GLOSSARY

[incubators]

BARRIER
Barrier (結界 Kekkai)
An otherworld used by Witches to conceal themselves. Should a normal human wander in by accident, it is impossible for them to escape. In the anime, these locations are designed and animated by Gekidan Inu Curry in a style vastly different from that of the rest of the series in order to reinforce the otherworldly aspect. Inside and outside of the anime they are sometimes referred to as Mazes (迷路 Meiro).
According to the January 2012 Dengeki PlayStation, the barrier is "a space resembling the magical girl's mental landscape before she became a witch."

FAMILIAR
Familiar (使い魔 Tsukaima)
Lesser monsters divided out of the essence of a Witch. Though normally assigned the task of maintaining and defending their parent-witch's barrier, it seems that they can eventually gain independence and stray to form their own barriers. Further growing, they take on the form of their parent.

They do not drop any Grief Seeds when killed unless they have grown into a full Witch.
According to the January 2012 Dengeki PlayStation, familiars are "projections of the magical girl's heart before she became a witch."

GRIEF SEED
Grief Seed (グリーフシード)
A Witch's egg, which occasionally appears after a Witch is defeated. Puella Magi require these items to restore their depleted magical energies.

All Grief Seeds drain grief when put close to a dim Soul Gem, cleaning it. In episode 6, Kyuubey warns that absorbing too much Grief can revive the witch.

Sometimes magical girls also use grief seeds to test if she can cooperate with another magical girl. Rejecting a grief seed from another magical girl means refusing to work with her and hostility. Both Mami and Homura did such kind of tests.

MAGICAL GIRL
Magical girl (魔法少女 Mahō shōjo)
Girls who have formed a contract with a Messenger of Magic (the only one seen in the anime is Kyubey), and in exchange gained the power of magic. Beings charged with the task of combating Witches.
note: Magical Girl has been replaced with 'Puella Magi' in the game.

SOUL GEM
Soul Gem (ソウルジェム)
A gem birthed from a contract with Kyubey. Proof that one is a Puella Magi; the source of her magical power.

Episode 6 reveals that Soul Gems contain the magical girl's soul, while the body is merely a husk that is controlled by the Gem.

Episode 8 reveals if the Soul Gem is not cleansed in time and reaches a certain point it will become a Grief Seed and birth a new witch.

WITCH
Witch (魔女 Majo)
The negative impulse that is called anxiety or suspicion, or excessive wrath or hatred = beings that spread the seeds of disaster across the world. Normally, they conceal themselves behind barriers.

WITCH'S KISS
Witch's Kiss (魔女の口づけ Majo no kuchizuke)
A mark that appears on a human targeted by a Witch.







The glossary was taken from The Puella Magi Wiki, without permission. The write up isn't our own unless we state so!