Quenya 

oron

mountain

oron (oront-, as in pl. oronti) noun "mountain" (ÓROT; the root occurs in orotinga, q.v.) Oron Oiolossë "Mount Everwhite" (WJ:403)

oron

noun. mountain

A word for “mountain” in Quenya whose stem form was oront-, so that it’s plural would be oronti (Ety/Ety/ÓROT).

Conceptual Development: There were a number of competing “mountain” words in Quenya of similar derivation, all based on the root √ORO “rise”; its Sindarin cognate S. orod “mountain” was much more stable in form. The earliest iteration of these Quenya words was ᴱQ. oro “hill” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as a derivative of the early root ᴱ√ORO, unglossed but with other derivatives like ᴱQ. oro- “rise” and ᴱQ. orto- “raise” (QL/70). The word oro “hill” also appeared in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa from this period, alongside a variant form oron(d) of the same meaning (PME/70).

The variant oron reappeared in the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, now with the gloss “mountain” (PE21/33); its inflected forms indicate a stem form of {orom- >>} orum- (PE21/34 and note #125). ᴹQ. oron “mountain” appeared again in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√OROT, this time with a stem form oront- as indicated by its plural oronti (Ety/ÓROT). Oron appeared once more in the name Q. Oron Oiolossë “Mount Everwhite” from the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 (WJ/403).

In Notes on Galadriel’s Song (NGS) from the late 1950s or early 1960s Tolkien gave the variant forms oro, orto “mountain” as derivatives of √ORO/RŌ “rise, mount” (PE17/63-64). ᴹQ. orto had previously appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√OROT but with the gloss “mountain-top” (Ety/ÓROT). Hints of this earlier meaning can be seen in the 1968 word Q. orotinga “mountain-top” though in this compound the second element Q. inga also means “top” (VT47/28). Orto “mountain” may be the final element of the 1968 name Q. Tarmacorto “High Mountain Circle”, but more likely the last element is derivative of √KOR “round”, perhaps ✱Q. corto “circle” (NM/351).

As for oro, it meant “mountain” as an element in many late names: Q. Orocarni “Red Mountains” (MR/77), Q. Orofarnë “Mountain Ash” (PE17/83), Q. oromandi “mountain dweller[s]” (PE16/96), and Q. Pelóri “Mountain Wall” (PE17/26), though in one place Tolkien glossed the prefix oro- as “hill” (PE17/83), perhaps a callback to its meaning in the 1910s.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I feel oron(t) for “mountain” is better established among Neo-Quenya writers; it is the form used in Helge Fauskanger’s NQNT (NQNT), for example. The word Q. orto was not used for “mountain” until quite late, and I would stick with its 1930s meaning “mountain-top”. As for Q. oro, I would use it as “mountain” only in compounds, not as an independent word.

Derivations

  • ᴹ√OROT “height, mountain”

Element in

Variations

  • Oron ✧ WJ/403

orotinga

mountain-top

orotinga noun "mountain-top" (VT47:28). Cf. ingor.

orotinga

noun. mountain-top

A word in notes from the late 1960s glossed “mountain-top” whose final element was Q. inga “top” (VT47/28). Its initial element is probably a variant of Q. orto “mountain”.

Elements

WordGloss
orto“mount, mountain, hill, [ᴹQ.] mountain-top; [Q.] mount, mountain”
inga“top, highest point, top, highest point, [ᴹQ.] first”

orto

mountain-top

orto noun "mountain-top" (ÓROT), "mount, mountain" (PE17:64)

oro

mount, mountain

oro (1) noun "mount, mountain" (PE17:64), cf. Qenya oro noun "hill" (LT1:256; rather ambo in LotR-style Quenya, though #oro "mountain, hill" appears in Orocarni and orofarnë, q.v. [PE17:83], also with the meaning "high" in oromar, q.v.) Cf. oro- element "up, aloft" (PE17:64).

Orocarni

the red mountains

Orocarni noun "the Red Mountains", place-name: literally rather *"Mountain-Reds": a plural form of carnë "red" with the element oro- "mountain" or "high" prefixed (Silm)

oro

noun. mount, mountain, hill

An element meaning “mountain” or “hill” given as a derivative of √ORO/RŌ (PE17/64, 83) and appearing in various Quenya compounds in the 1950s and 60s: Q. Orocarni “Red Mountains” (MR/77), Q. Orofarnë “Mountain Ash” (PE17/83), Q. oromandi “mountain dweller[s]” (PE16/96), and Q. Pelóri “Mountain Wall” (PE17/26). It also appeared as ᴱQ. oro “hill” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as a derivative of the early root ᴱ√ORO (QL/70).

See the discussion in the entry for Q. oron “mountain” for more details on the conceptual developments of this and related words.

