Dragon

The term "dragon" is SCA jargon for a car, or any type of motorized vehicle.

The use of this term is more popular in some areas than others. Some people like to use it because it has a light-hearted connotation, and cars *can* be sort of similar to dragons, what with their glowing eyes, swift speed, and thick metallic skin. Others prefer alternative nomenclature, as they feel that "dragon" introduces a fantasy element into a group that is designed to study history; even if dragons *had* existed in the Middle Ages, they argue, people certainly did not go about riding on or inside of them.

Therefore, alternatively, a car can be called a "cart", a "wagon", a "wain", or a "coach", all very real wheeled items that were used to transport goods and individuals in our period of study...and, in many cases, propelled by horsepower, as well!

However, the word "car" is a perfectly correct medieval word for a wheeled vehicle. The OED has evidence of the word "car" being used in this sense as far back as 1382 in England. Thus, some consider the word "dragon" to be more out of place than the word "car" to refer to a modern vehicle.