ost (“fortress”) + gîl (“star, bright spark”) + ath (collective plural suffix)
Sindarin
Osgiliath
Osgiliath
Osgiliath
noun. city, fortress of stars
osgiliath
place name. Citadel of the Stars
The old capital of Gondor, translated “Citadel of the Stars” (LotR/244) or “Fortress of the Stars” (RGEO/65, Let/426). This name is a combination of ost “fortress, city” and the class-plural of gil “star” (RC/232; SA/os(t), gil).
Conceptual Development: When this name first appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, it was already N. Osgiliath “Fortress of the Stars” (TI/119).
Elements
Word Gloss ost “fort, fortress, stronghold, citadel; fortified town; enclosure, fort, fortress, stronghold, citadel; (fortified) town, [N.] city; [orig.] [S.] enclosure, [G.] yard” gil “star; (bright) spark, silver glint, twinkle of light” Variations
- ost-giliath ✧ Let/426
- os(t)giliath ✧ NM/228
- Os(t)giliath ✧ PE17/023; PE17/030; RGEO/65; SA/os(t)
garth
stronghold
1) garth (i **arth) (stronghold), pl. gerth (i ngerth = i ñerth), 2) ost (fortress, city), pl. yst (WJ:414). The word may appear as os- or oth- before certain consonants in compounds, e.g. Osgiliath ”Citadel (Fortress) of the Stars” (LotR), ostirion (fortress with a watchtower), Othram** ”fortress-wall” (WR:288).
garth
stronghold
(i ’arth) (stronghold), pl. gerth (i ngerth = i ñerth)
garth
fort, fortress
1) garth (i **arth) (stronghold), pl. gerth (i ngerth = i ñerth), 2) ost (city, stronghold), pl. yst (WJ:414). The word may appear as os- or oth- before certain consonants in compounds, e.g. Osgiliath ”Citadel (Fortress) of the Stars” (LotR), ostirion (q.v.), Othram ”fortress-wall” (WR:288). 3) barad (fortress, tower) (i varad), pl. beraid (i meraid). Note: barad** is also an adjective "doomed", but this is derived from a stem in mb- and would have different mutations.
garth
fort, fortress
(i ’arth) (stronghold), pl. gerth (i ngerth = i ñerth)
ost
stronghold
(fortress, city), pl. yst (WJ:414). The word may appear as os- or oth- before certain consonants in compounds, e.g. Osgiliath ”Citadel (Fortress) of the Stars” (LotR), ostirion (fortress with a watchtower), Othram ”fortress-wall” (WR:288).
ost
fort, fortress
(city, stronghold), pl. yst (WJ:414). The word may appear as os- or oth- before certain consonants in compounds, e.g. Osgiliath ”Citadel (Fortress) of the Stars” (LotR), ostirion (q.v.), Othram ”fortress-wall” (WR:288).
othronn
underground stronghold or city
(pl. ethrynn for archaic öthrynn) (fortress in a cave or caves). Cited in archaic form othrond in the sources (WJ:414, VT46:12)
ostirion
fortress with a watchtower
(pl. ostiryn).
barad
fort, fortress
(fortress, tower) (i varad), pl. beraid (i meraid). Note: barad is also an adjective "doomed", but this is derived from a stem in mb- and would have different mutations.
topon. -. >> Ostgiliath