Derivations

  • RŌ/ORO “up(wards); rise (up), go high, mount, up(wards); rise (up), go high, mount; [ᴹ√] high, [ᴱ√] steepness, rising” ✧ PE17/063

Element in

  • Q. Orocarni “Red Mountains”
  • Q. Orofarnë “Mountain Ash; Mountain-dwelling” ✧ PE17/083
  • Q. oroman “mountain dweller”
  • Q. Oromet “?Hill at the End”
  • Q. Pelóri “Mountain Wall, Fencing Heights”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
OR/ORO > oro[oro]✧ PE17/063
Quenya [PE17/064; PE17/083] Group: Eldamo. Published by

orto

noun. mount, mountain, hill, [ᴹQ.] mountain-top; [Q.] mount, mountain

A word meaning “mount, mountain” given as a derivative of √ORO/RŌ in Notes on Galadriel’s Song (NGS) from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/64). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, ᴹQ. orto “mountain-top” appeared as a derivative of the root ᴹ√OROT (Ety/ÓROT).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I think it is best to use orto with its 1930s sense “mountain-top”, and use Q. oron for “mountain”; see that entry for more details on the conceptual developments of this and related words.

Cognates

  • S. orod “mountain” ✧ PE17/064

Derivations

  • ᴹ√OROT “height, mountain”
  • RŌ/ORO “up(wards); rise (up), go high, mount, up(wards); rise (up), go high, mount; [ᴹ√] high, [ᴱ√] steepness, rising” ✧ PE17/063

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
OR/ORO > orto[orto]✧ PE17/063

tárië

height

tárië noun "height", allative tárienna "to [the] height" (LotR3:VI ch. 4, translated in Letters:308)

tárië

noun. height

Element in

  • Q. a laita tárienna “bless (or praise) [them] to the height” ✧ Let/448; LotR/0953

Elements

WordGloss
tára“lofty, tall, high”
-ië“abstract noun, adverb”
Quenya [Let/448; LotR/0953; PE17/103] Group: Eldamo. Published by

rassë

noun. horn, horn [of both animals and mountains]

A noun appearing as ᴹQ. rasse “horn” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√RAS “stick up” along with a variant form rasko (Ety/RAS). In that document Tolkien said it was used “especially on living animal, but also applied to mountains”. The word rasse “horn” reappeared on a (rejected) page of verb forms from 1948 (PE22/127 note #152), and again in notes from the 1950s or 60s discussing the mountain name S. Caradhras (PE17/36).

Cognates

  • S. rass “horn, horn [of both animals and mountains]” ✧ PE17/036

Derivations

  • RAS “horn, horn; [ᴹ√] stick up”

Element in

Variations

  • rasse ✧ PE17/036

rassë

horn

rassë, also rasco, noun "horn" (especially on living animal, but also applied to mountains) (RAS/VT46:10, PM:69)

róma

horn

róma (1) noun "horn" (WJ:368 - this refers to a "horn" as an instrument rather than as part of an animal; see rassë, tarca_)._Loose compound Oromë róma "an Oromë horn", sc. "one of Orome's horns (if he had more than one)" (WJ:368).

róma

noun. horn, horn; [ᴹQ.] loud sound, trumpet-sound, *blare

Derivations

  • ROM “horn noise, horn noise; [ᴹ√] loud noise”

Element in

tarca

horn

tarca ("k")noun "horn" (TARÁK)

taru

horn

taru noun "horn" (LT2:337, 347; Tolkien's later Quenya has tarca)

romba

horn, trumpet

romba noun "horn, trumpet" (ROM)

cas

head

cas ("k")"head" (VT49:17), cf. also deleted [cas] ("k")noun "top, summit" (VT45:19). This noun should evidently have the stem-form car-. See cár.

cas

noun. head, head, [ᴱQ.] top, summit

This is the Quenya word for “head”, with a stem form of car- because medial s generally became z and then r, but the s was preserved when final. This word can refer to the head of people and animals, as well as the metaphorical “head” (or top) of other things, in much the same way that Q. tál “foot” can refer to their base.

Conceptual Development: This word was established very early in Tolkien’s writing, being derived from the root ᴱ√KASA “head” all the way back in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/45), but its exact form varied as Tolkien changed his mind on the phonetic development of s in Quenya. Its form in the Qenya Lexicon was in fact ᴱQ. kar (kas-), since in Early Qenya period medial s survived and it was final s that became r (PE12/26). This kar (kas-) was the usual word for head in the 1910s and 20s, but in the typescript version of the Early Qenya Grammar Tolkien instead revised it to ᴱQ. kas (kast-) “head” (PE14/72 and note #5).

In noun declensions from the late 1920s and early 1930s, Tolkien instead had cas (car-), reflecting a conceptual shift in the phonologic development of s (PE13/112-113; PE21/22). However, for reasons unclear, the form ᴹQ. kár (kas-) was restored in The Etymologies written around 1937 under the root ᴹ√KAS “head” (Ety/KEM), despite s > z > r being the normal medial phonetic development in this period (PE19/33). This abnormal form slipped into The Lord of the Rings itself as part of the name Q. Eldacar “Elfhelm” (LotR/1038).

