dor

root. hard, tough, dried up, unyielding

The Elvish words for “oak” had very similar forms throughout Tolkien’s life. In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, it was ᴱQ. nor(ne) from the root ᴱ√NOŘO, which Tolkien marked with a “?” (QL/67). Its Gnomish cognate G. dorna (GL/30) hints that the true form of this early root might have been ✱ᴱ√NDOÐO or something similar. In the 1930s the root became ᴹ√DORON with derivatives ᴹQ. norno/N. doron “oak” (Ety/DÓRON). This somewhat surprising derivation was explained in the Outline of Phonology from the early 1950s, where Tolkien said:

> n ... also appears occasionally as product of [initial] d, instead of l, by assimilation to succeeding nasals, as in dorno > norno (PE19/80).

In etymological notes from the later 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien gave the root √DOR “hard, tough”, that in Quenya was preserved only in the word “oak” and in ndŏr > nŏr “land” (PE17/181). Its connection to “oak” indicates this is a later iteration of ᴹ√DORON, though the connection to √NDOR “land” was new. A similar root √DORO “dried up, hard, unyielding” appeared in the contemporaneous Quendi and Eldar essay from around 1959-1960, again connected to √NDOR but without mention of “oak” (WJ/413).

In both sets of notes, √DOR has the Sindarin derivative dorn “tough, stiff, thrawn, obdurate”, also used as another name for the dwarves. However, Tolkien sometimes used norn “Dwarf” instead (PE23/139; WJ/209), reflecting some vacillation on this root.

ndōro

noun. land

ndorē

noun. land

gardā

noun. region

dor

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

dor-tathrin

place name. Dor-tathrin

dor-lómen

place name. Dor-lómen

dorwinion

place name. Dorwinion

dor-daideloth

place name. Land of (the Shadow of) Dread, Loathly Land

dor-na-fauglith

place name. Land of (Gasping) Thirst

dor granthir

place name. Land of Cranthir

doriath

place name. Land of the Cave

dor firn i guinar

place name. Land of the Dead that Live

dor-na-thuin

place name. Land of Pines

dôr

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

nimdildor

place name. High White Horn

thorondor

masculine name. King of Eagles

-dor

suffix. *king, lord

taur-na-fuin

place name. Forest of Night

Earlier name of S. Taur-nu-Fuin, this form of the name first appeared in The Lays of Beleriand (LB/34). Early in this period, Tolkien often translated this name as “Deadly Nightshade” (LB/34, SM/103, SM/299), but he eventually decided that this translation was actually a second name for the forest, whose Elvish form was N. Deldúwath.

In The Etymologies, Tolkien also posited that this name was a punning alteration of N. Dor-na-Thuin, the proper Noldorin form of Ilk. Dorthonion, the name of the region before it was corrupted by Morgoth (Ety/THŌN). When the Noldorin language became Sindarin, this development no longer made sense.

inias valannor

proper name. Annals of Valinor

Noldorin title for the “Annals of Valinor”, a combination of ínias “annals” and the lenited form of the Noldorin name of the region, Balannor (LR/202).

taur

adjective. vast, mighty, overwhelming, awful, huge; high, sublime

An adjective in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “mighty, vast, overwhelming, huge, awful” derived from primitive ᴹ✶taurā “masterful, mighty” based on the root ᴹ√TUR “power, control, mastery, victory” (Ety/TÁWAR, TUR). It was also influenced by ᴹ✶tārā “lofty” and as such had the alternate meaning “high, sublime”. Thus its gloss “awful” has the sense “causing awe” rather than its modern English meaning “terrible”, and its general meaning seems to something that is mighty (in strength or size) and also induces awe, either inspiring or terrifying. Its Quenya equivalent Q. taura continued to appear in later writings (PE17/115, VT39/10), indicating that this Noldorin word probably remained valid in Sindarin.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had the adjective G. taura “powerful” and the (archaic) noun G. †taur “ability, power” (GL/69), both based on the early root ᴱ√TURU “am strong” (GL/72; QL/95).

