Rú

drûg

Rú noun "Drûg", Rúatan pl. Rúatani "Drúedain" (UT:385)

rú

proper name. Wose

Given as the Quenya word for “Wose” (UT/385), most likely an adaptation of its Sindarin cognate S. Drû.

hos

folk

hos noun "folk" (LT2:340)

hróva

dark, dark brown

hróva adj. "dark, dark brown", used to refer to hair (PE17:154)

lér

man

**lér noun "man" (NI1; hypothetical Q form of PQ dēr; the form actually used in Quenya was nér)

lóna

dark

?lóna (4) adj. "dark" (DO3/DŌ). If this is to be the cognate of "Noldorin"/Sindarin dûr, as the context seems to indicate, lóna is likely a misreading for *lóra in Tolkien's manuscript.

lúna

dark

lúna adj. *"dark" in Lúnaturco and Taras Lúna, Quenya names of Barad-dûr (Dark Tower). (PE17:22). In the Etymologies, lúnë "blue" was changed by Tolkien from lúna (VT45:29).

lúrëa

dark, overcast

lúrëa adj. "dark, overcast" (LT1:259)

mori-

dark, black

mori- "dark, black" in a number of compounds (independent form morë, q.v.):Morimando "Dark Mando" = Mandos (MBAD, VT45:33), morimaitë "black-handed" (LotR3:VI ch. 6, VT49:42). Moriquendi "Dark Elves" (SA:mor, WJ:361, 373), Moringotto "Black Foe", Sindarin Morgoth, later name of Melkor. The oldest form is said to have been Moriñgotho (MR:194). In late material, Tolkien is seen to consider both Moringotto and Moricotto _("k") _as the Quenya form of the name Morgoth (VT49:24-25; Moricotto also appears in the ablative, Moricottollo). Morion "the dark one", a title of Morgoth (FS). Morifinwë "dark Finwë", masc. name; he was called Caranthir in Sindarin (short Quenya name Moryo). (PM:353) In the name Morinehtar, translated "Darkness-slayer", the initial element is defined would thus seem to signify "darkness" rather than "dark" as an adjective (see mórë). (PM:384, 385)

morna

dark, black

morna adj. "dark, black" (Letters:282, LT1:261; also used of black hair, PE17:154), or "gloomy, sombre" (MOR). Used as noun in the phrase mi…morna of someone clad "in…black" (PE17:71). In tumbalemorna (Letters:282), q.v. Pl. mornë in Markirya**(the first version of this poem had "green rocks", MC:215, changed to ondolisse mornë** "upon dark rocks" in the final version; see MC:220, note 8).

morĭ

adjective. dark

PQ. dark

móri

dark

móri adj. "dark" (MC:221; this is "Qenya"; in Tolkien's later Quenya mórë, morë)

nulla

dark, dusky, obscure

nulla adj. "dark, dusky, obscure" (NDUL), "secret" (DUL). See also VT45:11.

nér

man

nér (1) (ner-, as in pl. neri) noun "man" (adult male elf, mortal, or of other speaking race) (MR:213, VT49:17, DER, NDER, NI1, VT45:9; see also WJ:393)

nér

noun. man

núla

dark, occult, mysterious

núla ("ñ")adj. "dark, occult, mysterious" (PE17:125)

tavar

wood

tavar (1) noun "wood" (TÁWAR)

toina

adjective. wood, wood, *wooden, made of wood

A word glossed “wood” appearing in a list of “large & small” roots from around 1968 derived from primitive ✶tawĭnā (PE17/115) and hence probably an adjective “✱wooden, (made) of wood” as suggested by Helge Fauskanger (QQ/toina).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien instead had ᴹQ. taurina “of wood”, an adjectival form of ᴹQ. tavar “wood (material)” (Ety/TÁWAR). The word ᴹQ. toina appeared in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1940s, but was unglossed, so whether it meant “✱wooden” is unclear.

