If this were “barrow”, it might be gorth “dead” + sad “place” as suggested by Hammond and Scull (RC/691). @@@
Sindarin
gorth
noun/adjective. dead; dead (person)
gorth
noun. a dead person
gorth
noun. horror
gorth
noun. horror
goroth
noun. horror, dread
gorthad
noun. wraith, spirit of Dead
gorthaur
masculine name. ?Mist of Fear
Sindarin name of Q. Sauron, glossed “the Cruel” in The Silmarillion (S/32), but it is unclear whether this is an accurate translation. According to Christopher Tolkien, it is a combination of gor “horror” and thaur “abominable” (SA/gor, thaur).
Conceptual Development: The earliest precursor of this name was ᴱN. Thû from the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s (LB/16), appearing in its extended form N. Gorthû as a late revision to the Lays (LB/232) and in the Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/333). The name was revised to Gorthaur in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (WJ/240).
The meaning of this name is unclear. In Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959, Tolkien indicated that Gorthu was the proper form, derived from primitive ✶ñgor(o)-thūsō “Mist of Fear”, and apparently Gorthaur was a later variation (PE17/183). The source of the etymology that Christopher Tolkien used in The Silmarillion appendix (given above) remains unpublished.
gorthad
noun. wraith
n. wraith, spirit of Dead. >> Tyrn Gorthad
Gorthu
'Mist of Fear'
'Mist of Fear'. Q. ñorthus, ñorsus. >> saur
gorthob
adjective. horrible
gorthol
masculine name. Dread Helm
gorthrim
noun. the dead
Gorthaur
noun. ancient S
_prop. n. _ancient S. name of Sauron. >> Sauron
Gorthaur
noun. abominable fear
gor (“fear, dread”) + thaur (“abominable, abhorrent”) In [Etym. THUS-] the last element is given thû “stench”, as the proper name of the chief servant of Morgoth.
Gorthol
noun. terror-helm
gor (from gorgor “extreme terror”) + thôl (“helm”)
gorthad
noun. barrow
gortheb
adjective. horrible
gurth
noun. death
gurth
noun. death
The usual Sindarin word for “death”, derived from the root √ÑGUR of similar meaning (UT/39; Ety/ÑGUR).
Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/43), anchored by well established names like Gurthang or Gurtholf(in), the name of Túrin’s sword. Tolkien experimented with various alternate forms over the years, such as G. urthu (GG/14), G. gurthu (GL/43), ᴱN. gurdh (PE13/146) and N. guruth (Ety/ÑGUR), but kept coming back to gurth as the basic form.
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would use this word for death in general and especially violent death, as opposed to the more euphemistic [N.] gwanath or gwanu “death”, more literally “departure”.
gorth
dead
(adj.) 1) gorth (lenited ngorth; pl. gyrth), also fern, pl. firn. These adjectives may also be used as nouns ”dead person(s)”. According to LR:381 s.v. _
gorth
dead person
gorth (i ngorth = i ñorth, o n**gorth = o ñgorth), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth), coll. pl. Gorthrim**, the dead as a group (RC:526). Note: a homophone means ”dread, horror”.
gorth
dread
(i ngorth = i ñorth, o n’gorth = o ñgorth) (horror), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth). (WJ:415) Note: a homophone means ”dead; dead person”.
gorth
horror
(i ngorth = i ñorth, o n’gorth = o ñgorth) (dread), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth). (WJ:415) Note: a homophone means ”dead; dead person”
goroth
dread
(i ngoroth = i ñoroth, o n’goroth = o ñgoroth) (horror), pl. geryg (in geryg = i ñgeryg) (WJ:415). Archaic pl. ✱göryth.
goroth
horror
(i ngoroth = i ñoroth, o n’goroth = o ñgoroth) (dread), pl. geryg (in geryg = i ñgeryg) (WJ:415). Archaic pl. göryth.
