Quenya 

aista-

to dread

aista- (3) vb. "to dread" (GÁYAS, VT45:14; possibly obsoleted by #2 above)

mordo

shadow, obscurity, stain

mordo (1) noun "shadow, obscurity, stain" (MOR)

Sindarin 

guruthos

noun. the shadow of death, death-horror

Sindarin [di-nguruthos LotR/IV:X, RGEO/72, Letters/278] Group: SINDICT. Published by

guruthos

noun. shadow of death

_ n. _shadow of death. >> nguruthos

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] < NGUR to die + ÞOS show dread of. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

guruthos

noun. dread of death, death-horror, shadow of death, dread of death, death-horror, shadow of death, [N.] fear of death

A word for the fear of death in the phrase le nallon sí di’nguruthos, translated in The Road Goes Ever On published from 1967 as “here overwhelmed in dread of Death I cry” or more literally “to thee I cry here beneath-death-horror” (RGEO/64), also translated in a 1958 letter to Rhona Beare as “to thee I cry now in the shadow of (the fear of) death” (Let/278). In notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien identified the elements as guru “death” and thoss “fear” (PE17/87), based on the roots √ÑGUR and √THOS (PE17/95).

Conceptual Development: The form N. {gurthos >>} guruthos “fear of death” appeared in the margin of The Etymologies next to the entry for the root ᴹ√GOS “dread” where the word’s final element was probably N. gost “dread, terror” (EtyAC/GOS). As such, its initial element when the word was first introduced was probably N. guruth “death” (Ety/ÑGUR).

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
guru“death, death (abstract)”
thoss“fear”
Sindarin [LotR/0729; PE17/087; PE17/095; RGEO/64] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nguruthos

noun. shadow of death

_ n. _shadow of death. >> guruthos

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] < NGUR to die + ÞOS show dread of. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

dae

noun. shadow

Sindarin [Ety/354, S/430] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dae

noun. shadow, shadow (cast by an object or form), [N.] shade

Element in

  • S. Daeron ✧ SA/dae
  • S. Dor Daedeloth “Land of Great Dread; Land of Shadow of Horror” ✧ SA/dae

morchant

noun. shadow (of objects, cast by light), dark shape

Sindarin [S/432, VT/42:9] morn+cant "dark shape". Group: SINDICT. Published by

guruthos

dread of death

(i nguruthos = i ñuruthos, o n’guruthos = o ñguruthos) (death-horror), pl. (if there is a pl.) either guruthys (in guruthys = i ñguruthys) or gyrythys (in gyrythys = i ñgyrythys) with umlaut throughtout the word. Coll. pl. guruthossath.

guruthos

death-horror, dread of death

guruthos (i nguruthos, o n**guruthos), pl. (if there is a pl.) either guruthys (in guruthys = i ñguruthys) or gyrythys (in gyrythys = i ñgyrythys) with umlaut throughtout the word. Coll. pl. guruthossath**.

guruthos

death-horror, dread of death

(i nguruthos, o n’guruthos), pl. (if there is a pl.) either guruthys (in guruthys = i ñguruthys) or gyrythys (in gyrythys = i ñgyrythys) with umlaut throughtout the word. Coll. pl. guruthossath.

gorth

dread

(i ngorth = i ñorth, o n’gorth = o ñgorth) (horror), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth). (WJ:415) Note: a homophone means ”dead; dead person”.

dúath

dark shadow

(i dhúath) (nightshade), pl. dúaith (i núaith). Compare the Ephel Dúath or ”Mountains of Shadow” forming th outer fence of Mordor, perhaps suggesting that Dúath is also the word used of Sauron as ”the Shadow”.

goroth

dread

(i ngoroth = i ñoroth, o n’goroth = o ñgoroth) (horror), pl. geryg (in geryg = i ñgeryg) (WJ:415). Archaic pl. ✱göryth.

goss

dread

(i ’oss, constuct gos) (horror), pl. gyss (i ngyss = i ñyss).

gost

dread

(i ngost = i ñost, o n’gost = o ñgost) (terror), pl. gyst (in gyst = i ñgyst).

gwâth

shadow

(i ’wâth; construct gwath) (shade, dim light), pl. gwaith (in gwaith) (UT:261)

daedhelos

great dread

(i naedhelos, o ndaedhelos), pl. daedhelys (i ndaedhelys). Coll. pl. daedhelossath. A side-form ends in -oth instead of -os. The word appears in the mutated form "ndaedelos" in LotR Appendix F, but since the second element must be delos "abhorrence" and it would surely be lenited following a vowel, this would seem to be one of the cases where Tolkien wrote d even though dh would be technically correct.

