Quenya 

tundo

hill, mound

tundo noun "hill, mound" (TUN)

ambo

hill, rising ground

ambo noun "hill, rising ground" (Markirya, PE17:92), "mount" (PE17:157), allative pl. ambonnar "upon hills" in Markirya (ruxal' ambonnar "upon crumbling hills") According to VT45:5, ambo was added to the Etymologies as a marginal note.

ambona

noun. hill

amun

hill

amun (amund-) noun "hill" (LT2:335; in Tolkien's later Quenya ambo)

cas

head

cas ("k")"head" (VT49:17), cf. also deleted [cas] ("k")noun "top, summit" (VT45:19). This noun should evidently have the stem-form car-. See cár.

cas

noun. head, head, [ᴱQ.] top, summit

This is the Quenya word for “head”, with a stem form of car- because medial s generally became z and then r, but the s was preserved when final. This word can refer to the head of people and animals, as well as the metaphorical “head” (or top) of other things, in much the same way that Q. tál “foot” can refer to their base.

Conceptual Development: This word was established very early in Tolkien’s writing, being derived from the root ᴱ√KASA “head” all the way back in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/45), but its exact form varied as Tolkien changed his mind on the phonetic development of s in Quenya. Its form in the Qenya Lexicon was in fact ᴱQ. kar (kas-), since in Early Qenya period medial s survived and it was final s that became r (PE12/26). This kar (kas-) was the usual word for head in the 1910s and 20s, but in the typescript version of the Early Qenya Grammar Tolkien instead revised it to ᴱQ. kas (kast-) “head” (PE14/72 and note #5).

In noun declensions from the late 1920s and early 1930s, Tolkien instead had cas (car-), reflecting a conceptual shift in the phonologic development of s (PE13/112-113; PE21/22). However, for reasons unclear, the form ᴹQ. kár (kas-) was restored in The Etymologies written around 1937 under the root ᴹ√KAS “head” (Ety/KEM), despite s > z > r being the normal medial phonetic development in this period (PE19/33). This abnormal form slipped into The Lord of the Rings itself as part of the name Q. Eldacar “Elfhelm” (LotR/1038).

Tolkien generally used the form cas for “head” in his later writings (PE19/103; VT49/17), but in his notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien was forced to contrive another explanation for Eldacar:

> What is -kar in names. How could it stand for helm? E.g. as stem ✱kāsā (√KAS, head) would give kāra, but in compound forms -kāsă > -kas. Would not an ă be lost before voicing of s or at least before z > r (PE17/114).

In this note Tolkien considered having Q. carma “helm” < kas-mā, but discarded the idea since he felt karma “tool or weapon” < KAR “do, make” + was the more likely meaning. He then said “Eldă|kāzā in compounds to -kār(ă) > -kar” despite its phonological implausibility, and indeed kāza/kára appeared in a discussion of helms within 1964 notes on Dalath Dirnen (DD: PE17/188).

As for the sense “top”, there is better evidence for it among Tolkien’s earlier writings, such as the glosses “head, top” in Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s (PE14/79) and the early-1930s allative form kasta “up (to the top)” (PE21/22). I see no reason to assume this alternate meaning did not survive in Tolkien’s later conception of the language.

Derivations

  • kas “head” ✧ PE17/188
    • KAS “head”

Element in

  • ᴺQ. candóla “crown of head”
  • Q. carma “helm”
  • ᴺQ. caraxo “skull, *(lit.) head-bone”
  • ᴺQ. quaccas “tadpole, (lit.) frog head”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
kāza > kára[kāsa] > [kāza] > [kāra]✧ PE17/188

Variations

  • kára ✧ PE17/188
  • kas ✧ PE19/103; VT49/17
Quenya [PE17/188; PE19/103; VT49/17] Group: Eldamo. Published by

cár

head

cár (cas-) ("k")noun "head" (KAS).The given stem-form appears doubtful within the phonological framework of LotR-style Quenya. Probably we should read cas with stem car- (PE14:69 indeed reads "kas head, pl. kari", and VT49:17 quotes the sg. "kas" from a post-LotR source). Compare other forms found in late sources: hlas "ear" with stem hlar- (PE17:62) and olos "dream", pl. olori (UT:396). In Tolkiens early "Qenya", post-vocalic -s became -r at the end of words but was preserved when another vowel followed. His later scheme either lets -r appear in both positions, or reverses the scenario altogether (hence olos, olor-). It would seem that the forms cár, cas- were distractedly carried over into the Etymologies from the Qenya Lexicon (kar, kas-, QL:45) even though they presuppose an earlier version of the phonology. An apparent variant form in late material, cára from earlier cáza ("k"), however fits the later phonology since intervocalic s would become z > r (PE17:188).

cára

noun. head

umbo

hill, lump, clump, mass

umbo, umbon noun "hill, lump, clump, mass" (PE17:93)

Túna

hill, mound

Túna (also Tún) place-name, used of the hill on which Tirion was built (Silm, TUN, KOR), derived from a stem (TUN) apparently meaning simply *"hill, mound".