gorthad
barrow
1) gorthad (i ngorthad = i ñorthad, o n**gorthad = o ñgorthad), pl. gerthaid (in gerthaid = i ñgerthaid). The literal meaning may be ”place of the dead”: gorth ”dead” + sâd, -had ”place”. Archaic pl. ”goerthaid” = görthaid (PM:194), 2) haudh (i chaudh, o chaudh) (burial mound, grave, tomb), pl. hoedh (i choedh), coll. pl. hodhath**
gorthad
barrow
(i ngorthad = i ñorthad, o n’gorthad = o ñgorthad), pl. gerthaid (in gerthaid = i ñgerthaid). The literal meaning may be ”place of the dead”: gorth ”dead” + sâd, -had ”place”. Archaic pl. ”goerthaid” = görthaid (PM:194)
gortheb
horrible
(lenited ngortheb; pl. gerthib; archaic pl. ✱görthib).
gurth
death
(i ngurth = i ñurth, o n’gurth = o ñgurth), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth)
girith
horror
(i ’irith) (shuddering), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ngirith = i ñirith)
guruth
death
(i nguruth = i ñuruth, o n’guruth = o ñguruth), pl. gyryth (in gyryth = i ñgyryth)
angos
horror
1) angos (pl. engys) (VT45:15), 2) dêl (i dhêl, construct del) (disgust, fear, loathing), pl. dîl (i nîl), 3) delos (i dhelos) (fear, abhorrence, dread, detestation, loathing), pl. delys (i nelys), coll. pl. delossath. A side-form ends in -oth (pl. -yth) instead of -os (-ys). 4) girith (i **irith) (shuddering), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ngirith = i ñirith), 5) gôr (i ngôr = i ñôr, o n**gôr = o ñgôr, construct gor) (fear, dread), pl. gŷr (in gŷr = i ñgŷr). Note: a homophone means ”vigour” but has different mutations. 6) gorog (i ngorog = i ñorog, o n**gorog = o ñgorog), pl. geryg (in geryg = i ñgeryg) (WJ:415). Archaic pl. göryg. 7) goroth (i ngoroth = i ñoroth, o n**goroth = o ñgoroth) (dread), pl. geryg (in geryg = i ñgeryg) (WJ:415). Archaic pl. göryth. 8) gorth (i ngorth = i ñorth, o n**gorth = o ñgorth) (dread), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth). _(WJ:415) _Note: a homophone means ”dead; dead person”, 9) goss (i **oss, construct gos) (dread), pl. gyss (i ngyss = i ñyss).
deleb
horrible
1) deleb (abominable, loathsome), lenited dheleb; pl. delib. 2) gortheb (lenited ngortheb; pl. gerthib; archaic pl. *görthib).
fern
noun/adjective. dead, dead person; [N.] dead (of mortals)
An adjective in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “dead (of mortals)” under the root ᴹ√PHIR “die of natural causes”, used as a plural noun in the name Dor Firn i Guinar “Land of the Dead that Live” (Ety/PHIR). Christopher Tolkien choose to include the name Dor Firn-i-Guinar in the published version of The Silmarillion (S/188), and most Sindarin writers accept its ongoing validity.
gwanath
death
1) (act of dying) gwanath (i **wanath), pl. gwenaith (in gwenaith), 2) (act of dying, especially the ”death” of Elves by fading or weariness) gwanu (i **wanu), analogical pl. gweny (in gweny). Archaic gwanw (LR:397 s.v. WAN), hence coll. pl. ?gwanwath. Other words (rather referring to Death as a state or abstract): 3) gûr (i ngûr = i ñûr, o n**gûr = o ñgûr, construct gur), pl. guir (in guir = i ñguir), 4) gurth (i ngurth = i ñurth, o n**gurth = o ñgurth), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth), 5) guruth (i nguruth = i ñuruth, o n**guruth = o ñguruth), pl. gyryth (in gyryth** = i ñgyryth)
iaun
fane
iaun (holy place, sanctuary), pl. ioen, coll. pl. ionath
Nûrnen
place name. Death
_ topon. _Death, dead water. >> guru
dael
noun. horror
_ n. _horror.
dael
noun. horror
del
noun. horror
gorgor
noun. extreme horror, terror, haunting fear
gorog
noun. horror
gorog
noun. horror
guru
noun. death
_ n. _death. guru << gûru.
guru
noun. death, death (abstract)
A Sindarin word for “death” derived from primitive ✶ñgurū (PE17/87), unusual in that its primitive ancient vowel u did not vanish. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had variant forms [N.] gûr and gurw “death” marked with a “?”, both derived from Old Noldorin nguru and indicating some uncertainty on the exact phonetic developments (EtyAC/ÑGUR). Elsewhere in The Etymologies Tolkien said that [N.] guru was “Death as state or abstract”, as opposed to [N.] gwanw or gwanath for the “act of dying” (Ety/GWAN).
