glamhoth

collective name. Orcs, (lit.) Din-horde, Host of Tumult

A collective term for Orcs, translated “din-horde” or “host(s) of tumult” (UT/54, MR/109, PE17/39). This name is combination of glam “din, uproar” and hoth “host, horde” (WJ/391, SA/hoth). This term was sufficiently common that it was generalized into another word for Orc: glamog (WJ/391).

Conceptual Development: The term G. Glamhoth was used for Orcs in the earliest Lost Tales (LT2/160), but at this early stage was translated “People of Dreadful Hate” with its initial element being G. glâm “hate” (GL/39). In The Etymologies from the 1930s, Tolkien revised the derivation of N. Glamhoth so that its initial element was N. glamm “shouting, confused noise; barbarous speech” (Ety/GLAM), and the term retained essentially the same derivation in later writings.

Element in

• S. gurth an Glamhoth “Death to the din-horde” ✧ UT/039

Elements

Word	Gloss
glam	“din, uproar, the confused yelling and bellowing of beasts, din, uproar, bellowing of beasts, [N.] shouting, confused noise; barbarous speech; [ᴱN.] hatred, [G.] loathing, fierce hate”
hoth	“host, horde, host, horde, [N.] crowd; group plural; [ᴱN.] folk, [G.] people; †army”

Variations

• glam-hoth ✧ PE17/039