turu

wood

turu (3) noun "wood" (properly firewood, but used of wood in general) (LT1:270)

ulca

adjective. dark

dark, gloomy, sinister

vëo

man

†vëo noun "man" (WEG; etymologically connected to vëa "manly, vigorous"; the more neutral word for "man" is nér. According to VT46:21, Tolkien indicated that vëo is an archaic or poetic word.) Tolkien at a later point defined the word as "living creature" (PE17:189). Cf. variant wëo, q.v.

drû

noun. wild man, Wose, Púkel-Man

In PE/11:31, an older Gnomish word drû, drui meant "wood, forest", and in PE/13:142, the early Noldorin word drú was assigned the meaning "dark". Drû pl. Drúin later came to be used for the name of the Woses, with other derivatives (Drúadan, etc.). "Wose" is actually the modernization of an Anglo-Saxon word wasa only found in the compound wudu-wasa "wild man of the woods", cf. UT/385 sq. In the drafts of the "Ride of the Rohirrim" in WR/343-346, the Woses first appeared as "the dark men of Eilenach". Though internally said to derive from drughu in their own tongue, Tolkien's choice for the Sindarin name of the Woses was apparently influenced by earlier meanings assigned to this word

drû

proper name. Wose

A Sindarin word for “Wose”, a loan word from the Wose’s name for themselves: Drughu (UT/385).

Conceptual Development: In his Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (WPP) from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien considered making this word a native Sindarin adjective “savage, wild” derived from the root √DROB, a variant of √SROB from which rhaw “wild” was derived (PE17/99). These roots would produce the Q. cognate (h)róva instead of better established Q. (h)ráva “wild”, so I personally prefer the later derivation of Drû as a loan word from Wos. Drughu.

drû

adjective. savage

adj. savage, wild. Q. hróva. >> Druadan

drúadan

noun. Drúadan

one of the drû; drû (S adaptation of their native word drughu) + adan (“man”)

drúnos

noun. Drúnos

a family of drû-men; drû (S adaptation of their native word drughu) + noss (“house, family”) The original form of nos is probably noss with the final s dropped at the end of a polysyllable [HKF].

drûn

place name. Drûn

A region appearing only the “The Lay of Leithian Recommenced” from the 1950s (LB/344 line 520) and late Silmarillion maps as a land north of Aeluin and west of Ladros (LB/350). The meaning of the name is unclear.

drúwaith iaur

place name. Old Púkel-land

A Sindarin translation of “Old Púkel-land”, referring to the wilderness once inhabited by the Woses (RC/lxiv, UT/261). It is a combination Drúwaith and iaur “old”, here used in the sense “former” rather than “aged” (UT/384).

drúadan

proper name. Wose, (lit.) Wild-man

The full Sindarin word for “Wose”, a compound of Drû “Wose” and Adan “Man” (PM/324, UT/385), also translated as “Wild Man” (PE17/99, WR/352).

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, the name N. Druadan appeared with a short u (WR/352). It also had a short u in Tolkien’s Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (WPP) from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/99), but had a long ú in later writings.

drúwaith

place name. the wilderness of the Drû-folk

A Sindarin term for the wilderness inhabited by the Woses (UT/385), a compound of Drû “Wose” and the lenited form of gwaith “region”.

drúnos

proper name. a family of the Drû-folk

A Sindarin term for a family of Woses (UT/385), a compound of Drû “Wose” and nos(s) “family”.

Druadan

noun. wose

n. wose, wild man.

drúadan

noun. wild man, one of the Woses

drúath

noun. the people of the Drû, the Woses

drúnos

noun. a family of the Drû-folk (q.v.)

drúwaith

noun. the wilderness of the Drû-men (q.v.)

tawar-in-drúedain

place name. Drúadan Forest

A Sindarin name for the Forest of the Drúedain (UT/319), a combination of tawar “forest”, the plural in of the definite article i and the plural of Drúadan “Wose”.