Sindarin 

dol

noun. head

Sindarin [Ety/376, S/430, RC/268] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dol

noun. hill or mountain

Sindarin [Ety/376, S/430, RC/268] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dol

head

_ n. _head (often applied to hills or mountains that had _not _a sharp apex). >> -dhol, doll, Dol-fanui, Fanuidhol

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:32:36:173] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

doll

head

_ n. _head (often applied to hills or mountains that had _not _a sharp apex). >> -dhol, dol, Dol-fanui, Fanuidhol

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:32:36] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

-dhol

head

_ suff. _head (often applied to hills or mountains that had _not _a sharp apex). >> Fanuidhol

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:36] < S. _dol/doll_ head (often applied to hills or mountains that had _not _a sharp apex). Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

dol(l)

noun. head, hill

This is the normal Sindarin word for “head” (PE17/32, 173; RC/268), which also “often applied to hills or mountains that had not a sharp apex” (PE17/36). Based on the epithet Glórindol “Goldenhead” for Hador (S/147, WJ/234), the word also applied to the head of people (and presumably also animals). In compounds and names it took the form dol, -dol or (mutated) -dhol, as in Dol Guldur, Nardol, or Fanuidhol. Tolkien also represented this word as doll, which is likely its form as an independent word (PE17/32, 36).

Conceptual Development: The earliest precursor to this word was G. nôl “head” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/61), cognate of ᴱQ. nóla “head, hill” from the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon under the early root ᴱ√NOHO “extended” (QL/67). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s Tolkien had ᴱN. {naul >>} nod “head” (PE13/150-151), while in The Etymologies of the 1930s he had N. dôl “head” under the root ᴹ√NDOL (Ety/NDOL).

The last of these indicates the noun began with the ancient cluster nd-, which is important because it would affect mutated forms. However, later Sindarin Fanuidhol “Cloudy Head” requires derivation from unstrengthened ✱dol (RGEO/66). In the 1940s, the plural of this word was duil (SM/225; TI/268) which is consistent with a noun ending in a single l (dôl), but Tolkien later represented it as ending in two ll (PE17/32, 36).

Neo-Sindarin: In keeping with Fanuidhol, I think it is best to assume the ancient form of the word began with unstrengthened d-, so that its independent mutated form would be dholl as in ✱i dholl “the head”. As for its plural, it is possible that the cluster ll would resist i-intrusion so that the plural form would ✱dyll “heads”; compare gyrth plural of gorth. However, I prefer to assume that final ss, nn, ll clusters were especially weak and still allowed for i-intrusion: compare lais plural of lass and periain plural of perian, versus class-plural periannath. Hence, I would use its 1940s plural form duil, which gives doll “a head”, i dholl “the head”, duil “heads” and i nuil “the heads”.

Derivations

  • ᴹ√NDOL “*head”

Element in

  • S. Cardolan “?Red Hill Land”
  • S. Dol Amroth “*Hill of Amroth”
  • S. Dol Baran “*Bare Hill” ✧ PE17/036; RC/433
  • S. Dol Guldur “Hill of Sorcery” ✧ PE17/032; PE17/036; SA/dol
  • S. Dolmed “Wet Head” ✧ SA/dol
  • S. Dol Tarlang “Tarlang’s Head” ✧ RC/536
  • S. Fanuidhol “Cloudyhead” ✧ PE17/036; PE17/173; RC/268; RGEO/66; SA/dol
  • S. Glórindol “Goldenhead” ✧ SA/dol
  • S. Mindolluin “Towering Blue-head” ✧ SA/dol
  • S. Nardol “Fire-hilltop” ✧ SA/dol

