WeftwalkingWeftwalking | Art by Rovina Cai

It's been a while since we learned some new words.

That's not to say there haven't been new words to learn; it's just that with Universes Beyond, many of those words are lore-specific and thus have their own internal meaning that might be lost on those not privy to whichever IP is being adapted. Final Fantasy, we're looking at you.

And that's not to say EOE doesn't have its fair share of made-up words. We're not going to bother with "Astelli" or "Cosmogrand" today.

Here at Magic: The Glossary, we're all about celebrating how the game we all love introduces players to new and exciting words. Whether you realize it or not, Magic has been quietly bolstering your vocabulary with each and every release.

A lot of the definitions for these unusual words can be inferred through the context on the card on which they appear; that's a hallmark of utilizing uncommon words for a wide audience, after all. But still, it never hurts to hit a dictionary when you come across a collection of letters in a pattern you've never seen before.

I mean, you could do that, or you could just read this article.

And speaking of, if you want to go back in time to brush up on fun words from past releases, you can head over here.

Anticausal VestigeAnticausal Vestige

Starting off with this one is like setting the difficulty of a game you've never played to Nightmare Mode.

Not only does it contain one uncommon word, but two. Let's start with the second one: vestige.

A "vestige" is the last remaining hint of something that was, but is no longer. Something can vanish without a trace, but if there is a trace, that trace is a vestige.

However, there's another meaning of the word that can also apply to this card. From a biological standpoint, a "vestige" is an organ, limb, or other part of a body that no longer serves a purpose or is unable to perform its purpose to a naturally successful degree. Our appendices, for example, are "vestigial."

Is this Eldrazi the last whispered hint of a once larger invasion? Or is it a small, purposeless extension of a whole that time left behind? Or is it both?

As for "anticausal," I'm going to level with you. I have an English degree. I am neither equipped nor confident enough to explain in easy-to-understand terms what an "anticausal system" is. So I'll just paste in the Wikipedia description: "An anticausal system is a hypothetical system with outputs and internal states that depend solely on future input values."

Does this imply that the Anticausal Vestige is both the remnant of an invasion and its herald? Or is the card's name simply a cool, science-adjacent pair of words that play up both the Eldrazi's inscrutibility and Edge of Eternities' space motif?

Hardlight ContainmentHardlight Containment

We'll throw this one in here because "hardlight," as a science fiction concept, is not "contained" within the setting of Edge of Eternities. It's a pretty common trope, actually.

As for what hard light is (with a space between the two halves), it's exactly what it sounds like. It's light, but, you know, hard. Solid. Having mass.

In our world, hard/solid light is hypothetical, but not for lack of trying. There are experiments in the last ten or so years that claim to have trained photons to interact with each other and "solidify" via the rules of quantum entanglement. Again, English degree. Just click that link if you want the source.

Sadly, unless those findings are replicated, our world will be lacking the hard light bridges from video games like Halo, solid holograms from Star Trek, and whatever comes out of Green Lantern's ring.

WeftwalkingWeftwalking

In the fiction of the EOE story, "weftwalking" is the practice through which the Drix race travels between worlds at a rate faster than light, kind of like planeswalking, but only on local roads and not state lines. The "Weft," largely, seems to be similar to Warhammer 40,000's The Warp, except without all the unimaginable horrors.

But in our reality, which doesn't have cosmic teleportation or aliens who bend spacetime (that we know of), a "weft" is a type of thread used in weaving fabric. It can also mean the technique itself:

So, a weft "travels" through the boundaries of the warp. But in EOE, we're talking about aliens, not scarves.

Chorale of the VoidChorale of the Void

Generally, a "chorale" is just another word for "choir" that you use if you're trying to be fancy about it. It's pronounced "Kuh-RAL," by the way, like "corral." Not "CORE-ul" as some might say it.

Its other meaning, and probably the one referred to on the card, is not so much the assembly that sings, but rather what is being sung. "Chorale" is the name given to several musical forms deriving from hymns. We can trace this definition back to the days of Martin Luther, who translated church hymns into German in the 16th century, to put it very simply.

So the "Chorale of the Void" is probably the musical composition and its effects, since the card's an enchantment. If it were a creature, we'd assume the former definition.

Elegy AcolyteElegy Acolyte

Speaking of very serious sounds, there's actually a motif among the black cards of Edge of Eternities when it comes to the lore of its primary faction. We see that here, with the word "elegy," which in our world is a poetic form that usually is reserved for lamenting the dead and gone. Sometimes it's set to music, or could refer to the music itself. It's the musical connection that serves as the sinew across several of the black cards of EOE. 

We also see it in Hymn of the FallerHymn of the Faller, Requiem MonolithRequiem Monolith, Susurian DirgecraftSusurian Dirgecraft, Xu-Ifit, OsteoharmonistXu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist, and Zero Point BalladZero Point Ballad. Each of those cards contain a music-adjacent word in their names, and to the card those words aren't just musical, but morose as well.

Entropic BattlecruiserEntropic Battlecruiser

Outside of GravkillGravkill, this card probably wins the prize for Most Edgy in Edge of Eternities. And that's because "entropic" is the adjective form of "entropy," which is the natural and inexorable degregation of all matter and energy in the universe, leading to infinite inert lifelessness.

