gabilgathol

place name. Great Fortress

belegost

place name. Mickleburg, (lit.) Great Fortress

Sindarin name of the Dwarven city of Kh. Gabilgathol, translated “Mickleburg” (S/91) and “Great Fortress” (WJ/209). This name is a compound of beleg “mighty” and ost “fortress” (SA/beleg, os(t)).

Conceptual Development: The name G. Belegost appeared in the earliest Lost Tales, already with the etymology given above (LT2/230, LT2A/Belegost). In one place it appeared in an extended form Ost Belegost (LT2/244).

The name reappeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, where it was translated “Great Fortress” alongside its Dwarven name Gabilgathol (LR/274). The name N. Belegost was translated “Great City” in The Etymologies (Ety/BEL), where its decomposition was made explicit as Beleg-ost (EtyAC/OS).

túrosto

place name. Mickleburg, (lit.) Great Fortress

Quenya name of Belegost (WJ/389). Its first element is a derivative of the root √TUR “strong” and the second element is osto “fortress”.