Osgiliath

Osgiliath

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Osgiliath

noun. city, fortress of stars

ost (“fortress”) + gîl (“star, bright spark”) + ath (collective plural suffix)

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.