The Hunger Games Dictionary

The Capitol- The dictatorial government of Panem, who suppressed rebellions in 13 districts (and obliterated District 13) approximately 100 years before the book starts.

Panem- the post-modern country (located where the United States once were) governed by the Capitol, which is located in the center. The still-existing 12 districts surround it in order, meaning District 12 is the farthest away. If I'm not wrong, District 12 is around the Ohio/Pennsylvania/New York area. Of course.

The Seam- the edges of District 12 where all males work in the coal mines starting at age 18 and most people are on the brink of starvation, and most natives have dark hair and gray eyes. Except Prim, because she takes after their mom, who is not from the Seam.

The Hob- the black market where Katniss trades the animals she hunts in exchange for more meager food products.

The Hunger Games- an annual fight to the death forced upon all 12 districts (because the Capitol itself is exempt from its own cruelty) as a reminder of the Capitol's power. Each district sends one boy and one girl, ages 12-18, randomly chosen, and only one person comes out alive.

The reaping- the ceremony in which the tributes (see next term) are chosen for the Hunger Games. It's required viewing for the whole country, children get the day off from school, and while volunteers are allowed, they're only common in Districts 1 and 2 (and sometimes 3 and 4).

Tributes- those selected to fight in the Hunger Games

Tesserae- the option for children to enter their names into the reaping more than once in exchange for a year's supply of oil and grain. For example, Katniss enters her name 4 times every year: once because it is required, once for Prim's oil and grain, once for her own, and once for their mother's.

Peacekeeper- a "police" type of person sent from the Capitol or District 2 (because they're tight with the Capitol even though they still have to participate in the Hunger Games) to patrol the districts and punish criminals. "Criminal" is a loose term.

The arena- the intricately planned-out setting of the Hunger Games, different every year, and designed so that the Gamemakers (see next term) can throw in their own challenges if it gets too boring

Gamemakers- the people who control what happens in the Games, i.e. fires, storms, etc. They don't, however, control who gets killed or who kills whom.

Cornucopia- the big golden... cornucopia... at the center of the arena every year in the Hunger Games, which contains things that could help the tributes in their fight, only it is dangerous for them to try to reach it because all of the other tributes will try to kill them if they see something they want. Usually there is something specifically placed there for each particular tribute, so they are always tempted to go in after it. This results in...

The initial bloodbath- the beginning of the Games when a ton of tributes die trying to get things from the Cornucopia.

Jabberjay- the bird that the Capitol created to spy on the districts, only it backfired and the districts fed them lies and then the Capitol tried to get rid of the rest of the jabberjays, but...

Mockingjay- the jabberjays mated with mockingbirds to create these, who cannot memorize entire conversations, but lengthy tunes.

The Quarter Quell- every 25 years the Hunger Games are an even more special event to the Capitol named the Quarter Quell, in which the rules are changed in a previously-designated way. i.e. Haymitch's Hunger Games were a Quarter Quell in which the Capitol called for the number of tributes to be doubled. In fact, they're SO previously-designated that they were all planned out and written on cards when the Hunger Games first began, signifying that the Capitol expected the tradition of the Games to last a looooooong freakin' time.

Avox- A person (for some reason usually redheaded) that committed some sort of crime against the Capitol and has had their tongue removed as punishment, so they can no longer talk. They're also forced to be servants for people in the Capitol, including the Hunger Games tributes/mentors/sponsors/Gamemakers/etc.

Tracker jacker- a genetically altered wasp created by the Capitol to track down anyone who makes them (the tracker jacker) angry and kill them. Sometimes they don't succeed in the killing part, but their venom induces hallucinations like you're on an acid trip or something like that.

Muttations- all of these Capitol-created species that are made for a specific purpose, i.e. jabberjays and tracker jackers [and also these giant wolf-like creatures I can't tell you about yet].

The Treaty of Treason- the decision that resulted in the tradition of the Hunger Games, the purpose of which is to remind the citizens of Panem that the Capitol has complete control and any attempts at rebellion will be squashed.
Morphling- basically, the Panem version of morphine. It's a pain medication that's addicting and causes people to have severe withdrawals, but even whey they're on it they're not totally *there* mentally.

If you know of any additional terms that need definining and don't include spoilers, put them in the comments and I'll add them.