cirith

noun. cleft, high climbing pass, narrow passage cut through earth or rock, ravine, defile

cirith

noun. cirith

n.

cirith

noun. cleft, ravine, defile, cleft, ravine, defile, [N.] pass

A noun for a cut through earth or rock: a cleft, ravine, defile or pass. It is an abstract noun formation from the root √KIR “cut, cleave”, and thus might have other non-geographic applications such as “a cutting”, but the word criss “cut, slash” is probably better for such purposes.

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared in some revisions to Silmarillion drafts in the early 1930s, as {N. Cris-Ilfing >>} N. Kirith Helvin and {N. Cristhorn >>} N. Kirith-thoronath (SM/146). Neither of these names became established at this stage, but the word Kirith reappeared in Lord of the Rings drafts in 1940s, in names like N. Kirith Ungol “Spider Glen” (TI/330) and N. Kirith Gorgor “Dreadful Pass” (WR/122), after which Tolkien used this word widely. In the Nomenclature of the Lord of the Rings from 1967, Tolkien explained cirith as meaning: “a cleft, a narrow passage cut through earth or rock (like a railway cutting)” (RC/767).

Cognates

• Q. cirya “cleft, pass”

Element in

• S. Cirith Dúath “Shadow Cleft”
• S. Cirith Forn en Andrath “High-Climbing Pass of the North”
• S. Cirith Gorgor “Haunted Pass” ✧ RC/335
• S. Cirith Ninniach “Rainbow Cleft” ✧ S/238; SA/kir
• S. Cirith Thoronath “Eagles’ Cleft” ✧ SA/kir
• S. Cirith Ungol “Cleft of the Spider” ✧ RC/767

Elements

Word	Gloss
KIR	“cut, cleave, pass swiftly through; shave; skim (surface), slip along, glide quickly”
-th	“abstract noun”

Variations

• Cirith ✧ PE22/150; S/238; SA/kir

criss

noun. cleft, cleft, [N.] cut, slash, [G.] gash; [N.] pass, [G.] gully, ravine

A word for a “cleft, cut, slash” (PE21/81; Ety/KIRIS) derived from √KIRIS, a blend of the roots √KIR and √RIS (PE17/87).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to G. criss “cleft, gash, gully” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s where it was probably already a derivative of the early root ᴱ√KIRISI as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (GL/27; LT2A/Cris Ilbranteloth). In the Name-list to The Fall of Gondolin Tolkien gave cris with the definition “a cleft, ravine, or narrow way of waters with high walls” (PE15/21), and in this period it typically appeared in this shorter form within names like G. Cris Ilbranteloth or G. Cris Thorn.

N. criss appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “cleft, cut, slash” under the root ᴹ√KIRIS “cut” (Ety/KIRIS). It also appeared under the root ᴹ√KIR with the gloss “cleft, pass”, but this instance was deleted (EtyAC/KIR). S. criss “cleft” was mentioned in passing in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure (EVS2) from the early 1950s as derived from primitive ✶kirissi (PE21/80-81), and it was mentioned as a blending of roots in notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s as described above (PE17/87). Its use in names diminished over time, however, the only remnant in the final version of The Silmarillion being S. Crissaegrim (S/121).

Neo-Sindarin: In The Etymologies of the 1930s it seems this word was principally used as for a “cleft, cut, slash” independent of geography. I would assume the same is true for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, since criss is used only in a single geographic name in Tolkien’s later writings; S. cirith was use more broadly in geographic features. I would also assume it was a larger and more violent cut (a “gash” or “slash”) compared to S. rest for simple cuts.

Derivations

• √KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”
• ✶kirissi “cleft” ✧ PE21/80
  • √KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”

Element in

• S. Crissaegrim “*Cleft Mountain Peaks”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶kirissi > criss	[kiríssi] > [kirísse] > [krisse] > [kriss]	✧ PE21/80

riss

adjective. cleft

_ adj. _cleft, cloven, separate. Q. rista, risse, rinse. >> Imladris

falch

noun. deep cleft, ravine

thanc

adjective. cleft, split, forked

lond

pass

(harbour, haven, strait; narrow path), pl. lynd, coll. pl. lonnath (as in the name Lonnath Ernin, WR:294).

cirith

cleft

(i girith, o chirith) (cutting, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith)

cirith

pass

(noun) 1) cirith (i girith, o chirith) (cleft, cutting), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith), 2) lond (harbour, haven, strait; narrow path), pl. lynd, coll. pl. lonnath (as in the name Lonnath Ernin, WR:294). 3) (pass between mountains, hills or through trackless forest) imrad (path), pl. imraid.

cirith

pass

(i girith, o chirith) (cleft, cutting), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith)

cirith

cutting

cirith (i girith, o chirith) (cleft, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith)

cirith

cutting

(i girith, o chirith) (cleft, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith)

rist

cleft

(noun) 1) rist (-ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh rist). Note: a homophone means ”cleaver, cutter”, 2) cirith (i girith, o chirith) (cutting, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith), 3) cîl (i gîl, o chîl) (pass between hills, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. A homophone means ”renewal”. 4) criss (i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss), 4) iaw (gulf, ravine), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”, 5) rest (ravine, cut), pl. rist (idh rist), 6) (deep cleft) falch (ravine[?]), pl. felch

rist

cleft

(-ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh rist). Note: a homophone means ”cleaver, cutter”

criss

cleft

(i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss), 4) iaw (gulf, ravine), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”

cîl

cleft

(i gîl, o chîl) (pass between hills, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. A homophone means ”renewal”.

cîl

pass between hills

(i gîl, o chîl) (cleft, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. . A homophone means ”renewal”.

rest

cleft

(ravine, cut), pl. rist (idh rist)

falch

cleft

(ravine[?]), pl. felch

imrad

pass

(path), pl. imraid.

thanc

cleft

(adj.) thanc (forked, split), pl. thainc

thanc

cleft

(forked, split), pl. thainc

aglonn

pass between high walls

(defile), pl. eglynn;