Quenya 

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)_

lócë

noun. bight, bend, curl of hair

A word for “bight, bend, curl of hair” in 1964 notes on Dalath Dirnen (DD), a derivative √LOK “bend” that was elsewhere the basis for “snake” words (PE17/160). According to Christopher Gilson, the gloss “curl of hair” might instead apply to the root.

Cognates

  • ᴺS. lûg “bend, loop, wind, twist; guile, deceit”

Derivations

  • LOK “bend, loop, bend, loop, [ᴱ√] twine, twist, curl; [ᴹ√] great serpent, dragon” ✧ PE17/160

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
LOK > lóke[lōke]✧ PE17/160

Variations

  • lóke ✧ PE17/160

hlócë

snake, serpent

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

hlócë

noun. reptile, snake, serpant, worm, reptile, snake, serpant, worm, *lizard; [ᴹQ.] dragon

A noun in Quenya Notes from 1957 (QN) with variants hlóke and lóke based on primitive ✶(s)lōkō “reptile, snake, worm” from the root √LOK “bend, loop”, so presumably having a similar meaning (PE17/160). Christopher Tolkien also had (h)lóke in The Silmarillion appendix, but gave it the glosses “snake, serpent” (SA/lok). Its Sindarin cognate lhûg points towards a Quenya form hlócë.

Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. lóke (lóki-) “snake” appeared all the way back in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√LOKO “twine, twist, curl” (QL/55). It was also mentioned with the gloss “snake” in the Official Name List for the Lost Tales (PE13/105) and the Name-list to the Fall of Gondolin (PE15/28). It appeared in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon as related to G. ulug “dragon” (GL/74), and in The Lost Tales proper lóke was given as the “the Eldar name [of] the worms of Melko”, that is dragons (LT1/85).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Tolkien glossed ᴹQ. lóke as “dragon” under the root ᴹ√LOK “great serpent, dragon” along with Noldorin cognate N. lhûg (Ety/LOK). It was followed by an in parenthesis, indicating a primitive form of ✱lōkī and a stem form of lóki-. Tolkien’s vacillation on its 1957 form was probably out of a desire to retain lhûg as the Sindarin form. In Noldorin of the 1930s an initial l was unvoiced to lh, but this was no longer true of Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s, so Sindarin lhûg required a corresponding Quenya form of hlócë.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I recommend sticking with hlócë. Furthermore, since this Quenya word cannot be derived directly from ✶(s)lōkō, I would assume a primitive form slōkī and a stem form hlóci- compatible with its earlier appearances. Given the breadth of its glosses, I would assume the word can apply to any sinuous reptilian creature with or without legs, including lizards, snakes and dragons.

Cognates

  • S. lhûg “reptile, snake, serpent, worm, reptile, snake, serpent, worm, *lizard; [N.] 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

  • Q. föalócë “*breath-dragon”
  • Q. urulócë “fire-serpent, fire-drake, fire-serpent, fire-drake, [ᴹQ.] fire-dragon” ✧ SA/lok

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
(s)lōkō > hlóke[slōke] > [l̥ōke]✧ PE17/160
lok- > (h)lókë[slōke] > [l̥ōke]✧ SA/lok

Variations

  • hlóke ✧ PE17/160
  • lóke ✧ PE17/160
  • (h)lókë ✧ SA/lok
Quenya [PE17/160; SA/lok] Group: Eldamo. Published by

angulócë

dragon

angulócë noun("k") "dragon" (LOK)

ango

snake

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

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

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
LEWEK > leuka[leuka]✧ PE17/160

Variations

  • leuka ✧ PE17/160
Quenya [LotR/1115; PE17/121; PE17/160] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ango

noun. dragon

Quenya [PE 22:124] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

fenumë

dragon

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

Sindarin 

leweg

noun. snake

_ n. _snake.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:160] < LEWEK worm. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

lýg

noun. snake

_ n. Zoo. _snake. Q. leuka.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:121:160] < LEWEK worm. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

lŷg

noun. snake

Sindarin [LotR/E] Group: SINDICT. Published by

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

DevelopmentStagesSources
LEWEK > lýg[leukā] > [leuka] > [liuka] > [lȳka] > [lȳk] > [lȳg]✧ PE17/160

Variations

  • lýg ✧ PE17/160
Sindarin [LotR/1115; PE17/121; PE17/160] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lhûg

noun. snake, serpent

Sindarin [Ety/370, S/434] Group: SINDICT. Published by

limlug

noun. fish-dragon, sea-serpent

Sindarin [Ety/370, X/LH] lim+lhûg. Group: SINDICT. Published by

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.