deldúwath

place name. Deadly Nightshade

gwathfuin-daidelos

place name. Deadly Nightshade

An earlier name for S. Deldúwath appearing in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, glossed “Deadly Nightshade” (LR/133) or “Night of Dread’s Shadow” (LR/406). It is a combination of gwath “shade”, fuin “night” and Daedhelos “Shadow of Fear”.

math-fuin-delos

place name. Deadly Nightshade

Earliest name for S. Deldúwath appearing in Silmarillion drafts from the early 1930s, glossed “Deadly Nightshade” (SM/299). It is a combination of G. math “dusk”, N. fuin “night” and a variant form delos of deloth “abhorrence”.

nan-tathren

place name. Land of Willows

nan-tathrin

place name. Land of Willows

dor

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

dor i thuin

place name. Dor i Thuin

A variant of the name Dorthonion, apparently the proper Sindarin name of that region. This name is a combination dôr “land”, i “the” and the plural thuin of thôn “pine” (PE17/81).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies from the 1930s, a similar variant N. Dor-na-Thuin appeared for Ilk. Dorthonion (Ety/THŌN).

Dor Lamren

noun. Dor Lamren

echoing land (pure S of Dor Lómin); (n-)dôr (“land, dwelling-place”), glamren (“echoing”) < glam (S glamor, glambr “echo”) + en (adjectival suffix)

dor haeron

proper name. Dor Haeron

Name of the region between the Isen and the Entwash, attested only in drafts of the Lord of the Rings appendices (PM/273). The initial element is clearly dôr “land”, and the final element may be a variation of hae “very far away” or haer “remote”, hence: “✱Distant Land” (as suggested by David Salo, GS/374).

dor lindon

place name. Dor Lindon

A fuller name for the land of Lindon (WJ/385), a combination dôr “land” with the name of that region.

Dor i Thuin

place name. Dor i Thuin

topon.

Dor nu Fauglirh

Dor nu Fauglirh

topon.

Dor nu Fuin

place name. Dor nu Fuin

topon.

dor-i-ndainn

place name. dor-i-ndainn

topon.

dor-lómin

place name. Dor-lómin

dor-i-ndainn

place name. *Land of the Nandor

dor-nu-fauglith

place name. Land under Choking Ash

Another name for Anfauglith (S/153), translated “Land under Choking Ash” (WJ/239-240). This name is a combination of dôr “land”, nu “under”, faug “thirsty” and lith “ash” (SA/faug, lith).

Conceptual Development: In the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s, this name was first writen G. Dor na Maiglos, soon revised to ᴱN. Dor-na-Fauglith with na “of” instead of nu “under” (LB/49). In the Lays, this name was translated as “Thirsty Plain” or “Land of Thirst” (LB/39, 275). The name N. Dor-na-Fauglith was retained in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, variously translated as “Plain of Thirst”, “Land of Gasping Thirst” and “Land of Thirst” (SM/26, LR/132, LR/280). In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, Tolkien revised the name to Dor-no-Fauglith >> Dor-nu-Fauglith, and modified the translation to “Land under Choking Ash” (WJ/239-240).

dor daedeloth

place name. Land of Great Dread; Land of Shadow of Horror

The land of Morgoth (S/127), translated “Land of Great Dread” (WJ/183), a combination of dôr “land”, a form of daer “great” and deloth “abhorrence, detestation, loathing” (SA/del, WJ/187).

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, this name first appeared as G. Ladwen-na-Dhaideloth “Heath of the Sky-roof” (LT2/287), revised to G. Dor-na-Dhaideloth of similar meaning (LT2A/Dor-na-Dhaideloth, LT2/287). In the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s, Tolkien revised the meaning of last element of ᴱN. Dor-na-Dhaideloth to “[Land of the] High Plain” (LB/49).

