ruin

adjective. (fiery) red

ruin

noun/adjective. red flame; fiery red

An element in the names Orodruin “Mountain of Fire” (LotR/899). In the Silmarillion appendix Christopher Tolkien translated it as “red flame”, cognate to Q. rúnya (SA/ruin). However, in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968 Tolkien gave it the gloss “fiery red” and a Quenya cognate Q. runya, both derived from the root √RUN “red, glowing”. Finally in notes from 1964, Tolkien suggested it might be an element in Angruin “Iron Fire”, a possible replacement for the name Glaurung, and gave it the Quenya cognate ruinë “blaze, fire” based on the root √RUY “blaze (red)” (PE17/183).

Conceptual Development: The word N. rhuin was mentioned in The Feanorian Alphabet of the 1930s, but without translation. N. Orodruin “Fire-Mountain” appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (TI/28, 39).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I think both the noun and adjective senses of this word can be retained.

Cognates

• Q. runya “fiery red” ✧ PM/366
• Q. rúnya “red flame” ✧ SA/ruin
• Q. ruinë “fire, blaze, blaze, fire”

Derivations

• √RUN “red, glowing” ✧ PM/366

Element in

• S. Angruin “Iron Fire”
• S. Orodruin “Mountain of Fire” ✧ SA/ruin

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√RUN > ruin	[rūnja] > [rūnia] > [rūni] > [ruin]	✧ PM/366

-ruin

suffix. fire

suff. #fire. Q. ruine. >> Angruin

rein

noun. slot, spoor, track, footprint

caran

adjective. red

caran

red

_ adj. _red, ruddy. >> Caradhras

caran

adjective. red

Cognates

• Q. carnë “red, scarlet” ✧ PE17/036; SA/caran

Derivations

• ✶karani “red” ✧ VT41/10

Element in

• ᴺS. amosgarn “robin, (lit.) red-breast”
• S. Caradhras “Redhorn”
• S. caralluin “*red-blue”
• S. Caran-rass “Redhorn” ✧ PE17/036; SA/caran
• S. Caranthir “Red-face” ✧ SA/caran; VT41/10
• S. Carcharoth “Red Maw, ?(lit.) Great Red Fang”
• S. Cardolan “?Red Hill Land”
• S. Carn Dûm “?Red Valley”
• S. Carnen “Redwater”
• ᴺS. melingarn “orange, tawny”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶carani- > caran	[karani] > [karane] > [karan]	✧ VT41/10

gaer

adjective. red, copper-coloured, ruddy

naur

noun. flame

naur

noun. fire

naur

fire

_ n. fire. naur an edraith ammen! _'fire [be] for rescue/saving for us'. Q. nár. >> Sammath Naur

naur

noun. fire, fire, [N.] flame

The basic Sindarin word for “fire”, derived from the root √NAR of the same meaning (LotR/942; PE17/38) and very well attested. It is derived from primitive ✱nār- since primitive long ā became au in Sindarin. It appeared as N. naur “flame” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the same derivation (Ety/NAR). As a suffix it usually reduces to -nor, since au usually becomes o in polysyllables. As a prefix, though, it is often Nar- before consonant clusters, no doubt because the ancient long ā was shortened before it could become au.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, the word for “fire” was G. sâ with archaic form †sai (GL/66) clearly based on the early root ᴱ√SAH(Y)A “be hot” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Sári; QL/81). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s, the word for “fire” was ᴱN. byr or buir from primitive ᴱ✶ [mburyē] (PE13/139). Tolkien introduced naur in The Etymologies of the 1930s and stuck with it thereafter.

