morikotto

masculine name. *Dark Enemy

The Quenya equivalent of S. Morgoth (VT49/24). It is a compound of morë (mori-) “dark” and cotto “enemy”. It is unlikely this name was much used, and is interesting primarily in shining a light on the etymology of Morgoth.

Conceptual Development: @@@ finish after completing phonology.

Changes

• Morñoþo → Morñot/Morños ✧ PE19/081
• Moringotto → Morikotto ✧ VT49/24
• Morikotto → Melcor ✧ VT49/24

Cognates

• S. Morgoth “Black Foe, Dark Foe, Black Enemy, Dark Tyrant” ✧ VT49/24

Derivations

• ✶Moriñgotho “Black Foe” ✧ PE19/081

Element in

• Q. i hyarma tentanë Melcorello “the left hand pointed away from Melkor” ✧ VT49/24; VT49/24; VT49/24

Elements

Word	Gloss
morë	“dark, black; darkness, night, dark, black; darkness, [ᴹQ.] blackness, [Q.] night”
cotto	“*enemy”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶Morñoþŏ > Morñot/Morños	[morŋoθo] > [morŋoθ] > [morgoθ] > [morgot] > [morgos]	✧ PE19/081

Variations

• Morñot/Morños ✧ PE19/081
• Morñoþo ✧ PE19/081 (Morñoþo)
• Moringotto ✧ VT49/24 (Moringotto)

morños

masculine name. *Dark Enemy

notto

enemy

*notto (ñ)noun "enemy", reconstructed simplex form of the second element of the Moringotto "Dark Enemy", a Quenya form of Morgoth(VT49:25). Compare #cotto.

morĭ

adjective. dark

PQ. dark

cotto

enemy

#cotto ("k")noun "enemy", isolated from Moricotto "Dark Enemy", a Quenya form of Morgoth(VT49:25). Compare cotumo, *notto.

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).

móri

dark

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

Melkor

mighty-rising

Melkor (spelt Melcor in VT49:6, 24, MR:362), masc. name: the rebellious Vala, the devil of the Silmarillion mythos. Older (MET) form Melkórë "Mighty-rising" (hence the interpretation "He that arises in power"), compare órë #2. Oldest Q form *mbelekōro (WJ:402). Ablative Melkorello/Melcorello, VT49:7, 24. Compounded in Melkorohíni "Children of Melkor", Orcs ("but the wiser say: nay, the slaves of Melkor; but not his children, for Melkor had no children") (MR:416). The form Melkoro- here occurring may incorporate either the genitive ending -o or the otherwise lost final vowel of the ancient form ¤mbelekōro. For Melkors later name, see Moringotto / Moricotto (Morgoth) under mori-.

cotumo

enemy

cotumo ("k")noun "enemy" (KOT > KOTH)

hróva

dark, dark brown

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

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.

lúrëa

dark, overcast

lúrëa adj. "dark, overcast" (LT1:259)

núla

dark, occult, mysterious

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

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).

ulca

adjective. dark

dark, gloomy, sinister

nulla

dark, dusky, obscure

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

dûr

adjective. dark, sombre

dúath

adjective. dark

_ adj. _dark, black shadow.

dûr

dark

_ adj. _dark, gloomy, 'hellish'.

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

goth

enemy

1) goth (i ngoth = i ñoth, o n**goth = o ñgoth), pl. gyth (in gyth = i ñgyth), 2) #gûd (i ngûd = i ñûd, o n**gûd = o ñgûd, construct gud) (foe), pl. guid (in guid = i ñgŷd). Isolated from the name Thuringud, Hidden Foe. 3) (also used = ”enmity”) coth (i goth, o choth), pl. cyth (i chyth).

goth

enemy

(i ngoth = i ñoth, o n’goth = o ñgoth), pl. gyth (in gyth = i ñgyth)

coth

enemy

(i goth, o choth), pl. cyth (i chyth).

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)

gûd

enemy

(i ngûd = i ñûd, o n’gûd = o ñgûd, construct gud) (foe), pl. guid (in guid = i ñgŷd). Isolated from the name Thuringud, Hidden Foe.

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

moriñgotho

masculine name. Black Foe

Derivatives

• Q. Morikotto “*Dark Enemy” ✧ PE19/081
• S. Morgoth “Black Foe, Dark Foe, Black Enemy, Dark Tyrant” ✧ MR/194; MR/294

Variations

• Moringotto ✧ MR/194; MRI/Morgoth
• Morñoþŏ ✧ PE19/081
• Moriñgothŏ ✧ PE19/081

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

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

du Reconstructed

root. dark

Derivatives

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

morgoth

masculine name. Black Foe

Cognates

• Ad. Mulkhêr “Lord of Darkness” ✧ SDI2/Mulkhêr

Derivations

• ᴹ✶morn-ʒoth ✧ EtyAC/KOT

Elements

Word	Gloss
MOR	“*black, dark”
coth	“enmity, enemy”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶morn-ʒoth > morngoth	[?]	✧ EtyAC/KOT

Variations

• morngoth ✧ EtyAC/KOT

dolt

adjective. dark, dusky, obscure

dûr

adjective. dark, sombre

doll

adjective. dark, dusky, 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