foina

hidden

foina adj. "hidden" (LT2:340)

muina

hidden, secret

muina adj. "hidden, secret" (MUY)

hurin

hidden, concealed

hurin adj. "hidden, concealed" (also furin) (LT2:340)

furin

hidden, concealed

furin adj. "hidden, concealed" (also hurin, which form may be preferred in a LotR-compatible form of Quenya) (LT2:340)

halda

veiled, hidden, shadowed, shady

halda adj. "veiled, hidden, shadowed, shady" (opposed to helda "stripped bare") (SKAL1, VT46:13)

moina

safe, secure

moina (2) adj. "safe, secure" (GL:58; this "Qenya" word is evidently obsoleted by # 1 above. This second moina seems to reappear as muina "hidden, secret" in Tolkien's later Quenya.)

hróva

dark, dark brown

hróva adj. "dark, dark brown", used to refer to hair (PE17:154)

tumna

lowlying, deep, low

tumna adj. "lowlying, deep, low" (TUB); early "Qenya" glosses: "deep, profound, dark or hidden" (LT1:269, 271)

nulla

dark, dusky, obscure

nulla adj. "dark, dusky, obscure" (NDUL), "secret" (DUL). See also VT45:11.

lóna

dark

?lóna (4) adj. "dark" (DO3/DŌ). If this is to be the cognate of "Noldorin"/Sindarin dûr, as the context seems to indicate, lóna is likely a misreading for *lóra in Tolkien's manuscript.

lúna

dark

lúna adj. *"dark" in Lúnaturco and Taras Lúna, Quenya names of Barad-dûr (Dark Tower). (PE17:22). In the Etymologies, lúnë "blue" was changed by Tolkien from lúna (VT45:29).

lúrëa

dark, overcast

lúrëa adj. "dark, overcast" (LT1:259)

morĭ

adjective. dark

PQ. dark

móri

dark

móri adj. "dark" (MC:221; this is "Qenya"; in Tolkien's later Quenya mórë, morë)

ulca

adjective. dark

dark, gloomy, sinister

mori-

dark, black

mori- "dark, black" in a number of compounds (independent form morë, q.v.):Morimando "Dark Mando" = Mandos (MBAD, VT45:33), morimaitë "black-handed" (LotR3:VI ch. 6, VT49:42). Moriquendi "Dark Elves" (SA:mor, WJ:361, 373), Moringotto "Black Foe", Sindarin Morgoth, later name of Melkor. The oldest form is said to have been Moriñgotho (MR:194). In late material, Tolkien is seen to consider both Moringotto and Moricotto _("k") _as the Quenya form of the name Morgoth (VT49:24-25; Moricotto also appears in the ablative, Moricottollo). Morion "the dark one", a title of Morgoth (FS). Morifinwë "dark Finwë", masc. name; he was called Caranthir in Sindarin (short Quenya name Moryo). (PM:353) In the name Morinehtar, translated "Darkness-slayer", the initial element is defined would thus seem to signify "darkness" rather than "dark" as an adjective (see mórë). (PM:384, 385)

morna

dark, black

morna adj. "dark, black" (Letters:282, LT1:261; also used of black hair, PE17:154), or "gloomy, sombre" (MOR). Used as noun in the phrase mi…morna of someone clad "in…black" (PE17:71). In tumbalemorna (Letters:282), q.v. Pl. mornë in Markirya**(the first version of this poem had "green rocks", MC:215, changed to ondolisse mornë** "upon dark rocks" in the final version; see MC:220, note 8).

nulda

secret

nulda adj. "secret" (DUL)

núla

dark, occult, mysterious

núla ("ñ")adj. "dark, occult, mysterious" (PE17:125)

varna

safe, protected, secure

varna adj. "safe, protected, secure" (BAR)

lomba

secret

lomba adj.or noun "secret" (LT1:255)

dolen

adjective. hidden, hidden, [N.] secret

Element in

• S. Gondolin “Hidden Rock, (originally) Singing Stone” ✧ WJ/201

torn

hidden

adj. hidden, secret. >> terech

thurin

adjective. secret, hidden

An adjective meaning “secret” or “hidden” appearing in a number of names (UT/157, WJ/256). It is most likely derived from the root ᴹ√THUR (Ety/THUR). It’s unclear why the short u did not become y before i as was usual in Sindarin. Perhaps the u was originally long, as suggested by David Salo (GS/291).

