	A dog.
Juvli	Female; Woman; used only to refer to gender.
Kako	Uncle. Like ‘bibi,’ a term of respect for an older man.
Kalderash	One of the main "races" of the gypsies. They are known as metalsmiths and settled in Russia until the opression grew too intense. They tend to be less nomadic than the Lowara or Tshurara and are noted for living in tents rather than wagons.
Khanamik	Kinship term used for the parents of a married couple ("in-law" is the closest English equivalent, but it is not used as a form of address).
Khohaimo	Lies.
Kosh	A stick.
Kralisi	A queen.
Krisatora	A judge at a kriss.
Krisatori o baro	A judge who administers a solakh interrogation.
Kriss	The gypsy court of law.
Kumpania	"Company," a group of gypsies that travel together. Often, but not always tied by kinship bonds. A kumpania is a fluid thing: dissolving, changing, and re-forming in response to the needs of the time and the hazards of the road. Our group, composed of several different families would properly be called a kumpania, rather than a tribe.
Kushti bok	Good luck.
Lowara	One of the main "races" of the gypsies. They are very nomadic, travelling all over Europe from Spain to Russia and down to Turkey. They tend to try to keep good relations with the gadje, knowing that it makes life easier for everyone concerned. This does not mean that they are above alittle theft or conning; quite the contrary, they have to eat. They simply keep it under control.
Lowe	Money.
Lubni	Tart; a woman of loose morals.
Mami	Grandmother.
Marhime	Ritually impure, contaminated. For example, a woman’s skirt is marhime to all but her husband and her children. To be touched by a woman’s skirt would be to become marhime, and no Rom, not even their relatives, would have any dealings with that person until a ruling by the Kriss could lift the ban. Elaborate rules of marhime govern where water could be drawn from a river, who can drink from which water container, how food should be prepared, etc. Clothes owned by a dead person are marhime, and are burned. Bowls and utensils accidentally touched by a woman’s skirt and made marhime are also burned. As a sign of respect, one shares a bowl of food with an important guest to show that the food and utensils are pure. There is some potential for good role-playing here!
Mas	Meat.
Meshti	Tea.
Mula	Feminine spirit of the dead.
Mule	(pl.) Ancestral spirits, the remembered dead.
Mulo	Masculine spirit of the dead.
Mursh	"Male;" "Man;" Used to describe gender only.
Nijako	A sort of battleaxe.
O Bengh	The Devil; evil.
O Del	‘The God.’
O pouro Del	‘The Old God.’
Papo	Grandfather.
Paramitsha	Fairy tales told for pure entertainment, usually during the long winters. To the Gypsies, everything has some purpose or meaning; a teller who specializes in paramitsha is thought of as being slightly odd for telling stories that have no other meaning than to be entertaining. But they are appreciative of the enjoyment the stories bring.
Patshiv	A celebration. Noted for singing, dancing, and copious amounts of both food and alcohol; often continuing for several days. If the Kumpania is forced to move before the patshiv is over, it will often continue on the road: bottles and food being passed from wagon to wagon without stopping (this is one of the best advantages of horses: one can drive drunk in relative safety).
Phen	Sister.
Phral	Brother.
Phu	The Earth.
Phuri	(adj.) Old.
Phuri dai	Wise Woman.
Pomana	A feast for the dead. Several are held at intervals during the year-long period of mourning, and mark the gradual easing of restrictions imposed by the mourning customs.
Raklo	A non-Gypsy boy.
Roi / Romani Roi	"King," "King of the Gypsies." Note that the "King of the Gypsies" is almost always not the Voivod/Rom Baro. The title of ‘king’ is self-appointed and only allows the ‘king’ to put on airs and impress the gadje. The Rom go along with this charade because the ‘king’ derives so much pleasure from the act, and because when authorities turn nasty, they usually arrest the hapless ‘king,’ thinking him to be the leader. The Rom, of course, simply go on as before. Sometimes the Voivod will call himself "King of the Gypsies" if it is necessary to reassure suspicious authorities that the Gypsy rabble peacefully invading their town will follow his orders. The Gadje seem to respond well to the word ‘king.’
Rom	1) "Man," specifically, a married Gypsy man wha has at least one child. A Gypsy couple are not ‘married’ until the birth of their first child. 2) A collective term for the Gypsies as a whole, being a shortened form of ‘Romani.’ 3) Husband.
Rom Baro	"Big Man." A chief; the Lowara term for voivod.
Romani	The Gypsies, our tribe.
Romni	Wife.
Romoro	"Little Man," possibly a Gypsu who is ‘married,’ but still childless.
Sap	Snake or serpent.
Shanglo	Policeman.
Shav	An unmarried Gypsy boy.
Shavora	(pl.) Gypsy boys.
Shion or Shonuto	The Moon.
Solakh	A "trial" by interrogation and the threat of magical reprisal used at a kriss to discover the person responsible for a crime.
Sumadji	"Family heirloom;" a stash of gold pieces kept by the women of the family.
Swato	(pl. – Swatura) A tale of oral ‘history.’ They freely mix comedy, drama, and pure fantasy elements into the same story. They are told both for entertainment and to teach history and the proper manner of handling problems. The swatura are quite distinct from tha paramitsha in that even though a swato may have some fantasy elements and be quite entertaining, it is an educational ‘history,’ rather than a true "fairy tale" told solely for entertainment.
Taligas	A light two-wheeled cart (as opposed to the heavy, four-wheeled vardo).
Tchalai	A star.
Trushul	A cross.
Tshatshimo	The truth.
Tshorav	(vb.) To steal.
Tshurara	One of the main "races" of Gypsies. They are noted for being more predatory than the norm for Gypsies, stealing freely and pulling off audacious cons. They rely on a mixture of intimidation and mobility to stay ahead of trouble.
Tshuri	A knife.
Tzerha	A tent.
Ujo	Ritually pure; clean. The opposite of "marhime."
Vardo or Vurdon	A heavy four-wheeled covered wagon.
Vataf	A chief. This term comes from Central and Eastern Europe.
Vitcha	Gypsy tribe.
Voivod	Gypsy leader.
Vurma	A trail left by Gypsies on the move. In the event that some become separated, they can re-join the main group by following the signs. Twigs are broken, bits of thread or small scraps of cloth are hung from tree branches; all high enough to be seen by a person standing on the running-board of a wagon, but above the normal level of vision. Where no trees grow, small piles of stones or other detritus are left by the road. A kumpania is required to leave a vurma, and can be punished at a kriss if they fail to do so.
Zigani	A name for Gypsies not of our tribe.

