The Land Before Time dictionary

The following is a list of words and terms used by the characters to describe their environment in poetic slang in The Land Before Time universe, and their parallel modern terms.

Words and meanings

B

• Belly Dragger - Crocodillians; Deinosuchus, Sarcosuchus, Rutiodon.

• Big Circle - A rare term for the sun in "Waiting to Hatch". The term "Bright Circle" is used in the films and TV series.

• Big Longneck Test - A test that longnecks must take to prove if they're right to be a leader of a herd.

• Beak brain - An insult toward Flyers.

• Beak Face - A possible racial slur for Bigmouths/Swimmers and/or Flyers (used by Cera's father in The Great Valley Adventure when urging his daughter not to play with dinosaurs outside of her race).

• Beakhead - A name for flyers used when the speaker is angry or annoyed with them.

• Bigbeak - A descriptive term for Pteranodon, possibly in a derogatory fashion.

• Bigmouth - Saurolophus, possibly other hadrosaurs (Swimmer is used in most sequels but is less descriptive).

• Bigmouth Bellydragger - A descriptive term for Deinosuchus.

• Big Underground - An underground location created in the first film by the Great Earthshake.

• Big Water - A juvenile term originally developed by the kids in the fifth film to describe the ocean. The adults still called it the ocean in said film. Afterwards, the junior term was made the main term and used by both the kids and adults.

• Bonehead - Pachycephalosaurus.

• Booming Mountain - Another name for a specific mountain in the Great Valley called "Smoking Mountain".

• Bright Circle - The most common used term for the sun. Occasionally referred to as simply "the sun".

• Bright Circle Celebration - A special celebration that some of the Great Valley dinosaurs observe. They gather to say what they have learned since the last Bright Circle Celebration and to share in tasty food that has been gathered for the celebration. It believed by some that if the celebration is done well, it will make the Bright Circle happy and the Warm Times will come again. However if the celebration is done poorly the Cold Time will be longer.

• Bubbling Goo - Mud bubbling due to volcanic activity.

• Bubbling Mud - Likely a synonym for "bubbling goo". Possibly the name of the mud hole in the Great Valley that contains it.

• Bump-head - Diplodocus. Used in The Land Before Time: The Illustrated Story. Parallel of Flathead, see below.

• Buzzing Stinger - Bees and/or wasps. Also known as "Stinging Buzzer", seen below.

C

• Claw-hand - Struthiomimus. Used in The Land Before Time: The Illustrated Story.

• Clubtail - Ankylosaurus.

• Cold Time - Winter. Also used as a measurement of time as there is one winter in each year.

• Crown-head - Pachycephalosaurus. Used in The Land Before Time: The Illustrated Story. See also: Lizard-head.

D

• Days of Rising Water - The wet season.

• Domehead - Prenocephale.

• Don't count your hatchlings before they hatch! - A phrase that means to not get your hopes up on something until it happens. Similar to the human phrase, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."<ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, "The Hidden Canyon".</ref>

• Duckbill - another term for Swimmer type of dinosaurs, possibly Saurolophus and Parasarolphus.

• Duck beak - Saurolophus. Possibly an insult as Topps used it when he was angry.

E

• Earthshake - Earthquake.<ref>{{Film|1}}.</ref>

• Egg Stealer - Struthiomimus.<ref>{{Film|2}}.</ref><ref>{{Film|7}}, used by Cera.</ref>

F

• Fast Biter - Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Utahraptor, Dromaeosaurus. The term itself has only officially been used for Utahraptor.

• Fast Runner - Oviraptor.

• Fast Water - Fast-flowing stream or river.

• Featherhead Sharptooth - Yutyrannus.<ref>{{Film|14}}.</ref>

• Fire rock - Meteoroid surrounded by fire, lava bomb.

• Fire pit - Lava pit. Similar to Gurgling Pit, which is a volcanic crater.^{[Citation Needed]}

• Fire-river - A river of lava.