Variations

  • dol ✧ PE17/032; PE17/036; PE17/173; RC/268; SA/dol
  • doll ✧ PE17/032; PE17/036
  • Dol ✧ RC/433; RC/536
Sindarin [PE17/032; PE17/036; PE17/173; RC/268; RC/433; RC/536; RGEO/66; SA/dol] Group: Eldamo. Published by

amon

noun. hill, steep-sided mount

Sindarin [Ety/348, LotR/E, RC/334] Group: SINDICT. Published by

amon

hill

pl1. emyn n. hill, lump, clump, mass, often applied to (esp. isolated) mountains. Q. umbo(n). FAmon Amarth

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:15:33:61:93:121] < _m¥bono_ < MBŎNO. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

dôl

hill

(i** dhôl, construct **dol) (head), pl. dŷl (i** nŷl). Note: In the Etymologies, this word was derived from a root with initial nd- (NDOL), which would make the mutations different (i** nôl, pl. i** ndŷl). However, the later name Fanuidhol "Cloudyhead" apparently indicates that the lenited form of this d was later to be dh (whereas it would be n** if the former derivation had been maintained).

dôl

head

dôl (i dhôl, construct dol) (hill), pl. dŷl (i nŷl). Note: In the Etymologies, this word was derived from a root with initial nd- (NDOL), which would make the mutations different (i nôl, pl. i ndŷl). However, the later name Fanuidhol "Cloudyhead" apparently indicates that the lenited form of this d was later to be dh (whereas it would be n if the former derivation had been maintained).

dôl

head

(i dhôl, construct dol) (hill), pl. dŷl (i nŷl). Note: In the Etymologies, this word was derived from a root with initial nd- (NDOL), which would make the mutations different (i nôl, pl. i ndŷl). However, the later name Fanuidhol "Cloudyhead" apparently indicates that the lenited form of this d was later to be dh (whereas it would be n if the former derivation had been maintained).****

amon

hill

1) amon (pl. emyn) (steep-sided mount), 2) dôl (i dhôl, construct dol) (head), pl. dŷl (i nŷl). Note: In the Etymologies, this word was derived from a root with initial nd- (NDOL), which would make the mutations different (i nôl, pl. i ndŷl). However, the later name Fanuidhol "Cloudyhead" apparently indicates that the lenited form of this d was later to be dh (whereas it would be n if the former derivation had been maintained). 3) tund (i dund, o thund, construct tun) (mound), pl. tynd (i thynd), coll. pl. tunnath.

amon

hill

(pl. emyn) (steep-sided mount)

tund

hill

(i** dund, o thund, construct tun) (mound), pl. tynd (i** thynd), coll. pl. tunnath.

cîl

pass between hills

(i gîl, o chîl) (cleft, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. . A homophone means ”renewal”.

Khuzdûl

bund

noun. head

Element in

  • Kh. bund “head” ✧ PE17/036
  • Kh. Bundushathûr “Cloudy-head” ✧ PE17/036; TI/174

Variations

  • Bundu ✧ PE17/036
  • Bund(u) ✧ PE17/036
Khuzdûl [PE17/036; TI/174] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Primitive elvish

ambō

noun. hill

Derivations

  • AM “go up, go up, [ᴹ√] up”

Derivatives

  • Q. ambo “hill, rising ground, mount” ✧ PE17/092
Primitive elvish [PE17/092] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kas

root. head

The root for “head” was established very early in Tolkien’s Elvish languages, appearing in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as ᴱ√KASA “head” (QL/45), though in this period its Qenya derivative was ᴱQ. kar (kas-) because [[eq|final [s] became [r]]] in Early Quenya (PE12/26). It had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. cas “head, skull” (GL/25), a word that reappeared in Early Noldorin word lists of the 1920s as ᴱN. cas “skull” (PE13/140).

The root ᴹ√KAS “head” reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, still with the form ᴹQ. kár (kas-) “head” (Ety/KAS), but Tolkien eventually abandoned the Early Qenya phonology and the Quenya form became Q. kas after some vacillation (PE19/103). The root √KAS “head” continued to appear frequently in Tolkien’s later writing (PE17/114; PE21/70; VT42/12).

