lhûg

noun. reptile, snake, serpent, worm, reptile, snake, serpent, worm, *lizard; [N.] dragon

A noun in Quenya Notes from 1957 (QN) derived from primitive ✶(s)lōkō “reptile, snake, worm” based on the root √LOK “bend, loop”, so presumably having a similar meaning (PE17/160). Christopher Tolkien also had lhûg in The Silmarillion appendix, but gave it the glosses “snake, serpent” (SA/lok).

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, Tolkien had G. ulug “dragon” (GL/74), and in the contemporaneous Official Name List for the Lost Tales and the Name-list to the Fall of Gondolin he had G. lug or lûg “snake” (PE13/105; PE15/28). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Tolkien had N. lhûg “dragon” under the root ᴹ√LOK “great serpent, dragon” (Ety/LOK), where initial l was unvoiced to lh as was usual in Nodorin. This was no longer true of Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s, so Sindarin lhûg required a primitive from ✶slōk- and a corresponding Quenya form of hlócë.

Neo-Sindarin: Given the breadth of its glosses, I would assume this word can apply to any sinuous reptilian creature with or without legs, including lizards, snakes and dragons.

leweg

noun. snake

_ n. _snake.

lhûg

noun. snake, serpent

lýg

noun. snake

_ n. Zoo. _snake. Q. leuka.

lŷg

noun. snake

lŷg

noun. snake

The best known Sindarin word for “snake”, appearing in Appendix E of The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1115). In 1964 notes on Dalath Dirnen (DD), Tolkien said it was derived from the root √LEWEK “worm” (PE17/160), likely from ✱leukā where the ancient eu became ȳ as was usual in Sindarin (LotR/1115).

lŷg

snake

1. lŷg (constuct lyg), no distinct pl. form. 2) lhûg (construct lhug, with article ?i thlûg or ?i lûg the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (dragon, serpent), pl. lhuig (?i luig). See SERPENT.

hlócë

noun. reptile, snake, serpent, worm, reptile, snake, serpent, worm, *lizard; [ᴹQ.] dragon

A noun in Quenya Notes from 1957 (QN) with variants hlóke and lóke based on primitive ✶(s)lōkō “reptile, snake, worm” from the root √LOK “bend, loop”, so presumably having a similar meaning (PE17/160). Christopher Tolkien also had (h)lóke in The Silmarillion appendix, but gave it the glosses “snake, serpent” (SA/lok). Its Sindarin cognate lhûg points towards a Quenya form hlócë.

Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. lóke (lóki-) “snake” appeared all the way back in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√LOKO “twine, twist, curl” (QL/55). It was also mentioned with the gloss “snake” in the Official Name List for the Lost Tales (PE13/105) and the Name-list to the Fall of Gondolin (PE15/28). It appeared in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon as related to G. ulug “dragon” (GL/74), and in The Lost Tales proper lóke was given as the “the Eldar name [of] the worms of Melko”, that is dragons (LT1/85).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Tolkien glossed ᴹQ. lóke as “dragon” under the root ᴹ√LOK “great serpent, dragon” along with Noldorin cognate N. lhûg (Ety/LOK). It was followed by an -ī in parenthesis, indicating a primitive form of ✱lōkī and a stem form of lóki-. Tolkien’s vacillation on its 1957 form was probably out of a desire to retain lhûg as the Sindarin form. In Noldorin of the 1930s an initial l was unvoiced to lh, but this was no longer true of Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s, so Sindarin lhûg required a corresponding Quenya form of hlócë.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I recommend sticking with hlócë. Furthermore, since this Quenya word cannot be derived directly from ✶(s)lōkō, I would assume a primitive form slōkĭ and a stem form hlóci- compatible with its earlier appearances. Given the breadth of its glosses, I would assume the word can apply to any sinuous reptilian creature with or without legs, including lizards, snakes and dragons. A more exact term for just “a snake” would be leuca.

ango

snake

ango noun "snake"; stem angu- as in angulócë (q.v.); pl. angwi (ANGWA/ANGU)

hlócë

snake, serpent

hlócë ("k")noun "snake, serpent", later lócë ("k")(SA:lok-)

leuca

snake

leuca (1) noun "snake" (Appendix E)

leuca

noun. snake

The best known Quenya word for “snake”, appearing in Appendix E of The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1115). In 1964 notes on Dalath Dirnen (DD), Tolkien said it was derived from the root √LEWEK “worm” (PE17/160).

(s)lōkō

noun. reptile, snake, worm

am-

prefix. snake

A prefix for “snake” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√ANGWA of the same meaning, most notably an element in N. amlug “dragon” (Ety/ANGWA).

lhûg

noun. snake, serpent