Conceptual Development: Both this word and its Ilkorin precursor thúren seems to be elements of the name Garthurian “Hidden Realm”. As such, the earliest form of S. thurin might be Gnomish furion “secret, concealed” (GL/36) from the earliest versions of that name from the 1910s: G. Gar Furion or Gar Thurion “Secret Place”.

In the 1930s, Tolkien reconceived of these names as Ilk. Garthurian, clearly related to Ilk. thúren “guarded, hidden” as both were derived from the root ᴹ√THUR (Ety/THUR). The long ú in this Ilkorin word is another hint that the Sindarin development might have been similar, although it can’t be identical, because the Sindarin word shows no sign of the a-affection appearing in the Ilkorin form.

Element in

• S. Garthúrian “Hidden Realm”
• S. Thurin “Secret” ✧ UT/157
• S. Thuringud “Hidden Foe” ✧ WJ/256
• S. Thuringwethil “Woman of Secret Shadow”

Elements

Word	Gloss
THUR	“surround, fence, ward, hedge in, secrete”
-en	“adjective suffix”

Variations

• Thurin ✧ UT/157; WJ/256 (Thurin)

torn

adjective. hidden, secret

Derivations

• √TOR “secrete, hide” ✧ PE17/188

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√TOR > torn	[torna] > [torn]	✧ PE17/188

Variations

• torn ✧ PE17/188

thurin

masculine name. Secret

A name that Finduilas gave to Túrin translated “Secret” (UT/157), simply the adjective thurin “secret, hidden” used as a name.

Elements

Word	Gloss
thurin	“secret, hidden”

tirnen

noun. guarded

tirnen

adjective. guarded

Element in

• S. Talath Dirnen “Guarded Plain”

dûr

adjective. dark, sombre

dúath

adjective. dark

_ adj. _dark, black shadow.

dûr

dark

_ adj. _dark, gloomy, 'hellish'.

dolen

hidden

1) dolen (secret), lenited dholen, pl. dolin. Archaic daulen. 2) hall (veiled, shadowed, shady); lenited chall; pl. hail. Note: a homophone means ”high, exalted”, 3) thoren (guarded, fenced), pl. thorin, 4) thurin (secret); no distinct pl. form_.

dolen

hidden

(secret), lenited dholen, pl. dolin. Archaic daulen.

hall

hidden

(veiled, shadowed, shady); lenited chall; pl. hail. Note: a homophone means ”high, exalted”

thoren

hidden

(guarded, fenced), pl. thorin

thurin

hidden

(secret); no distinct pl. form

dolen

secret

(hidden), lenited dholen, pl. dolin

thoren

guarded

thoren (fenced, hidden), pl. thorin

thoren

guarded

(fenced, hidden), pl. thorin

thurin

secret

(adjective) 1) thurin (hidden); no distinct pl. form, 2) dolen (hidden), lenited dholen, pl. dolin;

thurin

secret

(hidden); no distinct pl. form

hethu

obscure

_(adjective) _1) *hethu (foggy, vague), analogical pl. hethy; lenited chethu. Cited in archaic form hethw (LR:364 s.v. KHIS, KHITH). 2) doll (dark, dusky, misty), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in S.

hethu

obscure

(foggy, vague), analogical pl. hethy; lenited chethu. Cited in archaic form hethw (LR:364 s.v. KHIS, KHITH). 2) doll (dark, dusky, misty), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in S.

tovn

adjective. lowlying, deep, low

graurim

dark people

(VT45:16);

dúath

dark shadow

(i dhúath) (nightshade), pl. dúaith (i núaith);

guldur

dark sorcery

(i nguldur = i ñuldur), pl. gyldyr (in gyldyr = i ñgyldyr)

doll

dark

doll (dusky, misty, obscure), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in S.

doll

dark

(dusky, misty, obscure), lenited noll, pl. dyll. Note: In ”Noldorin”, this word appeared as dolt as well as doll, but the latter seems the best form in S.

dûr

dark

dûr (sombre), lenited dhûr, pl. duir

dûr

dark

(sombre), lenited dhûr, pl. duir

graw

dark

graw (swart), lenited raw, pl. groe. (VT45:16)

graw

dark

(swart), lenited ’raw, pl. groe. (VT45:16)

hall

veiled

hall (hidden, shadowed, shady); lenited chall; pl. hail. Note: a homophone means ”high, exalted”.

hall

veiled

(hidden, shadowed, shady); lenited chall; pl. hail. Note: a homophone means ”high, exalted”.

