Sindarin 

carch

noun. fang, fang, [N.] tooth

The Sindarin word for “fang” (SA/carak), most notably appearing as an element in the names like S. Carchost “Fang Fort” (RC/601) and S. Carcharoth “Red Maw” (S/180), perhaps more literally “✱Great Red Fang”. In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. carch was glossed “tooth, fang” under the root ᴹ√KARAK “sharp fang, spike, tooth” (Ety/KARAK). For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I’d use the word carch exclusively for the sharp teeth of animals (“fang”) and for “tooth” I’d use [N.] nêl or neleg.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had the word G. carc “jag, point, fang” (GL/25), likely based on the earlier form of the root: ᴱ√KṚKṚ (QL/48). This early word reflects the different phonetic developments of Gnomish versus Sindarin/Noldorin: compare G. orc (GL/63) vs. S./N. orch.

Sindarin [SA/carak] Group: Eldamo. Published by

carch

noun. tooth, fang

Sindarin [Ety/362, S/429] Group: SINDICT. Published by

carcharoth

masculine name. Red Maw, ?(lit.) Great Red Fang

A great werewolf bred by Morgoth to be the bane of Huan, who later bit off the hand of Beren. His name was translated “Red Maw” (S/180).

Possible Etymology: As indicated by Christopher Tolkien, this name very likely contains carch “fang, tooth” (SA/carak, Ety/KARAK), perhaps as its first element. The name probably also contains caran “red” (SA/caran), which might be the basis of the middle element. Alternately, car(an) could be the initial element, with the nasal mutation char(ch) of carch as the middle element. The final element seems to be the augmentative suffix -oth. Perhaps a more literal translation of the name would be “✱Great Red Fang”. Alternately, perhaps carch + oth = caroth means “maw”, and “Red Maw” is an exact translation.

Conceptual Development: When this character first appeared in the earliest Lost Tales, he was given the (Early) Qenya name ᴱQ. Karkaras “Knife-fang” (LT2/21), soon replaced by its Gnomish equivalent G. Carcaras. The name G. Carcharoth emerged in The Lays of Beleriand, along with its translation “Red Maw” (LB/289). For some time, Tolkien vacillated between Carcaras “Knife-fang” and Carcharoth “Red Maw”, with minor variants on each form, such as Carcharas (SM/115) or Carcharolch (LB/119). The name N. Carcharoth appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√KARAK (Ety/KARAK), and thereafter Tolkien used only this form.

Sindarin [LT2/068; LT2I/Carcharoth; S/180; SA/carak; SA/caran; SI/Carcharoth; WJI/Carcharoth] Group: Eldamo. Published by

carchost

place name. Fang Fort

One of the Towers of the Teeth along with its companion Narchost (LotR/900), translated “Fang Fort” in Tolkien’s “Unfinished Index” of The Lord of the Rings (RC/601). This name is a combination of carch “fang” and ost “fort(ress)” (SA/carak).

Conceptual Development: When it was first named specifically in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this fort was already called N. Carchost (SD/23), though the earlier names N. Gorgos “Dire-castle” (TI/344) and N. Kirith Naglath “Cleft of the Teeth” (WR/137) may have been precursors to this name.

Sindarin [LotRI/Carchost; LotRI/Towers of the Teeth; RC/601; SA/carak] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Carcharoth

noun. red maw

carch (“tooth, fang”) + car (from caran “red”) + #(h-)oth (#collective plural suffix)

Sindarin [Tolkiendil] Group: Tolkiendil Compound Sindarin Names. Published by

Carchost

noun. fang citadel

carch (“tooth, fang”) + ost (“fortress, stronghold”)

Sindarin [Tolkiendil] Group: Tolkiendil Compound Sindarin Names. Published by

carch

fang

carch (i garch, o charch) (tooth), pl. cerch (i cherch)

carch

tooth

(i garch, o charch), pl. cerch (i cherch).

carch

fang

(i garch, o charch) (tooth), pl. cerch (i cherch)

Carcharoth

Carcharoth

The name is translated as Red Maw; the recogniseable Sindarin elements are car(a)n "red" as well as carach "jaw" or carch "fang". Based on the above, perhaps the name can be analyzed into the unattested words carn (an alternate version of caran) and caroth "maw", the latter ending with the augmentative suffix -oth also seen in Nogoth "(Big) Dwarf" = naug + oth ("maw" = "big jaw"). Note that the final letter of car(a)n + the initial letter of carach/oth- produce the sound ch (IPA: x) with the phenomenon called nasal mutation.