The word "entropy" traces its lineage to the Greek, where "en" means "within" and "trop" means "change." So if you consider the universe a closed system, entropy is the change from within that system driving everything toward a natural balance.

Perigee BeckonerPerigee Beckoner

In the simplest terms, a "perigee" refers to the point in an object's orbit where it's closest to the center of the thing it's orbiting. It's the opposite of "apogee," as in Kilo, Apogee MindKilo, Apogee Mind.

In 2025, there have been five times where our moon has been at perigee, and will again once more on August 14, Oct. 7, Nov. 5 and Dec. 4. If it's a full moon on the same night as its perigee, that's a supermoon, and since supermoons always occur consecutively, those last three dates are all supermoons.

Roving ActuatorRoving Actuator

An "actuator" is a mechanical device designed specifically for moving, or "actuating" things. A windmill, for example, has an actuator that transfers movement from the sails to something else, like a grindstone. More speculatively, an "actuator" can be anything that spurs action; my hunger is an actuator for getting Magic: The Gathering-themed Hot Pockets into the microwave.

But since the card's art features a Robot, it's probably safe to assume the more mechanical definition of "actuator."

As for "roving," most people understand it to mean something that's wandering around. And that's basically what it means, though there is a context in its use to imply a freedom that is not universal. A "rover" can move in ways that others cannot.

Eusocial EngineeringEusocial Engineering

You'd be forgiven for assuming that "eusocial" is a made-up word, since it seems related to the Eumidians, the Insect race occupying the green slice of the EOE color pie. But it's actually a real thing.

"Eusocial," pronounced "YOO-SOCIAL," refers to a cooperative group consisting of one female and many males, as well as drones tasked with protection and provisioning, like ants, bees, or termites. Evidently, there are also two types of eusocial mammals, both varieties of mole-rats.

So "eusocial engineering" is likely the blueprint the Eumidians use to create the structure of their society. Or, in the words of the card's flavor text, "a harmonious production for a better world."

Hemosymbic MiteHemosymbic Mite

Technically, "hemosymbic" as a word is an invention for this card, but all words are inventions if you really think about it.

Both halves of the word, "hemo-" and "-symbic" are truncated versions of more frequently scene morphemes "hemato-" and "-symbiotic." We can infer that our little Mite friend here consumes the blood of its host in exchange for some sort of benefit to that host.

The flavor text takes us in a different direction, though, implying that the Mite whips its host into an animalistic frenzy so it can chow down on some scraps.

OuroboroidOuroboroid

Another fictional word, this one's stapling the "-oid" suffix onto "ouroboros." And "-oid," in most cases, means something that resembles the appearance of; there are humans, and there are "humanoids," which might not be human but do resemble humans at a glance.

The "ouroboros," of course, is the ancient symbol of a snake or other creature eating its own tail, representing the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. Breaking it down, "oura-" is ancient Greek for "tail," and "boros" means "eating" or "to eat."

Think about that next time we head to Ravnica.

Dyadrine, Synthesis AmalgamDyadrine, Synthesis Amalgam

Designers were having fun with the naming of this one.

Starting with "dyadrine," it's itself an amalgam of two parts, "dyad" and "drine." Both parts actually mean "of two," or "two parts of a whole." There are more complicated meanings of both if we get into genetics or pharmacology, but no one wants to do that.

This all connects to the lore of the character, which, upon being abandoned a la WALL-E on a moon, began to synthesize the moon's available flora to self-repair. The result was a combination of plant and machine, which is what we see on the card.

Genemorph ImagoGenemorph Imago

Imago's not the character's name. Nor is it Gene "Morph" Imago, though admittedly that'd be a great name for a shapeshifting garbage truck driver in a future-set mob movie.

No, "imago" refers to an insect in its final adult stage of life. Probably the easiest for us to visualize is the butterfly. First there's eggs, which are, well, eggs, then there's the larval stage; or, caterpillar. The caterpillar makes a chrysalis as it enters its pupal stage before emerging as a fully realized, winged butterfly - the imago stage.

Syr Vondam, the LucentSyr Vondam, the Lucent

Syr Vondam here is glowing with light and filled by a driving clarity of purpose, as is the definition of "lucent."

Thaumaton TorpedoThaumaton Torpedo

"Thaumaton" is likely a portmanteau of "thaumaturgy" and "automaton." The first part is basically synonymous with "sorcery," or the ability to control the natural via supernatural means. Witchcraft, wizardry, et cetera. And "atomaton," as we all know, is a self-operating mechanism.

So, putting the two together, "thaumaton" probably means a mechanical construct that uses magic to control or mimic the natural world. How it's also a torpedo is less clear.

Glittering MassifGlittering Massif

Amateur cartographers already know that a "massif" is a compact group of mountains. They can be a part of a larger mountain chain, but are distinct in their arrangement as sharing a common base. Basically, it's the difference between a triangle (mountain) and shark teeth (massif).

Usually, massifs are formed by tectonic movement. The most famous massif in North America is probably the Adirondack Massif in northern New York state.

A "glittering" massif is like a regular massif, but given the Lisa Frank treatment.

A Conductor for an Electric Symphony

And there we have it. Lots of new words in our lexicon, with a decidedly space-y flavor.

Were there any other Edge of Eternities words that piqued your interest? Anything you're surprised made it to a card? Let's hear it.

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