Drúwaith Iaur

Drúwaith Iaur

Drúwaith Iaur is a Sindarin name, consisting of drú ("wild") + waith ("folk, land") and iaur ("old"); it is thus a literal translation of Old Púkel land. On a "scrap of writing", according to Christopher Tolkien, the word Iaur did not mean "original" but "former".

Drúedain

Drúedain

The name means "Drû-man". The element Drû is an adaptation of Drughu, which is how that race calls themselves in their language. As the Elves came to know the Drû better, and to recognise their bitter enmity to the Orcs, they acquired the element Edain.

Drúwaith Iaur

place name. Old Púkel land

Drúwaith Iaur is a Sindarin name, consisting of drú ("wild") + waith ("folk, land") and iaur ("old"); it is thus a literal translation of Old Púkel land. On a "scrap of writing", according to Christopher Tolkien, the word Iaur did not mean "original" but "former".

drúnos

folk

Drúnos (i Dhrúnos), pl. Drúnys (in Drúnys), coll. pl. Drúnossath. See WILD MAN.

drúnos

folk

Drúnos (i Dhrúnos), pl. Drúnys (in Drúnys), coll. pl. Drúnossath

drúnos

folk

Drúnos (i Dhrúnos), pl. Drúnys (in Drúnys), coll. pl. Drúnossath.

drúnos

family of the drû-folk

(i Dhrúnos), pl. Drúnys (in Drúnys), coll. pl. Drúnossath. See

rhavan

wild man

(non-Edain human) rhavan (?i thravan or ?i ravan the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhevain (?idh revain) (WJ:219). Also (of a Drúadan) drû (i dhrû), pl. drúin (in drúin), coll. pl. drúath (UT:385). Also compounded as Drúadan (i Dhrúadan), pl. Drúedain (in Drúedain). Cf. also Û-

rhavan

wild man

(?i thravan or ?i ravan – the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhevain (?idh revain) (WJ:219). Also (of a Drúadan) drû (i dhrû), pl. drúin (in drúin), coll. pl. drúath (UT:385). Also compounded as Drúadan (i Dhrúadan), pl. Drúedain (in Drúedain). Cf. also

Dúnadan

noun. Man of the west, Númenórean

Lossoth

noun. the Snowmen

adan

noun. man, one of the Second People (elvish name for men)

adanadar

noun. man, one of the Fathers of Men

adanath

noun. men

anfangrim

noun. the Longbeards (a tribe of Dwarves)

anglennatha

verb. (he) will approach

avo

verb. don't!

Used as a negative adverb before an imperative: avo garo "don't do it!". Sometimes used as prefix: avgaro

avon

verb. I won't

cuio

verb. live!

dagorath

noun. all the battles

dîr

noun. man, man, [N.] adult male; agental suffix

A word for “man” as a male person, attested only as an element in compounds or as (archaic?) ndir (PE17/60). This word likely refers to male individuals of all races including Elves, Men, Dwarves and so forth, much like its Quenya cognate Q. nér. This word must have been derived from the primitive subjective form ✶ndēr of the root √N(D)ER “male person”, where the ancient long ē became ī, and the initial cluster nd- became d-, though the ancient cluster would still be reflected in mutated forms, such as in i nîr “the man” rather than ✱✱i dhîr.

Conceptual Development: Perhaps the earliest precursor to this word is (archaic) G. †drio “hero, warrior” with variants driw, driodweg and driothweg, a cognate of ᴱQ. nēr (GL/22). This Gnomish word was derived from primitive ᴱ✶n’reu̯, where the initial nr- became dr-. At this early stage, the root was unstrengthened ᴱ√NERE (QL/65), as reflected in (archaic) ᴱN. nîr “hero, prince, warrior-elf” in the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s (PE13/164).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root became ᴹ√DER “adult male, man” of any speaking race and the derived form was N. dîr (Ety/DER). However, in this document Tolkien said:

> EN †dîr surviving chiefly in proper names (as Diriel older Dirghel [GYEL], Haldir, Brandir) and as agental ending (as ceredir “doer, maker”) ... In ordinary use EN has benn [for “man”] (properly = “husband”).