In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, it generally appeared as N. Dor-Daideloth (SM/269, LR/250) or Dor-Daedeloth (LR/120, LR/256). At this time the name was usually glossed “Land of Dread”, but this was only accurate as a translation of its shorter variant Dor-Deloth (LR/405, WJ/183), which was also translated as “Loathly Land” in The Etymologies (Ety/DYEL). In one place in this period the name appeared as Dor-na-Daideloth “Land of the Shadow of Dread” (LR/405), a better indication of its full meaning. In The Etymologies from the 1930s, there was a word N. dae “shadow”, which appeared as an element in the variant name N. Daedhelos “Shadow of Fear” (Ety/DAY). These factors are probably the source of Christopher Tolkien’s translation in the Silmarillion Index: “Land of Shadow of Horror” (SI/Dor Daedeloth, SA/dae).

However, in revisions to the Silmarillion map from 1950s, J.R.R. Tolkien translated S. Dor Dae-deloth as “Land of Great Dread” (WJ/183), and later still considered changing the name to S. Dor-na-Daerachas of the same meaning (WJ/187). This indicates that he altered the sense of the element dae from “shadow” to “great”, though exactly when he did so is difficult to pin down.

dor dínen

place name. Silent Land

An uninhabited land in Beleriand, translated “Silent Land” (S/121, WJ/194), a combination of dôr “land” and dínen “silent” (SA/dîn).

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, Tolkien also used the form Dor Dhínen (WJ/333), reflecting uncertainty over the proper form of the adjective dínen.

dor gyrth i chuinar

place name. Land of the Dead that Live

A variant form of Dor Firn-i-Guinar appearing in one of Tolkien’s letters from 1972 (Let/417). It differs from the common form in that it uses the plural gyrth of gorth for “The Dead” and that the verb inflection of cuina- “live” undergoes nasal mutation instead of soft mutation. The latter implies that the relative pronoun i is elided from a plural form in.

Conceptual Development: A similar variation N. Gyrth-i-Guinar appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/305).

dor-na-daerachas

place name. Land of Great Dread

A proposed replacement name for Dor Daedeloth in very late notes from 1971 that Tolkien made to The Lord of the Rings maps (WJ/187), translated “Land of Great Dread” (WJ/183). The first few elements seem to be dôr “land”, na(n) “of” and daer “great”. This means the final element achas (perhaps lented from ✱gachas) must mean “dread”, but there are no other clear equivalents to this word in Tolkien’s writing. In a Discord chat from 2022-10-17, Röandil proposed the first element might instead by dae (still meaning “great”), and that the second element rachas might be related to Q. raxë “danger”.

dor caranthir

place name. Land of Caranthir

The realm of Caranthir in Beleriand (S/124), a combination of dôr “land” with his name.

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name first appeared as N. Dor Granthir (LR/265), using the earlier form of his name N. Cranthir, undergoing soft mutation according to the earlier rules of Noldorin, in which both nouns and adjectives are lenited in this position, not just adjectives as in Sindarin.

dor firn-i-guinar

place name. Land of the Dead that Live

Home of Beren and Lúthien after their return to life, translated “Land of the Dead that Live” (S/188). This name is a combination of dôr “land”, the plural firn of fern “dead”, the relative pronoun i “who” and the present plural inflection of the cuina- “live”, lenited to guinar by the preceding pronoun.

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, this name first appeared as G. (i·)Cuilwarthon “(The) Dead That Live Again” (LT2/41, 51). In the earliest Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s this form first persisted as Cuilwarthien (SM/133), but was soon revised to N. Gwerth-i-Cuina “(Land of) the Dead that Live” (SM/135). This name N. Dor Firn i Guinar first appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/KUY, PHIR). Nevertheless, the form Gwerth-i-guinar appeared in the initial Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (WJ/71) before Tolkien settled on its final form.

In both the 1930s and later, Tolkien occasionally used Gyrth as the word for “The Dead”, in N. Gyrth-i-Guinar (LR/305) and S. Dor Gyrth i Chuinar. See those entries for further discussion.

dorthonion

place name. Land of Pines

A forested region in northern Beleriand, meaning “Land of Pines”. After its corruption by the forces of Morgoth, the region was renamed to Taur-nu-Fuin.

Possibly Etymology: The name contains the elements S. dôr “land” and thôn “pine”, but its final element -ion is harder to explain. It could be the suffix -ion “-land” appearing in names like Eregion and Rhovanion, but then both the first and final elements of Dorthonion would mean “land”, which seems unlikely.