Sindarin [Tolkien Gateway] Published by

Carchost

Carchost

The name Carchost is translated as "fang fort". It contains two Sindarin elements: carch, meaning "tooth, fang", and ost meaning "fortress".

Sindarin [Tolkien Gateway] Published by

nagol

tooth

1) *nagol (analogical pl. negyl, coll. pl. naglath*; possibly the analogical form nagolath would also be acceptable). Only the coll. pl. naglath is attested. 2) naes (no distinct pl. form) (VT45:36). 3) nêl (note: a homophone means ”three”), stem neleg-, whence pl. nelig. Also simply neleg (pl. nelig). 4) (fang) carch (i garch, o charch), pl. cerch (i cherch**).

naes

tooth

(no distinct pl. form) (VT45:36).

nagol

tooth

(analogical pl. negyl, coll. pl. naglath; possibly the analogical form ✱nagolath would also be acceptable). Only the coll. pl. naglath is attested.

nêl

tooth

(note: a homophone means ”three”), stem neleg-, whence pl. nelig. Also simply neleg (pl. nelig).

Noldorin 

carch

noun. tooth, fang

Noldorin [Ety/KARAK] Group: Eldamo. Published by

carch

noun. tooth, fang

Noldorin [Ety/362, S/429] Group: SINDICT. Published by

carchost

place name. Carchost

Noldorin [SD/023; SDI1/Carchost] Group: Eldamo. Published by

carcharoth

masculine name. Knife-fang

Noldorin [Ety/KARAK; LRI/Carcharoth; SM/112; SM/115; SMI/Carcharoth] Group: Eldamo. Published by

naes

noun. tooth

Noldorin [EtyAC/NAK] Group: Eldamo. Published by

naglath

noun. the teeth

Noldorin [WR/122] Group: SINDICT. Published by

nagol

noun. tooth

Noldorin [naglath WR/122] Group: SINDICT. Published by

nagol

noun. tooth

Tolkien used various “teeth” words related to the root √NAK “bite” throughout his life. The earliest of these was G. naith “a tooth” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, where its connection to the early root ᴱ√NAKA “bite” was made more clear by its archaic plural form nacthin (GL/59). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had N. naes derived from primitive ᴹ✶nakse under the root ᴹ√NAK “bite” (EtyAC/NAK). As suggested by David Salo (GL/275), another variant ✱nagol “tooth” is suggested by the class plural naglath in the names from Lord of the Rings drafts of 1940s: Naglath Morn “Teeth of Mordor” (WR/122) and Kirith Naglath “Cleft of the Teeth” (WR/137), neither of which made it into the published version.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I’d recommend using N. nêl or N. neleg for “tooth” words. Primitive ᴹ✶nakse would likely produce ✱nach rather than naes under Sindarin’s phonetic rules; compare S. ach “neck” < ✶aks[e] (PE17/92). As for N. nagol, it was also likely abandoned.

Noldorin [WR/122; WR/137] Group: Eldamo. Published by

neleg

noun. tooth

Noldorin [Ety/376, WR/113, VT/46:3] Group: SINDICT. Published by

neleg

noun. tooth

The most common word for “tooth”, appearing in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√NELEK of the same meaning (Ety/NÉL-EK). See variant N. nêl “tooth” for further discussion.

Noldorin [Ety/NÉL-EK; EtyAC/NÉL-EK; WR/106; WR/113] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nêl

noun. tooth

Noldorin [Ety/376, WR/113, VT/46:3] Group: SINDICT. Published by

nêl

noun. tooth

A word appearing as N. nêl “tooth” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√NELEK of the same meaning (Ety/NÉL-EK). It was one of a rare set of primitive words with final k, which was lost in very early stages of the language, to produce ON. nele (PE21/56). Its ON. plural was neleki, which produced nelig in the modern form of the language. Since the plural preserved the stop lost in the simplex, an alternate form N. neleg was restored from the plural.