morn

dark

morn (black), pl. myrn, lenited vorn. Note: the latter word is also used as a noun ”darkness, night”. (Letters:386)

morn

dark

(black), pl. myrn, lenited vorn. Note: the latter word is also used as a noun ”darkness, night”. (Letters:386)

môr

dark

môr (black), lenited vôr, pl. mŷr (Letters:382), also

môr

dark

(black), lenited vôr, pl. m**ŷr* (Letters:382)*, also

gwathra

obscure

(verb) gwathra- (i **wathra, in gwathrar**) (dim, veil, overshadow

gwathra

obscure

(i ’wathra, in gwathrar) (dim, veil, overshadow

golu

secret lore

(i ngolu = i ñolu, o n’golu = o ñgolu) (secret lore), analogical pl. gely (in gely = i ñgely) if there is a pl. Archaic golw, hence golwath as the likely coll. pl. 

búrz

adjective. dark

Element in

• Bs. burzum “darkness” ✧ PE17/011; PE17/012
• Bs. Lugbúrz “Dark Tower” ✧ PE17/012; PE17/079

Variations

• burz ✧ PE17/012

búrz

adjective. dark

dom

root. dark, dark, [ᴹ√] faint, dim

This root was the basis for the main Elvish words for “dusk, night”, which was established as Q. lómë in Quenya for most of Tolkien’s life. The earliest form of this root was ᴱ√LOMO in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, unglossed but with various derivatives having to do with “dusk” and “shadow” (QL/55). One notable derivative was ᴱQ. lóme “dusk, gloom, darkness”, which survived in Tolkien’s later writings as “night” and in the 1910s was the basis for ᴱQ. Hisilóme/G. Hithlum “Shadowy Twilights”. Another notable derivative was G. lómin “shady, shadowy, gloomy; gloom(iness)” (GL/45) used in the name G. Dor Lómin, which in the 1910s was translated as “Land of Shadow” (LT1/112).

The “shadow” meaning of this early root seems to have transferred to ᴹ√LUM from The Etymologies of the 1930s, which served as the new basis for N. Hithlum (Ety/LUM), as opposed contemporaneous N. Dor-lómen which was redefined as “Land of Echoes (< ᴹ√LAM via Ilkorin or in later writings, via North Sindarin). The “dusk” sense was transferred to a new root ᴹ√DOM “faint, dim”, which (along with ᴹ√DOƷ) was the basis for the pair words ᴹQ. lóme/N. dû “night” (Ety/DOMO).

These two words for “night” survived in Tolkien’s later writing in both Quenya and Sindarin (Let/308; SA/dú). In notes from the 1940s Tolkien clarified that it “has no evil connotations; it is a word of peace and beauty and has none of the associations of fear or groping that, say, ‘dark’ has for us” (SD/306). The Elves were quite comfortable being under the night sky, dating back to the time when the Elves lived under the stars before the rising of the Sun and the Moon. The root √DOM reappeared in etymologies for star-words from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/152). It appeared again in some very late notes from 1969 where it was glossed “dark” and served as the basis for words meaning “blind” as well as “night”, though this paragraph was rejected (PE22/153, note #50).

Derivatives

• ✶dōmē “night, twilight” ✧ PE17/152
  • Q. lómë “night, dimness, twilight, dusk, darkness, night, dimness, twilight, dusk, darkness, [ᴹQ.] night-time, shades of night, gloom; [ᴱQ.] shadow, cloud” ✧ PE17/152; SA/dú
  • S. dû “night, dimness; dim, dark, night, dimness; [N.] night-fall, late evening; [S.] dim, dark” ✧ PE17/152; SA/dú
• ᴺQ. lomba “blind”
• Q. lomba “blind” ✧ PE22/153
• Q. lómë “night, dimness, twilight, dusk, darkness, night, dimness, twilight, dusk, darkness, [ᴹQ.] night-time, shades of night, gloom; [ᴱQ.] shadow, cloud” ✧ PE22/153
• ᴺS. dom “blind”
• S. dom “blind” ✧ PE22/153

mornā

adjective. dark

Derivations

• √MOR “black, dark, darkness” ✧ Let/382

Derivatives

• Q. morna “black, dark; black of hair, black, dark; black of hair; [ᴹQ.] sombre, gloomy” ✧ Let/382
• S. morn “black, dark; night” ✧ Let/382; WJ/362

du Reconstructed

root. dark

Derivatives

• ✶durnu “dark of hue”
  • ᴺQ. nurno “dark, deep (of hue)”
• Q. lúmë “darkness”
• Q. lúna “*dark”

dolen

adjective. hidden, secret

Element in

• N. Ardholen “Hidden Realm”

thurin

adjective. secret, hidden

dolen

noun. concealed, hidden

tirnen

adjective. guarded

Element in

• N. Dalath Dirnen “Guarded Plain”

muin

adjective. secret

Cognates

• ᴹQ. muina “hidden, secret” ✧ Ety/MUY

Derivations

• ᴹ√MUY “*secret” ✧ Ety/MUY

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√MUY > muin	[mujna] > [muina] > [muin]	✧ Ety/MUY

