Return To Nonhuman Directory | Home
Nonhuman Related Glossary
Written by The Dragonheart Collective
Version 1.0.0 | Last updated 8/30/2023
This is a non-comprehensive dictionary of common terms used currently in spaces where people have nonhuman-related identities. Many dictionaries and glossaries are either not good enough for the current vernacular, are not specifically only covering all nonhuman groups, or they are loaded with rarely used and redundant labels that make it difficult to learn the lingo. Hence we made this glossary.
If there are terms you come across that are not listed here, asking the person who posted them to define the terms they are using is the recommended option.
Many of these terms are not exclusive to nonhuman identity experiences, but are used within the space so they have been listed.
This will be broken up by category;
Navigation: Click on the section name to go to that section of the Glossary.
Things you are:
Aspecies - Someone who identifies as not having a species.
Dragonic - Someone who identifies with or as dragons strongly. This is a specific community that has its own longstanding culture and language seperate from dragonkin and dragon therians.
Olde Fruite - An older or more experience member of the dragonic community. Generally a community member who has been actively participating in the community for several years. May also be spelt old fruit.
Endel - A nonhuman who has an identity that is rooted in, influenced by, or caused by delusions. This is a specific community that has its own culture and language.
Clynical Lycanthropy - A psychotic disorder wherin the individual experiences delusions surrounding them turning into a nonhuman animal. Clinical lycanthropy is typically not experienced by otherkin or therians. Clinical lycanthropes may identify as endels.
Extranth - A nonhuman headmate. May also be called an extranthrope.
Furry Lifestylers - Furries for whom the fandom is a lifestyle and a strong part of their identity that extends into their daily life. They usually strongly identify with or as their fursona and often act out nonhuman behaviors to get closer to their fursona. This is a specific community that has its own longstanding culture and language.
Barepaws - A kind of furry lifestyler who prefers and enjoys being barefooted to get closer to their fursona.
Greymuzzle - An honoriffic for an older or more experienced member of the therian or otherkin community. This title is gifted by the community, rather than something one calls themselves. It is gifted to those who have been active in the community for a long time(often around 10+ years), or who have contributed a lot to the community. This title is also used by furries in a more lax way for older community members in general, and originates from that use.
Medusan - An orientation label for nonhumans who are sexually or romantically attracted to other nonhuman sapients. Intended as a substitute for teratophile, xenophile, or monsterfucker within the community
Nonhuman - Someone who identifies as nonhuman in some way, in part or in whole. This may be used as an umbrella term, though some nonumans only identify as a nonhuman.
Otherkin(d) - Someone who identifies in part or in whole as something nonhuman on an integral level. May also be shortened to kin. This is a specific community that has its own longstanding culture and language.
Objectkin - Someone who identifies in part or in whole as an object of some kind on an integral level.
Conceptkin - Someone who identifies in part or in whole as a concept of some kind on an integral level.
Plantkin - Someone who identifies in part or in whole on an integral level as a plant of some kind.
OCkin - Someone who identifies in part or in whole on an integral level as an original character from a fictional work. Includes fan characters and fully original work.
Polykin - Somoene who identifies as multiple nonhuman or fictional things.
Therian - Someone who identifies in part or in whole on an integral level as a nonhuman animal. May also be called a therianthrope or a were. This is a specific community that has its own longstanding culture and language.
Contherian - A subcategory of therian where one does not experience shifts.
Theriomythic - Someone who identifies in part or in whole on an integral level as a mythical animal or beast.
Cladotherian - Someone who identifies in part or in whole on an integral level as a larger general grouping of animals rather than one specific species. (ex- canine cladotherian instead of grey wolf therian)
Fictherian - Someone who identifies in part or in whole on an integral level as a fictional animal or beast.
Paleotherian - Someone who identifies in part or in whole on an integral level as an extinct species of animal.
Phytanthrope - Someone who identifies in part or in whole on an integral level as a plant.
Polytherian - Someone who identifies in part or in whole on an integral level as multiple nonhuman animals.