Cognates

• Q. nár “fire (as an element), fire (as an element); [ᴹQ.] flame” ✧ PE17/038; SA/nár

Derivations

• √NAR “fire, fire, [ᴹ√] flame” ✧ PE17/038

Element in

• S. Aegnor “Fell Fire, Sharp Flame” ✧ SA/nár
• S. Baranor “?Eager Fire”
• S. Faenor “Spirit of Fire”
• S. Fëanor “Spirit of Fire” ✧ SA/nár
• S. Goenor “Fell Fire” ✧ PM/363
• S. Narbeleth “October, Sun-fading, Sun-waning”
• S. Nardol “Fire-hilltop”
• ᴺS. narvaenas “firework”
• S. Narwain “January, *(lit.) New Fire”
• S. naur an edraith ammen “fire [be] for saving of us” ✧ LotR/0290; LotR/0299; PE17/038
• S. naur dan i ngaurhoth “*fire against the wolf-horde” ✧ LotR/0299; PE17/038
• S. Nórui “June, *Fiery”
• S. Rodnor
• S. Sammath Naur “Chambers of Fire” ✧ LotR/0942; PE17/038; PE17/101; SA/nár

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√(A)NAR > naur	[nār] > [nǭr] > [naur]	✧ PE17/038

Variations

• Naur ✧ LotR/0299; LotR/0942

pad

track

_ n. _track, road (only of 'roads' or tracks unpaved in open country).

îdh

noun. peace

peace, tranquillity

lach

noun. (leaping) flame

lach

flame

(noun) 1) lach (leaping flame), pl. laich; 2) naur (in compounds nar-, -nor) (fire, sun), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath, 3) rill (construct ril) (brilliance, glittering reflected light), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rill).

lach

flame

(leaping flame), pl. laich;  2) naur (in compounds nar-, -nor) (fire, sun), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath, 3) rill (construct ril) (brilliance, glittering reflected light), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rill).

lacha

flame

(verb) *lacha- (i lacha, i lachar). Only the imperative form lacho is attested.

lacha

flame

(i lacha, i lachar). Only the imperative form lacho is attested.

lacha-

verb. to flame

lacho

verb. flame!

ruin

red flame

(no distinct pl. form except with article: idh ruin) (blazing fire). Also used as an adj. ”fiery red, burning”. (Silm app, entry ruin; PM:366)

ruin

fiery red

ruin (burning); no distinct pl. form. Also used as noun ”red flame, blazing fire”. (Silm app, entry ruin; PM:366) Note: a homophone means ”slot, spoor, track, footprint”.

ruin

fiery red

(burning); no distinct pl. form. Also used as noun ”red flame, blazing fire”. (Silm app, entry ruin; PM:366) Note: a homophone means ”slot, spoor, track, footprint”.

ruin

red flame

ruin (no distinct pl. form except with article: idh ruin) (blazing fire). Also used as an adj. ”fiery red, burning”. (Silm app, entry ruin; PM:366)

ruin

red flame

ruin (no distinct pl. form except with article: idh ruin) (blazing fire). Also used as an adj. ”fiery red, burning”. (Silm app, entry ruin; PM:366)

ruin

slot

*ruin (spoor, track, footprint), pl. rŷn (idh rŷn). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ”rhoein” = rhöin, LR:364 s.v. __. Note: a homophone means ”blazing fire, red flame” and also ”fiery red, burning” as an adj.

ruin

slot

(spoor, track, footprint), pl. r**ŷn (idh r**ŷn). – Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ”rhoein” = rhöin, LR:364 s.v. RUN. Note: a homophone means ”blazing fire, red flame” and also ”fiery red, burning” as an adj.

ruin

footprint

*ruin (slot, spoor, track), pl. rŷn (idh rŷn). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ”rhoein” = rhöin, LR:364 s.v. __. Note: a homophone means ”blazing fire, red flame” and also ”fiery red, burning” as an adj.

ruin

footprint

(slot, spoor, track), pl. r**ŷn (idh r**ŷn). – Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ”rhoein” = rhöin, LR:364 s.v. RUN. Note: a homophone means ”blazing fire, red flame” and also ”fiery red, burning” as an adj.**

ruin

track

(slot, spoor, footprint), pl. r**ŷn (idh r**ŷn). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ”rhoein” = rhöin, LR:364 s.v. RUN. Note: a homophone means ”blazing fire, red flame” and also ”fiery red, burning” as an adj.