In one note (PE17/81), Tolkien said that this word was “Sindarin Noldorized”, so perhaps the final element is the Quenya genitive plural -ion, so that -thonion is Quenyarized Sindarin for “of Pines”. In the same note, Tolkien gives Dor i Thuin, apparently as the proper Sindarin name of the region. Since Dorthonion is where many Noldor settled after their arrival in Beleriand, this scenario is plausible.

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the early 1930s, this name first appeared as Taur Danin (SM/107), later revised to Taur-na-Danion “Forest of Pines” (SM/296, LR/145) with variants -Thanion, -Donion, -Thonion. It became Dorthanion >> Dorthonion in Silmarillion drafts from the mid-1930s (LR/145, 257), the last of these forms being used thereafter.

In The Etymologies, Tolkien specified that the name was from the Ilkorin language, Ilk. Dorthonion “Land of Pines”, while its Noldorin form was N. Dor-na-Thuin (Ety/THŌN). Since the Ilkorin language also used -(i)on for is genitive plural, this is an earlier parallel of the Quenyarized Dorthonion versus proper Sindarin Dor i Thuin discussed above.

Dor Lómin (Lómen)

noun. echoing land

(n-)dôr (“land, dwelling-place”), lómin ([also lómen] Dor. “echoing”)

dor-en-ernil

place name. Land of the Prince

The Gondorian province ruled by the Prince of Dol Amroth, translated “Land of the Prince” (UT/245), a combination dôr “land”, en “of the” and ernil “prince”.

Dorthonion

place name. 'Land of Pines'

topon. 'Land of Pines'. Noldorized S. form.

dor-cúarthol

place name. Land of Bow and Helm

The region where Túrin and Beleg campaigned against Morgoth, translated “Land of Bow and Helm” (S/205), a combination dôr “land”, cû “bow”, a variant ar of a “and” with thôl “helm” (SA/cú, thôl).

dor-rodyn

place name. *Land of the Valar

A Sindarin name for Q. Valinórë (MR/200). This name is a combination of dôr “land” and the plural Rodyn of Rodon “Vala”, also seen in the Sindarin name for the last day of the Elvish week: Rodyn (LotR/1110). This name may have replaced the earlier name Balannor; see that entry for discussion.

Dor-Cúartho

noun. land of bow and Helm

(n-)dôr (“land, dwelling-place”), cû (“bow”) + ar (“and”) + thôl (“helm”)

Dor-nu-Fauglith

noun. land under choking ash

(n-)dôr (“land, dwelling”) + nu (prep. “under”) + faug (“thirst”) + lith (“ash, sand, dust”)

Dor Daedelos

noun. land of great / shadow of fear

(n-)dôr (“land, dwelling-place”), dae (“shadow”) #or daer (“great”) + delos (“abhorrence, loathing, detestation”) [Etym. DYEL-] probably del (“fear”) + gos, goth (#gost? “dread”)

Dor Dínen

noun. silent land

(n-)dôr(“land, dwelling-place”), dîn (“silence”) + en (adjective suffix) #The lack of lenition might be explained by Tolkien's dislike for “uncouth” digraph dh.

Dor Firn-i-Chuinar

noun. land of the dead who live

(n-)dôr (“land, dwelling-place”), firn (pl. of fern “mortal”) + in (here: plural relative pronoun) + cuinar (3p pl. of cuina - “be alive”)

Dor I thoen

place name. 'Land of Pines'

topon. 'Land of Pines'. . This gloss was rejected.

dôr

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

dôr

noun. land, land, [N.] region where certain people live, [ᴱN.] country; [G.] people of the land

Garthurian (= Doriath)

noun. Dor. fenced realm

garth, gardh- (Dor. “realm”) + thurian ([HKF] Dor. p.p. of THUR- “surround, fence, ward, secrete”)

thorondor

masculine name. King of Eagles

The King of the Eagles (S/110), his name is a combination of thoron “eagle” and the suffix -dor “king” (SA/thoron, Let/427).