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 lûgthe lenition product of lh is uncertain) (snake, serpent), pl. lhuig (?i luig), also amlug (pl. emlyg).

limlug

fish-dragon

(sea serpent), pl. limlyg

Primitive elvish

phawalōkō

noun. dragon

Derivatives

Elements

WordGloss
phawa
(s)lōkō“reptile, snake, worm”
Primitive elvish [PE17/181] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

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

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ANGWA > am-[aŋgwa] > [amba] > [amb] > [amm] > [am]✧ Ety/ANGWA
Noldorin [Ety/ANGWA] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lhûg

noun. snake, serpent

Noldorin [Ety/370, S/434] Group: SINDICT. Published by

amlug

noun. dragon

Noldorin [Ety/349, Ety/370] Group: SINDICT. Published by

amlug

noun. dragon

Cognates

Elements

WordGloss
am-“snake”
lhûg“dragon”
Noldorin [Ety/ANGWA; Ety/LOK] Group: Eldamo. Published by

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

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√LOK > lhûg[lōke] > [lūke] > [lūk] > [l̥ūk] > [l̥ūg]✧ Ety/LOK

lhimlug

noun. fish-dragon, sea-serpent

Noldorin [Ety/370, X/LH] lim+lhûg. Group: SINDICT. Published by

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!

Qenya 

lóke

noun. dragon

Cognates

  • N. lhûg “dragon” ✧ Ety/LOK

Derivations

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

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√LOK > lóke[lōke]✧ Ety/LOK

angulóke

noun. dragon

Cognates

  • N. amlug “dragon” ✧ Ety/LOK

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
ango“snake, dragon”
lóke“dragon”

ango

noun. snake, dragon

A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “snake” derived from the root ᴹ√ANGWA of the same meaning, with a plural form angwi (Ety/ANGWA). This plural form reappeared in the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s, but there it was translated “dragons”.

Conceptual Development: A similar form ᴱQ. oqi “snake” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s as a derivative of the early root ᴱ√OQO “curve, bend” (QL/70).

Neo-Quenya: The word Q. leuca “snake” from The Lord of the Rings appendices is more commonly used for “snake” in Neo-Quenya.

Derivations

  • ᴹ√ANGWA “snake” ✧ Ety/ANGWA

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ANGWA > ango[aŋgu] > [aŋgo]✧ Ety/ANGWA
Qenya [Ety/ANGWA; PE22/124] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lungu

noun. dragon

Derivations

  • ᴹ√LOK “great serpent, dragon”

Middle Primitive Elvish

angwa

root. snake

The root √ANGWA “snake” with variant √ANGU appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as the basis for the words ᴹQ. ango “snake” (Ety/ANGWA) and angulóke “dragon” (Ety/LOK). The Noldorin equivalent am- seems to have survived only as a prefix (Ety/ANGWA), and is a good example of how [[on|[ŋgw] > [mb]]] in that language. There are a variety of other words for “snake” in Tolkien’s later writings, so whether this root remained valid is unclear.

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. ango “snake, dragon” ✧ Ety/ANGWA
  • N. am- “snake” ✧ Ety/ANGWA

Element in

Variations

  • ANGU ✧ Ety/ANGWA
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/ANGWA; Ety/LOK] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

fenlug

noun. snake

Variations

  • fenlog ✧ GL/34 (fenlog)

fent

noun. snake

A word for “snake” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, along with a deleted variant fenlug (fenlog-) (GL/34), the latter probably a combination with G. lûg “snake”. It was clearly a cognate of ᴱQ. fent “serpent” from the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon (QL/38).