Tolkien generally used the form cas for “head” in his later writings (PE19/103; VT49/17), but in his notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien was forced to contrive another explanation for Eldacar:

> What is -kar in names. How could it stand for helm? E.g. as stem ✱kāsā (√KAS, head) would give kāra, but in compound forms -kāsă > -kas. Would not an ă be lost before voicing of s or at least before z > r (PE17/114).

In this note Tolkien considered having Q. carma “helm” < kas-mā, but discarded the idea since he felt karma “tool or weapon” < KAR “do, make” + was the more likely meaning. He then said “Eldă|kāzā in compounds to -kār(ă) > -kar” despite its phonological implausibility, and indeed kāza/kára appeared in a discussion of helms within 1964 notes on Dalath Dirnen (DD: PE17/188).

As for the sense “top”, there is better evidence for it among Tolkien’s earlier writings, such as the glosses “head, top” in Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s (PE14/79) and the early-1930s allative form kasta “up (to the top)” (PE21/22). I see no reason to assume this alternate meaning did not survive in Tolkien’s later conception of the language.

Derivations

  • kas “head” ✧ PE17/188
    • KAS “head”

Element in

  • ᴺQ. candóla “crown of head”
  • Q. carma “helm”
  • ᴺQ. caraxo “skull, *(lit.) head-bone”
  • ᴺQ. quaccas “tadpole, (lit.) frog head”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
kāza > kára[kāsa] > [kāza] > [kāra]✧ PE17/188

Variations

  • kára ✧ PE17/188
  • kas ✧ PE19/103; VT49/17
Quenya [PE17/188; PE19/103; VT49/17] Group: Eldamo. Published by

cár

head

cár (cas-) ("k")noun "head" (KAS).The given stem-form appears doubtful within the phonological framework of LotR-style Quenya. Probably we should read cas with stem car- (PE14:69 indeed reads "kas head, pl. kari", and VT49:17 quotes the sg. "kas" from a post-LotR source). Compare other forms found in late sources: hlas "ear" with stem hlar- (PE17:62) and olos "dream", pl. olori (UT:396). In Tolkiens early "Qenya", post-vocalic -s became -r at the end of words but was preserved when another vowel followed. His later scheme either lets -r appear in both positions, or reverses the scenario altogether (hence olos, olor-). It would seem that the forms cár, cas- were distractedly carried over into the Etymologies from the Qenya Lexicon (kar, kas-, QL:45) even though they presuppose an earlier version of the phonology. An apparent variant form in late material, cára from earlier cáza ("k"), however fits the later phonology since intervocalic s would become z > r (PE17:188).

cára

noun. head

Sindarin 

orod

noun. mountain

Sindarin [Ety/379, S/435, Letters/263, TC/178, RC/621] Group: SINDICT. Published by

orod

mountain

pl1. ered or eryd, pl2. #orodrim _n. _mountain. Tolkien notes that "eryd > ered by late change, but y unstressed remained in certain circumstances, e.g. before nasals" (PE17:33). >> dol, doll, Thangorodrim

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:33:89:116] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

orod

noun. mountain

The Sindarin word for “mountain”, a derivative of √RŌ/ORO “rise” (PE17/63). Its proper plural form is eryd; the plural form ered in The Lord of the Rings is a late [Gondorian only?] pronunciation (PE17/33).

Conceptual Development: The singular form of this noun was extremely stable. It first appeared as G. orod “mountain” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s beside variant ort (GL/63), and it reappeared as N. orod “mountain” in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√OROT “height, mountain” (Ety/ÓROT). It appeared in a great many names in the sixty year span that Tolkien worked on the Legendarium.

The development of its plural form is a bit more complex. Its Gnomish plural was orodin (GL/63), but by the Early Noldorin of the 1920s, its plural was eryd (MC/217). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, however, Tolkien gave its plural form as oroti > ereid > ered (Ety/ÓROT). This fits with normal Noldorin plural patterns of the 1930s: compare plurals N. eregdoseregdes, N. golodhgeleidh, N. doronderen, N. thorontherein. Sindarin plural patterns consistently show oy in final syllables, such as S. golodhgelydh or S. NogothNegyth.

This Noldorin plural for orod “mountain” made it into Lord of the Rings drafts, and Tolkien never corrected it before publication. This meant Tolkien was stuck with this remnant of Noldorin plural patterns, which was contradicted by other plural forms in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien was forced to contrive an explanation for this phenomenon:

> S. Ered. This is used always in L.R. as plural of orod, mountain. But Emyn, pl. of Amon. Cf. also Eryn Forest (oron originally plural = trees?) in Eryn Lasgalen. Rodyn, pl. of Rodon = Vala. It seems necessary to assume that: eryd > ered by late change, but y unstressed remained in certain circumstances, e.g. before nasals. † Use Eryd in Silmarillion (PE17/33).

