nulla

dark, dusky, obscure

nulla adj. "dark, dusky, obscure" (NDUL), "secret" (DUL). See also VT45:11.

mori-

dark, black

mori- "dark, black" in a number of compounds (independent form morë, q.v.):Morimando "Dark Mando" = Mandos (MBAD, VT45:33), morimaitë "black-handed" (LotR3:VI ch. 6, VT49:42). Moriquendi "Dark Elves" (SA:mor, WJ:361, 373), Moringotto "Black Foe", Sindarin Morgoth, later name of Melkor. The oldest form is said to have been Moriñgotho (MR:194). In late material, Tolkien is seen to consider both Moringotto and Moricotto _("k") _as the Quenya form of the name Morgoth (VT49:24-25; Moricotto also appears in the ablative, Moricottollo). Morion "the dark one", a title of Morgoth (FS). Morifinwë "dark Finwë", masc. name; he was called Caranthir in Sindarin (short Quenya name Moryo). (PM:353) In the name Morinehtar, translated "Darkness-slayer", the initial element is defined would thus seem to signify "darkness" rather than "dark" as an adjective (see mórë). (PM:384, 385)

morna

dark, black

morna adj. "dark, black" (Letters:282, LT1:261; also used of black hair, PE17:154), or "gloomy, sombre" (MOR). Used as noun in the phrase mi…morna of someone clad "in…black" (PE17:71). In tumbalemorna (Letters:282), q.v. Pl. mornë in Markirya**(the first version of this poem had "green rocks", MC:215, changed to ondolisse mornë** "upon dark rocks" in the final version; see MC:220, note 8).

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” + mā 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

Development	Stages	Sources
✶kāza > kára	[kāsa] > [kāza] > [kāra]	✧ PE17/188

Variations

• kára ✧ PE17/188
• kas ✧ PE19/103; VT49/17

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

lóna

dark

?lóna (4) adj. "dark" (DO3/DŌ). If this is to be the cognate of "Noldorin"/Sindarin dûr, as the context seems to indicate, lóna is likely a misreading for *lóra in Tolkien's manuscript.

lúna

dark

lúna adj. *"dark" in Lúnaturco and Taras Lúna, Quenya names of Barad-dûr (Dark Tower). (PE17:22). In the Etymologies, lúnë "blue" was changed by Tolkien from lúna (VT45:29).

morĭ

adjective. dark

PQ. dark

móri

dark

móri adj. "dark" (MC:221; this is "Qenya"; in Tolkien's later Quenya mórë, morë)

ulca

adjective. dark

dark, gloomy, sinister

lúrëa

dark, overcast

lúrëa adj. "dark, overcast" (LT1:259)

núla

dark, occult, mysterious

núla ("ñ")adj. "dark, occult, mysterious" (PE17:125)

hróva

dark, dark brown

hróva adj. "dark, dark brown", used to refer to hair (PE17:154)

hísëa

adjective. misty

A neologism for “misty” coined by Paul Strack in 2018 specifically for Eldamo as a replacement for ᴱQ. maska of similar meaning. It is just an adjective form of hísë “mist”, and is thus not particularly original.

Elements

Word	Gloss
hísë	“mist, mist, [ᴹQ.] fog, [ᴱQ.] haze; dusk; bleared”

toli

noun. doll, puppet

Derivations

• ᴺ✶. TOLI “*doll”

Element in

• ᴺQ. tolipincë “little doll”

doll

head

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

dol

noun. head

dol

noun. hill or mountain

dol

head

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

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

-dhol

head

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

dúath

adjective. dark

_ adj. _dark, black shadow.

dûr

adjective. dark, sombre

dûr

dark

_ adj. _dark, gloomy, 'hellish'.

hithui

adjective. misty

An adjectival form of hîth “mist”, constructed via the common adjective suffix -ui. It is translated in the early name N. Eredhithui “Misty Mountains” (TI/124), a precursor of S. Hithaeglir. It is attested in later writings as S. Hithui, the Sindarin name for November (lit. “✱Misty-one”).

Element in

• S. Hithui “November, *Misty-one” ✧ LotR/1110

Elements

Word	Gloss
hîth	“mist”
-ui	“-ful, having quality, adjective suffix; possibility, suitability [as verbal suffix], *-able”

Variations

• Hithui ✧ LotR/1110 (Hithui)

hithui

misty

(foggy), lenited chithui; no distinct pl. form.

doll

dark

doll (dusky, misty, obscure), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in S.

doll

dark

(dusky, misty, obscure), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in S.

doll

dusky

doll (dark, misty, obscure), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in S.

doll

dusky

(dark, misty, obscure), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in S.

doll

misty

1) doll (dark, dusky, obscure), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in Sindarin. 2) hithui (foggy), lenited chithui; no distinct pl. form.

doll

misty

(dark, dusky, obscure), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in Sindarin.

