hiswë

fog

hiswë (þ) noun "fog" (KHIS/KHITH)

hísë

mist, fog

hísë (þ) (stem #hísi- because of the primitive form ¤khīthi, cf. hísilanya, Hísilómë) (1) noun "mist, fog" (KHIS/KHITH). According to VT45:22, hísë is also the name of Tengwa #11 in the pre-classical Tengwar system presupposed in the Etymologies, but Tolkien would later call #11 harma/aha instead.

Fui

night

Fui noun "Night" (PHUY) - variant Hui, which form is probably to be preferred in light of Tolkien's later insight that the related word fuinë (see below) is actually Telerin, the proper Quenya form being huinë.

ló

night, a night

ló (1) noun "night, a night" (DO3/DŌ, VT45:28)

olo

night

?olo (reading uncertain), possibly a synonym of ló #1, hence noun "night" (VT45:28)

mori

night

mori noun "night" (LT1:261, in Tolkien's later Quenya mórë, morë)

morĭ

adjective. dark

PQ. dark

Hui

night

Hui noun "Night" (PHUY), in earlier "Qenya" defined as "evening" _(MC:214) or"fog, dark, murk, night" (LT1:253)._

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.

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).

móri

dark

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

hróva

dark, dark brown

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

hísë

noun. mist, mist, [ᴹQ.] fog, [ᴱQ.] haze; dusk; bleared

A word for “mist” appearing as an element in several names. It is not directly attested in Tolkien’s later writings, but ᴹQ. híse “mist, fog” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶khīthi, indicating a stem form of hísi- [†híþi-] (Ety/KHIS). Its continued appearance in words like Q. Hísilómë “Land of Mist” (S/118) and Q. hísilanya “mist thread” (PE17/60) indicates its ongoing validity.

Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. hīse appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as a derivative of the early root ᴱ√HISI alongside a variant ᴱQ. histe, but there it was glossed “dusk” (QL/40). In drafts of the Oilima Markirya written circa 1930 it was glossed “haze” (PE16/62) or “mist” (PE16/75; MC/221), but in the final 1931 iteration of the poem it appeared only in the very-loosely translated phrase ᴱQ. úri nienaite híse “a bleared sun”, perhaps literally “✱sun [with a] tearful mist” (MC/214). In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s it was “mist” (PE21/32) and in The Etymologies of the late 1930s “mist, fog” as noted above, so Tolkien seems to have stuck with the meaning “mist” thereafter.

Cognates

• S. hîth “mist”

Derivations

• √KHITH “mist, mist, [ᴹ√] fog”

Element in

• ᴺQ. hísëa “misty”
• Q. hísië “mist, mistiness”
• Q. hísilanya “mist thread, grey elvish rope” ✧ PE17/060
• Q. Hísilómë “Land of Mist, (lit.) Mist-and-Dusk”
• Q. Hísimë “November, *Misty-one”

lúrëa

dark, overcast

lúrëa adj. "dark, overcast" (LT1:259)

nulla

dark, dusky, obscure

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

núla

dark, occult, mysterious

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

hísië

mist, mistiness

hísië (þ) noun "mist, mistiness" (Nam, SA:hîth, PE17:73), also hísë.

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).

ulca

adjective. dark

dark, gloomy, sinister

hithu

noun. fog

hîth

noun. mist, fog

fuin

noun. night, dead of night, gloom, darkness

dû

night

_ n. _night (when viewed favourably). Q. lóme.

dûr

adjective. dark, sombre

hithlain

noun. mist-thread (a substance used by the Elves of Lothlórien to make strong ropes)

dúath

adjective. dark

_ adj. _dark, black shadow.

dûr

dark

dûr (sombre), lenited dhûr, pl. duir

dûr

dark

_ adj. _dark, gloomy, 'hellish'.

dûr

dark

(sombre), lenited dhûr, pl. duir

hithlain

mist-thread

name of a fiber made in Lórien.

hîth

mist

hîth (i chîth) (fog), no distinct pl. form, not even with article (i chîth).

hîth

noun. mist

The Sindarin word for “mist”, an element in many names, derived from the root √KHITH of the same meaning (SA/hîth; PE17/73).

