Quenya 

orqui

orqui

orqui ("q") pl. of orco, q.v. (ÓROK, LT2:336)

orco

orc

orco ("k") noun "Orc", pl. orcor or orqui (WJ:390, ÓROK; pl. Orcor also in WJ:12, MR:74, 194). If the pl. form orqui is preferred, the word should be assigned the stem-form orcu-. Early "Qenya" has orc ("k") (orqu-) ("q") "monster, demon" (LT1:264; in LotR-style Quenya, no word can end in -rc.)

orco

noun. Orc

This word was adapted from its Sindarin cognate orch, since the Noldor did not encounter orcs until they returned to Middle-earth (WJ/390). There are two attested plurals for this word, orqui and orcor. One possible scenario is that the word was at first treated as a u-stem noun by analogy with urco (urcu-), but later as the two words were disassociated, the declension of orco was regularized and treated as an ordinary vocalic noun.

This is the theory followed here, so that orcor is considered the regular plural and orqui archaic, probably active only in the First Age. If you use the orqui plural, you should also treat this as a u-stem noun (orcu-). @@@

Quenya [MR/074; MR/194; MRI/Orcs; PE17/047; WJ/012; WJ/390; WJI/Orc(s)] Group: Eldamo. Published by

urco

orc

urco ("k"), stem *urcu- and pl. urqui, noun: an old word used in the lore of the Blessed Realm for anything that caused fear to the Elves during the March; by the Exiled Noldor the word was recognized as the cognate of Sindarin orch and used to mean "Orc". The Sindarin-influenced form orco was also used. (WJ:390)

Noldorin 

glamhoth

noun. barbaric host of Orcs

Noldorin [Ety/358, Ety/364, Ety/377, UT/39, UT/54, WJ/390] glam+hoth "the dinhorde, the yelling horde". Group: SINDICT. Published by

orch

noun. Goblin, Orc

Noldorin [Ety/379, LR/406, WJ/390, LotR/II:VI, LotR/F, Let] Group: SINDICT. Published by

orch

noun. goblin

Noldorin [Ety/ÓROK; EtyAC/ÓROK; LR/406; PE22/041; TI/229; TII/Orcs] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Nandorin 

urch

noun. Orc

Nandorin [PE17/054] Group: Eldamo. Published by

urc

noun. Orc

pl. yrc. In the Etymologies, the primitive form of this word is given as órku (defined as "goblin"), derived from an undefined stem ÓROK (LR:379).

This stem may be understood as a vowel-prefixed variant of the stem ROK "horse", assuming that this originally referred to the steed of the monstrous "dark Rider upon his wild horse" that haunted the Elves by Cuiviénen, assuming that the stem ROK was originally associated with Melkor's creatures. However, Tolkien later derived the Elvish words for "Orc" from a stem RUKU having to do with fear (WJ:389) and listed tentative primitive forms: urku, uruku, urkô. Since primitive final -u is lost in Nandorin (cf. Utum from Utubnu), the forms urku and uruku would evidently be capable of yielding Green-elven urc (while urkô would rather come out as *urca; cf. golda "Noldo" from ñgolodô). The plural form yrc clearly shows umlaut caused by the lost Primitive Quendian plural ending ; cf. the umlaut caused by the primitive adjectival ending -i, primitive lugni "blue" yielding lygn.

Nandorin [H. Fauskanger (LR:379)] < ÓROK?. Published by

ūriʃ

noun. orcs

Nandorin [PE17/54] Published by

Black Speech

uruk

noun. Orc

Black Speech [Let/178; LotR/0324; LotR/1131; LotRI/Uruks; PE17/047; PE17/052; SD/033; WJ/390; WJI/Uruk] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Khuzdûl

rukhs

noun. Orc

Khuzdûl [WJ/391; WJI/Rúkhs] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Primitive elvish

urku/urkō

noun. orc

Primitive elvish [WJ/390] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Sindarin 

glamhoth

noun. barbaric host of Orcs

Sindarin [Ety/358, Ety/364, Ety/377, UT/39, UT/54, WJ/390] glam+hoth "the dinhorde, the yelling horde". Group: SINDICT. Published by

glamog

noun. an Orc, "a yelling one"

