kadar

noun. city

A noun appearing only as an element in kadar-lâi “city folk” (SD/435).

kadar-lâi

noun. city folk

A compound noun translated “city folk” given as an example of an adjectival-genitive relationship between nouns (SD/435).

osto

noun. city

armenelos

place name. City of the Kings; *(lit.) Noble Heaven City

The capital city of Númenor. Tolkien glossed this name as the “City of the Kings” (UT/165), but the elements of the name appear to be ar- “noble”, menel “heavens” and the suffixal form -os of osto “city”. As such, its literal meaning seems to be “✱Noble Heaven City”, probably a reference to its location on the slopes of the mountain Meneltarma. The city’s Adûnaic name, Arminalêth, has a similar meaning.

Conceptual development: In the earliest stories of Númenor, the name of this city was given as ᴹQ. Númenos or Númar (LR/14). In the later versions of the story associated with “The Notion Club Papers”, its Quenya name was change to ᴹQ. Antirion (SD/347), but for the most part it was referred to by its Adûnaic name Arminalêth. In the drafts of the Akallebêth the Quenya name was Q. Tar Calimos (PM/145) before it was replaced by its final form Armenelos as in the published version of The Silmarillion.

In the index of Sauron Defeated, Christopher Tolkien incorrectly wrote that Armenelos replaced the name Arminalêth (SDI2/Arminalêth). He corrected this mistake on PM/145, where J.R.R. Tolkien’s notes clearly indicate that Armenelos was the Eldarin [Quenya] name of the city, coexisting with its Adûnaic name Arminalêth.

ostoher

masculine name. *City Lord

The 7th king of Gondor (LotR/1038). His name seems to be a compound osto “city” and heru “lord”.

Conceptual Development: In the drafts of the Lord of the Rings appendices, Tolkien first gave his name as Ostohir, with a transient variation Ostonir (PM/197). Ostohir was a “mixed name” whose final element was Sindarin S. hîr “lord”, much like Ondohir which went through a similar conceptual development (PM/210). In the 2nd edition of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien changed it to the pure Quenya name Ostoher.

Ostoher

city-lord

Ostoher noun masc. name, *"City-lord" (Appendix A)

minassë

fort, city, with a citadel and central watch-tower

minassë noun "fort, city, with a citadel and central watch-tower" (VT42:24)

taras

great towering building, (fort, city, castle) tower

taras noun, Quenya equilvalent of Sindarin barad "a great towering building, (fort, city, castle) tower" (PE17:22), also tarminas. Barad-dûr (Dark Tower) = Quenya Taras Lúna (or Lúnaturco, q.v.)

citya-

verb. to tickle

cityalë

noun. tickling

cityalëa

adjective. ticklish, susceptible, sensitive

minassë

noun. fort, city (with a citadel and central watch tower)

tirion

noun. watch-tower, watch-tower, tower, [ᴱQ.] (great or mighty) tower; city on a hill

osto

strong or fortified building or place, strong place, fortress

osto (1) noun "a strong or fortified building or place, strong place, fortress" (MR:350, 471; WJ:414); "city, town with wall round" (OS, VT46:8)

tirion

watch-tower, tower

tirion noun "watch-tower, tower" (TIR); in early "Qenya" the gloss was "a mighty tower, a city on a hill" (LT1:258). Tirion "Great Watchtower", a city of the Elves in the Blessed Realm (SA:tir; in MR:176 the translation is "Watchful City")

Valmar

valmar

Valmar alternative form of Valimar, q.v. (Silm)

arta

fort, fortress

arta (2) noun "fort, fortress" (GARAT under 3AR)

marto

tower

marto (1) noun "tower" (PE17:66)

marto

noun. tower

ostirion

fort

ostirion noun "fort" (TI:423)

tarminas

tower

tarminas noun "tower" etc. (Sindarin barad); see taras (PE17:22)

tirios

town with walls and towers

tirios noun (probably *tiriost-) "a town with walls and towers" (LT1:258)

turco

tower

turco ("k") (2) noun "tower". In Lúnaturco, Quenya name of Barad-dûr (Dark Tower). Tolkien changed the word turco from turma (PE17:22).

turma

tower

[turma] (2) noun "tower". Tolkien changed this word to turco (#2), q.v. (PE17:22)

Valmar

Valmar

The name Valmar means "dwelling of the Valar" (from Vala and mar = "dwelling").

caras galadhon

place name. City of the Trees

Name of the city of Lórien (LotR/355), translated “City of the Trees” (LotR/353). This name is an adaptation of Nan. Caras Galadon of the same meaning (LotR/1127), replacing Nan. galad “tree” with S. galadh. In pure Sindarin, it would S. Caras i-Ngelaidh (PE17/60). Its initial element is S. (or Nan.) caras “moated fort” and its final element has the Nandorin genitive plural suffix -on.