Transspecies - Someone who identifies as a species they are not usually perceived as. Transspecies individuals often either wish to transition physically into another species, or are someone who's gender and species identification and/or transition are inseperable. It has more to do with transhumanism than with being transgender in concept for many people, however.
Otherhearted - Someone who identifies in part or in whole with something on an integral level. May also be called otherkith or having a Synpath. The specific identity is called a hearttype.
Animalhearted - Someone who identifies in part or in whole with a nonhuman animal on an integral level.
Fictionhearted - Someone who identifies in part or in whole with a fictional character or species on an integral level.
Otherlinker - Also may be called a copinglinker. Someone who chooses to form an identity as something nonhuman or fictional, usually (but not always) to cope with neurodivergence or trauma. This identity may be dropped at will. The specific identity is called a linktype.
Things you experience or have:
Awakening - The process of discovering one's nonhuman identity. Otherkin and therian communities tend to put a level of significance on this process/life event. Often capitalized when used in a sentence. Awakening may happen prior to encountering nonhuman communities. Used to be called becoming Awere.
Fursona - An anthropormorphic animal character a furry creates to represent themselves. Many furries strongly identify with or as their fursona.
Hearthome - A location or biome -real or otherwise- that one has a strong connection to and considers 'home', often despite not ever having been there.
Kinfeels - A strong feeling of being closer to or reminded of on'es kintype. Often may be triggered by outside stimuli and may induce various experiences associated with having a kintype.
Kinfirm - When someone confirms a kintype and finishes their Awakening. A pun on 'kin' and 'confirm'.
Kinsidering - When someone is quesntion if something is a kintype. A pun on 'kin' and 'considering'.
Kinsona - A original character created by an otherkin based on their kintype's characteristics. If the otherkin is a furry, this may also be their fursona. Portmanteau of 'kin' and 'persona'.
Kintype - The specific identity that someone who is otherkin or fictionkin has.
Noemata - All knowlege about one's kintype. The singular version is noema.
Exomemory - Memories that did not happen to the body. Includes but is not limited to dreams, hallucinations, and memories gotten from a past life. In the context of fictionfolk or otherkin, this may be called source memories or kin memories.
Exotrauma - Traumatic exomemories.
Pericall - To know something about your kintype or canon. It is intended to be used in the place of 'remember' when one doesn't wish to describe their noema as a memory.
Pack - A group of otherkin who all know each other fairly well and communicate regularily. Many packs are somewhat to heavily formal and may have joining applications, specific rules, or formalized social ranking systems. Other packs are just a group of friends that decide to label that way for fun.
Phantom limb - The sensation of having a non-coporeal body part. May also be called in the context of alterhuman experiences supernumerary phantom limbs or abbreviated as SPH.
Astral limb - A non-corporeal body part that manifests on one's form on the astral plane. Similar to a phantom limb, but not the same thing.
Shifting - The act of becoming more like your kintype in some way. There are a large number of more specific terms which may be found [HERE]
Astral Shift - A shift of one's form on the astral plane. May involve an out-of-body experience in the shape of or with characteristics of their nonhuman or fictional identity. May also be called a journey shift.
Bilocational Shift - A shift where one experiences a full phantom body seperate from their physical body of their nonhuman or fictional identity. Comparable to an out-of-body experience. May also be called an B-shift.
Cameo Shift - A shift of some kind relating to a nonhuman entity that one does not identify as.
Mental Shift - A shift where one becomes more mentally like their nonhuman or fictional identity. The shifter may involuntarily experience urges or “instincts” similar to that if their identity. May also be called an M-shift.
Envisage Shift - A shift where one has a constant mental image or awareness of non-existing body parts but does not feel those body parts as phantom limbs like in a phantom shift.
Phantom Shift - A shift where one experiences supernumerary phantom limbs or a phantom body of their nonhuman or fictional identity.