• Flathead - Possible racial slur directed against Longnecks, or more specifically Apatosaurus (Cera uses it as an insult but Petrie simply uses it as a nickname). Also possibly a descriptive name for the species.<ref>{{Film|1}}.</ref>

• Flat Mountain - A mountain with a flat top, used as the first challenge for Littlefoot to succeed in the Big Longneck Test - climb it and reach the top to get the red treestar.<ref>{{Episode|20}} *'''Flattooth'''- Herbivore. Possibly invented by [[Chomper]].<ref>''The Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV series]] episode, {{Episode|1}}.</ref> *'''Flower dust''' - Pollen.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|2}}.</ref> *'''Flowing fire''' - Lava. *'''[[Flyer]]'''- [[Pterosaur]],<ref>{{Film|1}}.</ref> ''[[Archaeopteryx]]''.<ref>"[[The Land Before Time: The 3-D Adventure]]".</ref> *'''Flying rock''' - Meteoroid or comet.<ref>{{Film|3}}.</ref><ref>{{Film|7}}.</ref> *''''Fraidy claw''' - An insult toward [[Sand Creepers]] meaning the receiver is cowardly.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' episode "[[March of the Sand Creepers]]".</ref> *'''Frozen Sky Stars''' - A term for falling snowflakes, used only once.<ref>Mentioned by Mr. Thicknose in ''[[The Big Freeze]]'' disbelieving what Littlefoot saw the night before.</ref> *'''Frozen sky water''' - Falling snow.<ref>{{Film|8}}</ref> '''See also:''' "white ground sparkles". ===G=== *'''[[Glider]]''' - [[Microraptor]] (used by [[Guido]] in {{Episode|21}} but as he still probably didn't know what he was, or at least not met another one like him, it may have been simply to describe that he glided).<ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|21}}.</ref> *'''Great Beyond''' - An uncommon term for the [[Mysterious Beyond]]. Used in one of the books, and during a song in the eighth and tenth films. <ref>"[[Getting into Trouble]]" page 5.</ref><ref>{{Film|8}} song, "[[The Lesson]]".</ref><ref>{{Film|10}} song, [[Adventuring]]. *'''Great Circle''' - The sun. Used frequently in the tenth film, it was rarely used afterwards.<ref>{{Film|10}}, used rarely afterwards.</ref> "Bright Circle" is used more often. *'''Green Food''' - Plants, or more specifically, edible plants for herbivores to eat.<ref>{{Film|1}}</ref> *[[plants|'''Ground Prickly''']] - A type of spiky burr.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV series]] episode, {{Episode|7}}.</ref> *'''Gray-nose''' - A term for ''[[Saurolophus]]'', only used in ''The Land Before Time: The Illustrated Story.'' *'''Ground Crawlers''' - Crawling minibeasts (ex. beetles, earthworms and caterpillars). *'''Ground Scraper''' - An insult toward [[Belly Dragger]]s.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|19}}.</ref> *'''Ground water''' - Water on the ground when comparing it to sky water.<ref>Used by [[Ducky]] in the ''Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|1}}.</ref> *'''Gurgling Pit''' - Volcanic crater. Similar to fire pit, which means a lava pit.<ref>{{Film|2}}.</ref> ===H=== *'''Hard Water''' - Ice.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV series]] episode, {{Episode|18}}.</ref><ref>''The Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV series]] episode, {{Episode|25}}.</ref> *'''Hard Water Sweets''' - Grapes that are covered with ice.<ref>{{Episode|25}} *'''Hard Water hopping''' - A game that is played by jumping across chunks of melting ice in a river.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV series]] episode, {{Episode|18}}.</ref> *'''Hatch Day''' - Birthday; the day someone hatched.<ref>{{Film|5}}.</ref> See also: Star Day. *'''[[Hollowhorn]]''' - A term for ''[[Parasaurolophus]]'', ''[[Corythosaurus]]'', ''[[Lambeosaurus]]''.{{Citation Needed}} *'''Hopper''' - A term for Frogs.<ref>{{Film|1}}.</ref> *'''Hopper-hop''' - A game similar to Leapfrog where two players jump over each other.