English
Scary
Scary
Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!
Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!
Scary
Scary
Tolkien notes that the name was meaningless in Hobbitish of the War of the Ring. However he notes that since it was in a rocky region and of a stone-quarry, it may be supposed to contain English dialectal scar, "rocky cliff". Based on the above, David Salo has suggested that Scary represents a speculative Old English *Skerig "precipitous (place)". Salo also noted that the form of this dialectal word, specifically the existence of sk-, reveals a Norse origin. Tom Shippey suggests an etymology from Old English scearu "a boundary", marking the Shire's northern boundary; the retaining (or reversal) of /sk/ might reflect the peculiarity of Northern English (in such names as Skipton, Scarborough).