úshor [ˈu.ʃɔr] “root”, literally “earth branch” (úa “earth” + shor “branch”).
Ushor has several metaphorical meanings, including:
- A river delta, especially the delta of the Lagendeda River that runs through Kharul. The cultures of the Lagendeda river system used tree metaphors to describe the layout of the rivers, with the roots at the river’s mouth.
- The destination of a journey or the purpose of an action. The delta is, after all, the destination of the river. But there’s also a connection to their pre-scientific beliefs about how trees work, with matter flowing in through the leaves and down the branches and trunk towards the roots.
- A person’s descendants. Kharulians drew their family trees in much the same way we do, with their ancestors (shor, “branches”) at the top and their descendants (ushor, “roots”) at the bottom.