Thus in the scenario described in The Etymologies, dîr “man” was archaic and used only as an element in names or as a suffix. In ordinary speech it was replaced by N. benn, which used to mean “husband” but now meant “man”, while the word for “husband” became N. hervenn (Ety/BES). It is unlikely Tolkien imagined this exact scenario in later Sindarin, however, since the 1930s root for benn was ᴹ√BES “wed”, but by the 1960s the root for husband/wife/marry words had become √BER.

Neo-Sindarin: Since the status of N. benn is questionable given ᴹ√BES >> √BER, many Neo-Sindarin writers prefer to use S. ✱dîr as the Sindarin word for man. I am of the opinion that both dîr and benn are acceptable for “man, male person”. This is because I prefer to retain ᴹ√BES as the root for “marry, wed”, since it is the best basis for attested husband/wife words in (Neo) Sindarin.

dúath

adjective. dark

_ adj. _dark, black shadow.

dûr

adjective. dark, sombre

dûr

dark

_ adj. _dark, gloomy, 'hellish'.

eryn

noun. wood

falathrim

noun. people of the Falas

galadhad

noun. the Two Trees of Valinor

glad

noun. wood

glad

noun. wood

A word for a “wood” in the name Methed-en-Glad “End of the Wood” (UT/153) and possibly also Gladuial “✱Twilight Wood” (WJ/183, 188 note #48). It resembles galadh “tree” and is probably related to it, but it cannot be derived directly from the same root ᴹ√GALAD as that would produce ✱✱gladh. It was either derived from a variant root ✱√GALAT, or was a loan word from Nandorin where the word for “tree” was Nan. galad (MR/182; PE17/50, 60).

lammas

noun. account of tongues

lâf

verb. (he) licks

lôd

verb. (he) floats

noro

verb. run! ride!

Untranslated in LotR, but written nora-lim and rendered as "ride on" in RS/196 (not a literal translation) and later translated as "run swift" in RC/195. A verb nor- is attested in the old Gnomish lexicon, PE/11:61, with the meaning "to run, roll"

pêd

verb. (he) says

rammas

noun. (great) wall

rochirrim

noun. horse-lords, the people of Rohan

taur

noun. great wood, forest

tôl

verb. (he) comes

According to WJ/301, the expression tôl acharn "vengeance comes" was later changed to tûl acharn by Tolkien

ónen

noun. I gave

Written onen in some editions of LotR. In the Qenyaqetsa, Qenya anta- is marked as having an irregular past tense áne. Assuming the same sound-shifts as observed in other words, this would indeed lead to onen in Sindarin, see PE/12:31 and TT/14:48-49

adan

man

(pl. Edain; the coll. pl. Adanath is attested). The word Adan came to be used primarily of a member of the Three Houses of the Edain, not of the mortal race of Men in general.

bôr

trusty man

(boron-) (i vôr, construct bor) (steadfast man, faithful vassal), pl. *b**ŷr* for older beryn, i meryn (archaic böryn, i möryn). In ”Noldorin”, the older pl. forms were berein, beren.

curunír

man of craft

(i gurunír, o churunír) (wizard), no distinct pl. form except with article (i churunír), coll. pl. ?curuníriath.

doll

dark

doll (dusky, misty, obscure), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in S.

doll

dark

(dusky, misty, obscure), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in S.

dornhoth

thrawn folk

(WJ:388, 408)

dîr

man

1) (adult male of any speaking race) dîr (dír-, also agentive ending -dir or -nir; with article, i nîr, hard mutation as in o ndîr), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndîr); coll. pl. díriath. Also benn (i venn, construct ben), pl. binn (i minn). The latter is in archaic language used = "husband" (the etymological meaning). The ending -we in names may also express ”being, man, person”. 2) (mortal human as opposed to Elf) Adan (pl. Edain; the coll. pl. Adanath is attested). The word Adan came to be used primarily of a member of the Three Houses of the Edain, not of the mortal race of Men in general.