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).****

graurim

dark people

(VT45:16);

dúath

dark shadow

(i dhúath) (nightshade), pl. dúaith (i núaith);

dûr

dark

dûr (sombre), lenited dhûr, pl. duir

dûr

dark

(sombre), lenited dhûr, pl. duir

graw

dark

graw (swart), lenited raw, pl. groe. (VT45:16)

graw

dark

(swart), lenited ’raw, pl. groe. (VT45:16)

guldur

dark sorcery

(i nguldur = i ñuldur), pl. gyldyr (in gyldyr = i ñgyldyr)

morn

dark

morn (black), pl. myrn, lenited vorn. Note: the latter word is also used as a noun ”darkness, night”. (Letters:386)

morn

dark

(black), pl. myrn, lenited vorn. Note: the latter word is also used as a noun ”darkness, night”. (Letters:386)

môr

dark

môr (black), lenited vôr, pl. mŷr (Letters:382), also

môr

dark

(black), lenited vôr, pl. m**ŷr* (Letters:382)*, also

gwathra

obscure

(verb) gwathra- (i **wathra, in gwathrar**) (dim, veil, overshadow

gwathra

obscure

(i ’wathra, in gwathrar) (dim, veil, overshadow

hethu

obscure

_(adjective) _1) *hethu (foggy, vague), analogical pl. hethy; lenited chethu. Cited in archaic form hethw (LR:364 s.v. KHIS, KHITH). 2) doll (dark, dusky, misty), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in S.

hethu

obscure

(foggy, vague), analogical pl. hethy; lenited chethu. Cited in archaic form hethw (LR:364 s.v. KHIS, KHITH). 2) doll (dark, dusky, misty), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in S.

búrz

adjective. dark

Element in

• Bs. burzum “darkness” ✧ PE17/011; PE17/012
• Bs. Lugbúrz “Dark Tower” ✧ PE17/012; PE17/079

Variations

• burz ✧ PE17/012

búrz

adjective. dark

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

dom

root. dark, dark, [ᴹ√] faint, dim

This root was the basis for the main Elvish words for “dusk, night”, which was established as Q. lómë in Quenya for most of Tolkien’s life. The earliest form of this root was ᴱ√LOMO in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, unglossed but with various derivatives having to do with “dusk” and “shadow” (QL/55). One notable derivative was ᴱQ. lóme “dusk, gloom, darkness”, which survived in Tolkien’s later writings as “night” and in the 1910s was the basis for ᴱQ. Hisilóme/G. Hithlum “Shadowy Twilights”. Another notable derivative was G. lómin “shady, shadowy, gloomy; gloom(iness)” (GL/45) used in the name G. Dor Lómin, which in the 1910s was translated as “Land of Shadow” (LT1/112).

The “shadow” meaning of this early root seems to have transferred to ᴹ√LUM from The Etymologies of the 1930s, which served as the new basis for N. Hithlum (Ety/LUM), as opposed contemporaneous N. Dor-lómen which was redefined as “Land of Echoes (< ᴹ√LAM via Ilkorin or in later writings, via North Sindarin). The “dusk” sense was transferred to a new root ᴹ√DOM “faint, dim”, which (along with ᴹ√DOƷ) was the basis for the pair words ᴹQ. lóme/N. dû “night” (Ety/DOMO).

These two words for “night” survived in Tolkien’s later writing in both Quenya and Sindarin (Let/308; SA/dú). In notes from the 1940s Tolkien clarified that it “has no evil connotations; it is a word of peace and beauty and has none of the associations of fear or groping that, say, ‘dark’ has for us” (SD/306). The Elves were quite comfortable being under the night sky, dating back to the time when the Elves lived under the stars before the rising of the Sun and the Moon. The root √DOM reappeared in etymologies for star-words from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/152). It appeared again in some very late notes from 1969 where it was glossed “dark” and served as the basis for words meaning “blind” as well as “night”, though this paragraph was rejected (PE22/153, note #50).