Variations

• muin ✧ EtyAC/MUY (muin)

hall

adjective. veiled, hidden, shadowed, shady

hall

adjective. veiled, hidden, shadowed, shady

An adjective in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “veiled, hidden, shadowed, shady” derived from the primitive ᴹ✶skalnā > ON. skhalla under the root ᴹ√SKAL “screen, hide (from light), overshadow” (Ety/SKAL¹).

Cognates

• ᴹQ. halda “veiled, hidden, shadowed, shady” ✧ Ety/SKAL¹

Derivations

• On. skhalla “veiled, hidden, shadowed, shady” ✧ Ety/SKAL¹
  • ᴹ✶skalnā “veiled, hidden, shadowed, shady” ✧ Ety/SKAL¹
  • ᴹ√SKAL “screen, hide (from light), overshadow” ✧ Ety/SKAL¹; EtyAC/SKAL³

Element in

• N. Haldir “Hidden Hero” ✧ Ety/SKAL¹
• S. Haldir

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. skhalla > hall	[sxalla] > [xalla] > [xall] > [hall]	✧ Ety/SKAL¹

Variations

• hall ✧ Ety/SKAL¹

doll

adjective. obscure, dark, dusky, hidden, secret

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nulla “dark, dusky, obscure; hidden, secret” ✧ Ety/DUL; Ety/NDUL; EtyAC/DUL; EtyAC/DUL

Derivations

• ᴹ✶ndulna “secret” ✧ Ety/DUL
  • ᴹ√(N)DUL “hide, conceal” ✧ Ety/DUL
• ᴹ✶ndulla “dark, dusky, obscure” ✧ Ety/NDUL; EtyAC/DUL; EtyAC/DUL
  • ᴹ√(N)DUL “hide, conceal” ✧ Ety/NDUL; Ety/DUL

Element in

• N. dolen “hidden, secret” ✧ Ety/DUL
• N. Dolwethil “(Woman of) Secret Shadow”
• N. Gondolin “Heart of Hidden Rock” ✧ EtyAC/DUL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶ndulna > doll	[ndulna] > [ndulla] > [dulla] > [dolla] > [doll]	✧ Ety/DUL
ᴹ✶ndulla > doll	[ndulla] > [dulla] > [dolla] > [doll]	✧ Ety/NDUL

Variations

• dolt ✧ Ety/DUL

tofn

adjective. lowlying, deep, low

tofn

adjective. lowlying, deep, low

Cognates

• ᴹQ. tumna “lowlying, deep, low, lowlying, low; deep, [ᴱQ.] profound; dark, hidden” ✧ Ety/TUB

Derivations

• ᴹ✶tubnā “deep” ✧ Ety/TUB
  • ᴹ√TUB “to fall low[?], go down (below normal ground level), (esp.) to go down (sink, dive) into water” ✧ Ety/TUB

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶tubnā > tofn	[tubnā] > [tubna] > [tumna] > [tomna] > [tomn] > [tovn]	✧ Ety/TUB

doll

adjective. dark, dusky, obscure

dolt

adjective. dark, dusky, obscure

dûr

adjective. dark, sombre

dolt

adjective. obscure

dûr

adjective. dark

Cognates

• ᴹQ. lóna “dark” ✧ Ety/DOƷ

Derivations

• ᴹ√DOƷ “night” ✧ Ety/DOƷ

Element in

• N. Barad-dûr “Dark Tower”
• N. Dureledh “Dark-elf” ✧ Ety/DOƷ
• N. Durion “Dark-elf” ✧ Ety/DOƷ
• N. Durthang
• N. durgul “sorcery”
• N. Magladhûr “Black-sword”
• N. Ennyn Dûr “Gates of Mordor” ✧ WR/113 (Ennyn Dûr)

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√DOƷ/DÔ > dûr	[dōr] > [dūr]	✧ Ety/DOƷ

Variations

• Dûr ✧ WR/113