dîr

man

(dír-, also agentive ending -dir or -nir; with article, i nîr, hard mutation as in o ndîr), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndîr); coll. pl. díriath. Also benn (i venn, construct ben), pl. binn (i minn). The latter is in archaic language used = "husband" (the etymological meaning). The ending -we in names may also express ”being, man, person”.

dúath

dark shadow

(i dhúath) (nightshade), pl. dúaith (i núaith);

dúnadan

man of the west

(i Núnadan), pl. Dúnedain (i Ndúnedain) (WJ:378, 386).

dûr

dark

dûr (sombre), lenited dhûr, pl. duir

dûr

dark

(sombre), lenited dhûr, pl. duir

eryn

wood

1) (forest) eryn. No distinct pl. form. 2) glâd (i **lâd, construct glad) (small forest), pl. glaid (in glaid**) See FOREST. 2)

eryn

wood

. No distinct pl. form.

firion

mortal man

(pl. firyn).

glâd

wood

(i ’lâd, construct glad) (small forest), pl. glaid (in glaid) See FOREST. 2)

graurim

dark people

(VT45:16);

graw

dark

graw (swart), lenited raw, pl. groe. (VT45:16)

graw

dark

(swart), lenited ’raw, pl. groe. (VT45:16)

guldur

dark sorcery

(i nguldur = i ñuldur), pl. gyldyr (in gyldyr = i ñgyldyr)

morn

dark

morn (black), pl. myrn, lenited vorn. Note: the latter word is also used as a noun ”darkness, night”. (Letters:386)

morn

dark

(black), pl. myrn, lenited vorn. Note: the latter word is also used as a noun ”darkness, night”. (Letters:386)

môr

dark

môr (black), lenited vôr, pl. mŷr (Letters:382), also

môr

dark

(black), lenited vôr, pl. m**ŷr* (Letters:382)*, also

rhavan

wild man

(?i thravan or ?i ravan – the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhevain (?idh revain) (WJ:219). – The following terms apparently apply to ”men” of any speaking race:

rhavan

wild man

(non-Edain human) rhavan (?i thravan or ?i ravan the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhevain (?idh revain) (WJ:219). The following terms apparently apply to ”men” of any speaking race:

tawar

wood

(as material) tawar (i dawar, o thawar) (forest), pl. tewair (i thewair).

tawar

wood

(i dawar, o thawar) (forest), pl. tewair (i thewair).

thalion

dauntless man

(hero), pl. thelyn. Also used as an adj. ”dauntless, steadfast, strong”. 

du Reconstructed

root. dark

dom

root. dark, dark, [ᴹ√] faint, dim

This root was the basis for the main Elvish words for “dusk, night”, which was established as Q. lómë in Quenya for most of Tolkien’s life. The earliest form of this root was ᴱ√LOMO in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, unglossed but with various derivatives having to do with “dusk” and “shadow” (QL/55). One notable derivative was ᴱQ. lóme “dusk, gloom, darkness”, which survived in Tolkien’s later writings as “night” and in the 1910s was the basis for ᴱQ. Hisilóme/G. Hithlum “Shadowy Twilights”. Another notable derivative was G. lómin “shady, shadowy, gloomy; gloom(iness)” (GL/45) used in the name G. Dor Lómin, which in the 1910s was translated as “Land of Shadow” (LT1/112).

The “shadow” meaning of this early root seems to have transferred to ᴹ√LUM from The Etymologies of the 1930s, which served as the new basis for N. Hithlum (Ety/LUM), as opposed contemporaneous N. Dor-lómen which was redefined as “Land of Echoes (< ᴹ√LAM via Ilkorin or in later writings, via North Sindarin). The “dusk” sense was transferred to a new root ᴹ√DOM “faint, dim”, which (along with ᴹ√DOƷ) was the basis for the pair words ᴹQ. lóme/N. dû “night” (Ety/DOMO).