Derivatives

• ✶dōmē “night, twilight” ✧ PE17/152
  • Q. lómë “night, dimness, twilight, dusk, darkness, night, dimness, twilight, dusk, darkness, [ᴹQ.] night-time, shades of night, gloom; [ᴱQ.] shadow, cloud” ✧ PE17/152; SA/dú
  • S. dû “night, dimness; dim, dark, night, dimness; [N.] night-fall, late evening; [S.] dim, dark” ✧ PE17/152; SA/dú
• ᴺQ. lomba “blind”
• Q. lomba “blind” ✧ PE22/153
• Q. lómë “night, dimness, twilight, dusk, darkness, night, dimness, twilight, dusk, darkness, [ᴹQ.] night-time, shades of night, gloom; [ᴱQ.] shadow, cloud” ✧ PE22/153
• ᴺS. dom “blind”
• S. dom “blind” ✧ PE22/153

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

kas

noun. head

Derivations

• √KAS “head”

Derivatives

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

Element in

• Q. castol(o) “helmet” ✧ PE17/188
• S. castol “helmet” ✧ PE17/188

Variations

• kāza ✧ PE17/188

mornā

adjective. dark

Derivations

• √MOR “black, dark, darkness” ✧ Let/382

Derivatives

• Q. morna “black, dark; black of hair, black, dark; black of hair; [ᴹQ.] sombre, gloomy” ✧ Let/382
• S. morn “black, dark; night” ✧ Let/382; WJ/362

toli

root. *doll

Derivatives

• ᴺQ. toli “doll, puppet”

du Reconstructed

root. dark

Derivatives

• ✶durnu “dark of hue”
  • ᴺQ. nurno “dark, deep (of hue)”
• Q. lúmë “darkness”
• Q. lúna “*dark”

doll

adjective. dark, dusky, obscure

doll

adjective. obscure, dark, dusky, hidden, secret

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nulla “dark, dusky, obscure; hidden, secret” ✧ Ety/DUL; Ety/NDUL; EtyAC/DUL; EtyAC/DUL

Derivations

• ᴹ✶ndulna “secret” ✧ Ety/DUL
  • ᴹ√(N)DUL “hide, conceal” ✧ Ety/DUL
• ᴹ✶ndulla “dark, dusky, obscure” ✧ Ety/NDUL; EtyAC/DUL; EtyAC/DUL
  • ᴹ√(N)DUL “hide, conceal” ✧ Ety/NDUL; Ety/DUL

Element in

• N. dolen “hidden, secret” ✧ Ety/DUL
• N. Dolwethil “(Woman of) Secret Shadow”
• N. Gondolin “Heart of Hidden Rock” ✧ EtyAC/DUL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶ndulna > doll	[ndulna] > [ndulla] > [dulla] > [dolla] > [doll]	✧ Ety/DUL
ᴹ✶ndulla > doll	[ndulla] > [dulla] > [dolla] > [doll]	✧ Ety/NDUL

Variations

• dolt ✧ Ety/DUL

dolt

adjective. dark, dusky, obscure

dolt

adjective. obscure

dôl

noun. head

dôl

noun. hill or mountain

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

• N. Dolamarth “Mount Doom”
• N. Celebrindol
• N. Dolad ✧ Ety/NDOL
• N. Dol Amroth
• N. Dolbaran ✧ Ety/BARÁN
• N. Duil Rain “Border Hills” ✧ TI/268 (Duil Rain)
• N. Dolereb “Lonely Mt.”
• N. Fanuidol
• N. Methendol
• N. Nardol
• N. Duil Rewinion “Hills of the Hunters” ✧ SM/225

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. ndolo > dôl	[ndolo] > [dolo] > [dol] > [dōl]	✧ Ety/NDOL

Variations

• Dol ✧ Ety/BARÁN (Dol)

dûr

adjective. dark, sombre

dûr

adjective. dark

Cognates

• ᴹQ. lóna “dark” ✧ Ety/DOƷ

Derivations

• ᴹ√DOƷ “night” ✧ Ety/DOƷ

Element in

• N. Barad-dûr “Dark Tower”
• N. Dureledh “Dark-elf” ✧ Ety/DOƷ
• N. Durion “Dark-elf” ✧ Ety/DOƷ
• N. Durthang
• N. durgul “sorcery”
• N. Magladhûr “Black-sword”
• N. Ennyn Dûr “Gates of Mordor” ✧ WR/113 (Ennyn Dûr)

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√DOƷ/DÔ > dûr	[dōr] > [dūr]	✧ Ety/DOƷ

Variations

• Dûr ✧ WR/113

hithui

adjective. misty

Element in

• N. Eredhithui “Misty Mountains” ✧ TI/124
• N. Hithui “November, *Misty-one”

Elements

Word	Gloss
hîth	“mist”
-ui	“adjective suffix”