Sindarin [WJ/390] Group: SINDICT. Published by

glamog

noun. orc

Sindarin [WJ/391; WJI/Glamhoth] Group: Eldamo. Published by

orch

Orc

pl1. yrch, pl2. orchoth** ** n. Orc. Nand. ūriſ.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:47:52:54:127] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

orch

noun. Goblin, Orc

Sindarin [Ety/379, LR/406, WJ/390, LotR/II:VI, LotR/F, Let] Group: SINDICT. Published by

orch

noun. Orc, Orc, [N.] goblin

Sindarin [Let/178; LotR/0345; LotR/1131; LotRI/Orcs; MR/195; MRI/Orcs; PE17/047; PE17/052; PE17/054; PE17/127; RC/762; RGEO/66; WJ/390; WJI/Orc(s)] Group: Eldamo. Published by

orchoth

noun. the Orcs (as a race)

Sindarin [WJ/390] orch+hoth. Group: SINDICT. Published by

urug

noun. Orc (rarely used)

Sindarin [WJ/390] Group: SINDICT. Published by

urug

noun. "bogey", anything that caused fear to the Elves, any dubious shape or shadow, or prowling creature

Sindarin [WJ/390] Group: SINDICT. Published by

glam

body of orcs

(i ’lam) (din, uproar, tumult, confused yelling of beasts; shouting, confused noise), pl. glaim (in glaim), coll. pl. glammath

glamhoth

host of tumult

(a term for Orcs, also translated ”Yelling-horde”). (UT:54, MR:109, 195;

orch

orc

orch (pl. yrch**, archaic †yrchy, coll. pl. orchoth). (RGEO:66, Names:171, Letters:178, MR:195; WJ:390-91, VT46:7). Other terms: 1) urug (monster, bogey), pl. yryg, 2) glamog (i **lamog), pl. glemyg (in glemyg) (WJ:391), 3) ”

orch

orc

(pl. yrch, archaic †yrchy, coll. pl. orchoth). (RGEO:66, Names:171, Letters:178, MR:195; WJ:390-91, VT46:7). Other terms:  1) urug (monster, bogey), pl. yryg, 2) glamog (i ’lamog), pl. glemyg (in glemyg) (WJ:391), 3) ”


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 

orqin

proper name. language of the Orcs

Term for the language of the Orcs in linguistic notes from the 1930s (LR/178). It seems to be an adjectival form of orko (orku-) “Orc”.

Qenya [LR/178; LRI/Orquin] Group: Eldamo. Published by

orko

noun. goblin

Qenya [Ety/ÓROK; LR/406] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

ork

noun. ogre, monster, demon, giant

Early Quenya [LT1A/Orc; LT2/136; LT2A/Balcmeg; LT2I/Orqui; PE13/099; PE13/102; PE14/009; PE15/21; PME/070; QL/070] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

orc

noun. goblin

Gnomish [GL/63; LT1A/Orc; LT2A/Balcmeg; PE13/099; PE13/102; PE15/21; PE15/25] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Doriathrin

urch

noun. goblin

A Doriathrin noun for “goblin” developed from primitive ᴹ✶orku, also attested in its plural form urchin (Ety/ÓROK). The change of [[ilk|[k] to [x] (“ch”) after the liquid [l]]] was a normal Ilkorin development, but the change of [o] to [u] is harder to explain, as noted by Helge Fauskanger (AL-Doriathrin/urch). In an earlier version of the entry Tolkien wrote Dor. orch (EtyAC/ÓROK), which is the expected form. The simplest explanation is that this form actually developed from a variant primitive form ✱✶urku. There is a similar issue with Dan. urc, so perhaps this variant was used by those Eldar who did not complete the journey to Valinor.

Doriathrin [Ety/ÓROK; EtyAC/ÓROK] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Ossriandric

urc

noun. goblin

A noun for “goblin” developed from primitive ᴹ✶orku, also attested in its plural form yrc (Ety/ÓROK). The change of [o] to [u] is hard to explain, as noted by Helge Fauskanger (AL-Nandorin/urc). In an earlier version of the entry Tolkien wrote Dan. orc (EtyAC/ÓROK), which is the expected form. The simplest explanation is that this form actually developed from a variant primitive form ✱✶urku. There is a similar issue with Ilk. urch, so perhaps this variant was used by those Eldar who did not complete the journey to Valinor.

Ossriandric [Ety/ÓROK; EtyAC/ÓROK] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Old Noldorin 

orko

noun. goblin

Old Noldorin [Ety/ÓROK] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

orku

noun. goblin

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/ÓROK] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Westron

orka

noun. orc

Rohirric

orc

noun. Orc

Rohirric [LotR/1131] Group: Eldamo. Published by