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s and in the 1st edition of The Lord of the Rings, this name appeared as N. Caras Galadon (TI/245, RC/311). In between the 1st and 2nd editions, Tolkien became disatisified with this name, which was clearly different from S. galadh “tree”. In his Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (WPP) from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien considered changing the meaning of this name so that it, like Galadriel had nothing to do with trees (PE17/84). Ultimately, though, he decided that the form Caras Galadon was Nandorin (PE17/60), and changed the name to its Sindarized form in the 2nd edition of The Lord of the Rings.

caras

noun. city, fort or dwelling surrounded by bulwarks, circular earthwall with dike, city, [N.] city (built above ground); [S.] (orig.) fort or dwelling surrounded by bulwarks, circular earthwall with dike

An element in the name Caras Galadhon “City of the Trees” (LotR/353, 355), adapted from Silvan Elvish: Caras Galadon (PE17/60). Tolkien said the proper meaning of this word was “a built fort or dwelling surrounded by bulwarks” (PE17/84) or a “circular earthwall with dike” (RC/311), derived from the root √CAR “make, build” (PE17/84). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. caras was glossed “a city (built above ground)” under the root ᴹ√KAR “make, do” (Ety/KAR).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would use this word principally in the sense “city”, and would assume its meaning “earthwall, bulwark” was archaic.

Ost-in-Edhi

noun. city, fortress of elves

ost (“fortress, city with wall around”) + in (pl. gen. article) + edhil (pl. of edhel “elf”)

minas

noun. tower, fort, city (with a citadel and central watch tower)

Osgiliath

noun. city, fortress of stars

ost (“fortress”) + gîl (“star, bright spark”) + ath (collective plural suffix)

caras

noun. city (built above ground)

caras i-ngelaidh

place name. City of the Trees

The pure Sindarin form of Caras Galadhon, appearing in notes from the mid-1960s (PE17/60). In these notes, it appears as Caras (i)Ngelelaið, but Christopher Gilson suggested the final word was probably a slip for Ngelaið, which would be the ordinary nasal mutation of the plural of galadh “tree”. Its initial element is S. (or Nan.) caras, and the i is the elided form of the plural definite article in, whose elision causes the nasal mutation of the final word.

minas

noun. fort, city with a citadel and central watch-tower

ost

noun. city, town with wall round

ost

city

ost (pl. yst) (city/town with wall around).

ost

city

(pl. yst) (city/town with wall around).

othronn

underground city or stronghold

(pl. ethrynn for archaic öthrynn) (fortress in a cave or caves). Cited in archaic form othrond in the sources (WJ:414, VT46:12)

barad

tower

1) barad (fortress, fort) (i varad), pl. beraid (i meraid). Note: barad is also an adjective "doomed", but this is derived from a stem in mb- and would have different mutations. 2) (tower or city with citadel/central watchtower) minas (i vinas), pl. minais (i minais), coll. pl. minassath

Osgiliath

Osgiliath

topon. -. >> Ostgiliath

barad

noun. tower, fortress

barad

tower

1b n. tower.

barad

tower

1c n. tower. Q. marto.

caras

noun. circular earthwall with dike

minas

noun. tower

ost

noun. citadel, fortress or stronghold, made or strenghtened by art

barad

tower

(fortress, fort) (i varad), pl. beraid (i meraid). Note: barad is also an adjective "doomed", but this is derived from a stem in mb- and would have different mutations.

minas

tower

(i vinas), pl. minais (i minais), coll. pl. minassath

tisg

adjective. ticklish

@@@ root inversion

tisga-

verb. to tickle

othram

place name. City Wall

Name of the city wall around Minas Tirith appearing in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (WR/288), a combination of ost “city” and the lenited form of rham “wall”, as suggested by Roman Rausch (EE/3.30).

ost

noun. city, town (with wall round)

caras

noun. city (built above ground)

minnas

noun. fort, city with a citadel and central watch-tower

ost

noun. city, town with wall round

barad

noun. tower, fortress

caras

noun. circular earthwall with dike

garth

noun. fort, fortress

minnas

noun. tower

minnas

noun. tower

ost

noun. citadel, fortress or stronghold, made or strenghtened by art

tirion

noun. tower

caras

noun. moated fortress

      caras "moated fortress" (UT:257), probably to be compared to Sindarin ("Noldorin") _caras_ "a city (built above ground)", derived from the stem _KAR_ "make, do" (LR:362); the basic meaning may be simply "something made, construction" (compare Quenya car "building, house"). Extensions involving a suffixed stem-vowel and a final _-s_ are attested; cf. for instance _SPAL_ and its extended form _SPALAS_ (LR:387). Hence, _KAR_ could easily have a longer form *_KARAS_. Sindarin caras evidently includes the Grey-elven derivative ending [[-as]], though ([[-as]] is basically used to derive verbal nouns, like English_ -ing_, but these may often take on a more concrete meaning; _car-as_ can probably be compared to English build-ing); the Nandorin ending may be related to the Sindarin one. Yet another possibility would be equating this ending [[-as]] with the collective ending seen in [[Danas]], q.v., and assume that [[car]] means something like "house" (as in Quenya); hence [[caras]] = "group of houses, village", later taking on the meaning "moated fortress" if the Nandor used to surround their villages with moats.