ruin

spoor

*ruin (slot, track, footprint), pl. rŷn (idh rŷn). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ”rhoein” = rhöin, LR:364 s.v. __. Note: a homophone means ”blazing fire, red flame” and also ”fiery red, burning” as an adjective.

ruin

spoor

(slot, track, footprint), pl. r**ŷn (idh r**ŷn). – Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ”rhoein” = rhöin, LR:364 s.v. RUN. Note: a homophone means ”blazing fire, red flame” and also ”fiery red, burning” as an adjective.**

ruin

blazing fire

ruin (no distinct pl. form except with article: idh ruin) (red flame). Also used as an adj. ”fiery red, burning”. (Silm app, entry ruin_; PM:366)_(final bliss), see FORTUNE

ruin

blazing fire

ruin (no distinct pl. form except with article: idh ruin) (red flame). Also used as an adj. ”fiery red, burning”. (Silm app, entry ruin; PM:366)

ruin

blazing fire

(no distinct pl. form except with article: idh ruin) (red flame). Also used as an adj. ”fiery red, burning”. (Silm app, entry ruin; PM:366)

ruin

burning

ruin (fiery red); no distinct pl. form. Also used as noun ”red flame, blazing fire”. (Silm app, entry ruin; PM:366) Note: a homophone means ”slot, spoor, track, footprint”.

ruin

burning

(fiery red); no distinct pl. form. Also used as noun ”red flame, blazing fire”. (Silm app, entry ruin; PM:366) Note: a homophone means ”slot, spoor, track, footprint”.

nórui

fiery

(sunny). No distinct pl. form.

Eru

waste

(noun) eru (pl. ery). Note: Eru is also a name of God, "the One".

eru

waste

(pl. ery). Note: Eru is also a name of God, "the One".

born

red

(hot), lenited vorn, pl. byrn

naru

red

(analogical pl. nery). The archaic fom narw is also listed (LR:374 s.v. NAR1).

adlannas

noun. downfall, ruin

Elements

Word	Gloss
adlant	“oblique, slanted”

caran

red

1) caran (lenited garan, pl. cerain). Also carn (lenited garn, pl. cern), 2) coll (scarlet), lenited goll, pl. cyll (VT45:15, 24). Note: homophones mean "hollow" and also "cloak". 3) born (hot), lenited vorn, pl. byrn, 4) (fiery red) naru (analogical pl. nery). The archaic fom narw is also listed (LR:374 s.v. _NAR_1). 5) rhosc (russet, brown), lenited ?throsc or ?rosc (the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhysc. Cf. also

caran

red

(lenited garan, pl. cerain). Also carn (lenited garn, pl. cern)

crann

ruddy

(lenited grann, pl. crain).

gaer

red, reddish

(copper-coloured, ruddy); lenited ’aear; no distinct pl. form. (This is a suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” goer.) Note: homophones mean "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy" and also "sea".

lothren

waste

(adj.) lothren (wild), pl. lethrin for archaic löthrin (VT45:29)

lothren

waste

(wild), pl. lethrin for archaic löthrin (VT45:29)

bregedúr

wildfire

(i vregedúr), pl. bregedýr (i mregedýr)

narthan

fire-sign

pl. **nerthain** (VT45:20)

terthaith

noun. waste, ruin, destruction

Elements

Word	Gloss
tertha-	“to destroy, *ruin, †(orig.) to make pierced; to devour”

coll

red

(scarlet), lenited goll, pl. cyll (VT45:15, 24). Note: homophones mean "hollow" and also "cloak".

rhosc

red

(russet, brown), lenited ?throsc or ?rosc *(the lenition product of rh is uncertain)*, pl. rhysc. Cf. also

bara

fiery

1) bara (eager), lenited vara, pl. berai, 2) nórui (sunny). No distinct pl. form.

