marda

dwelling

marda noun "dwelling" (PE17:107)

rotto

cave, tunnel

rotto noun "cave, tunnel" (VT46:12), "a small grot or tunnel" (PM:365)

rotelë

cave

rotelë noun "cave" (LT2:347)

farnë

dwelling

#farnë (2) noun "dwelling", in orofarnë (as translated in Letters:224, but in other notes of Tolkiens the word was interpreted "any growing thing or plant", PE17:83)

felco

cave, mine, underground dwelling

felco noun "cave, mine, underground dwelling" (PE17:118); also felca, felehta

felya

cave

felya noun "cave" (PHÉLEG), "mine, boring, tunnel, underground dwel[ling]" (PE17:118)

grod

noun. large excavation, 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

groth

noun. cave, tunnel, large excavation

groth

noun. delving, underground dwelling

groth

noun. large excavation, delving, underground dwelling, large excavation, delving, underground dwelling; [N.] cave, tunnel, [G.] grot

A noun for a large excavation (WJ/415) or a cave or tunnel (EtyAC/ROT) with variants groth and grod, the former seen in names like Menegroth “Thousand Caves” and the latter in names like Novrod “Hollow-delving” (later Nogrod “Dwarf-delving”). It was derived from strengthened forms ✶grottā or grotā of the root √ROT (WJ/414-415).

Conceptual Development: The earliest iteration of this word was (archaic) G. †roth “cave, grot” from the early root ᴱ√roto (GL/65); this root was glossed “hollow” in the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon (QL/80). Both strengthened and unstrengthened variants N. groth and roth “cave, tunnel” appeared under the root ᴹ√ROT “bore, tunnel”, a late entry to The Etymologies of the 1930s (EtyAC/ROT). Suffixal forms -roth, -rod were mentioned in passing in Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s as derivatives of √ROT “cave” in connection to the name S. Nimrodel (PE17/49).

A fairly lengthy discussion of these words appeared in the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 (WJ/414-415), where Tolkien gave the root form as √groto “dig, excavate, tunnel” contrasted with √rono “arch over, roof in”. Tolkien also compared groth/grod to S. rond “vaulted or roofed chamber”, only the latter of which “could be applied both to natural and to artificial structures”. Of the two Tolkien said:

> Though distinct in origin the derivatives of ✱groto and ✱rono naturally came into contact, since they were not dissimilar in shape, and a ✱rondō was usually made by excavation. Thus S groth < ✱grottā (an intensified form of grod < ✱grotā) “a large excavation” might well apply to a rond. Menegroth means “the Thousand Caves or Delvings”, but it contained one great rond and many minor ones (WJ/415).

Neo-Sindarin: Despite Tolkien’s comments in the Quendi and Eldar essay, there are some cases where grod/groth seems to apply to natural caves as well as excavated ones, such as Nimrodel “Lady of the White Cave” and Androth “✱Long Cave”. As such, I would use it for both natural and excavated caverns.

Cognates

• Q. rotto “small grot, tunnel, tunnel, small grot, [ᴹQ.] cave”

Derivations

• √ROT “cave; delve underground, dig, excavate, tunnel, [ᴹ√] bore; [ᴱ√] hollow, delve underground, dig, excavate, tunnel, [ᴹ√] bore; [ᴱ√] hollow; [√]cave” ✧ PE17/049
• ✶grottā “(large) excavation, underground dwelling” ✧ WJ/414; WJ/415; WJ/415
  • √ROT “cave; delve underground, dig, excavate, tunnel, [ᴹ√] bore; [ᴱ√] hollow, delve underground, dig, excavate, tunnel, [ᴹ√] bore; [ᴱ√] hollow; [√]cave” ✧ VT39/09; WJ/414; WJ/415

Element in

• S. Androth “*Long Cave”
• S. Menegroth “Thousand Caves” ✧ SA/groth; WJ/415
• S. Nimrodel “Lady of the White Cave” ✧ PE17/049; SA/groth
• S. Nogrod “Hollowbold; (lit.) Hollow-delving, (later) Dwarf-delving” ✧ SA/groth; SA/naug
• north S. Novrod “Hollowbold” ✧ SA/groth; WJ/414; WJ/414

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√ROT > -roth/rod	[-rottā] > [-rotta] > [-rottʰa] > [-roθθa] > [-roθθ] > [-roθ]	✧ PE17/049
✶(g)rotā > grod	[grotā] > [grota] > [grot] > [grod]	✧ WJ/414
✶grottā > groth	[grottā] > [grotta] > [grottʰa] > [groθθa] > [groθθ] > [groθ]	✧ WJ/415

Variations

• grod ✧ SA/groth; WJ/414; WJ/415

roth

noun. cave

n. cave. Q. rondo.

bar

noun. dwelling, home

bar

noun. inhabited land

feleg

noun. cave

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

sabar

noun. delving

A noun appearing only in its mutated form -habar in names like Anghabar “Iron-delvings” and Nornhabar “Dwarrowdelf, ✱Dwarf-delving” (WJ/209). It provides evidence for the retention of the root √SAP “dig” in Tolkien’s later writing.