Despite his statement that y only remained before nasals, ered is the only Sindarin word that retains the Noldorin plural pattern: see the examples golydh and nogyth above, neither involving nasals. Also, despite J.R.R. Tolkien’s intent to use eryd in The Silmarillion, his son Christopher Tolkien retained the form ered in The Silmarillion as published, most likely to avoid confusing readers when they compared this plural to the plural forms in The Lord of the Rings.

Neo-Sindarin: Most knowledgeable Neo-Sindarin writers assume oy in final syllables is the correct Sindarin plural pattern, and orodered is an aberration. I personally assume it is a late Gondorian-only (mis)pronunciation. See the discussion of Sindarin plural nouns for more information.

Cognates

  • Q. orto “mount, mountain, hill, [ᴹQ.] mountain-top; [Q.] mount, mountain” ✧ PE17/064

Derivations

  • ᴹ√OROT “height, mountain”
  • RŌ/ORO “up(wards); rise (up), go high, mount, up(wards); rise (up), go high, mount; [ᴹ√] high, [ᴱ√] steepness, rising” ✧ PE17/063

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
OR/ORO > orod[oroto] > [orot] > [orod]✧ PE17/063
OR/ORO > eryd/ered[oroti] > [oruti] > [œryti] > [œryt] > [œryd] > [eryd]✧ PE17/063

Variations

  • Orod ✧ LotR/0469
Sindarin [LotR/0469; PE17/033; PE17/064; PE17/089; RC/621; RC/765; S/118; SA/orod; UT/040; UT/054; WJ/192] Group: Eldamo. Published by

orod

mount

pl1. ered or eryd** ** n. mount, mountain. Q. oro, orto.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:63-4:89] < OR, ORO, RŌ rise, mount. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

aegas

noun. mountain peak

Sindarin [Ety/349, X/OE] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dol

noun. hill or mountain

Sindarin [Ety/376, S/430, RC/268] Group: SINDICT. Published by

aeglir

noun. range of mountain peaks

Sindarin [Hithaeglir LotR, Ety/349, X/OE] aeg+lîr. Group: SINDICT. Published by

rass

noun. horn, horn [of both animals and mountains]

A noun for “horn” appearing in notes on the name Caradhras “Redhorn” from the 1950s or 60s (PE17/36). This word was an element in other names as well, such as Methedras “Last Peak” and Nimras “White Horn”.

Conceptual Development: This word appeared as N. rhas “horn” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√RAS “stick up” (Ety/RAS). Christopher Tolkien gave it as rhaes in The Etymologies as published in The Lost Road (LR/383), but Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne corrected this to rhas in their Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies (VT46/10). In The Etymologies it appeared beside an alternate form N. rhasg, equivalent to ᴹQ. rasko (Ety/RAS; EtyAC/RAS).

Neo-Sindarin: Some Neo-Sindarin writers adapt its variant form as ᴺS. rasg, but I recommend sticking to attested S. rass for a “horn” of both animals and mountains.

Cognates

  • Q. rassë “horn, horn [of both animals and mountains]” ✧ PE17/036

Derivations

  • RAS “horn, horn; [ᴹ√] stick up”

Element in

Sindarin [PE17/036; SA/ras] Group: Eldamo. Published by

rass

horn

_ n. _horn. >> Caradhras

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:36] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

rom

noun. horn, trumpet

Sindarin [Ety/384, WJ/400, X/RH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

ras

noun. horn (especially on living animal, but also applied to mountains)

The form rhaes in the Etymologies is a misreading according to VT/46:10

Sindarin [Ety/383, VT/46:10, LotR/E, S/436, X/RH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

rasg

noun. horn (especially on living animal, but also applied to mountains)

Sindarin [Ety/383, X/RH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dol

noun. head

Sindarin [Ety/376, S/430, RC/268] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dol

head

_ n. _head (often applied to hills or mountains that had _not _a sharp apex). >> -dhol, doll, Dol-fanui, Fanuidhol

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:32:36:173] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

-dhol

head

_ suff. _head (often applied to hills or mountains that had _not _a sharp apex). >> Fanuidhol

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:36] < S. _dol/doll_ head (often applied to hills or mountains that had _not _a sharp apex). Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

doll

head

_ n. _head (often applied to hills or mountains that had _not _a sharp apex). >> -dhol, dol, Dol-fanui, Fanuidhol

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:32:36] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

orod

mountain

1) orod (pl. ered, eryd; coll. pl. #orodrim isolated from Thangorodrim), 2) ôr (stem orod-), also with pl. eryd, ered. (Names:178). Archaically, the plural forms were öryd, öröd.

orod

mountain

(pl. ered, eryd; coll. pl. #orodrim isolated from Thangorodrim)