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV series]] episode, "[[The Forbidden Friendship]]".</ref> ===J=== *'''Jumping Water'''- Geyser.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV series]] episode, {{Episode|7}}.</ref> ===L=== *'''Landslide '''- A term the characters use for an avalanche. *'''Leaf-eater''' - Herbivore.<ref>{{Film|1}}</ref> *'''Lizard-head''' - ''[[Pachycephalosaurus]]''. Used in "The Land Before Time: The Illustrated Story" and "[[Friends in Need]]". '''See also:''' Domehead, Crown-head. *'''[[Longneck]]'''² - [[Sauropod]]s,<ref>{{Film|1}}.</ref> ''[[Mussaurus]]''.<ref>{{Film|11}}.</ref> ===M=== *'''[[Mountains That Burn]]''' - A group of mountains seen in the [[The Land Before Time|first movie]]. [[Littlefoot's Mother]] instructs him to go past them to get to the [[Great Valley]]. They are constantly oozing lava.<ref>{{Film|1}}.</ref> *'''[[Mysterious Beyond]]''' - A term used by dinosaurs in the [[The Great Valley|Great Valley]] to describe the areas outside of it.<ref>{{Film|2}}.</ref><ref>{{Film|3}}</ref><ref>{{Film|5}}</ref> ===N=== *'''Night Circle''' - The Moon. Sometimes called the "Great Night Circle." [[File:Night Circle.jpg|thumb|200px|The Night circle]] *'''[[Night Flower]]''' - A type of flower that only blooms at night, and is able to cure diseases. Seen in the [[The Land Before Time IV: Journey through the Mists|fourth movie]].<ref>{{Film|4}}.</ref> *'''Night Walker''' - May be a term referring to nocturnal creatures in general, or a specific nocturnal creature that has yet to physically appear in the series. Mentioned by [[Plower]] when he and his friends are describing traits of the [[Great Hideous Beast]] to [[Spike]]. When he is describing the Beast's eyes, Plower says it has "the big scary eyes of a Night Walker!".<ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|17}}.</ref> ===O=== *'''Overgrown egg''' - An insult toward children.<ref>Used by [[Sierra]] in {{Film|7}}.</ref> ===P=== *'''Pointy-face''' - An insult toward Threehorns.<ref>Used by [[Ducky's Aunt]] in ''[[The Land Before Time: The 3-D Adventure]]''.</ref> *'''Pointy Seed''' - Pine cone. *'''Puffies''' - Clouds.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E5pxloiToM&feature=related ''The Land Before Time'' DVD game.]</ref><ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|11}}.</ref> Usually called Sky Puffies.<ref>{{Episode|7}}</ref> ===R=== *'''[[Rainbow Face|Rainbowface]]''' - [[Gallimimus]].<ref>''{{Film|7}}.</ref> *'''[[Rescue]] - A game invented by [[Rhett]] in {{Episode|6}}, in which one person must save the other from danger.<ref>{{Episode|6}}</ref> *'''Rock Head''' - An insult toward Fast Biters, and possibly other Sharpteeth.<ref>Used by [[Skip]] in the ''Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|22}}.</ref> *'''Running Mud''' - Mudslide. ===S=== *'''Sand Cloud''' - Dust clouds produced by sandstorms.<ref>''[[The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave]]''.</ref> *'''Sand Crawler''' - Another name for Sand Creepers, possibly an insult.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' episode, "[[March of the Sand Creepers]]".</ref> *'''[[Sand Creeper]]''' - Crab-like creatures.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' episode, "[[March of the Sand Creepers]]".</ref> *'''Sap Sucker''' - An insult toward herbivores.<ref>Used by [[Ozzy]] in {{Film|2}}.</ref> *'''Scaredy Egg''' - A common insult on someone who's scared of something.<ref>{{Film|2}}.</ref> Equivalent to the human phrase "Scaredy Cat." *'''Season of New Growth''' - Spring.<ref>''[[The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave]]''.</ref> *'''[[Sharp Beak]]''' - [[Ichthyornis]].<ref>{{Film|4}}.</ref> *'''[[Sharptooth]]''' - Any carnivorous species, such as ''[[Tyrannosaurus]]''. Used in every film and most TV series episodes.<ref>{{Film|1}} though {{Film|14}}.</ref> *'''Sharptooth Swimmer''' - A term for ''[[Liopleurodon]]'', possibly invented by [[Ducky]].