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, this character was named Thorndor “King of Eagles” (LT2/192), a form that also appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (SM/34, 102; LR/126). The form Thorondor first appeared as a late change in the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s (LB/292), and this new form gradually supplanted the old one in the Silmarillion drafts (LR/145, 256). N. Thorondor was the only form to appear in The Etymologies, where it was translated “King of Eagles” and given the derivation described above (Ety/THOR).

-dor

suffix. *king, lord

[properly the suffix is -tor, but it always undergoes soft mutation to -dor]

ínias dor-rodyn

proper name. Annals of Valinor

Sindarin name of the “Annals of Valinor”, a combination of ínias “annals” and Dor-Rodyn “✱Land of the Valar” (MR/200).

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name first appeared as N. Inias Valannor in keeping with the different rules of lenition from that period, later revised to Inias Balannor (LR/202).

-dor

suffix. a region inhabited by a people

_ suff. _a region inhabited by a people. Usually used instead of -_bar _in Sindarin. >> -bar

Dor-en-Ernil

Dor-en-Ernil

Dor-en-Ernil consists of the Sindarin words dor "land" + en "of" + ernil "prince".

Dor-lómin

Dor-lómin

Dor-lómin is a Sindarin name meaning "Land of Echoes".[source?] Its Quenya name was Lóminórë.

Dor Daedeloth

Dor Daedeloth

In the published Silmarillion, the name Dor Daedeloth is translated as "Land of the Shadow of Horror".

Dor Firn-i-Guinar

Dor Firn-i-Guinar

Dor Firn-i-Guinar is the name appearing in the published Silmarillion, apparently consisting of the Sindarin elements dor "land" + firn "dead" + in "who, that" + cuinar "live". In his manuscripts, Tolkien experimented with many variations on how to translate Land of the Dead that Live: I·Cuilwarthon, I·Guilwarthon, Cuilwarthien, Gwerth-i-cuina, and Gwerth-i-guinar. In a [] letter, Tolkien used the name Dor Gyrth i chuinar.

Lóminorthin

noun. echoing mountains (pure Dor. of Ered Lómin)

lómin (pl. of Dor.lómen “echoing”) + orthin (pl. of Dor. orth “mountain”)

Dor-lómin

place name. Land of Echoes

Dor-lómin is a Sindarin name meaning "Land of Echoes". Its Quenya name was Lóminórë.

Dor Firn-i-Guinar

Land of the dead that live

Dor Firn-i-Guinar is the name appearing in the published Silmarillion, apparently consisting of the Sindarin elements dor "land" + firn "dead" + in "who, that" + cuinar "live".

In his manuscripts, Tolkien experimented with many variations on how to translate Land of the Dead that Live: I·Cuilwarthon, I·Guilwarthon, Cuilwarthien, Gwerth-i-cuina, and Gwerth-i-guinar. In a 1972 letter, Tolkien used the name Dor Gyrth i chuinar.

Dor Dínen

place name. Silent land

dôr

dwelling place

(i nôr, construct dor) (land, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr) (WJ:413).

dôr

region

(i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, land), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr) (WJ:413)

dôr

land

1) dôr (i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr), coll. pl. dorath (WJ:413), 2) bâr (dwelling, house, home, family; earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

dôr

land

(i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr), coll. pl. dorath (WJ:413)

-bar

suffix. a region inhabited by a people

_ suff. _a region inhabited by a people. Only used in old names. Sindarin usually used -dor instead. Q. -mar. >> -dor

region

noun. holly-tree area

[HKF] reg (Dor. regorn “holly tree”) + ion (Dor. gen. pl. suffix) = Dor. Regornion [Etym. ERÉK-]

arnor

place name. Royal Land

The northern kingdom of the Dúnedain (LotR/242), variously translated as “Royal Land” (Let/428), “Noble Land” (PE17/28) or “King(ly) Land” (PE17/28, PE17/118). In ordinary Sindarin, this name would have been ✱✱Ardor, a combination of the prefix ar(a)- “noble, royal” and the noun dôr “land” (Let/428, PE17/118). It was, however, blended with or adapted from its Quenya name Aran(d)órë (Let/428, PE17/28).

taur-nu-fuin

place name. Forest under Night(shade)

A forest in northern Dorthonion corrupted by Morgoth and turned to darkness (S/155). Its name is a compound of taur “forest”, nu “under” and fuin “night” (SA/taur, fuin). The final element was often translated “nightshade” (S/155, WJ/56), but this is an allusion to the other name of this forest: Deldúwath “Deadly Nightshade”.