Physical Shift - A form of shifting where the shifter physically transforms in some way to be more like their nonhuman or fictional identity. Scientifically impossible. Not to be confused with clinical lycanthropy. May also be called P-shifting.
Shifter's Disease - A phenomenon where someone researching otherkinity, fictionkinity, or therianthropy for the first time may accidentally induce shifts or fabricate exomemories, leading them to falsely believe they are otherkin/fictionkin/therian for a short time after.
Species Dysphoria - A feeling of distress or dissatisfaction around the percpetion that one's body or social perception by others is of the wrong species.
Species Euphoria - A feeling of happiness or contentment around the perception that one's body or social perception by others matches their species identification.
Theriotype - The specific nonhuman identity that a therian has. May also be called a therioside
Other terms:
Astral Plane - A plane of existence common to a number of spiritual schools of thought, though different people believe different things about what it is, how it can be accessed, and what populates it. One common view is that is is a mirror plane of existence to the material reality that contains non-coporeal spirits and the collective consciousness of all living things in the material reality. Many therians and otherkin believe in the astral plane in some form.
Astral Projection - An out of body experience that involves traversing the astral plane. A common spiritual practice of many therians and otherkin.
Elven Star - The seven pointed star symbol generally accepted by otherkin to represent the otherkin community. Also known as the fairie star.
Glamourbomb - An anonymous public act or distributed/displayed artwork that is done to try to cause others to think they have just experienced a mysterious or magical occurance and inspire belief in magic and/or the fae. This breaks down the barriers/the veil between the mundane and the fantastical. It is not inherently an otherkind practice, but many early adopters of this practice were otherkin.
Howl - An organized gathering or meetup of therians or otherkin in a physical location. Typically includes actually howling or otherwise making a lot of noise at some point during the meetup.
Kin For Fun - Often abbreviated to KFF. A term for those who claim that the word 'kin' is ONLY to be used for fun and that is ONLY a choice and means identify with/relate to instead of 'identify as' and the culture the people who said this built on their stolen word. Our testimony on the subject may be found [HERE]. The terms 'fluffy' and 'wishkin' are old derogatory terms for similar kind of people. Those who had some element of choice in their identity, those who have fun with their genuine identity, or those who label their experience kin when they don't quite match the general definition but otherwise don't force that definition on others are NOT KFF.
Multiverse Theory - The theory of multiple alternate universes existing at once in addition to the one we currently reside in. This theory is a common way fictionkin and otherkin explain their experiences and the discrepencies in noemata that are common between those who share sources.
-punk - A kind of subculture around a ideaology centered in non-conformity, anti-authoritarianism, anti-consumerist, and direct action beliefs. Expression of the subculture may be found in fashion, music, literature, film, art, and politics. There are many subcommunities of punk that have different values and aesthetics. There are several alterhuman-related punk subcultures.
Ontopunk - A punk subculture focused on embracing different kinds of identities and rejecting anthropocentrism. Ontopunk is open to anyone, but primarily weighted towards those with nonhuman or fictional related identities. Derived from ontology, the branch of philosophy concerned with being and what it means to exist.
Kinpunk - A punk subculture for otherkin and fictionkin focused on the self-expression of one's kintypes and embracing nonhuman or 'cringe' steriotypes.
Beastpunk - A punk subculture for those who identify as nonhuman and who are unabashedly animal. Coining post [HERE]. It is meant as a reclaimation of nonhuman identity, especially for those who where made to feel as though their animality was 'too much' or that they were taking it 'too seriously' or who lost previous communities or words due to terminology drift or appropriation by other groups. The movement explicitly excludes bestalists, Kin-For-Fun, and self-identified p-shifters.
Voidpunk - A punk subculture for those who face dehumanization from society due to being marginalized in some way. Voidpunk is a rejection of human identity and embracing being nonhuman in a positive way.
Quadrobics - The practice of doing athletic activity on all-fours. Popular with young therians on tik-tok.
Theta-Delta - The theta character inside a delta character symbol generally accepted by therians to represent the therian community.