ungwë

spider's web

ungwë noun "spider's web", also name of tengwa #8 (Appendix E), or, in the pre-classical Tengwar system presupposed in the Etymologies, tengwa #20 which letter Tolkien would later call nwalmë (VT46:20). The word as such was defined as "gloom" in the Etymologies(UÑG), while in early "Qenya" it meant "spider" ("especially Ungwë the Gloomweaver" = Ungoliant) (LT1:271)

ungwë

noun. spider’s web, spider’s web; [ᴱQ.] spider; [ᴹQ.] gloom

A word for “spider’s web” appearing in The Lord of the Rings Appendix E, the name of tengwa #8 [x] (LotR/1122).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, ᴱQ. ungwe was a word for “spider” under the early root ᴱ√GUŊU (QL/98). However, in The Etymologies of the 1930s, ᴹQ. ungwe was glossed “gloom” under the root ᴹ√UÑG (Ety/UÑG) in keeping with the 1930s translation of the name ᴹQ. Ungoliante = “Gloomweaver” (LR/230) where the second element ᴹQ. liante meant “spider” (Ety/SLIG). In notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1940s ungwe was also glossed “(spider) gloom” (PE22/51). In Tolkien’s later writings he said √ungu- was again the basis for “spider words” (PE22/160), which explains the new translation in The Lord of the Rings appendices.

Derivations

• √UÑG “spider”

Variations

• ungwe ✧ LotR/1122; PE17/104

unqualë

agony, death

unqualë ("q")noun "agony, death" (KWAL, VT45:36). See anqualë. In the pre-classical Tengwar system presupposed in the Etymologies, unqualë was the name of letter #8 (VT45:18), which tengwa Tolkien would later call ungwë instead changing its Quenya value from nqu to ngw.

lumbë

gloom, shadow

lumbë noun "gloom, shadow" (LUM)

liantë

spider

liantë (1) noun "spider" (SLIG), in earlier sources ascribed other meanings:(2)liantë "tendril" (LT1:271) and (3) "vine" (PE14:55, cf. liantassë elsewhere)

qualmë

agony, death

qualmë ("q")noun "agony, death" (KWAL, LT1:264)

anqualë

agony, death

anqualë noun "agony, death" (form Tolkien seems to have intended as a replacement for unqualë of similar meaning, VT45:24, 36)

umaqualë

agony, death

[?umaqualë] ("q"), possibly a synonym of anqualë/unqualë, hence noun "agony, death" (VT45:24)

yaru

gloom, blight

yaru noun "gloom, blight" (GL:37)

ungol

noun. spider

ungol

noun. spider

The Sindarin word for “spider” (Let/180; RC/490, 767), derived from √ungu- that was the basis for spider words (PE22/160).

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish word for “spider” was initially G. gung in both the Qenya Lexicon and Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s as a derivative of the early root ᴱ√GUŊU (QL/98; GL/43), also appearing an element in G. Gungliont, the earliest name of Ungoliant (LT1/160). In the Gnomish Lexicon the word gung was crossed through, but may have become ging in G. gwidh-a-ging “cobweb” (GL/46). Regardless, Tolkien added G. ungwi “spider” in pencil to the Gnomish Lexicon (GL/75), which seems to indicate a change of the root from ᴱ√GUŊU to ᴱ√UŊU, consistent with the replacement name G. Ungoliont from the contemporaneous narratives (LT1/152).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s, “spider” words were derived from the root ᴹ√SLIG (Ety/SLIG); see N. thling for discussion. Tolkien soon restored Ung-, however, since N. ungol was translated as “spider” in Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s (WR/202).

Cognates

• ᴺQ. ungol “(monstrous) spider”

Derivations

• √UÑG “spider”

Element in

• S. Cirith Ungol “Cleft of the Spider” ✧ RC/767
• S. Torech Ungol “Shelob’s Lair, (lit.) Tunnel of the Spider” ✧ RC/490
• S. Ungoliant

Variations

• Ungol ✧ Let/180; RC/767

lhing

noun. spider, spider's web, cobweb

lhingril

noun. spider

ungol

spider

1) ungol (pl. yngyl); coll. pl. ?unglath or ungolath; 2) *lhingril (?i thlingril or ?i lingril the lenition product of lh is uncertain); no distinct pl. form except possibly with article (?i lingril). Coll. pl. lhingrillath. (Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” thlingril.) 3) or

ungol

spider

(pl. yngyl); coll. pl. ?unglath or ungolath

fuin

gloom

(darkness, night, dead of night, nightshade). No distinct pl. form.

lhing

spider’s web

(?i thling or ?i ling – the lenition product of lh is uncertain)  (cobweb), no distinct pl. form except possibly with article (?i ling). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” thling.