Conceptual Development: This name dates back to the earliest Lost Tales, and always had the elements taur and fuin. Its development was G. Taurfuin “Forest of Night” (LT2/47) >> N. Taur-na-Fuin “Forest of Night, Deadly Nightshade” (LB/34, SM/26, LR/133) >> S. Taur-nu-Fuin “Forest under Night(shade)” (S/155), with the middle preposition changing from na “of” to nu “under”.

In some older writings, this forest’s name was translated “Mirkwood” (LR/282, WJ/239) and in at least one place Tolkien decided that Taur-nu-Fuin was the proper Elvish name of Mirkwood (UT/281). However, the canonical Elvish name of Mirkwood was Taur e-Ndaedelos “Forest of the Great Fear” (LotR/1134).

ardh

region

1) ardh (realm), pl. erdh, also in augmented form ardhon (great region, great province, world), pl. erdhyn, coll. pl. ardhonnath. 2) dôr (i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, land), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr) (WJ:413), 3) gardh (i **ardh) (bounded or defined place), pl. gerdh (i ngerdh = i ñerdh), 4) gwaith (i **waith) (manhood, manpower, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, people, wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith).

gardh

noun. bounded or defined region

gardh

noun. world

ardhon

noun. great region, province

ardhon

noun. world

bar

noun. dwelling, home

bar

noun. inhabited land

dern

hard

adj. hard, thrawn. Also used for Dwarves, esp. in pl2. dernlir. >> gorn

dîr

adjective. hard

_ adj. _hard, difficult. dērā << dīrā. >> dír-

gardh

noun. region

gorn

hard

adj. hard, thrawn. Also used for Dwarves, esp. in pl2. gornhoth (hostile implication). >> dern

gorn

hard

_ adj. _hard, stiff, thrawn. >> gornod, gordh

aran

king of a region

(pl. erain)

ardh

region

(realm), pl. erdh, also in augmented form ardhon (great region, great province, world), pl. erdhyn, coll. pl. ardhonnath.

bâr

dwelling

bâr (house, home, family; land, earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds

bâr

dwelling

(house, home, family; land, earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds

bâr

land

(dwelling, house, home, family; earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

gardh

region

(i ’ardh) (bounded or defined place), pl. gerdh (i ngerdh = i ñerdh)

gilwen

region of stars

(Quenya Ilmen), also Gilith. In the Etymologies, this word is derived from a root GIL (LR:358) and would then have the form ’Ilwen (’Ilwith) when lenited. But in a later source, Tolkien cited the relevant root as ÑGIL (MR:388), and the lenited form would then be Ngilwen (Ngilwith).

gobel

enclosed dwelling

(i ’obel) (walled house or village, ”town”), pl. gebil (i ngebil = i ñebil). Archaic pl. göbil.

grôd

underground dwelling

(i ’rôd, construct grod) (cave, delving, excavation), pl. grŷd (in grŷd) (WJ:414)

gwaith

region

(i ’waith) (manhood, manpower, troop of able-bodied men, host, regiment, people, wilderness), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaith).

nand

wide grassland

(construct nan) (valley), pl. naind, coll. pl. **nannath **(VT45:36);

norn

hard

norn (twisted, knotted, crabbed, contorted), pl. nyrn. Also used as noun = ”Dwarf”. (MR:93, WJ:205)

norn

hard

(twisted, knotted, crabbed, contorted), pl. nyrn. Also used as noun = ”Dwarf”. (MR:93, WJ:205)

parth

enclosed grassland

(i barth, o pharth) (field, sward), pl. perth (i pherth);

rhûd

dwelling underground

(construct rhud, with article ?i thrûd or ?i rûd – *the lenition product of rh- is uncertain) (artificial cave, rockhewn hall, mine), pl. rhuid (?idh ruid) (PM:365)*.