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume guru was for death as an abstraction or principle, and for the death of individuals I would use either gurth or gwanu/gwanath; see those entries for discussion.
gwanu
noun. death (act of dying, not death as a state or abstract)
achas
dread
(fear), pl. echais. It is possible that the word is lenited in the source, and that it should have an initial g-; if so read gachas (i ’achas), pl. gechais (i ngechais = i ñechais), coll. pl. achassath.
angos
horror
(pl. engys) (VT45:15)
daedhelos
great dread
(i naedhelos, o ndaedhelos), pl. daedhelys (i ndaedhelys). Coll. pl. daedhelossath. A side-form ends in -oth instead of -os. The word appears in the mutated form "ndaedelos" in LotR Appendix F, but since the second element must be delos "abhorrence" and it would surely be lenited following a vowel, this would seem to be one of the cases where Tolkien wrote d even though dh would be technically correct.
deleb
horrible
(abominable, loathsome), lenited dheleb; pl. delib.
delos
dread
(i dhelos) (fear, horror, abhorrence, detestation, loathing), pl. delys (i nelys), coll. pl. delossath. A side-form ends in -oth (pl. -yth) instead of -os (-ys).
delos
horror
(i dhelos) (fear, abhorrence, dread, detestation, loathing), pl. delys (i nelys), coll. pl. delossath. A side-form ends in -oth (pl. -yth) instead of -os (-ys).
dêl
horror
(i dhêl, construct del) (disgust, fear, loathing), pl. dîl (i nîl)
gae
dread
(i ’ae), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ngae = i ñae)
gorog
horror
(i ngorog = i ñorog, o n’gorog = o ñgorog), pl. geryg (in geryg = i ñgeryg) (WJ:415). Archaic pl. göryg.
goss
dread
(i ’oss, constuct gos) (horror), pl. gyss (i ngyss = i ñyss).
goss
horror
(i ’oss, construct gos) (dread), pl. gyss (i ngyss = i ñyss).
gost
dread
(i ngost = i ñost, o n’gost = o ñgost) (terror), pl. gyst (in gyst = i ñgyst).
guruthos
dread of death
(i nguruthos = i ñuruthos, o n’guruthos = o ñguruthos) (death-horror), pl. (if there is a pl.) either guruthys (in guruthys = i ñguruthys) or gyrythys (in gyrythys = i ñgyrythys) with umlaut throughtout the word. Coll. pl. guruthossath.
gwanath
death
(i ’wanath), pl. gwenaith (in gwenaith)
gwanu
death
(i ’wanu), analogical pl. gweny (in gweny). Archaic gwanw (LR:397 s.v. WAN), hence coll. pl. ?gwanwath. Other words (rather referring to Death as a state or abstract):
gôr
dread
(i ngôr = i ñôr, o n’gôr = o ñgôr, construct gor) (fear, horror), pl. gŷr (in gŷr = i ñgŷr). Note: a homophone means ”vigour”, but has different mutations.
gôr
horror
(i ngôr = i ñôr, o n’gôr = o ñgôr, construct gor) (fear, dread), pl. gŷr (in gŷr = i ñgŷr). Note: a homophone means ”vigour” but has different mutations.
gûr
death
(i ngûr = i ñûr, o n’gûr = o ñgûr, construct gur), pl. guir (in guir = i ñguir)
haudh
barrow
(i chaudh, o chaudh) (burial mound, grave, tomb), pl. hoedh (i choedh), coll. pl. hodhath
iaun
fane
(holy place, sanctuary), pl. ioen, coll. pl. ionath
A noun for a “dead [person]” appearing its plural form in the phrase Dor Gyrth i Chuinar “Land of the Dead that Live” (Let/417) and its mutated class-plural form in the phrase Fui ’Ngorthrim “Paths of the Dead” (RC/526). It is clearly based on the root √ÑGUR “death”. In a Discord conversation from 2022-10-14, Lokyt suggested that this form is likely a nominalized adjective, from primitive ✱ngurtā “dead”. As such, it can probably be used as both an adjective for “dead” and a noun for a “dead (person)”.