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).

morna

adjective. black, dark; black of hair, black, dark; black of hair; [ᴹQ.] sombre, gloomy

Cognates

• S. morn “black, dark; night” ✧ Let/382

Derivations

• ✶mornā “dark” ✧ Let/382
  • √MOR “black, dark, darkness” ✧ Let/382
• √MOR “black, dark, darkness” ✧ PE17/073

Element in

• Q. mornië “darkness, blackness” ✧ PE17/073
• Q. ondolissë mornë “on the dark rocks” ✧ MC/222
• Q. sanomë tarnë Olórin, Aracorno, Eomer, Imrahil, mi mísë, mi telepta yo morna, mi laiqua yo ninquë, mi luinë, ta Gimli mi lossëa “There stood Gandalf, Aragorn, Eomer and Imrahil in grey, in silver and black, in green and white, and in blue, and also Gimli in white” ✧ PE17/071
• Q. Tauremorna “Black Forest” ✧ PE17/082
• Q. Tauremornalómë “*Forest (of) Black Night”
• Q. Tumbalemorna “deepvalleyblack” ✧ LotR/1131

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶mornā > morna	[mornā] > [morna]	✧ Let/382
√MOR > morna	[morna]	✧ PE17/073

morqua

black

morqua adj. "black" (LT1:261; rather morna in LotR-style Quenya)

morë

black

morë adj. "black" (MOR), "dark, darkness" (Letters:282). In compounds the stem-form mori- (q.v.) appears, since the primitive form was ¤mori.

morĭ

adjective. dark

PQ. dark

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.

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)

móri

dark

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

lumba

gloomy

lumba (2) adj. "gloomy" (PE17:72)

lumba

adjective. gloomy

A word for “gloomy” appearing in some Notes on Galadriel’s Song (NGS) from the late 1950s or early 1960s, an adjective form of lumbo “gloom” (PE17/72).

Elements

Word	Gloss
lumbo	“cloud; gloom, dark, shade, cloud, [ᴱQ.] dark lowering cloud; [Q.] gloom, dark, shade”

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).

nulla

dark, dusky, obscure

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

núla

dark, occult, mysterious

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

hróva

dark, dark brown

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

lómëa

gloomy

#lómëa adj. "gloomy"; see Taurelilómëa-tumbalemorna...

lúrëa

dark, overcast

lúrëa adj. "dark, overcast" (LT1:259)

-ië

openness

-ië (2) abstract ending, often used to derive abstracts from adjectives, e.g. látië "openness" vs. láta "open", mornië "darkness" vs. morna "black, dark", vanië (for *vanyië) "beauty" vs. vanya "fair".

látie

noun. openness

Elements

Word	Gloss
láta	“open (not closed)”
-ië	“abstract noun, adverb”

látië

openness

látië noun "openness" (VT39:23)

ulca

adjective. dark

dark, gloomy, sinister

morn

adjective. black, dark

morn

adjective. black

adj. black. >> mor, Morgai

morn-

black

_pref. _black. >> Moria, mor-

mor

black

_adj. _black.

mor-

black

_ pref. _black. >> Moria, morn-

dúath

adjective. dark

_ adj. _dark, black shadow.

dûr

dark

_ adj. _dark, gloomy, 'hellish'.

dûr

adjective. dark, sombre

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

môr

black

1) môr (dark), lenited vôr, pl. mŷr (Letters:382), also morn (dark), pl. myrn, lenited #vorn. Note: the word is also used as a noun ”darkness, night”. (Letters:386) The lenited form #vorn appears, compounded, in the name of the

môr

black

(dark), lenited vôr, pl. m**ŷr (Letters:382), also morn (dark), pl. **myrn, lenited #vorn. Note: the word is also used as a noun ”darkness, night”. (Letters:386) The lenited form #vorn appears, compounded, in the name of the

galvorn

black metal

(i ’alvorn), pl. gelvyrn (i ngelvyrn = i ñelvyrn) if there is a pl. (WJ:322). 2) donn (swart, swarty, shady, shadowy) (lenited dhonn, pl. dynn). (VT45:11). Also dunn- in compounds.

dofn

gloomy

(lenited dhofn; pl. dyfn)

dovn

adjective. gloomy

graw

dark

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

graw

dark

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

graurim

dark people

(VT45:16);

dem

gloomy

1) dem (sad), lenited dhem, pl. dhim; 2) dofn (lenited dhofn; pl. dyfn), 3) duvui (lenited dhuvui, no distinct pl. form)

dem

gloomy

(sad), lenited dhem, pl. dhim

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

duvui

gloomy

(lenited dhuvui, no distinct pl. form)

dúath

dark shadow

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

dunna

adjective. black

This might seem to be derived from dunnâ, sc. the stem DUN "dark (of colour)" (LR:355) either with the adjectival ending -nâ or with medial fortification n > nn and the simpler adjectival ending -â. However, other Nandorin words seem to have lost their final -â's, e.g. ealc "swan" from alk-wâ, and (to quote a wholly parallel example) cogn "bow" from ku3nâ. The descendant form is not cogna with the final vowel intact as the case would seem to be in dunna. However, primitive -ô does come out as -a in Nandorin, cf. golda "Noldo" from ñgolodô, so a form dunnô might be capable of yielding dunna, but this primitive form would rather be a noun "dark person/thing", since primitive -ô, -nô are nominal rather than adjectival endings. Of course, Nandorin may have turned an original noun into an adjective, or developed an adjectival ending -a afresh. But all things considered *dunnâ still appears to be the best reconstruction of the primitive form.