bara

fiery

(eager), lenited vara, pl. berai

naur

fire

1) naur (in compounds nar-, -nor) (flame, sun), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath; 2) ûr (heat), pl. uir. Notice the homophone ûr ”wide”.

naur

fire

(in compounds nar-, -nor) (flame, sun), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath

ûr Reconstructed

noun. fire, fire; [ᴱN.] sun

A word for “fire” attested in later writings only as an element in names, such as S. Urui “August, ✱Hot-one” (LotR/1110). It appeared as N. ûr “fire” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√UR “be hot”, but this and related words were deleted when Tolkien changed the sense of the root to “wide, large, great” (Ety/UR). However, √UR “heat” was restored in later writings (PE17/148; PE22/160), and primitive ✶ūr “a fire (on hearth)” appeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s, though Tolkien did mark it with a “?” (PE21/71 and note #8).

Conceptual Development: Perhaps the first precursor to this word was G. †Uril, an archaic word for the Sun in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s appearing beside its modern form G. Aur (GL/75) and clearly a derivative of the early root ᴱ√URU as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Ûr; QL/098). In Gnomish Lexicon Slips revising this document, it became {ŷr >>} hŷr “sun” (PE13/114), and in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s it became ᴱN. {húr >>} úr “sun”, derived from primitive ᴱ✶ourū̆ (PE13/155).

This in turn became N. ûr “fire” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under ᴹ√UR “be hot”, but as noted above the meaning of this root was changed in that document (Ety/UR). Although the root √UR “heat” was later restored, it isn’t clear whether Tolkien also restored ûr “fire”, though there is some secondary evidence of it: primitive ✶ūr “a fire (on hearth)” appeared in notes from the early 1950s, as also noted above (PE21/71).

Neo-Sindarin: If S. naur is (like its Quenya cognate Q. nár) more representative of an elemental or abstract notion of fire, then ûr might be used for an individual physical fire such as one in a fireplace.

Cognates

• Q. úrë “heat”

Derivations

• ✶ūr “a fire (on hearth)” ✧ PE21/71
  • √UR “heat, be hot”

Element in

• S. Urui “August, *Hot-one”
• S. Urwen

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶ūr > ūr	[ūr]	✧ PE21/71

Variations

• ūr ✧ PE21/71 (ūr)

ûr

fire

(heat), pl. uir. Notice the homophone ûr ”wide”.

hûr

fiery spirit

(i chûr, o chûr, construct hur) (readiness for action, vigour), pl. huir (i chuir) if there is a pl.

râd

track

1) (path) râd, construct rad, pl. raid (idh raidh), 2) *ruin (slot, spoor, footprint), pl. rŷn (idh rŷn). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ”rhoein” = rhöin, LR:364 s.v. __. Note: a homophone means ”blazing fire, red flame” and also ”fiery red, burning” as an adj.

râd

track

construct rad, pl. raid (idh raidh)

sîdh

peace

sîdh (i hîdh), no distinct pl. form except with article (i sîdh) if there is any pl. form. 1) aeg (point, thorn). No distinct pl. form. (but aeglir can be used for a range of mountain peaks). Note: aeg is also used as adj. "sharp, pointed, piercing". 2) mîn (i vîn), no distinct pl. form except with article (i mîn), coll. pl. míniath. Note: homophones include the numeral ”one” and the adjective ”isolated, first, towering”. 3) egnas (sharp point; literally "thorn-point"), pl. egnais, coll. pl. egnassath.

sîdh

peace

(i hîdh), no distinct pl. form except with article (i sîdh) if there is any pl. form.

lachenn

flame-eyed

pl. lachinn *(WJ:384, there cited in archaic form lachend)*.

tertha-

verb. to destroy, *ruin, †(orig.) to make pierced; to devour

@@@ has drifted far from its original meaning

Derivations

• ᴺ✶. TER “pierce”

Element in

• ᴺS. terthaith “waste, ruin, destruction”