Conceptual Development: N. hîth “mist” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, already with the derivation given above (Ety/KHIS), though when Tolkien first defined the word, he first wrote (and then deleted) the gloss “fog” (EtyAC/KHIS). In The Etymologies as published in The Lost Road, Christopher Tolkien wrote hith (LR/364), but Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne confirmed that the actual form was hîth in their Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies (VT45/22).

Cognates

• Q. hísië “mist, mistiness” ✧ SA/hîth
• Q. hísë “mist, mist, [ᴹQ.] fog, [ᴱQ.] haze; dusk; bleared”

Derivations

• √KHITH “mist, mist, [ᴹ√] fog”

Element in

• S. Hithaeglir “Misty Mountains, (lit.) Line of Misty Peaks” ✧ SA/hîth
• S. hithlain “mist thread, grey elvish rope”
• north S. Hithlum “Land of Mist” ✧ SA/hîth
• S. hithren “grey”
• S. hithui “misty”
• S. Nen Hithoel “Mist-cool Water” ✧ RC/328; SA/hîth

Variations

• Hith ✧ RC/328

hîth

mist

(i chîth) (fog), no distinct pl. form, not even with article (i chîth).

mith

wet mist

(i vith) (white fog), no distinct pl. form except with article (i mith). David Salo would read mîth with a long vowel. Note: a homophone is the adjective ”pale grey”. ✱

hithu

noun. fog

Derivations

• √KHITH “mist, mist, [ᴹ√] fog”

hithu

fog

(i chithu), analogical pl. hithy (i chithy). Cited in archaic form hithw (LR:364 s.v. KHIS, KHITH), so the coll. pl. is likely hithwath.

hîth

fog

1) hîth (i chîth) (mist), no distinct pl. form, not even with article (i chîth), 2) *hithu (i chithu), analogical pl. hithy (i chithy). Cited in archaic form hithw (LR:364 s.v. KHIS, KHITH), so the coll. pl. is likely hithwath.

hîth

fog

(i chîth) (mist), no distinct pl. form, not even with article (i chîth)

mith

white fog

(i vith) (wet mist), no distinct pl. form except with article (i mith). David Salo would read mîth with a long vowel. Note: a homophone is the adjective ”pale grey”.

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.

graw

dark

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

graw

dark

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

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)

dû

night

1) dû (i dhû) (nightfall, dusk, late evening, darkness), pl. dui (i nui) (SD:302), 2) morn (i vorn) (darkness), pl. myrn (i myrn). Note: the word is also used as an adjective ”dark, black” (Letters:386).

môr

dark

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

môr

dark

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

guldur

dark sorcery

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

graurim

dark people

(VT45:16);

dúath

dark shadow

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

búrz

adjective. dark

búrz

adjective. dark

Element in

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

Variations

• burz ✧ PE17/012

khith

root. mist, mist, [ᴹ√] fog

This root and its variants were the basis for “mist” words for much of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√HISI with derivatives like ᴱQ. híse “dusk” and ᴱQ. hiswa “dim, fading” (QL/40), and as an element in ᴱQ. Hisilóme which was glossed “Shadowy Twilights” in the earliest Lost Tales (LT1/112). Thus the early root might have meant “✱dusk, dimness, shadow”. The root was probably also an element in the Gnomish equivalent Hithlum from this period (GL/20), perhaps the result of the sound change whereby [[g|[s] became [θ] before [l]]] in Gnomish.

The sense “haze” and “mist” for ᴱQ. híse first appeared in drafts of the Oilima Markirya poem (PE16/62, 75). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave this root as ᴹ√KHITH with variant ᴹ√KHIS and the gloss “mist, fog”; ᴹ√KHIS was listed first but all the actual derivatives were from ᴹ√KHITH (Ety/KHIS). The root appeared again in Notes on Galadriel’s Song from the late 1950s or early 1960s as √KHIΘ “mist” (NGS, PE17/73).

