wembë

worm

'wembë noun "worm" (QL:103). Read *vembë if the word is to be adopted to Third Age Quenya according to Tolkien's later ideas.

ango

snake

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

hlócë

noun. reptile, snake, serpant, worm, reptile, snake, serpant, 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 slōkī 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.

Cognates

• S. lhûg “reptile, snake, serpent, worm, reptile, snake, serpent, worm, *lizard; [N.] dragon” ✧ PE17/160; SA/lok

Derivations

• ✶(s)lōkō “reptile, snake, worm” ✧ PE17/160
  • √LOK “bend, loop, bend, loop, [ᴱ√] twine, twist, curl; [ᴹ√] great serpent, dragon” ✧ PE17/160
• √LOK “bend, loop, bend, loop, [ᴱ√] twine, twist, curl; [ᴹ√] great serpent, dragon” ✧ SA/lok

Element in

• Q. föalócë “*breath-dragon”
• Q. urulócë “fire-serpent, fire-drake, fire-serpent, fire-drake, [ᴹQ.] fire-dragon” ✧ SA/lok

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶(s)lōkō > hlóke	[slōke] > [l̥ōke]	✧ PE17/160
√lok- > (h)lókë	[slōke] > [l̥ōke]	✧ SA/lok

Variations

• hlóke ✧ PE17/160
• lóke ✧ PE17/160
• (h)lókë ✧ SA/lok

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).

Cognates

• S. lŷg “snake” ✧ LotR/1115; PE17/121; PE17/160

Derivations

• √LEWEK “worm” ✧ PE17/160

Element in

• ᴺQ. lingwileuca “eel”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√LEWEK > leuka	[leuka]	✧ PE17/160

Variations

• leuka ✧ PE17/160

vembë

noun. worm

Cognates

• ᴺS. gwem “worm”

Derivations

• ᴺ✶. WEB “*worm”

Element in

• ᴺQ. ulumpembë “caterpillar, (lit.) camel worm”

leweg

noun. worm

A word for “worm” in 1964 notes on Dalath Dirnen (DD), a derivative of the root √LEWEK of the same meaning.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. tereg or terch “a worm” (GL/70), likely related to the early root ᴱ√TEÐE “pierce” from the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon which had a derivative ᴱQ. teste “small worm” (QL/91). The Gnomish Lexicon also had G. gwem “worm” (GL/45), probably derived from ᴱ√GWEVE (QL/103). Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s had ᴱN. lhiw “worm” < ᴱ✶slingwé (PE13/149).

Derivations

• √LEWEK “worm” ✧ PE17/160

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√LEWEK > leweg	[lewek] > [leweg]	✧ PE17/160

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.

Cognates

• Q. hlócë “reptile, snake, serpant, worm, reptile, snake, serpant, worm, *lizard; [ᴹQ.] dragon” ✧ PE17/160; SA/lok

Derivations

• ✶(s)lōkō “reptile, snake, worm” ✧ PE17/160
  • √LOK “bend, loop, bend, loop, [ᴱ√] twine, twist, curl; [ᴹ√] great serpent, dragon” ✧ PE17/160
• √LOK “bend, loop, bend, loop, [ᴱ√] twine, twist, curl; [ᴹ√] great serpent, dragon” ✧ SA/lok

Element in

• ᴺS. budhulug “dragonfly”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶(s)lōkō > lhûg	[slōkō] > [slōko] > [l̥ōko] > [l̥ūko] > [l̥ūk] > [l̥ūg]	✧ PE17/160

leweg

noun. snake

_ n. _snake.

lhûg

noun. snake, serpent

lýg

noun. snake

_ n. Zoo. _snake. Q. leuka.

lŷg

noun. snake

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.

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).

Cognates

• Q. leuca “snake” ✧ LotR/1115; PE17/121; PE17/160

Derivations

• √LEWEK “worm” ✧ PE17/160

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√LEWEK > lýg	[leukā] > [leuka] > [liuka] > [lȳka] > [lȳk] > [lȳg]	✧ PE17/160

Variations

• lýg ✧ PE17/160

gwem

noun. worm

Cognates

• ᴺQ. vembë “worm”

Derivations

• ᴺ✶. WEB “*worm”

Element in

• ᴺS. gwemmel “weevil”

lewek

root. worm

A root glossed “worm” appearing in etymological notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s serving as the basis for Q. leuca and S. lŷg “snake” (PE17/160), words that also appeared in Appendix E to The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1115). A possible precursor to this root is indicated by “snake” words from the Qenya and Gnomish Lexicons of the 1910s: ᴱQ. lin (ling-) and G. ling (QL/54; GL/54), probably derived from ✱ᴱ√LIŊI.

Derivatives

• Q. leuca “snake” ✧ PE17/160
• S. leweg “worm” ✧ PE17/160
• S. lŷg “snake” ✧ PE17/160

(s)lōkō

noun. reptile, snake, worm

Derivations

• √LOK “bend, loop, bend, loop, [ᴱ√] twine, twist, curl; [ᴹ√] great serpent, dragon” ✧ PE17/160

Derivatives

• Q. hlócë “reptile, snake, serpant, worm, reptile, snake, serpant, worm, *lizard; [ᴹQ.] dragon” ✧ PE17/160
• S. lhûg “reptile, snake, serpent, worm, reptile, snake, serpent, worm, *lizard; [N.] dragon” ✧ PE17/160

Element in

• ✶phawalōkō “dragon”

web

root. *worm

Derivatives

• ᴺQ. vembë “worm”
• ᴺS. gwef “louse”
• ᴺS. gwem “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).

Derivations

• ᴹ√ANGWA “snake” ✧ Ety/ANGWA

Element in

• N. amlug “dragon” ✧ Ety/ANGWA

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√ANGWA > am-	[aŋgwa] > [amba] > [amb] > [amm] > [am]	✧ Ety/ANGWA

lhûg

noun. snake, serpent