Sindarin 

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

DevelopmentStagesSources
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
Sindarin [PE17/049; SA/groth; SA/naug; WJ/414; WJ/415] Group: Eldamo. Published by

groth

noun. cave, tunnel, large excavation

Sindarin [WJ/415, S/431, VT/46:12] Group: SINDICT. Published by

groth

noun. delving, underground dwelling

Sindarin [WJ/415, S/431, VT/46:12] Group: SINDICT. Published by

roth

noun. cave

n. cave. Q. rondo.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:117] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

groth

large excavation

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

groth

large excavation

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

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)

roth

cave

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

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

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)

ceven

earth

1) ceven (i geven, o cheven), pl. cevin (i chevin) (VT48:23), 2) (world) Amar (archaic Ambar), pl. Emair; 3) bâr (dwelling, house, home, family; land) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds. 4) (maybe ”earth” as substance) cae (i gae, o chae). No distinct pl. form even if there is a pl., except with article (i chae). For ”earth” as a substance, see also SOIL.

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);

cae

noun. earth

This word is indeclinable, according to the Etymologies

Sindarin [Ety/363, X/OE] Group: SINDICT. Published by

ceven

noun. Earth

Sindarin [VT/44:21,27] Group: SINDICT. Published by

ennorath

noun. central lands, middle-earth

Sindarin [LotR/E, LotR/II:I, RGEO/72-75] Group: SINDICT. Published by

feleg

noun. cave

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

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:118] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

grod

noun. large excavation, delving, underground dwelling

rond

noun. cave roof

Sindarin [Ety/384, VT/46:12, S/437, WJ/414, X/RH, X/ND1] Group: SINDICT. Published by

rond

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

Sindarin [Ety/384, VT/46:12, S/437, WJ/414, X/RH, X/ND1] Group: SINDICT. Published by

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

amar

earth

(archaic Ambar), pl. Emair

bâr

earth

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

cae

noun. earth

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KEM “soil, earth”
Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/adaptations. Published by

cae

earth

(i gae, o chae). No distinct pl. form even if there is a pl., except with article (i chae). For ”earth” as a substance, see also

ceven

earth

(i geven, o cheven), pl. cevin (i chevin) (VT48:23)

ennor

place name. central land, middle-earth

Sindarin [LotR/E, X/ND2] Published by

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

cave

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

grôd

excavation

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

grôd

delving

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

othronn

fortress in a cave/caves

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

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)*

rond

cave

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

torech

excavation

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