Derivations

• √SAP “*dig”

Element in

• S. Anghabar “Iron-delvings” ✧ SA/anga
• S. Nornhabar “Dwarrowdelf”

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.

grôd

underground dwelling

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

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)

grôd

excavation

1) grôd (i **rôd, construct grod) (cave, delving, underground dwelling), pl. grŷd (in grŷd) (WJ:414), 2) torech (i dorech, o thorech) (lair, hole), pl. terich (i therich) for archaic törich** (RC:490);

grôd

excavation

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

grôd

delving

1) grôd (i **rôd, construct grod) (cave, excavation, underground dwelling), pl. grŷd (in grŷd) (WJ:414), 2) groth (i **roth) (cave, large excavation), pl. gryth (in gryth)

grôd

delving

(i ’rôd, construct grod) (cave, 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

groth

cave

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

groth

large excavation

(i ’roth) (cave, delving), pl. gryth (in gryth)**

groth

delving

(i ’roth) (cave, large excavation), pl. gryth (in gryth)

groth

large excavation

groth (i **roth) (cave, delving), pl. gryth (in gryth**)

groth

large excavation

groth (i **roth) (cave, delving), pl. gryth (in gryth**);

roth

cave

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

gobel

enclosed dwelling

(i ’obel) (walled house or village, ”town”), pl. gebil (i ngebil = i ñebil). Archaic pl. göbil.

rhûd

dwelling underground

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

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)*

othronn

fortress in a cave/caves

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

bâr

dwelling

bâr (house, home, family; land, earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds

bâr

dwelling

(house, home, family; land, earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds

dôr

dwelling place

(i nôr, construct dor) (land, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr) (WJ:413).

torech

excavation

(i** dorech, o thorech) (lair, hole), pl. terich (i** therich) for archaic törich (RC:490)

rond

noun. cave

gathrod

noun. cave

gathrod

noun. cave

A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “cave”, apparently a combination of N. gath “cavern” and ᴹ√ROT “tunnel” (Ety/GAT(H)). Its initial element also appeared in the name N. Doriath “Land of the Cave”, but in later writings S. Doriath was redefined as “Land of the Fence” with final element S. iath “fence” (WJ/370), so N. gathrod “cave” was probably abandoned.

Elements

Word	Gloss
gath	“cavern”
ROT	“bore, tunnel”

groth

noun. cave, tunnel

Cognates

• ᴹQ. rotto “cave, tunnel” ✧ EtyAC/ROT

Derivations

• ᴹ√ROT “bore, tunnel” ✧ EtyAC/ROT

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√ROT > roth	[rotto] > [rottʰo] > [roθθo] > [roθθ] > [roθ]	✧ EtyAC/ROT
ᴹ√ROT > groth	[grotto] > [grottʰo] > [groθθo] > [groθθ] > [groθ]	✧ EtyAC/ROT

Variations

• roth ✧ EtyAC/ROT

rhond

noun. cave roof

rhond

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

roth

noun. cave, tunnel, cave, tunnel, [G.] grot

rhonn

noun. cave roof

rhonn

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

fela

noun. cave

fela

noun. cave

Cognates

• ᴹQ. felya “cave” ✧ Ety/PHÉLEG

Derivations

• On. phelga “cave” ✧ Ety/PHÉLEG
  • ᴹ√PHELEG “cave” ✧ Ety/PHÉLEG

Element in

• N. Felagund “Lord of Caves” ✧ Ety/PHÉLEG

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. phelga > fela	[pʰelga] > [ɸelga] > [ɸelɣa] > [felɣa] > [felɣ] > [fela]	✧ Ety/PHÉLEG
On. phelga > fili	[pʰelgi] > [ɸelgi] > [ɸelɣi] > [felɣi] > [filɣi] > [filī] > [fili]	✧ Ety/PHÉLEG