ôr

mountain

(stem orod-), also with pl. eryd, ered. (Names:178). Archaically, the plural forms were öryd, öröd.

amon

steep-sided mount

(hill), pl. emyn.

taen

height

taen (i daen, o thaen) (summit of high mountain), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thaen). Note: a homophone means ”long (and thin)”.

taen

height

(i daen, o thaen) (summit of high mountain), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thaen). Note: a homophone means ”long (and thin)”.

sound of horns

pl. rui (idh rui), also romru, pl. remry (idh remry) for archaic römry

rafn

horn

(wing, extended point at the side), pl. raifn (idh raifn)

rasg

noun. horn

Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/adaptations. Published by

rass

horn

(mountain peak), pl. #rais (idh rais). The pl. is attested in the name Ered Nimrais. Side-form rasc, rasg.

rom

horn

1) rom (trumpet), pl. rym (idh rym), coll. pl. rommath. (Cf. also romloth ”horn-flower”, tobacco.) 2) rass (mountain peak), pl. #rais** (idh rais). The pl. is attested in the name Ered Nimrais. Side-form rasc, rasg. 3) rafn (wing, extended point at the side), pl. raifn (idh raifn); 4) tarag (i darag, o tharag), pl. teraig (i theraig**). The word may be used of a ”steep mountain peak” (VT46:17; ”steep mountain path” in LR:391 is a misreading).

rom

horn

(trumpet), pl. rym (idh rym), coll. pl. rommath. (Cf. also romloth ”horn-flower”, tobacco.)

tarag

horn

(i darag, o tharag), pl. teraig (i theraig). The word may be used of a ”steep mountain peak” (VT46:17; ”steep mountain path” in LR:391 is a misreading).

till

sharp horn

(i dill, o thill, construct til; also -dil, -thil at the end of compounds) (tine, point, sharp-pointed peak), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thill). Archaic †tild.

dôl

head

dôl (i dhôl, construct dol) (hill), pl. dŷl (i nŷl). Note: In the Etymologies, this word was derived from a root with initial nd- (NDOL), which would make the mutations different (i nôl, pl. i ndŷl). However, the later name Fanuidhol "Cloudyhead" apparently indicates that the lenited form of this d was later to be dh (whereas it would be n if the former derivation had been maintained).

dôl

head

(i dhôl, construct dol) (hill), pl. dŷl (i nŷl). Note: In the Etymologies, this word was derived from a root with initial nd- (NDOL), which would make the mutations different (i nôl, pl. i ndŷl). However, the later name Fanuidhol "Cloudyhead" apparently indicates that the lenited form of this d was later to be dh (whereas it would be n if the former derivation had been maintained).****

hallas

noun. height

Elements

WordGloss
hall“exalted, high”
Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

Telerin 

orot

noun. mountain

Element in

Adûnaic

urud

noun. mountain

A noun attested only in its plural form urîd “mountains” (SD/251). Several authors have suggested it is related to S. orod “mountain”, either borrowed directly or derived from the same Elvish root ᴹ√OROT (AAD/24, EotAL/ÓROT).

Derivations

  • ᴹ√OROT “height, mountain”

Element in

Khuzdûl

bund

noun. head

Element in

  • Kh. bund “head” ✧ PE17/036
  • Kh. Bundushathûr “Cloudy-head” ✧ PE17/036; TI/174

Variations

  • Bundu ✧ PE17/036
  • Bund(u) ✧ PE17/036
Khuzdûl [PE17/036; TI/174] Group: Eldamo. Published by

inbar

noun. horn

Element in

Khuzdûl [PE17/035; TI/174] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Primitive elvish

ras

root. horn, horn; [ᴹ√] stick up

This root first appeared as ᴹ√RAS “stick up (intr.)” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives like ᴹQ. rasse and N. rhas or rhasg “horn (especially on living animal, but also applied to mountains)” (Ety/RAS; EtyAC/RAS). It reappeared as ᴹ√RASA “stick up” on an rejected page of roots in the Quenya Verbal System from the 1940s (PE22/127). Finally, √RAS “horn” appeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure of the early 1950s, but that was merely the last appearance of the root in Tolkien’s published writings. Q. rassë and S. rass “horn” continued to appear regularly as an element in mountain names in the 1950s and 60s.

Derivatives

  • aras(sō) “hart” ✧ PE21/82
    • ᴺQ. arasso “hart, stag, (male) deer”
    • S. aras “deer, deer, hart, *stag”
  • rass “horn”
  • Q. ras- “to stick out”
  • Q. rassë “horn, horn [of both animals and mountains]”
  • S. rass “horn, horn [of both animals and mountains]”
  • S. ras(t) “cape, shore”

Element in

Primitive elvish [PE21/82] Group: Eldamo. Published by

rass

noun. horn

Derivations

  • RAS “horn, horn; [ᴹ√] stick up”

Element in

Primitive elvish [SA/caran] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kas

root. head

The root for “head” was established very early in Tolkien’s Elvish languages, appearing in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as ᴱ√KASA “head” (QL/45), though in this period its Qenya derivative was ᴱQ. kar (kas-) because [[eq|final [s] became [r]]] in Early Quenya (PE12/26). It had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. cas “head, skull” (GL/25), a word that reappeared in Early Noldorin word lists of the 1920s as ᴱN. cas “skull” (PE13/140).

