rotto

noun. small grot, tunnel, tunnel, small grot, [ᴹQ.] cave

A word glossed “tunnel, small grot” derived from the root √s-rot (PM/365 note #56), appearing in 1959 notes discussing the origin of the name of Felagund, which in that document based on a Khuzdul name. The English word “grot” is an archaic form of “grotto”, referring to a cave.

Conceptual Development: There are a number of similar “cave” words in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s derived from ᴱ√ROTO “hollow”, including ᴱQ. orot, ᴱQ. rótele, and ᴱQ. rotl, the last of these glossed “cave, hollow” with a deleted variant {rotta >> rotto} (QL/71, 80). This last word also appeared as ᴱQ. rotl “grot” in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/80). ᴹQ. rotto “cave, tunnel” appeared under the root ᴹ√ROT “bore, tunnel”, a late entry to The Etymologies of the 1930s (EtyAC/ROT). This root reappeared as the basis for “cave” words a number of places in later writings (PE17/183; VT39/9; WJ/414-415), but the only later mention of rotto is the aforementioned 1959 note on Felagund, given above.

Cognates

• S. groth “large excavation, delving, underground dwelling, large excavation, delving, underground dwelling; [N.] cave, tunnel, [G.] grot”

Derivations

• ✶grottā “(large) excavation, underground dwelling”
  • √ROT “cave; delve underground, dig, excavate, tunnel, [ᴹ√] bore; [ᴱ√] hollow, delve underground, dig, excavate, tunnel, [ᴹ√] bore; [ᴱ√] hollow; [√]cave” ✧ VT39/09; WJ/414; WJ/415
• √ROT “cave; delve underground, dig, excavate, tunnel, [ᴹ√] bore; [ᴱ√] hollow, delve underground, dig, excavate, tunnel, [ᴹ√] bore; [ᴱ√] hollow; [√]cave” ✧ PM/365

Element in

• Q. Návarot “Hollowbold”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√rot/s-rot > rotto	[rotto]	✧ PM/365

rotto

cave, tunnel

rotto noun "cave, tunnel" (VT46:12), "a small grot or tunnel" (PM:365)

felco

cave, mine, underground dwelling

felco noun "cave, mine, underground dwelling" (PE17:118); also felca, felehta

felya

cave

felya noun "cave" (PHÉLEG), "mine, boring, tunnel, underground dwel[ling]" (PE17:118)

rotelë

cave

rotelë noun "cave" (LT2:347)

feleg

noun. cave

n. cave, mine, underground dwelling. Q. felco. Q.

groth

noun. cave, tunnel, large excavation

groth

noun. delving, underground dwelling

rond

noun. cave roof

rond

noun. vaulted or arched roof, as seen from below (and usually not visible from outside), or a (large) hall of chamber so roofed

roth

noun. cave

n. cave. Q. rondo.

fela

cave

(pl. fili). In the Etymologies (LR:381 s.v. PHÉLEG) the name Felagund is said to include this word, but since Tolkien later re-explained this name as a borrowing from Dwarvish, some would consider fela as a word for ”cave” conceptually obsolete.

groth

cave

(i ’roth) (delving, large excavation), pl. gryth (in gryth) (VT46:12)

grôd

cave

1) grôd (i **rôd, construct grod) (delving, excavation, underground dwelling), pl. grŷd (in grŷd) (WJ:414), 2) groth (i **roth) (delving, large excavation), pl. gryth (in gryth) (VT46:12), 3) rond (construct ron) (cavern, vault, vaulted ceiling, hall with vaulted roof), pl. rynd (idh rynd), coll. pl. ronnath, 4) roth (delving, large excavation), pl. ryth, 4) gathrod (i **athrod), pl. gethryd (i ngethryd = i ñethryd), 5) fela (pl. fili). In the Etymologies (LR:381 s.v. PHÉLEG) the name Felagund is said to include this word, but since Tolkien later re-explained this name as a borrowing from Dwarvish, some would consider fela** as a word for ”cave” conceptually obsolete.

grôd

cave

(i ’rôd, construct grod) (delving, excavation, underground dwelling), pl. grŷd (in grŷd) (WJ:414)

othronn

fortress in a cave/caves

(pl. ethrynn for archaic öthrynn) (underground stronghold). Cited in archaic form othrond in the source (WJ:414).

rhûd

artificial cave

(construct rhud, with article ?i thrûd or ?i rûd – *the lenition product of rh- is uncertain) (dwelling underground, rockhewn hall, mine), pl. rhuid (?idh ruid). (PM:365)*

rond

cave

(construct ron) (cavern, vault, vaulted ceiling, hall with vaulted roof), pl. rynd (idh rynd), coll. pl. ronnath

roth

cave

(delving, large excavation), pl. ryth, 4) gathrod (i ’athrod), pl. gethryd (i ngethryd = i ñethryd)

groth

noun. cave, tunnel

Cognates

• ᴹQ. rotto “cave, tunnel” ✧ EtyAC/ROT

Derivations

• ᴹ√ROT “bore, tunnel” ✧ EtyAC/ROT

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√ROT > roth	[rotto] > [rottʰo] > [roθθo] > [roθθ] > [roθ]	✧ EtyAC/ROT
ᴹ√ROT > groth	[grotto] > [grottʰo] > [groθθo] > [groθθ] > [groθ]	✧ EtyAC/ROT

Variations

• roth ✧ EtyAC/ROT

fela

noun. cave

fela

noun. cave

Cognates

• ᴹQ. felya “cave” ✧ Ety/PHÉLEG

Derivations

• On. phelga “cave” ✧ Ety/PHÉLEG
  • ᴹ√PHELEG “cave” ✧ Ety/PHÉLEG

Element in

• N. Felagund “Lord of Caves” ✧ Ety/PHÉLEG

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. phelga > fela	[pʰelga] > [ɸelga] > [ɸelɣa] > [felɣa] > [felɣ] > [fela]	✧ Ety/PHÉLEG
On. phelga > fili	[pʰelgi] > [ɸelgi] > [ɸelɣi] > [felɣi] > [filɣi] > [filī] > [fili]	✧ Ety/PHÉLEG

gathrod

noun. cave

gathrod

noun. cave

A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “cave”, apparently a combination of N. gath “cavern” and ᴹ√ROT “tunnel” (Ety/GAT(H)). Its initial element also appeared in the name N. Doriath “Land of the Cave”, but in later writings S. Doriath was redefined as “Land of the Fence” with final element S. iath “fence” (WJ/370), so N. gathrod “cave” was probably abandoned.

Elements

Word	Gloss
gath	“cavern”
ROT	“bore, tunnel”

rhond

noun. cave roof

rhond

noun. vaulted or arched roof, as seen from below (and usually not visible from outside), or a (large) hall of chamber so roofed

rhonn

noun. cave roof

rhonn

noun. vaulted or arched roof, as seen from below (and usually not visible from outside), or a (large) hall of chamber so roofed

rond

noun. cave

roth

noun. cave, tunnel, cave, tunnel, [G.] grot