achas

dread

(fear), pl. echais. It is possible that the word is lenited in the source, and that it should have an initial g-; if so read gachas (i ’achas), pl. gechais (i ngechais = i ñechais), coll. pl. achassath.

delos

dread

(i dhelos) (fear, horror, abhorrence, detestation, loathing), pl. delys (i nelys), coll. pl. delossath. A side-form ends in -oth (pl. -yth) instead of -os (-ys).

gôr

dread

(i ngôr = i ñôr, o n’gôr = o ñgôr, construct gor) (fear, horror), pl. gŷr (in gŷr = i ñgŷr). Note: a homophone means ”vigour”, but has different mutations.

gae

dread

(i ’ae), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ngae = i ñae)

muil

shadow

(i vuil) (twilight, dreariness, vagueness), no distinct pl. except with article (i muil)

dae

shadow

(i dhae) (shade), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nae).

daew

shadow

(i dhaew), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndaew) (VT45:8).

morchant

shadow

1) morchant (i vorchant), pl. morchaint (i morchaint). The literal meaning is ”dark shape”, referring to shadows with a recognizable form. 2) dae (i dhae) (shade), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nae). 3) daew (i dhaew), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndaew) (VT45:8). 4) gwâth (i **wâth; construct gwath) (shade, dim light), pl. gwaith (in gwaith) (UT:261) 5) muil (i vuil) (twilight, dreariness, vagueness), no distinct pl. except with article (i muil**),

morchant

shadow

(i vorchant), pl. morchaint (i morchaint). The literal meaning is ”dark shape”, referring to shadows with a recognizable form.

Adûnaic

ugru

noun. shadow

A noun translated “shadow” (SD/247), also described as “a word with the evil sense of ‘night’ or ‘dark’” (SD/306). It appears in the preprositional phrase ugru-dalad “under shadow” (SD/247) and in the draft-dative form ugrus “‽horror‽shadow” (SD/311).

Element in

Adûnaic [SD/247; SD/306; SD/311] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nâlu

noun. shadow

A noun attested only in the compound agannâlô “death-shadow [is]” (SD/247, VT24/12). The first element of the compound, agan “death”, as identified elsewhere (SD/426), so the remaining element must mean “shadow”. The compound is the subject of the sentence agannâlô burôda nênud “death-shadow [is] heavy on us” and is therefore in the subjective case. According the grammatical rules of Lowdham’s Report, the only possibly normal form producing this subjective is nâlu: compare nîlu “moon” to its subjective form nîlô (SD/431).

Conceptual Development: In early writings, the compound was (non-subjective) agannūlo, so that the apparent draft form of this noun was nūlo. A similar form nūlu appears on SD/306, described only as “a word with the evil sense of ‘night’ or ‘dark’”. It could be a separate word or another variation of this word, with the development nūlo >> nūlu >> nālu. Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne suggested (AAD/21) that the earlier forms may be related to ᴹQ. nulla “dark, dusky, obscure”.

Element in

Variations

  • nūlu ✧ SD/306
  • nūlo ✧ SD/312
Adûnaic [SD/247; SD/306; SD/312] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Primitive elvish

wath

noun. shadow

Derivations

  • WATH “*shade, [ᴹ√] shade”

Derivatives

  • S. gwath “shadow, dim light, shadow, dim light, [N.] shade” ✧ PE17/041
Primitive elvish [PE17/041] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

guruthos

noun. fear of death

Changes

  • gurthosguruthos ✧ EtyAC/GOS

Elements

WordGloss
guruth“death”
gost“dread, terror”

Variations

  • gurthos ✧ EtyAC/GOS (gurthos)
Noldorin [EtyAC/GOS] Group: Eldamo. Published by

goe

noun. dread

gae

noun. dread

Derivations

  • On. gaia “dread” ✧ Ety/GÁYAS
    • ᴹ√GAYAS “fear” ✧ Ety/GÁYAS

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
On. gaia > gae > goe/gae[gaia] > [gai] > [gae]✧ Ety/GÁYAS

Variations

  • goe/gae ✧ Ety/GÁYAS
Noldorin [Ety/GÁYAS; EtyAC/GÁYAS] Group: Eldamo. Published by

dae

noun. shadow

Noldorin [Ety/354, S/430] Group: SINDICT. Published by

daew

noun. shadow


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!