The root ᴹ√KAS “head” reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, still with the form ᴹQ. kár (kas-) “head” (Ety/KAS), but Tolkien eventually abandoned the Early Qenya phonology and the Quenya form became Q. kas after some vacillation (PE19/103). The root √KAS “head” continued to appear frequently in Tolkien’s later writing (PE17/114; PE21/70; VT42/12).

Derivatives

  • kas “head”
    • Q. cas “head, head, [ᴱQ.] top, summit” ✧ PE17/188
  • kasd(a) “to the head”
    • Q. cas(ta) “to(wards) the top, upwards” ✧ PE21/76; PE21/76
  • kasma “?helm” ✧ PE17/114
    • Q. carma “helm” ✧ PE17/114; PE17/114; PE17/114
  • S. cast “cape, headland”

Element in

  • kasraya “a tressure” ✧ VT42/12

Variations

  • kas ✧ PE21/70
  • cas ✧ VT42/12
Primitive elvish [PE17/114; PE17/156; PE21/70; VT42/12] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kas

noun. head

Derivations

  • KAS “head”

Derivatives

  • Q. cas “head, head, [ᴱQ.] top, summit” ✧ PE17/188

Element in

Variations

  • kāza ✧ PE17/188
Primitive elvish [PE17/188; PE19/102; PE21/75] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

orod

noun. mountain

Noldorin [Ety/379, S/435, Letters/263, TC/178, RC/621] Group: SINDICT. Published by

orod

noun. mountain

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. oron “mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT

Derivations

  • On. oroto “mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT; Ety/ÓROT
    • ᴹ√OROT “height, mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
On. oroto > orod[oroto] > [orot] > [orod]✧ Ety/ÓROT
On. oroti > ereid > ered[oroti] > [œrœti] > [œrœit] > [œrœid] > [ereid] > [ered]✧ Ety/ÓROT
N. œrœid > ered[oroti] > [œrœti] > [œrœit] > [œrœid] > [ereid] > [ered]✧ PE22/041

Variations

  • Orod ✧ TI/420 (Orod)
Noldorin [Ety/LUG²; Ety/ÓROT; Ety/STAG; LR/298; PE22/041; TI/028; TI/124; TI/420] Group: Eldamo. Published by

oegas

noun. mountain peak

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

dôl

noun. hill or mountain

Noldorin [Ety/376, S/430, RC/268] Group: SINDICT. Published by

menniath

noun. range of mountains

Noldorin [Mornvenniath TI/124, Lambengolmor/799] Group: SINDICT. Published by

orodrim

noun. range of mountains

Noldorin [Ety/379] orod+rim. Group: SINDICT. Published by

tarag

noun. steep mountain peak

Noldorin [Ety/391, VT/46:17] Group: SINDICT. Published by

oeglir

noun. range of mountain peaks

Noldorin [Hithaeglir LotR, Ety/349, X/OE] aeg+lîr. Group: SINDICT. Published by

taen

noun. height, summit of high mountain

Noldorin [Ety/389] Group: SINDICT. Published by

menniath

noun. many points

Noldorin [Mornvenniath TI/124, Lambengolmor/799] Group: SINDICT. Published by

tild

noun. horn, point

Noldorin [Ety/393] Group: SINDICT. Published by

till

noun. horn, point

Noldorin [Ety/393] Group: SINDICT. Published by

rhasg

noun. horn

Derivations

  • ᴹ√RAS “stick up (intr.)” ✧ Ety/RAS

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√RAS > rhasg[raske] > [rask] > [r̥ask] > [r̥asg]✧ Ety/RAS

tarag

noun. horn

Noldorin [Ety/391, VT/46:17] Group: SINDICT. Published by

till

noun. horn

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. tilde “spike, horn” ✧ Ety/TIL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√TIL “point, horn” ✧ Ety/TIL

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√TIL > tild > till[tilde] > [tilðe] > [tilð] > [till]✧ Ety/TIL

rhom

noun. horn, trumpet

Noldorin [Ety/384, WJ/400, X/RH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

rhas

noun. horn (especially on living animal, but also applied to mountains)

The form rhaes in the Etymologies is a misreading according to VT/46:10

Noldorin [Ety/383, VT/46:10, LotR/E, S/436, X/RH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

rhasg

noun. horn (especially on living animal, but also applied to mountains)

Noldorin [Ety/383, X/RH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dôl

noun. head

Noldorin [Ety/376, S/430, RC/268] 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!