<ref>Ducky in {{Film|9}}.<ref> *'''Shiny Stone''' - Crystals.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|4}}.</ref> *'''[[Sinking Sand]]''' - Quicksand.<ref>{{Film|2}}.</ref> *'''[[Sky Colors]]''' - A term used for Rainbows.<ref>{{Film|9}}.</ref> *'''Sky Color Stone''' - A term for Geodes.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|4}}.</ref> [[File:Skycolor stones.jpg|thumb|250px|Sky Color Stones.]] *'''Sky Flakes''' - A rare term for clouds. <ref>In the ninth film, [[Mo]] calls rain clouds Sky Flakes in this phrase; 'Sky Flakes make lots and lots of Sky Water'. *'''Sky Fire''' - Lightning.{{Citation Needed}} *'''Sky Puffies''' - Clouds.<ref>{{Film|12}}.</ref> *'''Sky Star''' - A real star, as opposed to something star-shaped such as a [[Tree Star|tree star]].<ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|11}}.</ref> *'''[[Sky Water]]''' - A common term for rain.<ref>{{Film|5}}</ref><ref>{{Film|9}}.</ref> *'''Sleep Rumbles''' - Snoring.<ref>{{Film|8}}.</ref> *'''Sleeping Sound''' - Another term for snoring. <ref>Ducky mentions this to Cera in the third film, when they all hear Spike sleeping.</ref> *'''Sleep Story''' - A term developed in the tenth film for dreams.<ref>{{Film|10}}.</ref>  The word "dream" itself though is used in films prior to this.   *'''[[Smoking Mountain]]''' - A specific volcano in the [[Great Valley]]. Also called "Booming Mountain".<ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, "[[The Canyon of Shiny Stones (episode)|The Canyon of Shiny Stones]]".</ref> *'''[[Smoking Mountains]]''' - Volcanoes. More specifically, a chain of volcanoes near the Great Valley.<ref>{{Film|7}}.</ref> *'''Snapping Shell''' - Clam.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|4}}.</ref> The word 'clam' appears to be used by clams themselves though.<ref>In the book, "[[Let's Play Impossible]]", a character known as "Mr. Clam" refers to himself as a clam.</ref> *'''[[Spiketail]]''' - ''[[Stegosaurus]].''<ref>{{Film|1}} through recent films.</ref> *'''Star Day''' - Birthday. Differs from Hatch Day (see above) in the fact that it can be told from the presence of specific stars in the night sky. Multiple species are known to record dates like this, such as Fast Runners and Clubtails. It is unknown how common this method of determining age is in the [[Great Valley]], as the main characters (besides [[Ruby]], the one who told them about Star Days) don't know what they are at first.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' episode, {{Episode|3}}.</ref> *'''Star Swimmer''' - Starfish.<ref>{{Film|9}}.</ref> *'''Stinkweed''' - Foul-smelling aquatic vegetation found in wet areas.<ref>{{Film|14}}.</ref> *'''Stone teeth''' - Stalactites.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|1}}.</ref> *'''[[Stop the Seed]]''' - A game where two teams of players try to hit or throw a seed (a [[Wikipedia:Conifer cone|conifer cone]]) into a goal behind the opposing team. Similar to the human game [[Wikipedia:Association football|association football]], although players are allowed to carry the seed in their mouth.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV series]] episode, {{Episode|10}}.</ref> Not to be confused with Toss the Seed. *'''Stinky Pool''' - Sulphur mud pot or sulphur pool.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|7}}.</ref> *'''Stinging Buzzer''' - Bees and/or wasps. '''See also:''' Buzzing Stinger. *'''Story Speakers''' - Longnecks who travel and tell the kind's stories, myths, and history to herds of longnecks "to teach them about [the kind's] important past". It is unknown if other types of dinosaurs have their own Story Speakers or not. There is apparently a shortage of Longneck Story Speakers.<ref>{{Episode|11}}</ref> *'''[[Swarming Leaf Gobbler]]''' - Locust.<ref>{{Film|5}}.</ref> *[[plants|'''Sweet Bubbles''']] - Grapes.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV Series]] episode, {{Episode|3}}.