Quenya 

leuca

snake

leuca (1) noun "snake" (Appendix E)

leuca

noun. snake

The best known Quenya word for “snake”, appearing in Appendix E of The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1115). In 1964 notes on Dalath Dirnen (DD), Tolkien said it was derived from the root √LEWEK “worm” (PE17/160).

Cognates

  • S. lŷg “snake” ✧ LotR/1115; PE17/121; PE17/160

Derivations

  • √LEWEK “worm” ✧ PE17/160

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
√LEWEK > leuka[leuka]✧ PE17/160

Variations

  • leuka ✧ PE17/160
Quenya [LotR/1115; PE17/121; PE17/160] Group: Eldamo. Published by

leuca

leuca

**leuca ("k") (2) a misreading for lenca (q.v.) that appears in the Etymologies as printed in LR; cf. VT45:27.

hlócë

snake, serpent

hlócë ("k")noun "snake, serpent", later lócë ("k")(SA:lok-)

ango

snake

ango noun "snake"; stem angu- as in angulócë (q.v.); pl. angwi (ANGWA/ANGU)

Sindarin 

leweg

noun. snake

_ n. _snake.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:160] < LEWEK worm. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

lhûg

noun. snake, serpent

Sindarin [Ety/370, S/434] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lýg

noun. snake

_ n. Zoo. _snake. Q. leuka.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:121:160] < LEWEK worm. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

lŷg

noun. snake

Sindarin [LotR/E] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lŷg

noun. snake

The best known Sindarin word for “snake”, appearing in Appendix E of The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1115). In 1964 notes on Dalath Dirnen (DD), Tolkien said it was derived from the root √LEWEK “worm” (PE17/160), likely from ✱leukā where the ancient eu became ȳ as was usual in Sindarin (LotR/1115).

Cognates

  • Q. leuca “snake” ✧ LotR/1115; PE17/121; PE17/160

Derivations

  • √LEWEK “worm” ✧ PE17/160

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
√LEWEK > lýg[leukā] > [leuka] > [liuka] > [lȳka] > [lȳk] > [lȳg]✧ PE17/160

Variations

  • lýg ✧ PE17/160
Sindarin [LotR/1115; PE17/121; PE17/160] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lŷg

snake

1) lŷg (constuct lyg), no distinct pl. form. 2) lhûg (construct lhug, with article ?i thlûg or ?i lûg the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (dragon, serpent), pl. lhuig (?i luig). See SERPENT.

Noldorin 

lhûg

noun. snake, serpent

Noldorin [Ety/370, S/434] Group: SINDICT. Published by

am-

prefix. snake

A prefix for “snake” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√ANGWA of the same meaning, most notably an element in N. amlug “dragon” (Ety/ANGWA).

Derivations

  • ᴹ√ANGWA “snake” ✧ Ety/ANGWA

Element in

  • N. amlug “dragon” ✧ Ety/ANGWA

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ANGWA > am-[aŋgwa] > [amba] > [amb] > [amm] > [am]✧ Ety/ANGWA
Noldorin [Ety/ANGWA] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Middle Primitive Elvish

angwa

root. snake

The root √ANGWA “snake” with variant √ANGU appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as the basis for the words ᴹQ. ango “snake” (Ety/ANGWA) and angulóke “dragon” (Ety/LOK). The Noldorin equivalent am- seems to have survived only as a prefix (Ety/ANGWA), and is a good example of how [[on|[ŋgw] > [mb]]] in that language. There are a variety of other words for “snake” in Tolkien’s later writings, so whether this root remained valid is unclear.

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. ango “snake, dragon” ✧ Ety/ANGWA
  • N. am- “snake” ✧ Ety/ANGWA

Element in

Variations

  • ANGU ✧ Ety/ANGWA
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/ANGWA; Ety/LOK] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

lûg

noun. snake

Cognates

  • Eq. lóke “snake, dragon” ✧ LT2A/Foalókë; PE15/28; PE13/105

Element in

  • G. fenlug “snake” ✧ GL/34 (fenlug)

Variations

  • lug ✧ GL/34 (lug)
  • Lûg ✧ LT2A/Foalókë; PE15/28
  • Lug ✧ PE13/105
Gnomish [GL/34; LT2A/Foalókë; PE13/105; PE15/28] Group: Eldamo. Published by

fenlug

noun. snake

Variations

  • fenlog ✧ GL/34 (fenlog)

fent

noun. snake

A word for “snake” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, along with a deleted variant fenlug (fenlog-) (GL/34), the latter probably a combination with G. lûg “snake”. It was clearly a cognate of ᴱQ. fent “serpent” from the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon (QL/38).

Cognates

  • Eq. fent “serpent, dragon”

Derivations

Element in

  • G. Fenthur “King of Serpents” ✧ GL/34

lingos

noun. snake

Cognates

Early Primitive Elvish

liŋi Reconstructed

root. snake

Derivatives

Early Primitive Elvish Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

lin

noun. snake

A word for “snake” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, with a stem form of {linge- >>} ling- (QL/54).

Cognates

  • G. ling “small snake”

Derivations

Element in

Variations

  • lin ✧ QL/043
  • Lin² ✧ QL/054
Early Quenya [QL/043; QL/054] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lingo

noun. snake

oqi

noun. snake

Derivations

  • ᴱ√OQO “curve, bend” ✧ QL/070

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√OQO > oqi[okʷī] > [okʷi]✧ QL/070
Early Quenya [PME/070; QL/070] Group: Eldamo. Published by