_ n. _death. guru << gûru.
Sindarin
guru
noun. death, death (abstract)
Changes
gûru→ guru ✧ PE17/087Cognates
- ᴹQ. nuru “death, death [abstract]”
Derivations
Element in
- S. guruthos “dread of death, death-horror, shadow of death, dread of death, death-horror, shadow of death, [N.] fear of death” ✧ PE17/087
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶ngurū > guru [ŋgurū] > [ŋguru] > [guru] > [guru] > [guru] ✧ PE17/087 Variations
- gûru ✧ PE17/087 (
gûru)
guru
noun. death
gurth
noun. death
gurth
noun. death
The usual Sindarin word for “death”, derived from the root √ÑGUR of similar meaning (UT/39; Ety/ÑGUR).
Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/43), anchored by well established names like Gurthang or Gurtholf(in), the name of Túrin’s sword. Tolkien experimented with various alternate forms over the years, such as G. urthu (GG/14), G. gurthu (GL/43), ᴱN. gurdh (PE13/146) and N. guruth (Ety/ÑGUR), but kept coming back to gurth as the basic form.
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would use this word for death in general and especially violent death, as opposed to the more euphemistic [N.] gwanath or gwanu “death”, more literally “departure”.
Cognates
- Q. urtu “death”
Derivations
- √ÑGUR “death; to die”
Element in
- S. Belegurth “Great Death”
- S. Gurthang “Iron of Death” ✧ SA/gurth
- S. gurth an Glamhoth “Death to the din-horde” ✧ UT/039
Variations
- Gurth ✧ UT/039
coru
adjective. cunning, wily
gwanu
noun. death (act of dying, not death as a state or abstract)
Nûrnen
place name. Death
_ topon. _Death, dead water. >> guru
guruth
death
(i nguruth = i ñuruth, o n’guruth = o ñguruth), pl. gyryth (in gyryth = i ñgyryth)
curu
cunning device
(i guru, o churu) (skill, craft), pl. cyry (i chyry) (VT45:24). Similar forms function as adjectives:
gurth
death
(i ngurth = i ñurth, o n’gurth = o ñgurth), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth)
gûr
death
(i ngûr = i ñûr, o n’gûr = o ñgûr, construct gur), pl. guir (in guir = i ñguir)
coru
cunning
(adj.) coru (wily), lenited goru, analogical pl. cery. Archaic corw (pl. cyrw).
coru
cunning
(wily), lenited goru, analogical pl. cery. Archaic corw (pl. cyrw).
gwanu
death
(i ’wanu), analogical pl. gweny (in gweny). Archaic gwanw (LR:397 s.v. WAN), hence coll. pl. ?gwanwath. Other words (rather referring to Death as a state or abstract):
gwanath
death
1) (act of dying) gwanath (i **wanath), pl. gwenaith (in gwenaith), 2) (act of dying, especially the ”death” of Elves by fading or weariness) gwanu (i **wanu), analogical pl. gweny (in gweny). Archaic gwanw (LR:397 s.v. WAN), hence coll. pl. ?gwanwath. Other words (rather referring to Death as a state or abstract): 3) gûr (i ngûr = i ñûr, o n**gûr = o ñgûr, construct gur), pl. guir (in guir = i ñguir), 4) gurth (i ngurth = i ñurth, o n**gurth = o ñgurth), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth), 5) guruth (i nguruth = i ñuruth, o n**guruth = o ñguruth), pl. gyryth (in gyryth** = i ñgyryth)
gwanath
death
(i ’wanath), pl. gwenaith (in gwenaith)
A Sindarin word for “death” derived from primitive ✶ñgurū (PE17/87), unusual in that its primitive ancient vowel u did not vanish. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had variant forms [N.] gûr and gurw “death” marked with a “?”, both derived from Old Noldorin nguru and indicating some uncertainty on the exact phonetic developments (EtyAC/ÑGUR). Elsewhere in The Etymologies Tolkien said that [N.] guru was “Death as state or abstract”, as opposed to [N.] gwanw or gwanath for the “act of dying” (Ety/GWAN).
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume guru was for death as an abstraction or principle, and for the death of individuals I would use either gurth or gwanu/gwanath; see those entries for discussion.