A term for the “high men”, those of Númenórean descent (LotR/1131). It is a compound of tar- “high” and a shortened form of Hildo “Man”.
Conceptual Development: In the early tales of Númenor from the 1930-40s, Tolkien used the term ᴹQ. Turkil “Great or Lordly Man” in the different versions of the Lament of Atalante (LR/47, SD/246). The initial element of this earlier term was derived from the root ᴹ√TUR “power, control, mastery, victory”, as indicated in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/TUR). The term ᴹQ. Tarkil also appeared in The Etymologies, and the two terms seemed to be equivalent (Ety/TĀ, TUR). In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, only the term ᴹQ. Tarkil appears (TI/8, 84; WR/310), so apparently Turkil became obsolete.
Tarcil ("k") (#Tarcild-, as in pl. Tarcildi) masc. name, "high-Man", also used as a term for Númenórean (Appendix A, TUR, KHIL, VT46:17, PE17:101; the latter source provides the gloss "Great Man of Numenor"; tarcil(di) = "high-men = Elf-friends of Númenor"). Cf. the variant tarhildi, q.v.