Derivatives

  • kas “head”
    • Q. cas “head, head, [ᴱQ.] top, summit” ✧ PE17/188
  • kasd(a) “to the head”
    • Q. cas(ta) “to(wards) the top, upwards” ✧ PE21/76; PE21/76
  • kasma “?helm” ✧ PE17/114
    • Q. carma “helm” ✧ PE17/114; PE17/114; PE17/114
  • S. cast “cape, headland”

Element in

  • kasraya “a tressure” ✧ VT42/12

Variations

  • kas ✧ PE21/70
  • cas ✧ VT42/12
Primitive elvish [PE17/114; PE17/156; PE21/70; VT42/12] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kas

noun. head

Derivations

  • KAS “head”

Derivatives

  • Q. cas “head, head, [ᴱQ.] top, summit” ✧ PE17/188

Element in

Variations

  • kāza ✧ PE17/188
Primitive elvish [PE17/188; PE19/102; PE21/75] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

dôl

noun. head

Noldorin [Ety/376, S/430, RC/268] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dôl

noun. hill or mountain

Noldorin [Ety/376, S/430, RC/268] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dôl

noun. head, hill

Cognates

  • Ilk. dol “head, *hill”
  • ᴹQ. nóla “round head, knoll, round hilltop; summit, round head, knoll, round hilltop; summit, [ᴱQ.] top (only used of mountains etc.); crown of head” ✧ Ety/NDOL

Derivations

  • On. ndolo “head” ✧ Ety/NDOL
    • ᴹ√NDOL “*head” ✧ Ety/NDOL

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
On. ndolo > dôl[ndolo] > [dolo] > [dol] > [dōl]✧ Ety/NDOL

Variations

  • Dol ✧ Ety/BARÁN (Dol)
Noldorin [Ety/BARÁN; Ety/NDOL; SM/225; TI/268] Group: Eldamo. Published by

mindon

noun. isolated hill, especially a hill with a watch tower

Noldorin [Ety/373, Ety/395] Group: SINDICT. Published by

mindon

noun. tower

Noldorin [Ety/373, Ety/395] Group: SINDICT. Published by

amon

noun. hill, steep-sided mount

Noldorin [Ety/348, LotR/E, RC/334] Group: SINDICT. Published by

amon

noun. hill

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. ambo “hill” ✧ Ety/AM²

Derivations

  • ᴹ√AM “up” ✧ Ety/AM²

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√AM² > amon[ambon] > [ambon] > [ammon] > [amon]✧ Ety/AM²
ᴹ√AM² > emuin > emyn[amboni] > [ambuni] > [embyni] > [embyn] > [embyn] > [emmyn] > [emyn]✧ Ety/AM²
Noldorin [Ety/AM²; TI/313] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tund

noun. hill, mound

Noldorin [Ety/395, X/ND1] Group: SINDICT. Published by

tunn

noun. hill, mound

Noldorin [Ety/395, X/ND1] Group: SINDICT. Published by

Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Qenya 

ambo

noun. hill

Cognates

  • N. amon “hill” ✧ Ety/AM²

Derivations

  • ᴹ√AM “up” ✧ Ety/AM²

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√AM² > ambo[ambo]✧ Ety/AM²

kas

noun. head

Cognates

  • N. câs “top, summit” ✧ EtyAC/KAS

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAS “head” ✧ Ety/KAS
  • ᴹ✶kas “head” ✧ PE21/58
    • ᴹ√KAS “head” ✧ PE18/035

Element in

  • ᴹQ. kallo tallo “up and down (again)” ✧ PE21/22

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KAS > kas[kas]✧ Ety/KAS

Variations

  • kas ✧ EtyAC/KAS (kas); PE21/16; PE21/22; PE21/58 (kas)
  • kas- ✧ PE21/19
Qenya [EtyAC/KAS; PE21/16; PE21/19; PE21/22; PE21/58] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kár

noun. head

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAS “head” ✧ Ety/KAS

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KAS > kár[kās] > [kār]✧ Ety/KAS

Doriathrin

dôl

noun. flat/lowlying vale

A noun glossed “flat, lowlying vale” (Ety/DAL). Helge Fauskanger pointed out that the gloss is ambiguous, and it may be that this word can also be used an adjective “flat” (AL-Ilkorin/dôl).