"Ashen Devlesa, Romale" – ‘May you remain with God’ = ‘Goodbye’

"Droboy tume Romale!" – A traditional greeting among the Rom. It is answered by "Nais tuke"

"Nais tuke" – ‘Thank you’

"Tshailo sim" – ‘I am full’ or ‘I’m stuffed.’ Said after meals, usually accompanied by a thunerous belch.

"Te khalion tai te shingerdjon thse gada, hai tu te trais sastimasa tai voyasa." – ‘May your clothes rip and wear out, but my you live on in happiness and fulfillment.’

"Tshatshimo Romano" – ‘Truth is said in Romany’

"Mashkar le gajende leski shib si le Romenski zar" – ‘Surrounded by the gadje, the Rom’s tongue is his only defense’

"Feri ando payi sitsholpe te tay nayuas" – ‘It is in water that one learns to swim’ (i.e., jump in with both feet; or perhaps the proof of the pudding is in the eating.)

"Si kholaimo may patshivalo sar o tshatshimo" – ‘There are lies more believable than the truth’ (and the Gypsies are the experts at finding them)

‘Don’t scratch what doesn’t itch’ (and don’t fix what isn’t broken)

‘It is easier to milk a cow that stands still’

‘A little shade is good for everyone’

‘One should choose a daughter-in-law with your ears, not with your eyes’ (i.e., by her reputation, not her looks)

"Shuk tski khalpe la royasa" – ‘Beauty cannot be eaten with a spoon’ (a woman’s good qualities are more important than her beauty)

"Stanki nashti tshi arakenpe manshen shai" – ‘Mountains do not meet, but people do." – (people find one another again; somewhere down the road; arguments are settled; life on the road goes on)

"O low tai o beng nashti beshen patshasa" – ‘Neither money nor the devil can remain in peace’