Old Noldorin 

gaia

noun. dread

Derivations

  • ᴹ√GAYAS “fear” ✧ Ety/GÁYAS

Derivatives

  • N. gae “dread” ✧ Ety/GÁYAS

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√GÁYAS > gaia[gajas] > [gaja] > [gaia]✧ Ety/GÁYAS
Old Noldorin [Ety/GÁYAS] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

gos

root. dread

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “dread” with two variations: ᴹ√GOS and ᴹ√GOTH (Ety/GOS). It was an element in quite a few names in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, such as ᴹQ. Mandos “Dread Imprisoner” (Ety/MBAD), ᴹQ. Osse (Ety/GOS), N. Gothmog (Ety/MBAW), N. Tauros “Forest-Dread” (Ety/TÁWAR), and N. Dor-Daideloth “Land of the Shadow of Dread” (LR/405), the last of these containing N. deloth “abhorrence, detestation, loathing” = ᴹ√DYEL + ᴹ√GOTH (Ety/DYEL).

In Tolkien’s later writings, many of these names were given new forms or etymologies: Q. Mandos “Castle of Custody” = mando + osto (MR/350); Q. Ossë as an adaptation of his Valarin name Oš(o)šai (WJ/400); S. Tauron “Forester” (PM/358). This calls into question whether ᴹ√GOS or ᴹ√GOTH survived as a root. It does have a few useful derivatives for the purposes of Neo-Eldarin, however, such as N. gosta- “fear exceedingly”.

Changes

  • GOROSGOS ✧ Ety/GOS

Derivatives

  • ᴹ✶Goss “Osse” ✧ Ety/GOS
    • ᴹQ. Osse ✧ Ety/GOS
  • ᴹQ. osse “terror” ✧ Ety/GOS
  • N. Oeros “Osse” ✧ Ety/GOS
  • N. gost “dread, terror” ✧ Ety/GOS
  • N. gosta- “to fear exceedingly” ✧ Ety/GOS
  • N. Gostir “Dread-glance” ✧ Ety/THĒ

Element in

  • ᴹ✶angosse “horror” ✧ Ety/GOS
  • ᴹ✶Gothombauk- ✧ Ety/MBAW
  • ᴹQ. Mandos “(Dread) Imprisoner” ✧ Ety/MBAD; Ety/MBAD
  • N. Bannos “Mandos, Dread Imprisoner” ✧ Ety/MBAD
  • N. deloth “abhorrence, detestation, loathing” ✧ Ety/DYEL
  • N. Oeros “Osse”
  • N. Gothmog “Voice of Goth” ✧ Ety/GOS
  • N. Tauros “Lord of Forests; (lit.) Forest-Dread” ✧ Ety/TÁWAR

Variations

  • GOTH ✧ Ety/DYEL; Ety/GOS; Ety/KOT; Ety/ÑGOROTH
  • GOROS ✧ EtyAC/GOS (GOROS)
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/DYEL; Ety/GOS; Ety/KOT; Ety/MBAD; Ety/MBAW; Ety/ÑGOROTH; Ety/TÁWAR; Ety/THĒ; EtyAC/GOS] Group: Eldamo. Published by

arʒā

noun/adjective. dread

Element in

Middle Primitive Elvish [PE21/32] Group: Eldamo. Published by

day

root. shadow

Changes

  • DAƷDAY ✧ EtyAC/DAY
  • DAGDAƷ ✧ EtyAC/DAY

Derivatives

  • Ilk. dair “shadow of trees” ✧ Ety/DAY
  • ᴹ✶daiō “shade, shadow cast by any object” ✧ Ety/DAY; EtyAC/DAY
    • ᴹQ. leo “shade, shadow cast by any object” ✧ Ety/DAY
    • N. dae “shadow (cast by an object or form), shade” ✧ EtyAC/DAY; EtyAC/DAY
  • ᴹQ. laime “shadow (cast by an object or form), shade” ✧ Ety/DAY; EtyAC/DAY
  • ᴹQ. laira “shady” ✧ Ety/DAY; EtyAC/DAY
  • N. dae “shadow (cast by an object or form), shade” ✧ Ety/DAY; EtyAC/DAY

Element in

  • N. Daedhelos “Shadow of Fear” ✧ Ety/DYEL
  • N. daedelu “canopy” ✧ Ety/TEL

Variations

  • DAƷ ✧ EtyAC/DAY (DAƷ)
  • DAG ✧ EtyAC/DAY (DAG)
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/DAY; Ety/DYEL; Ety/TEL; EtyAC/DAY] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

lhom

noun. shadow

Changes

  • lomlhom ✧ PE13/149

Variations

  • lom ✧ PE13/149 (lom)
Early Noldorin [PE13/149] Group: Eldamo. Published by