feleg

noun. cave

n. cave, mine, underground dwelling. Q. felco. Q.

feleg

noun. cave, mine, underground dwelling

A word for “cave, mine, underground dwelling” in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957, derived from the root √PHELEK, that Tolkien considered as an alternative to fela (< ✶phelgā) for the initial element of the name Felagund (PE17/118).

Conceptual Development: N. feleg “(animal’s) horn; steep mountain peak” appeared in a deleted entry in The Etymologies of the 1930s, but that seems unrelated.

Neo-Sindarin: In a note from 1959, Tolkien derived Felagund as a loan word from Khuzdul Felakgundu “Cave Hewer” (PM/352), and this was the etymology Christopher Tolkien gave in The Silmarillion index (SI/Felagund). I prefer this as the basis for Felagund’s name, and √PHELEG over √PHELEK as the ancient Elvish root. Nevertheless I think feleg “cave” may remain viable in Neo-Sindarin as a loan word from Khuzdul. The similarity of ancient Elvish PHELEG and Dwarvish radical ✱F-L-K may be a coincidence or the result of Avari influence on Ancient Dwarvish.

Cognates

• Q. felco “cave, mine, underground dwelling” ✧ PE17/118

Derivations

• √PHELEG “excavation, excavation; [ᴹ√] cave” ✧ PE17/118

Element in

• S. Felagund “Lord of Caves; Hewer of Caves; Den Dweller” ✧ PE17/118

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√PHELEK > feleg	[pʰeleke] > [ɸeleke] > [feleke] > [felek] > [feleg]	✧ PE17/118

beleg

adjective. great, mighty

daer

adjective. great

daer

adjective. great, large

Derivations

• ✶daira “large, great” ✧ VT42/11
  • √DAY “*great” ✧ VT42/11

Element in

• S. Athrad Dhaer “Great Ford” ✧ WJ/338
• S. Daeron ✧ VT42/11
• S. Dor Daedeloth “Land of Great Dread; Land of Shadow of Horror”
• S. Dor-na-Daerachas “Land of Great Dread”
• S. Duin Dhaer ✧ WJ/191
• S. Lô Dhaer “Great Fen” ✧ VT42/14
• S. Lond Daer “Great Haven”
• S. Lond Daer Enedh “Great Middle Haven” ✧ UT/264

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶daira > daer	[daira] > [dair] > [daer]	✧ VT42/11

Variations

• Daer ✧ UT/264; WJ/335
• daer ✧ VT42/11

roth

noun. cave

n. cave. Q. rondo.

groth

noun. cave, tunnel, large excavation

groth

noun. delving, underground dwelling

rond

noun. cave roof

rond

noun. vaulted or arched roof, as seen from below (and usually not visible from outside), or a (large) hall of chamber so roofed

beleg

great

beleg (mighty), lenited veleg, pl. belig

beleg

great

(mighty), lenited veleg, pl. belig

fela

cave

(pl. fili). In the Etymologies (LR:381 s.v. PHÉLEG) the name Felagund is said to include this word, but since Tolkien later re-explained this name as a borrowing from Dwarvish, some would consider fela as a word for ”cave” conceptually obsolete.

bíleb

adjective. equal

Element in

• ᴺS. bilebra- “to equal”
• ᴺS. bilebren “equable”
• ᴺS. bileutha- “to make equal, equalize”

Elements

Word	Gloss
bîl	“likeness, similarity”

rhûd

artificial cave

(construct rhud, with article ?i thrûd or ?i rûd – *the lenition product of rh- is uncertain) (dwelling underground, rockhewn hall, mine), pl. rhuid (?idh ruid). (PM:365)*

#dae

great

#dae (lenited nae, no distinct pl. form). Isolated from daedhelos "great fear". Note: Homophones mean "shadow, shade" and also "very, exceedingly".

dae

great

(lenited nae, no distinct pl. form). Isolated from daedhelos "great fear". Note: Homophones mean "shadow, shade" and also "very, exceedingly".

daer

great

daer (large), lenited dhaer, no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means "bridegroom", but has a different lenited form.

daer

great

(large), lenited dhaer, no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means "bridegroom", but has a different lenited form.

groth

cave

(i ’roth) (delving, large excavation), pl. gryth (in gryth) (VT46:12)

grôd

cave

1) grôd (i **rôd, construct grod) (delving, excavation, underground dwelling), pl. grŷd (in grŷd) (WJ:414), 2) groth (i **roth) (delving, large excavation), pl. gryth (in gryth) (VT46:12), 3) rond (construct ron) (cavern, vault, vaulted ceiling, hall with vaulted roof), pl. rynd (idh rynd), coll. pl. ronnath, 4) roth (delving, large excavation), pl. ryth, 4) gathrod (i **athrod), pl. gethryd (i ngethryd = i ñethryd), 5) fela (pl. fili). In the Etymologies (LR:381 s.v. PHÉLEG) the name Felagund is said to include this word, but since Tolkien later re-explained this name as a borrowing from Dwarvish, some would consider fela** as a word for ”cave” conceptually obsolete.

grôd

cave

(i ’rôd, construct grod) (delving, excavation, underground dwelling), pl. grŷd (in grŷd) (WJ:414)

rond

cave

(construct ron) (cavern, vault, vaulted ceiling, hall with vaulted roof), pl. rynd (idh rynd), coll. pl. ronnath

roth

cave

(delving, large excavation), pl. ryth, 4) gathrod (i ’athrod), pl. gethryd (i ngethryd = i ñethryd)

othronn

fortress in a cave/caves

(pl. ethrynn for archaic öthrynn) (underground stronghold). Cited in archaic form othrond in the source (WJ:414).