holwë

noun. stink

holwë noun "stink" (or *"stench"), *holwëa adj. "stinking". PE13:162 gives holwë "stink", derived from 3olwē; PM13:145 however gives the Q word as olwë and the adj. "stinking" as olwëa, though primitive forms with initial ʒ- (the spirant gh) are presupposed also there. Tolkien later used a system where primitive words in ʒ- yield Quenya forms in h-, as demonstrated by relevant entries in the Etymologies, so we prefer holwë to olwë (which would also clash with the later personal name Olwë, unlikely to mean "stink"), and we similarly read *holwëa rather than olwëa as the adj. "stinking". In Etym, the root ÑOL seems to represent a later experiment with similar words having to do with smell, and once again we observe shifting conceptions as to whether the Quenya words should show initial h- or not; in this conception the initial consonant in Primitive Elvish was ñ- rather than ʒ-.

nusta

verb. smell

ñol-

smell

ñol- noun "smell" (VT45:5); strengthened aññol, q.v. Possibly ñol- should be regarded as simply the root underlying olmë, q.v.

naicea

adjective. cruel

nwalca

cruel

nwalca ("k")adj. "cruel" (ÑGWAL; this must represent earlier *ñwalca = *ngwalca; these forms are not given in Etym, but compare nwalmë_ below. In Tengwar writing, the initial NW would be represented by the letter nwalmë.)_

susta-

verb. to stink

Cognates

• N. thosta- “to stink, to stink, *give off a smell”

Derivations

• √THUS “evil mist, fog, darkness; blow, cause an air movement, blow, cause an air movement; [ᴹ√] *smell, stench; [√] evil mist, fog, darkness”
  • √THŪ “blow, cause an air movement, blow, cause an air movement, [ᴹ√] puff”

sávë

noun. stench, stink, reek, foul odor

@@@ Discord 2023-02-28 < PE ✱thāwē/sāwē

Derivations

• √THAW “cruel; stink”
  • √THOW “stink” ✧ PE17/068

nus

noun. smell

Derivations

• ᴹ√NUS “sense, wisdom, sense, wisdom; *sense of smell”

balch

cruel

1) balch (lenited malch; pl. belch), 2) baug (tyrannous, oppressive) (lenited maug), pl. boeg

balch

cruel

(lenited malch; pl. belch)

baug

cruel

(tyrannous, oppressive) (lenited maug), pl. boeg

thosta

stink

(vb.) thosta- (VT46:19)

thosta

stink

(VT46:19)

angol

stench

(pl. engyl). Note: a homophone of the latter means "magic, deep lore".

thû

stench

1) thû (pl. thui), 2) angol (pl. engyl). Note: a homophone of the latter means "magic, deep lore".

thû

stench

(pl. thui)

thost

smell

(noun) thost (pl. thyst) _(VT46:19)__;

thost

smell

(pl. thyst) (VT46:19)

thow

root. stink

Derivatives

• √THAW “cruel; stink” ✧ PE17/068
  • ✶thaurā “detestable, abominable, horrible” ✧ Let/380
  • S. thaur “abominable, horrible” ✧ SA/thaur
  • Q. saura “cruel, evil, vile; stinking, foul; bad, unhealthy, ill, wretched, stinking, foul, [ᴹQ.] evil-smelling, putrid; [Q.] cruel, evil, vile; [Q.] bad, unhealthy, ill, wretched” ✧ PE17/068; PE17/184
  • ᴺQ. sávë “stench, stink, reek, foul odor”
• ✶thowō
  • S. Thû “Sauron; Manwë?” ✧ PE17/099
• Q. Sauron “Abhorred” ✧ PE17/068
• S. Thû “Sauron; Manwë?” ✧ PE17/068

Variations

• ÞOWO ✧ PE17/068

thaw

root. cruel; stink

Tolkien conceived of a number of roots for the names of Sauron, both Q. Sauron itself as well as S. Thû and S. Gorthaur, and the roots were sometimes related and sometimes not, but often had to do with stench or other disgusting things. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave the unglossed root ᴹ√THUS derivatives like ᴹQ. saura “foul, evil-smelling, putrid”, N. thaw “corrupt, rotten”, and N. thost “smell”, also serving as the basis for both ᴹQ. Sauron and N. Thû (Ety/THUS; EtyAC/THUS).

In 1957 Tolkien considered some less negatitive connations for √THUS and its derivatives. In various notes exploring the derivation of words for “spirit”, Tolkien considered using S. Thû as a name for Manwë (PE17/124; NM/236), and in other notes on this topic √THUS was given as variant of √THŪ “blow, cause an air movement” with derivatives like Q. sussë/S. thos “puff (of air)” and the verbs Q. susta-/surya- “blow”, transitive and intrasative respectively (NM/237, 239).

In Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959, however, the root √THUS was given the gloss “evil mist, fog, darkness”, still the basis for S. Thû as well as S. Gorthaur “Mist of Fear”, but in this note Q. Sauron was based on √SAW “disgusting, foul, vile” (PE17/183); Tolkien then rejected this derivation of Sauron, saying instead it came from √THAW “cruel”, as did Gorthaur (PE17/184).

The root √SAWA also appeared in the first page of DLN with the gloss “bad, unhealthy, ill, wretched”, but that page was rejected (PE17/172). √SAW appeared again in notes from March of 1967, but there {√SAW >>} √ÞAW “stink”, again as the basis for Q. Sauron, and it apparently had an even earlier form √ÞOWO that was the basis for S. Thû (PE17/68). The primitive form ✶thowō was also mentioned in earlier notes as the basis for S. Thû on a page accompanying Notes on Galdriel’s Song (NGS) written between the 1st and 2nd edition of The Lord of the Rings (PE17/99).