Derivations

  • ᴹ√DAL “flat” ✧ Ety/DAL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√DAL > dôl[dāl] > [dōl]✧ Ety/DAL
Doriathrin [Ety/DAL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Old Noldorin 

ndolo

noun. head

Changes

  • nolondolo ✧ Ety/NDOL

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. nóla “round head, knoll, round hilltop; summit, round head, knoll, round hilltop; summit, [ᴱQ.] top (only used of mountains etc.); crown of head” ✧ Ety/NDOL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√NDOL “*head” ✧ Ety/NDOL

Derivatives

  • N. dôl “head, hill” ✧ Ety/NDOL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√NDOL > ndolo[ndolo]✧ Ety/NDOL

Variations

  • nolo ✧ EtyAC/NDOL (nolo)
Old Noldorin [Ety/NDOL; EtyAC/NDOL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

kas

root. head

Derivatives

  • ᴹ✶kas “head” ✧ PE18/035
    • ᴹQ. kas “head” ✧ PE21/58
  • ᴹ✶kast “towards the top”
    • ᴹQ. kas “upwards, towards the top” ✧ PE21/22
  • ᴹ✶kasma ✧ Ety/KAS
    • On. kama “helmet” ✧ Ety/KAS
  • ᴹ✶kassa ✧ Ety/KAS
    • ᴹQ. kassa “helmet” ✧ Ety/KAS
  • ᴹQ. kár “head” ✧ Ety/KAS
  • ᴹQ. kas “head” ✧ Ety/KAS
  • N. câs “top, summit” ✧ Ety/KAS
  • N. caw “top” ✧ Ety/KAS
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/KAS; PE18/035] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kas

noun. head

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAS “head” ✧ PE18/035

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. kas “head” ✧ PE21/58

Variations

  • kăs ✧ PE18/035 (kăs); PE21/55; PE21/64
  • kas- ✧ PE21/55
Middle Primitive Elvish [PE18/035; PE21/55; PE21/58; PE21/64] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

nôl

noun. head

Cognates

  • Eq. nóla “summit, head, top (only used of mountains etc.); (round) hill; crown of head” ✧ GL/61

Derivations

  • ᴱ✶nold ✧ GL/61
    • ᴱ√NOHO “extended”
    • ᴱ√ƷONO “hard” ✧ QL/066; QL/067

Early Noldorin

nod

noun. head

Changes

  • naulnod “head” ✧ PE13/150
  • naulnod “head” ✧ PE13/151

Variations

  • naul ✧ PE13/150 (naul); PE13/151 (naul)
Early Noldorin [PE13/150; PE13/151] Group: Eldamo. Published by

amon

noun. hill

Cognates

  • Eq. ambo “hill” ✧ PE13/137; PE13/159
Early Noldorin [PE13/137; PE13/159] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

kasa

root. head

Derivatives

  • ᴱ✶kasla
    • Eilk. cath ✧ PE13/140
    • Eq. kalla “helmet” ✧ PE13/140
    • En. caul “helmet” ✧ PE13/140
  • Eq. kas “head, top, summit”
  • Eq. kar “head” ✧ QL/045
  • Eq. kasien “helmet” ✧ QL/045
  • Eq. kastea “of the head; head-, capital, chief” ✧ QL/045
  • En. cas “skull, skull, [G.] head”
  • G. cas “head, skull”
  • En. “top”

Element in

Variations

  • KAS ✧ QL/031
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/031; QL/045] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

oro

noun. hill

Cognates

  • G. orod “mountain” ✧ LT1A/Kalormë

Derivations

  • ᴱ√ORO “steepness, rising” ✧ LT1A/Kalormë; QL/070

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√ORO¹ > oro[orō] > [oro]✧ QL/070
Early Quenya [LT1/085; LT1A/Kalormë; PME/070; QL/070; VT28/30] Group: Eldamo. Published by

oron

noun. hill

Variations

  • oron(d) ✧ PME/070
Early Quenya [PME/070] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ambo

noun. hill

Cognates

  • En. amon “hill” ✧ PE13/137; PE13/159
Early Quenya [PE13/137; PE13/159] Group: Eldamo. Published by

amun

noun. hill

Cognates

  • G. amon “hill, mount, steep slope” ✧ LT2A/Amon Gwareth

Derivations

  • ᴱ√AM(U) “up(wards)” ✧ LT2A/Amon Gwareth; QL/030

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√AM(U) > amun[amund] > [amun]✧ QL/030

Variations

  • amun(d) ✧ LT2A/Amon Gwareth
Early Quenya [LT2A/Amon Gwareth; PME/030; QL/030] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kar

noun. head

Cognates

  • G. cas “head, skull”

Derivations

  • ᴱ√KASA “head” ✧ QL/045

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√KASA > kar[kas] > [kar]✧ QL/045
Early Quenya [PE14/042; PE14/043; PE14/044; PE14/046; PE14/047; PE14/117; PE15/73; PME/045; QL/030; QL/045] Group: Eldamo. Published by