This longer form neleg appeared as an element in a number of names from Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s: {N. Neleg Thilim “Gleaming Tooth” >>} N. Neleglos “White Tooth” (WR/106) and N. Nelig Myrn “Teeth of Mordor” (WR/113). None of these names made it into the published version. However, primitive √nelek “tooth” was mentioned as the basis for Ancient Telerin nele “tooth” in notes from the early 1950s, again with loss of final k and plural neleki (PE21/71-72).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I’d use neleg as the ordinary word for “tooth”, and limit nêl to the final element of compounds.

Noldorin [Ety/NÉL-EK] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Quenya 

carca

tooth

carca noun "tooth" (KARAK) or "fang" (SA:carak-). In a deleted version of the entry in question, the glosses were "tooth, spike, peak" (VT45:19). When referring to a normal tooth, not necessarily sharp, the word nelet is probably to be preferred. Cf. also pl. carcar _("karkar") _in Markirya, there translated "rocks", evidently referring to sharp rocks. Already the early "Qenya Lexicon" has carca ("k")"fang, tooth, tusk" (LT2:344). Collective carcanë, q.v.

nelcë

tooth

nelcë ("k")noun "tooth", also nelet (VT46:3)

nelet

tooth

nelet, also nelcë ("k")noun "tooth", pl. nelci ("k") suggesting a stem-form nelc- (NÉL-EK)

Primitive elvish

nelek

root. tooth

Primitive elvish [PE21/71] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Early Noldorin

carch

adjective. chilly

Early Noldorin [PE13/140] Group: Eldamo. Published by

carcharoth

masculine name. Knife-fang; Red Maw

Early Noldorin [LB/119; LB/208; LB/289; LB/292; LB/293; LBI/Carcharoth; SMI/Carcharoth] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

carcaras

masculine name. Knife-fang

Gnomish [GL/25; LT2/068; LT2A/Karkaras; LT2I/Karkaras; PE13/111] Group: Eldamo. Published by

naith

noun. tooth

Gnomish [GL/56; GL/59] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Qenya 

karka

noun. tooth

Qenya [Ety/KARAK; EtyAC/KARAK] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nele

noun. tooth

nelet

noun. tooth

The normal Quenya word for “tooth”, appearing in The Etymologies written around 1937 derived from the root ᴹ√NELEK of the same meaning (Ety/NÉL-EK), where the final k became t. Its plural form nelki [nelci] indicates a stem form of nelk- [nelc-], since in most inflected forms the word would undergo the Quenya syncope and loose the second e. A variant form nelke (EtyAC/NÉL-EK) may reflect a reformation to align with those inflected forms.

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s Tolkien had ᴱQ. nele (neli-) “tooth” under the early root ᴱ√NELE (QL/65), a word also mentioned in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (PME/65). In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s Tolkien instead had ᴱQ. nyat “tooth” (PE16/136), but that seems to have been a transient idea. ᴹQ. nelet first appeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from 1936 alongside variant nelke, but it was replaced by nele and then later nelke was deleted as well (PE21/56 and note #12). Both nelet and variant nelke were restored in The Etymologies (see above).

Primitive √nelek “tooth” was mentioned in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s, but its Quenya derivatives were not listed.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d use nelet (nelc-) “tooth” as the traditional form of this word, with nelcë as a modern variant with more regular inflections.

Qenya [Ety/NÉL-EK; EtyAC/NÉL-EK; PE19/058; PE21/56] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nelke

noun. tooth

Early Quenya

karkaras

masculine name. Knife-fang

Early Quenya [GL/25; LBI/Carcharoth; LT2/021; LT2/068; LT2/227; LT2A/Karkaras; LT2I/Karkaras; PME/048] Group: Eldamo. Published by

karkanel

noun. fang

A word in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “fang”, a combination of ᴱQ. karka “fang” and ᴱQ. nele “tooth” (QL/48).

Early Quenya [QL/048] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nele

noun. tooth

Early Quenya [PME/065; QL/048; QL/065] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nyat

noun. tooth

Early Quenya [PE16/136] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Old Noldorin 

nele

noun. tooth

Old Noldorin [Ety/NÉL-EK; PE21/56] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

nakse

noun. tooth

Middle Primitive Elvish [EtyAC/NAK] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nelek

root. tooth

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/NÉL-EK; PE19/058; PE21/56] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Ancient telerin

nele

noun. tooth

Ancient telerin [PE21/72] Group: Eldamo. Published by