Probably the best known of the etymologies for the name of Sauron appeared in a draft letter to Mr. Rang from August of 1967, where Tolkien gave √THAW > ✶θaurā “detestable” (Let/380), which is essentially the etymology Christopher Tolkien gave in The Silmarillion appendix, where both Q. Sauron and S. Gorthaur were connected to Sindarin element S. thaur “abominable, horrible” (SA/thaur).

To summarize, the main conceptuals shifts seem to be:

• 1930s ᴹ√THUS “✱smell, stench” > both ᴹQ. Sauron and N. Thû (Ety/THUS; EtyAC/THUS).

• 1957 √THUS “blow, cause an air movement” > S. Thû as a name for Manwë rather than Sauron (NM/236-237).

• 1959 √THUS “evil mist, fog, darkness” > S. Thû/S. Gorthaur “Mist of Fear” but √SAW “disgusting, foul, vile” > Q. Sauron (PE17/183).

• 1959 [revised] √THAW “cruel” > both Q. Sauron and S. Gorthaur (PE17/184).

• March 1967 {√SAW >>} √ÞAW “stink” > Q. Sauron but more ancient √ÞOWO (same meaning) > S. Thû (PE17/68).

• August 1967 √THAW > ✶θaurā “detestable” > Q. Sauron (Let/380).

The last of these is the best match for the base forms used by Christopher Tolkien in the published version of The Silmarillion, though the exact source of Christopher’s etymology remains unpublished.

Neo-Eldarin: The result of all this vacillation is a confusing muddle that makes it hard to know which roots to use in Neo-Eldarin. For √THAW I would stick with the sense “cruel” but I would assume some blending with √SAW “disgusting, foul, vile” to preserve words from this root. I would assume √THUS has a sense similar to that of The Etymologies and the 1957 notes on spirit (“blow, ✱smell”) with more neutral meanings in Sindarin, but more unpleasant meanings in Quenya due to the influence of √SAW. Retaining √THAW “cruel”, √SAW “foul” and √THUS “blow, ✱smell” would let us keep most of the interesting derivatives of these roots.

Derivations

• √THOW “stink” ✧ PE17/068

Derivatives

• ✶thaurā “detestable, abominable, horrible” ✧ Let/380
  • S. thaur “abominable, horrible” ✧ SA/thaur
• Q. saura “cruel, evil, vile; stinking, foul; bad, unhealthy, ill, wretched, stinking, foul, [ᴹQ.] evil-smelling, putrid; [Q.] cruel, evil, vile; [Q.] bad, unhealthy, ill, wretched” ✧ PE17/068; PE17/184
• ᴺQ. sávë “stench, stink, reek, foul odor”

Variations

• ÞAW ✧ PE17/068; PE17/188

thosta-

verb. to stink

thosta-

verb. to stink, to stink, *give off a smell

Cognates

• ᴺQ. susta- “to stink”

Derivations

• ᴹ√THUS “*smell, stench” ✧ Ety/THUS

Element in

• ᴺS. thostol “stinking”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√THUS > thosto	[tʰusta-] > [θusta-] > [θosta-]	✧ Ety/THUS

angol

noun. stench

angol

noun. stench

ongol

noun. stench

Changes

• angol → ongol ✧ EtyAC/ÑOL

Derivations

• ᴹ✶oññol- “strong smell” ✧ EtyAC/ÑOL; EtyAC/N; EtyAC/ÑOL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶aññol- > angol	[aŋŋolǝ] > [aŋgolǝ] > [aŋgol]	✧ EtyAC/ÑOL
ᴹ✶aññol > angol	[aŋŋolǝ] > [aŋgolǝ] > [aŋgol]	✧ EtyAC/N
ᴹ✶oññol- > ongol	[oŋŋolǝ] > [oŋgolǝ] > [oŋgol]	✧ EtyAC/ÑOL

Variations

• angol ✧ Ety/ÑOL; EtyAC/N; EtyAC/ÑOL (angol)

thû

noun. stench

thû

noun. stench

Derivations

• ᴹ√THUS “*smell, stench” ✧ Ety/THUS

Element in

• N. Morthu “*Black Stench” ✧ Ety/THUS
• S. Thû “Sauron; Manwë?”
• N. Thû ✧ Ety/THUS

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√THUS > thû	[tʰūsē] > [tʰūse] > [θūse] > [θūhe] > [θūh] > [θū]	✧ Ety/THUS

thost

noun. smell

thost

noun. smell

Changes

• thost → thost “smell, stench” ✧ EtyAC/THUS

Derivations

• ᴹ√THUS “*smell, stench” ✧ Ety/THUS

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√THUS > thost	[tʰusta] > [θusta] > [θosta] > [θost]	✧ Ety/THUS

balch

adjective. cruel

balch

adjective. cruel

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nwalka “cruel” ✧ Ety/ÑGWAL

Derivations

• ᴹ√(Ñ)GWAL “(suffer) torment, agony” ✧ Ety/ÑGWAL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√ÑGWAL > balch	[ŋgwalka] > [mbalka] > [mbalkʰa] > [mbalxa] > [balxa] > [balx]	✧ Ety/ÑGWAL