</ref> *'''Swamp Stick''' - Supposedly a marsh plant; type unknown, possibly reed or horsetail.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' TV series episode, {{Episode|13}}.</ref> *'''[[Swimmer]]''' - ''[[Saurolophus]]''<ref>{{Film|2}}.</ref> (also Bigmouth), anything that swims. *'''[[Swimming Sharptooth]]''' - Any carnivorous dinosaur that swims. Not to be confused with Sharptooth Swimmer. *'''Swirling Wind''' - Tornado or hurricane.<ref>Used by [[Petrie]] in {{Film|6}}.</ref> ===T=== *'''Talk-Back '''- Echo.<ref>Ducky in {{Film|8}}</ref><ref>''The Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV Series]] episode, {{Episode|1}}.</ref> *'''[[Thicknose]]''' - ''[[Pachyrhinosaurus]]''.<ref>{{Film|8}}.</ref> *'''[[Threehorn]]''' - ''[[Triceratops]].'' *'''Tickly Fuzzies''' - Hairs, fur.<ref>{{Film|4}}.</ref> Also a plural of Tickly Fuzzy. *'''Tickly Fuzzy''' - Mammal.<ref>{{Film|4}} *'''Time of the Changing Tree Stars '''- Autumn.<ref>Daddy Topps in {{Film|6}}.</ref> *'''Time of Great Growing'''- Adolescence.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV Series]] episode, {{Episode|20}}.</ref> *'''[[Tinysaurus (type)|Tinysaurus]]''' - A term for ''[[Mussaurus]]''.<ref>{{Film|11}}</ref> *'''Tree Fuzz''' - Moss on a tree. It can be presumed from this that moss would be called other types of fuzz depending on what it grows on (ex. Rock Fuzz). *'''Tree Parts''' - Roots.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV series]] episode, {{Episode|12}}.</ref> *[[Plants|'''Tree star''']] - A type of leaf shaped like a star. This term could describe maple leaves, as they take that shape.<ref>{{Film|1}}.</ref> *[[Plants|'''Tree Sweet''']] - A type of blossom<ref>{{Film|11}}.</ref> and several types of fruit. *'''Twinkly''' - Star. Possibly invented by Littlefoot and his friends as the term 'star' is known by the characters in the series.<ref>Used by Cera and Littlefoot in "[[Let's Play Impossible]]".</ref> ===W=== *'''Water Greens''' - Water weed or any other type of freshwater aquatic plant.<ref>''The Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV Series]] episode, "[[March of the Sand Creepers]]".</ref> *'''Weed Whacker - '''An insult toward herbivores, possibly invented by [[Ozzy]] *'''Whirling Wind''' - Tornado or hurricane.<ref>{{Film|6}}.</ref> *'''Wingbrain''' - An insult toward Flyers.<ref>Used by [[Cera]] in {{Film|7}}.</ref> *'''Wisdom''' - A strategy utilized by creatures to help them survive. Alternate terms are "say-so" and "gotta-do".<ref>{{Film|13}}</ref> *'''White Ground Sparkles''' - Snow on the ground (sometimes called simply "Ground Sparkles"). Falling snow is referred to as "Frozen Sky Stars" or "Frozen Sky Water." *'''White Mountain''' - A mountain with snow and ice on it.<ref>The ''Land Before Time'' [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV Series]] episode, {{Episode|13}}.</ref> ===Y=== *'''[[Yellow Belly|Yellowbelly]]''' - A term for ''[[Beipiaosaurus]]''.<ref>{{Film|13}}.</ref> ==Notes== <ol start="1"><li>Can also be spelled "big-mouth"<ref>''[[The Land Before Time: The Illustrated Story]]'', page 25.</ref>.</li></ol> <ol start="2"><li>Can also be spelled "long-neck"<ref>''The Land Before Time: The Illustrated Story'', page 3.</ref> or "long neck"<ref>{{Film|5}}.</ref>.</li></ol> <ol start="3"><li>Can also be spelled "sharp tooth" or "sharp teeth".<ref>''[[The Land Before Time: More Sing Along Songs]]'': ''[[Bad Luck]]''.</ref>.</li></ol> <ol start="4"><li>Can also be spelled "spike-tail"<ref>''The Land Before Time: The Illustrated Story'' pg. 32</ref><ref>"[[Waiting to Hatch]], page 17.</ref> or "spike tail"<ref>''The Land Before Time: More Sing Along Songs'': ''Bad Luck''.</ref>.</li></ol> <ol start="5"><li>Can also be spelled "three-horn"<ref>''The Land Before Time: The Illustrated Story'' pg. 8</ref> or "three horn"<ref>The Great, Beautiful Valley, page 5.</ref>.

