Another name for Anfauglith (S/153), translated “Land under Choking Ash” (WJ/239-240). This name is a combination of dôr “land”, nu “under”, faug “thirsty” and lith “ash” (SA/faug, lith).
Conceptual Development: In the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s, this name was first writen G. Dor na Maiglos, soon revised to ᴱN. Dor-na-Fauglith with na “of” instead of nu “under” (LB/49). In the Lays, this name was translated as “Thirsty Plain” or “Land of Thirst” (LB/39, 275). The name N. Dor-na-Fauglith was retained in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, variously translated as “Plain of Thirst”, “Land of Gasping Thirst” and “Land of Thirst” (SM/26, LR/132, LR/280). In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, Tolkien revised the name to Dor-no-Fauglith >> Dor-nu-Fauglith, and modified the translation to “Land under Choking Ash” (WJ/239-240).
A noun for “ash” appearing as an element in names like Lithlad “Plain of Ashes” (RC/457) and Dor-nu-Fauglith “Land under Choking Ash” (WJ/239-240), as well as in the adjective lithui “ashy, ashen” (RGEO/66, RC/765). It is translated as “dust” in the name Anfauglith “Gasping Dust” (S/150), but since this is the name for Ard-galen after the region was burned by the forces of Morgoth, this may simply be a loose translation for “ash”.
Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s N. lith was glossed “sand” from primitive ᴹ✶litse under the root ᴹ√LIT (Ety/LIT), and in this document N. Fauglith was translated “Thirsty Sand” (Ety/PHAU), as opposed to its original translation from the 1920s and early-to-mid 1930s which was simply “Thirst” (LB/275; SM/26, 101; LR/280).
Neo-Sindarin: For Neo-Sindarin I’d use lith mainly in its 1950s-60s sense “ash” but also allow its 1930s sense “sand”, but for “dust” I’d use [N.] ast. @@@ Maybe it would be better to coin a neologism for “sand”?