taur

vast

taur (also tor-, tar- in compounds) (lofty, high, sublime, noble; vast, masterful, mighty, overwhelming, huge, awful), lenited daur, pl. toer. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”great wood, forest”.

taur

vast

(also tor-, tar- in compounds) (lofty, high, sublime, noble; vast, masterful, mighty, overwhelming, huge, awful), lenited daur, pl. toer. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”great wood, forest”.

dor-lómin

place name. *Echoing-land

-ndor

land

-ndor, final element in compounds: "land" (Letters:308, UT:253)

-ndor

suffix. land, country

endórë

place name. Middle-earth, (lit.) Middle Land

The Quenya word for “Middle-earth” (LotR/1115). It often appeared in its shorter form Endor (S/89), similar to Valinórë/Valinor and Númenórë/Númenor. Its initial element is endë “middle” and its final element is a blending of nórë and -ndor often seen in the names of lands (PE17/26).

Properly speaking, the word Endor applied only to the land mass containing Arnor and Gondor (and Beleriand before it was destroyed) where much of action of Tolkien’s tales took place. In his Nomenclature of the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien defined Middle-earth as “the inhabited lands of (Elves and) Men, envisaged as lying between the Western Sea and that of the Far East” (RC/774).

The informal use of the term “Middle-earth” for Tolkien’s entire fictional world came from the descriptions of his works by others rather than from Tolkien. Tolkien said that Middle-earth was “not a special land, or world, or ‘planet’ as too often supposed” (RC/774). Elsewhere, he said the Quenya word for the “World” (equivalent to “Earth”) was Ambar (LotR/967, WJ/402).

Conceptual Development: The term “Middle-earth” was inspired by Old English Middanġeard or Norse Midgard (RC/774). In Northern European mythology, Midgard referred to the Earth as the land of men between the Heaven(s) and Hell(s), but Heaven and Hell as realms above and below the world did not exist within Tolkien’s cosmology. The word Endor instead referred to the home of Elves and Men in the center of the world between the East and West.

The name ᴹQ. {Endon >>} Endor first appeared in maps and notes associated with Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, where it was given as the name for the “midmost point of Middle-earth” (SM/241, 254). It later appeared in The Etymologies with the translation “Middle-earth” (Ety/NDOR), also described as “centre of the world” (Ety/ÉNED).

In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, this name also appeared in the (ultimately rejected) forms Endon, Endór and Endar (MR/70, 121, 126).

nór

noun. land

A term for “land” as in “(dry) land as opposed to the sea”, mentioned in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (WJ/413) and again in notes from around 1968 (PE17/106-107).

Possible Etymology: In the Quendi and Eldar essay this term was derived from primitive ✶ndōro, but in the aforementioned 1968 notes Tolkien clarified that its stem form was nŏr-. This means it was probably derived from ancient ✱ndŏr-, where the long vowel in the uninflected form was inherited from the Common Eldarin subjective form ✱ndōr, a phenomenon also seen in words like nér (ner-) “man”. I prefer this second derivation, as it makes the independent word more distinct from the suffixal form -ndor or -nóre used in the names of countries.

aranórë

place name. Kingsland

The Quenya equivalent of Arnor, with many variants (Aranórë being the most easily decomposed). It is a compound of either ar(a)- “royal” or aran “king”, with the second element either nórë or -ndor “land”. See the entry for Arnor for further discussion.

sorontar

masculine name. King of Eagles

The Quenya name of Thorondor, a compound of the prefixal form soron- of soron “eagle” and the word element -tar “king” used in compounds (SA/thoron; Ety/TĀ, THOR).

