leuca

snake

leuca (1) noun "snake" (Appendix E)

leuca

noun. snake

The best known Quenya word for “snake”, appearing in Appendix E of The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1115). In 1964 notes on Dalath Dirnen (DD), Tolkien said it was derived from the root √LEWEK “worm” (PE17/160).

Cognates

• S. lŷg “snake” ✧ LotR/1115; PE17/121; PE17/160

Derivations

• √LEWEK “worm” ✧ PE17/160

Element in

• ᴺQ. lingwileuca “eel”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√LEWEK > leuka	[leuka]	✧ PE17/160

Variations

• leuka ✧ PE17/160

ango

noun. dragon

ango

snake

ango noun "snake"; stem angu- as in angulócë (q.v.); pl. angwi (ANGWA/ANGU)

lócë

dragon, snake, serpent, drake

lócë ("k")noun "dragon, snake, serpent, drake", older hlócë _("k")(SA:lok-, LT2:340, LOK; in the Etymologies the word is followed by "-ī", whatever that is supposed to mean)_

angulócë

dragon

angulócë noun("k") "dragon" (LOK)

fenumë

dragon

fenumë noun "dragon" (LT2:341 but lócë is the normal word in LotR-style Quenya)

hlócë

snake, serpent

hlócë ("k")noun "snake, serpent", later lócë ("k")(SA:lok-)

lhûg

noun. snake, serpent

lhûg

noun. hlóke

_ n. Zoo. _Q. hlóke, lóke. (s)lōkō << (s)lōkā.

lhûg

noun. reptile, snake, serpent, worm, reptile, snake, serpent, worm, *lizard; [N.] dragon

A noun in Quenya Notes from 1957 (QN) derived from primitive ✶(s)lōkō “reptile, snake, worm” based on the root √LOK “bend, loop”, so presumably having a similar meaning (PE17/160). Christopher Tolkien also had lhûg in The Silmarillion appendix, but gave it the glosses “snake, serpent” (SA/lok).

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, Tolkien had G. ulug “dragon” (GL/74), and in the contemporaneous Official Name List for the Lost Tales and the Name-list to the Fall of Gondolin he had G. lug or lûg “snake” (PE13/105; PE15/28). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Tolkien had N. lhûg “dragon” under the root ᴹ√LOK “great serpent, dragon” (Ety/LOK), where initial l was unvoiced to lh as was usual in Nodorin. This was no longer true of Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s, so Sindarin lhûg required a primitive from ✶slōk- and a corresponding Quenya form of hlócë.

Neo-Sindarin: Given the breadth of its glosses, I would assume this word can apply to any sinuous reptilian creature with or without legs, including lizards, snakes and dragons.

Cognates

• Q. hlócë “reptile, snake, serpant, worm, reptile, snake, serpant, worm, *lizard; [ᴹQ.] dragon” ✧ PE17/160; SA/lok

Derivations

• ✶(s)lōkō “reptile, snake, worm” ✧ PE17/160
  • √LOK “bend, loop, bend, loop, [ᴱ√] twine, twist, curl; [ᴹ√] great serpent, dragon” ✧ PE17/160
• √LOK “bend, loop, bend, loop, [ᴱ√] twine, twist, curl; [ᴹ√] great serpent, dragon” ✧ SA/lok

Element in

• ᴺS. budhulug “dragonfly”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶(s)lōkō > lhûg	[slōkō] > [slōko] > [l̥ōko] > [l̥ūko] > [l̥ūk] > [l̥ūg]	✧ PE17/160

limlug

noun. fish-dragon, sea-serpent

lýg

noun. snake

_ n. Zoo. _snake. Q. leuka.

leweg

noun. snake

_ n. _snake.

lŷg

noun. snake

lŷg

noun. snake

The best known Sindarin word for “snake”, appearing in Appendix E of The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1115). In 1964 notes on Dalath Dirnen (DD), Tolkien said it was derived from the root √LEWEK “worm” (PE17/160), likely from ✱leukā where the ancient eu became ȳ as was usual in Sindarin (LotR/1115).

Cognates

• Q. leuca “snake” ✧ LotR/1115; PE17/121; PE17/160

Derivations

• √LEWEK “worm” ✧ PE17/160

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√LEWEK > lýg	[leukā] > [leuka] > [liuka] > [lȳka] > [lȳk] > [lȳg]	✧ PE17/160

Variations

• lýg ✧ PE17/160

lhûg

dragon

lhûg (construct lhug; with article ?i thlûg or ?i lûg the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (snake, serpent), pl. lhuig (?i luig), also amlug (pl. emlyg).

lhûg

dragon

(construct lhug; with article ?i thlûg or ?i lûg – the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (snake, serpent), pl. lhuig (?i luig), also amlug (pl. emlyg).

lhûg

serpent

lhûg (construct lhug, with article ?i thlûg or ?i lûg the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (snake, dragon), pl. lhuig (?i luig).

lhûg

serpent

  (construct lhug, with article ?i thlûg or ?i lûg – the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (snake, dragon), pl. lhuig (?i luig).

limlug

fish-dragon

(sea serpent), pl. limlyg

lŷg

snake

1) lŷg (constuct lyg), no distinct pl. form. 2) lhûg (construct lhug, with article ?i thlûg or ?i lûg the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (dragon, serpent), pl. lhuig (?i luig). See SERPENT.

phawalōkō

noun. dragon

Derivatives

• Q. föalócë “*breath-dragon” ✧ PE17/181

Elements

Word	Gloss
phawa
(s)lōkō	“reptile, snake, worm”

lhûg

noun. dragon

Cognates

• ᴹQ. lóke “dragon” ✧ Ety/LOK

Derivations

• ᴹ√LOK “great serpent, dragon” ✧ Ety/LOK

Element in

• N. amlug “dragon” ✧ Ety/LOK
• N. lhimlug “fish-dragon, sea-serpent” ✧ Ety/LOK

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√LOK > lhûg	[lōke] > [lūke] > [lūk] > [l̥ūk] > [l̥ūg]	✧ Ety/LOK

lhûg

noun. snake, serpent

lhimlug

noun. fish-dragon, sea-serpent

amlug

noun. dragon

amlug

noun. dragon

Cognates

• ᴹQ. angulóke “dragon” ✧ Ety/LOK

Elements

Word	Gloss
am-	“snake”
lhûg	“dragon”

am-

prefix. snake

A prefix for “snake” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√ANGWA of the same meaning, most notably an element in N. amlug “dragon” (Ety/ANGWA).

Derivations

• ᴹ√ANGWA “snake” ✧ Ety/ANGWA

Element in

• N. amlug “dragon” ✧ Ety/ANGWA

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√ANGWA > am-	[aŋgwa] > [amba] > [amb] > [amm] > [am]	✧ Ety/ANGWA