raw

root. *roar

Tolkien used similar Elvish words for “lion” for much of his life. Lion words were connected to a pair of related roots in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s: ᴱ√RAVA or ᴱ√RAẆA (QL/79). The first of these had derivatives like ᴱQ. rauna “prey” and ᴱQ. rauta- “chase, hunt, pursue” as well as ᴱQ. rau “lion”. The second had derivatives like ᴱQ. rauka “swift” and ᴱQ. rawa- “run, chase”. In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, words like G. raug “rushing, swift” were probably derived from ᴱ√RAẆA and words like G. rau “lion” and G. raust “hunt, chase” were probably derived from ᴱ√RAVA (GL/65).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave only the root ᴹ√RAW (unglossed) with derivatives like ᴹQ. rá/N. rhaw “lion” (Ety/RAW). Hints of this root are also seen in later words like S. Rauros “Roaring Spray” (RC/327) and Q. rávë “roaring noise” (MC/223), indicating that the root meaning might be “✱roar”. As for “lion”, in the Outline of Phonology of the early 1950s (OP2) Tolkien gave two distinct primitive forms: ✶rāw “lion” and ✶raurō “roarer” (PE19/99, 102, 104).

rāu

noun. lion

ranā

proper name. Moon

rāmā

noun. wing

ithil

noun. moon