A noun in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s given as the cognate of G. goloth “forest”, derived from primitive ᴱ✶ŋgua-aloþ- (GL/41). This is likely a combination of ᴱ✶ŋu̯a “together” and some elaboration of the root ᴱ√ALA “spread”, the basis of “tree” words, so probably originally “✱together spread(ing)” or something to that effect.
Early Quenya
malo
noun. moth
malo
noun. rust
málos
noun. forest
malina
adjective. yellow
kulmarin
noun. orange
malin(d)
adjective. yellow
taure
noun. forest
taurie
noun. forest
A noun appearing as ᴱQ. malo “moth” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s derived from primitive ᴱ✶[mal]wǝ under the early root ᴱ√MALA “crush, squeeze, pulp” (QL/58). It had a plural malwi, and in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa it was given the stem form of malu-.
Neo-Quenya: This word conflicts with later words like ᴹQ. malo (malu-) “pollen, yellow powder” (Ety/SMAL) or “rust” (PE21/12; PE15/77), making its continued validity as “moth” rather questionable. However, the only other attested Elvish “moth” word is G. fufril of unclear etymology (GL/36), making it very challenging to adapt to Neo-Quenya. Thus I currently recommend retaining ᴺQ. malo for “moth”, as a derivative of the later root ᴹ√MBAL, but altering its stem form to malo- (< ✱mbalō) to make it more distinct from the “pollen, rust” words.