In his article Probable errors in the Etymologies, Helge Fauskanger lists orchel as a misreading, following Christopher Tolkien's note admitting that the e is uncertain. However, though orchal is attested in WJ/305, it does not necessarily mean that the form orchel is incorrect. It might be constructed by analogy with words such as hathol "axe" (from WJ/234 and the name of a Númenórean, Hatholdir, UT:444), which is also found as hathal (in Hathaldir, name of a companion of Barahir, LR/433, untranslated but conceivably cognate) and hathel (LR/389). Without entering into the details, such words end with a syllabic consonant (as in English "people"), and several vocalizations are apparently possible in Sindarin. The epenthetical vowel is generally o, but it seems that a or e are also allowed. Regarding orchal, its origin is of course different, as it is a compound word where the second element clearly derives from KHAL, but it may have been assimilated, later, to this class of words by analogy. We may therefore consider that orchel is a perfectly valid dialectal variant
Sindarin
orchal
adjective. tall, tall; [N.] superior, eminent, lofty
orchal
adjective. superior, lofty, eminent
orchal
adjective. tall
In his article Probable errors in the Etymologies, Helge Fauskanger lists orchel as a misreading, following Christopher Tolkien's note admitting that the e is uncertain. However, though orchal is attested in WJ/305, it does not necessarily mean that the form orchel is incorrect. It might be constructed by analogy with words such as hathol "axe" (from WJ/234 and the name of a Númenórean, Hatholdir, UT:444), which is also found as hathal (in Hathaldir, name of a companion of Barahir, LR/433, untranslated but conceivably cognate) and hathel (LR/389). Without entering into the details, such words end with a syllabic consonant (as in English "people"), and several vocalizations are apparently possible in Sindarin. The epenthetical vowel is generally o, but it seems that a or e are also allowed. Regarding orchal, its origin is of course different, as it is a compound word where the second element clearly derives from KHAL, but it may have been assimilated, later, to this class of words by analogy. We may therefore consider that orchel is a perfectly valid dialectal variant
orchall
superior
orchall (lofty, eminent), pl. erchail (for archaic örchail)
orchall
superior
(lofty, eminent), pl. erchail (for archaic örchail)
arod
adjective. tall
_ adj. _tall, eminent. Q. aratā.
raud
tall
orn
tall
(pl. yrn). Note: a homophone of the latter means ”tree”.
tond
tall
- tond (lenited dond; pl. tynd), 2) †orn (pl. yrn). Note: a homophone of the latter means ”tree”.
tond
adjective. tall
tond
tall
(lenited dond; pl. tynd)
A word for “tall” as an epithet for Galdor, as in Galdor Orchal = “Galdor the Tall” (WJ/305 note #48). It also appeared as an element in the (untranslated) name Orchaldor (UT/210). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. orchall, orchal, or orchel was glossed “superior, lofty, eminent” as a combination of N. or- “above” and N. hall “exalted, high” (Ety/KHAL², ORO; EtyAC/KHAL², ORO). Christopher Tolkien noted that the e in orchel was uncertain, and Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne suggested that orchal was a possible reading, which is in better keeping with its Old Noldorin form ON. orkhalla.
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume orchal “tall; [N.] superior, eminent, lofty” is a somewhat emphatic variant of N. hall “high; exalted” for things that are notably tall or noble.