Fan-Made Terms

Terms for certain species, varieties of animals, and practices have been created by fans of the franchise due to these things lacking official terms. The following is a list of these terms and what they signify.

B

• Bigbiter Sharptooth - Tyrannosauids
• Bothtooth - Omnivore
• Boxhead Longneck - Macronarian sauropods
• Browridge Sharptooth - Allosaurids; Allosaurus

C

• Circle Of Elders - Group of adult dinosaurs that decide the actions of the Great Valley residents
• Crawlertooth - Insectivore

F

• Feathered Runner - Dinornithiformes; Moa

H

• Halfswimmer - Amphibian
• Hookthumb Sharptooth - Baryonyx
• Horned Sharptooth - Carnotaurus

L

• Large Flyer - Quetzalcoatlus
• Longcrest Flyer - Ludodactylus and Pteranodon
• Longsnout Sharptooth - Megalosaurids

O

• Onehorn - Centrosaurus and Styracosaurus

P

• Plated Sharptooth - Giganotosaurus

R

• Rainbow Swimmer - Ophthalmosaurus
• Ridgeback Sharptooth - Acrocanthosaurus
• Roughback - Parieasaurs

S

• Sailback Sharptooth - Spinosaurus
• Sailback Spikethumb - Ouranosaurus
• Sailcrawler - Dimetrodon, Edaphosaurus, Ianthasaurus
• Shellback - Turtles
• Shellback Swimmer - Sea turtles; Archelon, Protostega, Toxochelys
• Shieldback - Nodosaurids
• Shortsnout Sharptooth - Abelisaurids
• Slicetooth - Carcharodontosaurids
• Slithering Sharptooth - Snakes; Dinilysia
• Smallbiter Sharptooth - Non-dromeosaurid small theropods
• Spikethumb - Iguanodontids
• Spiketooth - Heterodontosaurids
• Splashertooth - Piscivores
• Super Longneck - Larger than usual sauropods
• Swamptooth - Postosuchus and possibly other Rauisuchians
• Swimming Longneck - Plesiosaurs

T

• Tiny Sharptooth - Compsognathus
• Twofooter Longneck - Bipedal prosauropods; Massospondylus, Plateosaurus