Tolkien’s continued use of Q. Hísilómë and (Northern) S. Hithlum throughout his life testifies to the enduring nature of this root, though it seems to have shifted in sense from 1910s “✱shadow” to 1930s “mist”, and from s to th.

Derivatives

• Q. hísë “mist, mist, [ᴹQ.] fog, [ᴱQ.] haze; dusk; bleared”
• Q. hísië “mist, mistiness” ✧ PE17/073
• S. hîth “mist”
• ᴺS. hithu “fog”

Element in

• ᴺQ. hisquë “smog”

Variations

• KHIΘ ✧ PE17/073; PE17/157

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

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

thus

root. evil mist, fog, darkness; blow, cause an air movement, blow, cause an air movement; [ᴹ√] *smell, stench; [√] evil mist, fog, darkness

Derivations

• √THŪ “blow, cause an air movement, blow, cause an air movement, [ᴹ√] puff”

Derivatives

• ✶thūsē “horrible darkness, black mist” ✧ PE17/183
  • S. thû “horrible darkness, black mist, [N.] stench; [S.] black mist, horrible darkness” ✧ PE17/183
• ✶thusta- “to send on [a gust of air]”
  • Q. susta- “to blow (tr.)” ✧ NM/239
• ✶thusya- “to go forth (as an emission)”
  • Q. surya- “to blow (intr.)” ✧ NM/239
• Q. sussë “puff (of air)” ✧ NM/237
• ᴺQ. susta- “to stink”
• S. thos “puff (of air)” ✧ NM/237
• S. thû “movement of spirit” ✧ NM/237

Element in

• ✶ñgor(o)-thūsō “Mist of Fear” ✧ PE17/183

Variations

• thus ✧ NM/237

du Reconstructed

root. dark

Derivatives

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

hithw

noun. fog

hithw

noun. fog

A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s given as N. {heðw >>} hithw “fog” derived from primitive ᴹ✶khithme under the root ᴹ√KHITH “mist, fog” (Ety/KHIS; EtyAC/KHIS).

Conceptual Development: G. huith “fog” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s is a likely precursor (GL/49), perhaps derived from a (hypothetical) early root ✱ᴱ√HUYU.

Neo-Sindarin: If adapted to Neo-Sindarin, this word would become ᴺS. hithu, as suggested in HSD (HSD).

Changes

• heðw → hithw ✧ Ety/KHIS

Cognates

• ᴹQ. hiswe “fog” ✧ Ety/KHIS

Derivations

• ᴹ✶khithme “fog” ✧ Ety/KHIS
  • ᴹ√KHITH “mist, fog” ✧ Ety/KHIS

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶khithme > hithw	[kʰitʰme] > [kʰitʰwe] > [xitʰwe] > [xiθwe] > [xiθw] > [hiθw] > [hiθu]	✧ Ety/KHIS

Variations

• heðw ✧ EtyAC/KHIS (heðw)

hith

noun. mist, fog

doll

adjective. dark, dusky, obscure

dolt

adjective. dark, dusky, obscure

fuin

noun. night, dead of night, gloom, darkness

mith

noun. white fog, wet mist

dûr

adjective. dark, sombre

daw

noun. night-time, gloom

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

hîth

noun. mist

Changes

• hîth → hîth “fog” ✧ Ety/KHIS

Cognates

• ᴹQ. híse “mist, fog” ✧ Ety/KHIS

Derivations

• ᴹ✶khīthi “mist, fog” ✧ Ety/KHIS
  • ᴹ√KHITH “mist, fog” ✧ Ety/KHIS

Element in

• N. Hithdilias ✧ TI/124
• N. Hithliniath “Pools of Mist” ✧ Ety/KHIS
• N. Hithlum “Land of Mist, (lit.) Mist-and-Dusk” ✧ Ety/KHIS
• N. hithui “misty”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶khīt(h)i > hîth	[kʰītʰi] > [kʰītʰe] > [xītʰe] > [xīθe] > [xīθ] > [hīθ]	✧ Ety/KHIS

Variations

• hith ✧ EtyAC/KHIS
• Hith ✧ TI/124