lhingril

noun. spider

lhingril

spider

(?i thlingril or ?i lingril – the lenition product of lh is uncertain); no distinct pl. form except possibly with article (?i lingril). Coll. pl. lhingrillath. (Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” *thlingril**.*)

daw

gloom

1) daw (i dhaw) (nighttime), pl. doe (i noe), coll. pl. ?dawath or ?doath; 2) dim (i dhim) (sadness), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nim). Note: a homophone means ”stair”. 3) fuin (darkness, night, dead of night, nightshade). No distinct pl. form. 4) maur (i vaur), pl. moer (i moer) (VT45:35)

daw

gloom

(i dhaw) (nighttime), pl. doe (i noe), coll. pl. ?dawath or ?doath

maur

gloom

(i vaur), pl. moer (i moer) (VT45:35)

dim

gloom

(i dhim) (sadness), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nim). Note: a homophone means ”stair”.

lhê

spider filament

(?i thlê or ?i lê – the lenition product of lh is uncertain) (fine thread), pl. lhî (?i lî). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” thlê.

fuinë

noun. gloom

Cognates

• Q. huinë “gloom, (unrelieved) darkness, deep shadow, night shade; dark (as a substance)” ✧ VT41/08

Variations

• fuine ✧ VT41/08

dâur

noun. gloom

A noun translated as “gloom” derived from the root √DAWAR (SD/423). It is an example of how primitive [[ad|[w] and [j] became [u] and [i] before consonants and finally]], thereby producing diphthongs.

Derivations

• ✶Ad. dāw’r “gloom” ✧ SD/423
  • √Ad. DAWAR “*gloom” ✧ SD/423

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶Ad. dāw’r > dâur	[dāwr] > [dāur]	✧ SD/423

uñg

root. spider

This root and ones like it were tied to spider words for much of Tolkien’s life, most notably in the name S. Ungoliant and its precursors. The earliest iteration of this root was unglossed ᴱ√GUŊU in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. ungwe/G. gung “spider” (QL/98); Tolkien marked the root with a “?” and given that the Qenya forms had no initial consonant, the actual root may have been ✱ᴱ√ƷUŊU. In The Lost Tales of the 1910s, Tolkien changed G. Gungliont to G. Ungoliont (LT1/156), and in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon the word for “spider” was G. ungwi (GL/75), so it seems Tolkien revised {✱ᴱ√ƷUŊU >>} ✱ᴱ√UŊU.

In The Etymologies of the 1930s, unglossed ᴹ√UÑG had derivatives like ᴹQ. ungwe “gloom” and ᴹQ. ungo “cloud, dark shadow” (Ety/UÑG), and it was the second element ᴹQ. liante in ᴹQ. Ungoliante that meant “spider” (Ety/SLIG). However, in notes from 1969 Tolkien gave ✱ungu- as the basis for “spider” words (PE22/160), as reflected in Q. ungwë “spider’s web” (LotR/1122) and S. ungol “spider” in his later writings (Let/180; RC/490, 767).

Derivatives

• ᴺQ. ungol “(monstrous) spider”
• Q. ungwë “spider’s web, spider’s web; [ᴱQ.] spider; [ᴹQ.] gloom”
• S. ungol “spider”

Variations

• ungu- ✧ PE22/160

ungol

noun. spider

ungol

noun. spider

Element in

• N. Kirith Ungol “Spider Glen”
• N. Terch Ungol “Spider’s Hole, Spider’s Lair” ✧ WR/202

Variations

• Ungol ✧ WR/202

thling

noun. spider, spider's web, cobweb

thlingril

noun. spider

thlingril

noun. spider

A noun appearing as N. thlingril “spider” in The Etymologies, probably a feminine form of N. thling “spider, spider’s web, cobweb” (Ety/SLIG). Christopher Tolkien said the r was uncertain.

Neo-Sindarin: Since initial sl- became lh- in Sindarin, most Neo-Sindarin writers adapt this word as ᴺS. lhingril, as suggested in HSD (HSD). This word is somewhat questionable, since in later writings √ungu- was the basis for spider words (PE22/160). I think ᴹ√SLIG may be reinterpreted as having to do with threads, and as such I think ᴺS. lhingril can be retained as originally meaning “(female) web spinner”. However, I recommend later S. ungol as the more common Sindarin word for “spider”.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. liante “spider, spider, [ᴱQ.] tendril, vine” ✧ Ety/SLIG

maur

noun. gloom

maur

noun. gloom

A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “gloom” appearing under the root ᴹ√MOR (Ety/MOR). A nearby primitive form ᴹ✶mǭri is the likely basis for this word as suggested by Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne (EtyAC/MOR), where the primitive ǭ became au as was the usual sound change in both Noldorin and later Sindarin (PE18/46, 96).

Cognates

• ᴹQ. móre “blackness, dark, night” ✧ Ety/MOR

Derivations

• ᴹ✶mǭri “blackness, dark, night” ✧ EtyAC/MOR
  • ᴹ√MOR “*black, dark” ✧ Ety/MOR

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶mǭri > maur	[mǭri] > [mǭre] > [moure] > [maure] > [maur]	✧ EtyAC/MOR

palw

noun. agony

Cognates

• ᴹQ. qalme “(process of) death, (death) agony” ✧ Ety/KWAL

Derivations

• ᴹ√KWAL “die (in pain)” ✧ Ety/KWAL

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√KWAL > palw	[kwalme] > [palme] > [palm] > [palv] > [palu]	✧ Ety/KWAL

ogol < ogl

gloom

n/adj gloom, gloomy