Is there a generic term for creatures like centaurs?

[Black Leviathan]

The term I hear used a lot is just 'taur, IE Jaguartaur, fauntaur, Rhinotaur. The fish version is Mer', Mercat, merrabbit, merrhino. Half-snakes always seem to be called Naga no matter what the 'top half' is.

[Phantasm]

I second the use of "Chimera" or "Chimeric" for this concept. If your setting uses that term for a single creature, though, "tauric", though etymologically incorrect, may be useful. Especially if your players come from That Other Game....

[ak_aramis]

Centauroid describes a 6 limbed criiter or device with 4 locomotor lims and two manipulative ones.

Chimeric refers to mixing two different beasts into one critter.

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by ak_aramis

Centauroid describes a 6 limbed criiter or device with 4 locomotor lims and two manipulative ones.

I'd say 4 or more lower limbs, for Dwayne Johnson's Scorpion King, spider centaurs and such.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Varyon

What is says in the title. I'm working a bit on my Oubliette setting again, and am formalizing the "classes" of monsters the dungeons produce. One such class is a human/animal hybrid along the lines of the centaur. Each dungeon has an element - earth, wind, water, fire, darkness - and corresponding clade - mammals, birds, fish*, reptiles, arthropods, respectively. These hybrids follow the trend of being some animal roughly below the neck, with a second, human torso from the waist up (complete with head and arms).

Such creatures are extremely common in mythology and fantasy, so I'm curious if there's a good generic term someone has come up with. I've seen "taur" used, but that seems to be exclusively about four-legged types, and only one (maybe two) of mine fit with that. I'm currently thinking of the class as "chimera," but would prefer a more precise term (as chimera could easily refer to any sort of human/animal hybrid, or indeed various animal/animal hybrids like griffons and the like). I currently plan to use centaurs for the mammals, lamias for the reptiles, and arachnes (basically, driders where the top half is human instead of drow) for the arthropods. For birds, I'm torn between basically mounting a human body on something akin to a griffon (which I've seen at least once, in Dungeon Meshi) or creating some strange creature that's a giant bird with a human torso mounted on it (which I don't think I've even seen). For fish, I'm torn between a mermaid and a cephalomaid (octopus below the waist).

*While there probably won't be any aquatic arthropods, I may make use of aquatic animals other than fish for inspiration, like sea mammals (historically thought of as fish anyway) and cephalopods.

Theramorphs covers humans with beast-like features. Centaur irself is a generic term. The proper term for the traditional half man half horse centaur is hippocentaur. There were many types of centaur according to which animal was blended with a human.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Theramorphs covers humans with beast-like features. Centaur irself is a generic term. The proper term for the traditional half man half horse centaur is hippocentaur. There were many types of centaur according to which animal was blended with a human.

Reference? I've seen plenty of modern things take taur/centaur to apply to such beings, but am unaware of any case it was done in antiquity. As already noted, I dislike taur due both to its etymological problems and the fact it typically applies to those with four legs.

However, looking into your claim did cause me to come across another useful term (which I previously came across in the Monster Musume manga of all places, but didn't give it much thought) - liminal. It may be of use to me here, although I may want to use it elsewhere in the setting, as I'm lacking a good term ("demi-human" seems a bit off, as many aren't humanoid at all) for monsters who are able to survive outside of a dungeon. So, thanks for that.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Theramorphs covers humans with beast-like features. Centaur irself is a generic term. The proper term for the traditional half man half horse centaur is hippocentaur. There were many types of centaur according to which animal was blended with a human.

I don't think thera- is the proper combining form. The ancient Greek root is ther, which is masculine, and the combining stem looks to be thero-. Or therio-, from therion, which usually refers to a small animal of some kind, apparently.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Reference? I've seen plenty of modern things take taur/centaur to apply to such beings, but am unaware of any case it was done in antiquity. As already noted, I dislike taur due both to its etymological problems and the fact it typically applies to those with four legs.

However, looking into your claim did cause me to come across another useful term (which I previously came across in the Monster Musume manga of all places, but didn't give it much thought) - liminal. It may be of use to me here, although I may want to use it elsewhere in the setting, as I'm lacking a good term ("demi-human" seems a bit off, as many aren't humanoid at all) for monsters who are able to survive outside of a dungeon. So, thanks for that.

The main source is Robert Graves "The Food of Centaurs," it was a book of essays by the author. I read other texts that showed me that Graves' scholarship was sound but I don't remember those titles. Besides, I think you'd love the book.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I don't think thera- is the proper combining form. The ancient Greek root is ther, which is masculine, and the combining stem looks to be thero-. Or therio-, from therion, which usually refers to a small animal of some kind, apparently.

My spelling is notably vile. And your correction looks better to me than my original attempt to spell a word my spellchecker knows not. So, thank-you for your assistance.