Cognates

  • Eq. fent “serpent, dragon”

Derivations

Element in

  • G. Fenthur “King of Serpents” ✧ GL/34

lingos

noun. snake

Cognates

lûg

noun. snake

Cognates

  • Eq. lóke “snake, dragon” ✧ LT2A/Foalókë; PE15/28; PE13/105

Element in

  • G. fenlug “snake” ✧ GL/34 (fenlug)

Variations

  • lug ✧ GL/34 (lug)
  • Lûg ✧ LT2A/Foalókë; PE15/28
  • Lug ✧ PE13/105
Gnomish [GL/34; LT2A/Foalókë; PE13/105; PE15/28] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ulug

noun. dragon

Cognates

  • Eq. lóke “snake, dragon” ✧ GL/74

Derivations

  • ᴱ√LOKO “twine, twist, curl” ✧ LT2A/Foalókë

Element in

  • G. fuithlug “dragon (who guards treasure)” ✧ LT2A/Foalókë
  • G. uluch “she-dragon” ✧ GL/74

Variations

  • ulug ✧ GL/74; LT2A/Foalókë
Gnomish [GL/74; LT2A/Foalókë] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lingwir

noun. dragon

Cognates

Early Noldorin

cunn

noun. dragon

gunn

noun. dragon

Changes

  • gundcunn “dragon” ✧ PE13/145
  • cunngunn ✧ PE13/162

Cognates

  • Eq. kondo “dragon” ✧ PE13/162; PE13/162

Element in

  • G. Glorund ✧ PE13/144
  • En. gonnas “dragon’s lair” ✧ PE13/141; PE13/162

Variations

  • cunn ✧ PE13/141; PE13/145; PE13/162 (cunn)
  • gund ✧ PE13/144 (gund); PE13/145 (gund); PE13/162 (gund)
Early Noldorin [PE13/141; PE13/144; PE13/145; PE13/162] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

liŋi Reconstructed

root. snake

Derivatives

Early Primitive Elvish Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

lóke

noun. snake, dragon

Cognates

  • G. ulug “dragon” ✧ GL/74
  • G. lûg “snake” ✧ LT2A/Foalókë; PE15/28; PE13/105

Derivations

  • ᴱ√LOKO “twine, twist, curl” ✧ LT2A/Foalókë; QL/055

Element in

  • Eq. foalóke “*serpent that guarded a treasure” ✧ LT2A/Foalókë

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√LOKO > lōke[lōki] > [lōke]✧ QL/055

Variations

  • lōke ✧ GL/74; QL/055
  • lókë ✧ LT2/085; LT2A/Foalókë; LT2A/Foalókë; LT2I/lókë
  • Lôke ✧ PE13/105
  • lôke ✧ PE15/28
Early Quenya [GL/74; LT2/085; LT2A/Foalókë; LT2I/lókë; PE13/105; PE15/28; QL/055] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lin

noun. snake

A word for “snake” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, with a stem form of {linge- >>} ling- (QL/54).

Cognates

  • G. ling “small snake”

Derivations

Element in

Variations

  • lin ✧ QL/043
  • Lin² ✧ QL/054
Early Quenya [QL/043; QL/054] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lingo

noun. snake

oqi

noun. snake

Derivations

  • ᴱ√OQO “curve, bend” ✧ QL/070

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√OQO > oqi[okʷī] > [okʷi]✧ QL/070
Early Quenya [PME/070; QL/070] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kondo

noun. dragon

Cognates

  • En. gunn “dragon” ✧ PE13/162; PE13/162

Element in

  • Eq. kondasse “dragon’s lair” ✧ PE13/162
Early Quenya [PE13/162] Group: Eldamo. Published by

fenume

noun. dragon

Variations

  • fenumë ✧ LT2A/Glorund
  • Fenume ✧ QL/038
Early Quenya [LT2A/Glorund; QL/038] Group: Eldamo. Published by