Noldorin
gartha-
verb. to defend, keep
Sindarin
gartha-
verb. to defend, keep
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!
Gnomish
gartha-
verb. to admire, have affection or respect for
Early Noldorin
gartha-
verb. to set, put in position, appoint
Early Quenya
karda-
verb. to admire, have affection or respect for
There was a deleted verb N. gartho “defend, keep” in The Etymologies of the 1930s based on the root ᴹ√GARAT, an extension of ᴹ√GAR “keep, maintain, defend” (EtyAC/GAR).
Neo-Sindarin: I think it is worth restoring ᴺS. gartha- “to defend” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, but for “keep” I would use better known S. heb-.
Conceptual Development: This verb had other meanings in Tolkien’s earlier writings. In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s it was G. gartha- “admire, have affection or respect for” based on the early root ᴱ√gṛþ- (GL/42). The Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s had ᴱN. gartha- “to set, put in position, appoint” (PE13/161), perhaps related to the early root ᴱ√ƷARA “spread, wide places” given the noun ᴱN. garth “place” from the same page in this document.