The words dunna and scella raise the question of whether original final -â is actually preserved as -a following double consonants (as opposed to clusters of different consonants) in Nandorin.

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

narâg

adjective. black

Derivatives

• S. Narog ✧ PE17/037; PE17/047

Element in

• Kh. Narag-zâram “*Black Lake” ✧ PE17/037; RS/466
• Kh. Nargûn “Mordor” ✧ PE17/037; RS/466
• Kh. Nar(u)kuthûn ✧ PE17/047

Variations

• Narâg ✧ PE17/037
• naruka ✧ PE17/047 (naruka)

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

mori

adjective. black

Derivations

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

Derivatives

• Q. morë “dark, black; darkness, night, dark, black; darkness, [ᴹQ.] blackness, [Q.] night” ✧ Let/382
• S. môr “dark(ness); †night, dark(ness); †night, [N.] †black” ✧ Let/382; NM/279

Element in

• ✶morikwende “*Dark-elf, [ᴹ✶] Dark-elf”
• ✶Moriñgotho “Black Foe” ✧ PE19/081
• ᴺS. merifind “Black-haired”

Variations

• morĭ ✧ PE19/081

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”

morn

adjective. black, dark

morn

adjective. black

Cognates

• ᴹQ. morna “gloomy, sombre” ✧ Ety/MOR

Derivations

• ᴹ√MOR “*black, dark” ✧ Ety/MOR

Element in

• N. Eredvyrn “Black Mountains” ✧ TI/124
• N. Helevorn “Black Glass”
• N. Elivorn “Lake-Black” ✧ Ety/MOR
• N. i vegli vorn “the black bear” ✧ PE22/033
• N. Maglavorn “Black-sword” ✧ Ety/MOR (maglavorn)
• N. meglivorn “blackbear” ✧ Ety/MOR; EtyAC/LIS (morn) (mormagli); EtyAC/MAT (Mormagli); EtyAC/MAT (Meglivorn)
• N. Mornennyn “Gates of Mordor” ✧ WR/113
• N. Mordu “*Black Night”
• N. morgul “sorcery” ✧ EtyAC/ÑGOL
• N. Moria “Black Gulf”
• N. Mormegil “Black-sword”
• N. Mornvenniath “Black Mountains”
• N. Morthond “Blackroot”
• N. Morthu “*Black Stench”
• N. Morwen
• N. Nann Orothvor “Vale of Black Horror”
• N. Nelig Myrn “Teeth of Mordor” ✧ WR/113
• N. Naglath Morn “Teeth of Mordor” ✧ WR/122 (Naglath Morn)

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√MOR > morn	[morna] > [morn]	✧ Ety/MOR

Variations

• moru ✧ EtyAC/MOR
• Morn ✧ WR/113; WR/122 (Morn)

môr

adjective. black

Cognates

• ᴹQ. more “black, dark” ✧ Ety/MOR

Derivations

• ᴹ✶mori “black” ✧ Ety/MOR
  • ᴹ√MOR “*black, dark” ✧ Ety/MOR

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶mori > môr	[mori] > [more] > [mor] > [mōr]	✧ Ety/MOR

dofn

adjective. gloomy

dofn

adjective. gloomy

A word given as N. dofn “gloomy” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with variant dufui, both derivatives from the root ᴹ√DUB “loom, hang over oppressively (of clouds)” (Ety/DUB; EtyAC/DUB). The form dofn is the cognate of ᴹQ. lumna “lying heavy, oppressive” and shows a-affection, whereas dufui seems to be a Noldorin invention using the adjective suffix -ui, and thus preserves its primitive stem-vowel u.

Neo-Sindarin: For Neo-Sindarin, I’d write both forms as ᴺS. dovn and duvui to better reflect their pronunciation.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. lumna “lying heavy, burdensome, oppressive, ominous” ✧ Ety/DUB

Derivations

• ᴹ√DUB “lie, lie heavy, loom, hang over oppressively (of clouds)” ✧ Ety/DUB

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√DUB > dofn	[dubna] > [dumna] > [domna] > [domn] > [dovn]	✧ Ety/DUB
ᴹ√DUB > dufui	[dubui] > [duvui]	✧ Ety/DUB

Variations

• dufui ✧ EtyAC/DUB

doll

adjective. dark, dusky, obscure

dolt

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

dûr

adjective. dark, sombre

dufui

adjective. gloomy