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, this character’s name once appeared as ᴱQ. Ramandur (LT2/203) but in this instance it was replaced by ᴱQ. Sorontur “King of Eagles”, which was his usual Qenya name in the early stories (LT1/73, LT2/192). His name appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s as ᴹQ. Sorontar “King of Eagles”, and these entries are the source for the etymology given above (Ety/TĀ, THOR). This name appeared in Silmarillion revisions and notes from the 1950s (MR/410, WJ/272) and also in The Silmarillion appendix (SA/thoron), but Christopher Tolkien did not include it in the main text of the published version of The Silmarillion.

nórë

land

nórë noun "land" (associated with a particular people) (WJ:413), "country, land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live, race, clan" (NŌ, NDOR, BAL), also used = "race, tribe, people" (SA:dôr, PE17:169; however, the normal word for "people" is lië). Early "Qenya" hasnórë "native land, nation, family, country" (in compounds -nor) (LT1:272)

yénië valinóreo

proper name. Annals of Valinor

Quenya title of the “Annals of Valinor” (MR/200), a combination of yénië “annals” and the genitive form of Valinórë. It also appeared as Valinóre Yénie.

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name appeared as ᴹQ. Yénie Valinóren (LR/202) using the earlier form of the Quenya genitive: the suffix -n instead of later -o. This name was preceded by the forms ᴹQ. Valinórelúmien >> ᴹQ. Nyarna Valinóren, all with the same translation.

-nor

suffix. land, country

Naira

vast, wide, empty

naira (2) adj. "vast, wide, empty" (PE17:27)

Yón

region, any (fairly extensive) region between obstacles such as rivers or mountains

yón (2), variant of yondë, q.v. Defined as "a region, any (fairly extensive) region _between obstacles such as rivers or mountains" (PE17:43)_

farnë

dwelling

#farnë (2) noun "dwelling", in orofarnë (as translated in Letters:224, but in other notes of Tolkiens the word was interpreted "any growing thing or plant", PE17:83)

marda

dwelling

marda noun "dwelling" (PE17:107)

ména

region

ména noun "region" (MEN). Not to be confused with the present/continuative tense of #men- "go".

nór

land

nór noun "land" (stem nor-, PE17:106) this is land as opposed to water and sea (nor in Letters:308). Cf. nórë.

nóre

noun. land

sarda

hard

sarda adj. "hard" (VT39:17); pl. sardë "hards" may be used in the same sense as sarda tengwi, q.v. (As an independent form we would rather expect a nominal pl. sardar.)

torna

hard

#torna adj. "hard", as in tornanga (q.v.), seemingly -storna after prefixes ending in a vowel, as in the comparative forms aristorna, anastorna (PE17:56; the forms are untranslated and may not necessarily be the same adjective "hard".)

torna

adjective. hard

urda

hard, difficult, arduous

urda adj. "hard, difficult, arduous" (PE17:154)

yána

vast, huge; wide

yána (1) adj. "vast, huge; wide" (PE17:99, 115); also yanda, q.v.

yón

noun. region

dóri-

noun. land

Isolated from Lindórinan. The independent form of the word may differ; it is unclear where the i of the compound Lindórinan comes from. In the Etymologies, the Eldarin words for "land" are derived from a stem NDOR "dwell, stay, rest, abide" (LR:376).

No Nandorin word is there listed, but Sindarin dor is derived from primitive ndorê. Notice, however, that Tolkien many years later derived the Eldarin words for "land" from a stem DORO "dried up, hard, unyielding" (WJ:413). However, this later source does confirm that the Primitive Quendian form was ndorê, now thought to be formed by initial enrichment d > nd. This is defined as "the hard, dry land as opposed to water or bog", later developing the meaning "land in general as opposed to sea", and finally also "a land" as a particular region, "with more or less defined bounds".

Whether dóri- actually comes from ndorê is highly doubtful (this would rather yield *dora in Nandorin), but it must be derived from the same set of stems.

thâni

noun. land

A noun translated “land” (SD/435) appearing in the Adûnaic names for the Blessed Realm: Amatthâni and thâni’nAmân. Its Primitive Adûnaic form was also ✶thāni, though its primitive was glossed “realm" (SD/420).

zâyan

noun. land

An Adûnaic word for “land” (SD/423). It has an irregular plural form zâin which is the result of the phonetic change (SD/423): [[pad|medial [w] and [j] vanished before [u] and [i]]]. Thus, the archaic plural changed from †zâyîn > zâîn > zâin.

Conceptual Development: In earlier names this word appeared as zen (SD/378, 385).