Rohirric

horn

masculine name. Horn

Rohirric [LotRI/Horn; WRI/Horn] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Qenya 

oron

noun. mountain

Cognates

  • On. oroto “mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT
  • N. orod “mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT
  • Ilk. orth “mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT

Derivations

  • ᴹ√OROT “height, mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ÓROT > oron[oronte] > [oront] > [oron]✧ Ety/ÓROT
Qenya [Ety/ÓROT; PE21/33; PE21/34] Group: Eldamo. Published by

orto

noun. mountain-top

Derivations

  • ᴹ√OROT “height, mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ÓROT > orto[orto]✧ Ety/ÓROT

rasko

noun. horn

kas

noun. head

Cognates

  • N. câs “top, summit” ✧ EtyAC/KAS

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAS “head” ✧ Ety/KAS
  • ᴹ✶kas “head” ✧ PE21/58
    • ᴹ√KAS “head” ✧ PE18/035

Element in

  • ᴹQ. kallo tallo “up and down (again)” ✧ PE21/22

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KAS > kas[kas]✧ Ety/KAS

Variations

  • kas ✧ EtyAC/KAS (kas); PE21/16; PE21/22; PE21/58 (kas)
  • kas- ✧ PE21/19
Qenya [EtyAC/KAS; PE21/16; PE21/19; PE21/22; PE21/58] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kár

noun. head

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAS “head” ✧ Ety/KAS

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KAS > kár[kās] > [kār]✧ Ety/KAS

Doriathrin

orth

noun. mountain

A Doriathrin noun for “mountain” derived from the root ᴹ√ÓROT (Ety/ÓROT). Its Old Noldorin cognate ON. oroto suggests a primitive form ✱✶orotō, where the second [o] was lost due to the Ilkorin syncope [orto]. Later the [t] became [θ] (“th”) because voiceless stops became spirants after liquids and voiceless stops in Ilkorin. Both these developments were noted by Helge Fauskanger (AL-Doriathrin/orth). This word has two distinct plural forms attested: Dor. orthin (Ety/ÓROT) and Ilk. urthin (EtyAC/WATH); this could represent distinct rules for the formation of plural nouns in the two dialects.

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. oron “mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT

Derivations

  • ᴹ√OROT “height, mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ÓROT > orth[orotō] > [oroto] > [orto] > [orθo] > [orθ]✧ Ety/ÓROT
Doriathrin [Ety/ÓROT; EtyAC/WATH] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Old Noldorin 

oroto

noun. mountain

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. oron “mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT

Derivations

  • ᴹ√OROT “height, mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT

Derivatives

  • N. orod “mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT; Ety/ÓROT

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ÓROT > oro[orot] > [oro]✧ Ety/ÓROT
ᴹ√ÓROT > oroto[oroto]✧ Ety/ÓROT

Variations

  • oro ✧ Ety/ÓROT
Old Noldorin [Ety/ÓROT] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ndolo

noun. head

Changes

  • nolondolo ✧ Ety/NDOL

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. nóla “round head, knoll, round hilltop; summit, round head, knoll, round hilltop; summit, [ᴱQ.] top (only used of mountains etc.); crown of head” ✧ Ety/NDOL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√NDOL “*head” ✧ Ety/NDOL

Derivatives

  • N. dôl “head, hill” ✧ Ety/NDOL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√NDOL > ndolo[ndolo]✧ Ety/NDOL

Variations

  • nolo ✧ EtyAC/NDOL (nolo)
Old Noldorin [Ety/NDOL; EtyAC/NDOL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

orot

root. height, mountain

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “height, mountain” given as an extension of ᴹ√ORO “up, rise, high”, with derivatives like ᴹQ. oron (oront-) “mountain” and N. orod “mountain” (Ety/ÓROT). The latter dates all the way back to G. orod “mountain” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/63), and continued to be used in later writings as S. orod as well (e.g. on LotR/469). The derivatives of the root on the Qenya side were more variable, sometimes given as Q. orto (PE17/64) or orot- (VT47/28) instead.

Derivatives

  • Ad. urud “mountain”
  • Ilk. orth “mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT
  • Q. oron “mountain”
  • ᴹQ. oron “mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT
  • Q. orto “mount, mountain, hill, [ᴹQ.] mountain-top; [Q.] mount, mountain”
  • ᴹQ. orto “mountain-top” ✧ Ety/ÓROT
  • S. orod “mountain”
  • On. oroto “mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT
    • N. orod “mountain” ✧ Ety/ÓROT; Ety/ÓROT