These two words for “night” survived in Tolkien’s later writing in both Quenya and Sindarin (Let/308; SA/dú). In notes from the 1940s Tolkien clarified that it “has no evil connotations; it is a word of peace and beauty and has none of the associations of fear or groping that, say, ‘dark’ has for us” (SD/306). The Elves were quite comfortable being under the night sky, dating back to the time when the Elves lived under the stars before the rising of the Sun and the Moon. The root √DOM reappeared in etymologies for star-words from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/152). It appeared again in some very late notes from 1969 where it was glossed “dark” and served as the basis for words meaning “blind” as well as “night”, though this paragraph was rejected (PE22/153, note #50).

mornā

adjective. dark

ndē̆r

noun. man

taw

root. wood

Tolkien used a similar set of words for “forest” starting with the earliest versions of Elvish, but their derivation evolved somewhat over time. The earliest related root was ᴱ√TAVA “beam” with variant ᴱ√TAFA (the latter marked by Tolkien with a “?” and with no obvious derivatives) from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as the basis for words like ᴱQ. taule “great tree”, ᴱQ. tauno “forest” and ᴱQ. tavar “dale-sprite” (QL/90). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. tavros/G. taur “forest” and G. tavor “wood fay” (GL/69).

ᴱQ. taure “forest” did not appear as an independent word until drafts of the Oilima Markirya from around 1930 (PE16/62; MC/213). Thereafter Tolkien mostly stuck with Q. taurë and N./S. taur for “forest”. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave the root ᴹ√TAWAR “wood, forest” (Ety/TÁWAR), though in one place it was ᴹ√TAR (EtyAC/TUR). In notes associated with the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 Tolkien gave √TAWA “wood”, and in notes on “large & small” roots from 1968 Tolkien had √TAW “wood” (PE17/115).

tawinā

adjective. wood

lâi

collective noun. folk

A noun appearing only as an element in kadar-lâi “city folk” (SD/435). It may be related to Q. lië “people”, as suggested by various authors (AAD/18, AL/Adûnaic, EotAL/LAI). In at least one Avari dialect, this word was lai (WJ/410).

benn

noun. man, male

blâb

verb. (he) flaps, beats

The Etymologies seem to list this word as a noun, but it is clearly the third person singular of the verb

doll

adjective. dark, dusky, obscure

dolt

adjective. dark, dusky, obscure

dîr

noun. man, referring to an adult male (elf, mortal, or of any other speaking race)

dûr

adjective. dark, sombre

dûr

adjective. dark

forodrim

noun. Northmen

forodwaith

noun. Northmen

forodwaith

noun. the lands of the North

forodweith

noun. Northmen

forodweith

noun. the lands of the North

lhammas

noun. account of tongues

lhâf

verb. (he) licks

lhôd

verb. (he) floats

orthor

verb. (he) masters, conquers

osgar

verb. (he) cuts, amputates

síla

verb. (he) shines white

sôg

verb. (he) drinks

taur

noun. great wood, forest

thia

verb. it appears

tôg

verb. (he) leads, brings

tôl

verb. (he) comes

According to WJ/301, the expression tôl acharn "vengeance comes" was later changed to tûl acharn by Tolkien

-hai

suffix. folk

búrz

adjective. dark

búrz

adjective. dark

beorn

noun. man

The shift of e to eo is strange and has no direct parallels, but compare eo from i in meord "fine rain" (< primitive mizdê). Normally final -ô becomes -â in Nandorin (see golda), but here it is simply lost instead of producing *beorna. C.f. meord the other word where we might have expected to see a final -a (in that case from -ê); it may be that final vowels are lost in words that would otherwise come to have more than two syllables. - The shift of primitive s to r in besnô > beorn may be ascribed primarily to the blending with ber(n)ô, but r from z is seen in meord < mizdê; perhaps the s of besnô first became z and then r. Such developments are common in Quenya.