Lord of the Balrogs (S/107) and one of the Nazgûls (LotR/846), this name is a derivation of the roots ᴹ√GOTH “dread” and ᴹ√MBAW “oppress” (Ety/GOS, MBAW).
Conceptual Development: The name G. Gothmog “Strife-and-hatred” dates back to the earliest Lost Tales, where he was the son of Melko(r) (LT2/67). In the Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, N. Gothmog became the Lord of the Balrogs (LR/117), and in The Etymologies his name was given the derivation described above (Ety/GOS, MBAW). At one point Tolkien considered making it an Orc name meaning “Voice of Goth” (LR/406), but there is no indication this was anything other than a transient idea.
goth (“dread”) + (m-)baug (“tyrannous, cruel, oppressive”) [Etym. MBAW-] gives the original form as *Gothombauk-.