Variations

  • ÓROT ✧ Ety/ÓROT
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/ÓROT] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kas

root. head

Derivatives

  • ᴹ✶kas “head” ✧ PE18/035
    • ᴹQ. kas “head” ✧ PE21/58
  • ᴹ✶kast “towards the top”
    • ᴹQ. kas “upwards, towards the top” ✧ PE21/22
  • ᴹ✶kasma ✧ Ety/KAS
    • On. kama “helmet” ✧ Ety/KAS
  • ᴹ✶kassa ✧ Ety/KAS
    • ᴹQ. kassa “helmet” ✧ Ety/KAS
  • ᴹQ. kár “head” ✧ Ety/KAS
  • ᴹQ. kas “head” ✧ Ety/KAS
  • N. câs “top, summit” ✧ Ety/KAS
  • N. caw “top” ✧ Ety/KAS
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/KAS; PE18/035] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kas

noun. head

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAS “head” ✧ PE18/035

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. kas “head” ✧ PE21/58

Variations

  • kăs ✧ PE18/035 (kăs); PE21/55; PE21/64
  • kas- ✧ PE21/55
Middle Primitive Elvish [PE18/035; PE21/55; PE21/58; PE21/64] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

orod

noun. mountain

Cognates

  • Eq. oro “hill” ✧ LT1A/Kalormë

Derivations

  • ᴱ√ORO “steepness, rising” ✧ LT1A/Kalormë

Element in

  • G. Heborodin “Encircling Hills” ✧ LT1A/Kalormë
  • G. Angorodin “Iron Mountains” ✧ LT1A/Kalormë

Variations

  • ort ✧ GL/63; LT1A/Kalormë
Gnomish [GL/63; LT1A/Kalormë] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ort

noun. mountain

târ

noun. horn

Cognates

  • Eq. taru “horn” ✧ LT2A/Taruithorn

Derivations

  • ᴱ√TARA “*horn”

Element in

  • G. socthor “a drinking-horn” ✧ GL/68
  • G. sogridâr “a drinking-horn” ✧ GL/68
  • G. tarog “ox” ✧ GL/69; LT2A/Taruithorn
  • G. taru “horned” ✧ GL/69 (taru)
Gnomish [GL/68; GL/69; LT2A/Taruithorn] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nôl

noun. head

Cognates

  • Eq. nóla “summit, head, top (only used of mountains etc.); (round) hill; crown of head” ✧ GL/61

Derivations

  • ᴱ✶nold ✧ GL/61
    • ᴱ√NOHO “extended”
    • ᴱ√ƷONO “hard” ✧ QL/066; QL/067

Early Noldorin

orod

noun. mountain

Element in

Early Noldorin [MC/217] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tain

noun. mountain

Element in

Variations

  • tain ✧ PE13/152; PE13/153
Early Noldorin [PE13/152; PE13/153] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nod

noun. head

Changes

  • naulnod “head” ✧ PE13/150
  • naulnod “head” ✧ PE13/151

Variations

  • naul ✧ PE13/150 (naul); PE13/151 (naul)
Early Noldorin [PE13/150; PE13/151] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

kasa

root. head

Derivatives

  • ᴱ✶kasla
    • Eilk. cath ✧ PE13/140
    • Eq. kalla “helmet” ✧ PE13/140
    • En. caul “helmet” ✧ PE13/140
  • Eq. kas “head, top, summit”
  • Eq. kar “head” ✧ QL/045
  • Eq. kasien “helmet” ✧ QL/045
  • Eq. kastea “of the head; head-, capital, chief” ✧ QL/045
  • En. cas “skull, skull, [G.] head”
  • G. cas “head, skull”
  • En. “top”

Element in

Variations

  • KAS ✧ QL/031
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/031; QL/045] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

tahorme

noun. mountain

taorme

noun. mountain

tárie

noun. height

Elements

WordGloss
tára“lofty, high, tall”
-ie“abstract noun”

Variations

  • tārie ✧ PE15/73
Early Quenya [PE15/73] Group: Eldamo. Published by

taru

noun. horn

Cognates

  • G. târ “horn” ✧ LT2A/Taruithorn

Derivations

  • ᴱ√DARA(MA) “batter, thud, beat” ✧ LT2A/Dramborleg; QL/089
  • ᴱ√TARA “*horn” ✧ QL/089

Element in

  • Eq. tarukka “horned” ✧ LT2A/Taruithorn; QL/089
  • Eq. tarukko “bull, ox” ✧ LT2A/Taruithorn; LT2A/Taruithorn; QL/089

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√TARA² > taru[tarū] > [taru]✧ QL/089

Variations

  • taru- ✧ PME/089
Early Quenya [LT2A/Dramborleg; LT2A/Taruithorn; PME/089; QL/089] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kar

noun. head

Cognates

  • G. cas “head, skull”

Derivations

  • ᴱ√KASA “head” ✧ QL/045

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√KASA > kar[kas] > [kar]✧ QL/045
Early Quenya [PE14/042; PE14/043; PE14/044; PE14/046; PE14/047; PE14/117; PE15/73; PME/045; QL/030; QL/045] Group: Eldamo. Published by