n. cave. Q. rondo.
Sindarin
-roth
-roth
roth
noun. cave
groth
noun. large excavation, delving, underground dwelling, large excavation, delving, underground dwelling; [N.] cave, tunnel, [G.] grot
A noun for a large excavation (WJ/415) or a cave or tunnel (EtyAC/ROT) with variants groth and grod, the former seen in names like Menegroth “Thousand Caves” and the latter in names like Novrod “Hollow-delving” (later Nogrod “Dwarf-delving”). It was derived from strengthened forms ✶grottā or grotā of the root √ROT (WJ/414-415).
Conceptual Development: The earliest iteration of this word was (archaic) G. †roth “cave, grot” from the early root ᴱ√roto (GL/65); this root was glossed “hollow” in the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon (QL/80). Both strengthened and unstrengthened variants N. groth and roth “cave, tunnel” appeared under the root ᴹ√ROT “bore, tunnel”, a late entry to The Etymologies of the 1930s (EtyAC/ROT). Suffixal forms -roth, -rod were mentioned in passing in Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (WPP) from the late 1950s or early 1960s as derivatives of √ROT “cave” in connection to the name S. Nimrodel (PE17/49).
A fairly lengthy discussion of these words appeared in the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 (WJ/414-415), where Tolkien gave the root form as √groto “dig, excavate, tunnel” contrasted with √rono “arch over, roof in”. Tolkien also compared groth/grod to S. rond “vaulted or roofed chamber”, only the latter of which “could be applied both to natural and to artificial structures”. Of the two Tolkien said:
> Though distinct in origin the derivatives of ✱groto and ✱rono naturally came into contact, since they were not dissimilar in shape, and a ✱rondō was usually made by excavation. Thus S groth < ✱grottā (an intensified form of grod < ✱grotā) “a large excavation” might well apply to a rond. Menegroth means “the Thousand Caves or Delvings”, but it contained one great rond and many minor ones (WJ/415).
Neo-Sindarin: Despite Tolkien’s comments in the Quendi and Eldar essay, there are some cases where grod/groth seems to apply to natural caves as well as excavated ones, such as Nimrodel “Lady of the White Cave” and Androth “✱Long Cave”. As such, I would use it for both natural and excavated caverns.
groth
noun. cave, tunnel, large excavation
groth
noun. delving, underground dwelling
roth
cave
(delving, large excavation), pl. ryth, 4) gathrod (i ’athrod), pl. gethryd (i ngethryd = i ñethryd)
groth
large excavation
groth (i **roth) (cave, delving), pl. gryth (in gryth**)
groth
large excavation
groth (i **roth) (cave, delving), pl. gryth (in gryth**);
groth
cave
(i ’roth) (delving, large excavation), pl. gryth (in gryth) (VT46:12)
grôd
cave
- grôd (i **rôd, construct grod) (delving, excavation, underground dwelling), pl. grŷd (in grŷd) (WJ:414), 2) groth (i **roth) (delving, large excavation), pl. gryth (in gryth) (VT46:12), 3) rond (construct ron) (cavern, vault, vaulted ceiling, hall with vaulted roof), pl. rynd (idh rynd), coll. pl. ronnath, 4) roth (delving, large excavation), pl. ryth, 4) gathrod (i **athrod), pl. gethryd (i ngethryd = i ñethryd), 5) fela (pl. fili). In the Etymologies (LR:381 s.v. PHÉLEG) the name Felagund is said to include this word, but since Tolkien later re-explained this name as a borrowing from Dwarvish, some would consider fela** as a word for ”cave” conceptually obsolete.
cidinn
?. [unglossed]
cinnog
?. [unglossed]
feleg
noun. cave
n. cave, mine, underground dwelling. Q. felco. Q.
grod
noun. large excavation, delving, underground dwelling
hand
noun. [unglossed]
madu
?. [unglossed]
maud
?. [unglossed]
menegroth
place name. Thousand Caves
The cave-palace of Thingol in Doriath, translated “Thousand Caves” (S/56). It is a combination of meneg “thousand” and groth “cave” (SA/groth, WJ/415).
Conceptual Development: The name Ilk. Menegroth appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/114, LR/220), and was designated as Doriathrin [Ilkorin] in The Etymologies, where it had essentially the same derivation as given above (Ety/ROD). In one late note the name was given as Menegrond, which might be a “pure Sindarin” form of this name as suggested by Carl Hostetter (NM/365).
rond
noun. cave roof
rond
noun. vaulted or arched roof, as seen from below (and usually not visible from outside), or a (large) hall of chamber so roofed
falf
foam
(breaker), pl. felf, coll. pl. falvath
faltha
foam
(i faltha, i falthar)
fela
cave
(pl. fili). In the Etymologies (LR:381 s.v. PHÉLEG) the name Felagund is said to include this word, but since Tolkien later re-explained this name as a borrowing from Dwarvish, some would consider fela as a word for ”cave” conceptually obsolete.
grôd
cave
(i ’rôd, construct grod) (delving, excavation, underground dwelling), pl. grŷd (in grŷd) (WJ:414)
gwing
foam
(i ’wing) (spindrift, spume, spray blown off wave-tops), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwing)
othronn
fortress in a cave/caves
(pl. ethrynn for archaic öthrynn) (underground stronghold). Cited in archaic form othrond in the source (WJ:414).
rhûd
artificial cave
(construct rhud, with article ?i thrûd or ?i rûd – *the lenition product of rh- is uncertain) (dwelling underground, rockhewn hall, mine), pl. rhuid (?idh ruid). (PM:365)*
rond
cave
(construct ron) (cavern, vault, vaulted ceiling, hall with vaulted roof), pl. rynd (idh rynd), coll. pl. ronnath
ross
foam
(construct ros) (rain, dew, spray [of fall or fountain]), pl. ryss (idh ryss) (Letters:282). Note: homophones mean ”reddish, russet, copper-coloured, red-haired” and also ”polished metal, glitter”
>> -rod