Tolkien's Old English Words

[Palanan]

As many times as I’ve read the Lord of the Rings, I keep finding new details to appreciate—and one recent find was the word hythe, a wonderfully obscure word which Tolkien includes in the Fellowship’s departure from Lórien:


On the bank of the Silverlode, at some distance up from the meeting of the streams, there was a hythe of white stones and white wood. By it were moored many boats and barges. Some were brightly painted, and shone with silver and gold and green, but most were either white or grey. Three small grey boats had been made ready for the travellers, and in these the Elves stowed their goods.

This is apparently from Old English hȳð, and means a place where boats are drawn up. I’m sure that Tolkien included other Old English words, but I can’t think of any others right now. Is there a list of Old English words which Tolkien used in the Lord of the Rings?

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[DomaDoma]

"Dwimmerlaik" has to be one for sure.

[Vinyadan]

Holbytla = hole-dweller (OE hol = hole, OE byth = dwelling). Because "in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit". :smallbiggrin:

[factotum]

You see a few old words in names in the Shire--for instance, the High Hay (the hedge which separates it from the Old Forest) is so called because "Hay" was the word for an enclosure in Old English (which became confused with the Old French word for "hedge" after the Norman Conquest).

[alec33]

here's a few more:
Mordor >> morðor == murder
Isengard >> isen (iron) + gard (enclosure) == iron court
Dwarrowdelf >> dweorh (dwarf) + gedelf (mine, pit)
Derndingle >> dyrne (secret) + dingle (valley, of unknown origin)

[JeenLeen]

How he uses the archaic meaning of some words also interested me while reading. I remember in The Silmarillion how the word 'doom' was used to mean more in general to fate or destiny, what is to come, rather than the now-common meaning of... well, I guess the same thing with a very negative connotation.

(I guess I don't know if the neutral sense of 'doom' was prevalent when the books were written or not.)

[factotum]

"Doom" has always had a connotation of fate or destiny, it just happens to mean a negative destiny most often. (Compare Merlin's words from the movie Excalibur (1981): "For it is the doom of men that they forget").

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by JeenLeen
I remember in The Silmarillion how the word 'doom' was used to mean more in general to fate or destiny, what is to come, rather than the now-common meaning of... well, I guess the same thing with a very negative connotation.

(I guess I don't know if the neutral sense of 'doom' was prevalent when the books were written or not.)

That’s a good observation there, and in fact Faramir uses “doom” in the sense of a general judgement when he decides the fate of Frodo and Sam in Ithilien.

This is the original sense of doom, from the Old English dōm for judgement, related to dēma (judge) and dēman (to judge). This is a case where the original Old English words were displaced by Norman French, which imposed its own vocabulary for legal matters, among many other things. This goes back to near the beginning of Middle English.

Today’s meaning of “doom,” in the sense of a final catastrophe, is a case of the Old English word surviving with a unique shade of meaning. Note that Aragorn, Faramir and many other characters also say “I deem,” which is another lingering remnant of the original dēman.


Originally Posted by DomaDoma
"Dwimmerlaik" has to be one for sure.


Originally Posted by Vinyadan
Holbytla = hole-dweller (OE hol = hole, OE byth = dwelling). Because "in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit".


Originally Posted by factotum
You see a few old words in names in the Shire--for instance, the High Hay (the hedge which separates it from the Old Forest) is so called because "Hay" was the word for an enclosure in Old English (which became confused with the Old French word for "hedge" after the Norman Conquest).


Originally Posted by alec33
here’s a few more:

These are all really good, exactly what I’m looking for. Keep ‘em coming!

[Eldan]

I was recently reading the Children of Hurin. Let me go dig it up and leaf through it again. It certainly uses doom every other page.

One I recall off-hand that I don't think I've encountered before is "worsted", for defeated in battle.

Edit: Also, hone as a noun. "Grief is a hone to a hard mind."

None of those are Old English, of course. Just archaic.

PPS:
" ‘Await me here until haply I return.’" Another word I had to look up, haply. It might not mean what you think it means.

[Varon]

This is my new favorite thread, y'all. I'm re-reading the Silmarillion right now, and I'll post any that I find.

[Vinyadan]

That’s a good observation there, and in fact Faramir uses “doom” in the sense of a general judgement when he decides the fate of Frodo and Sam in Ithilien.

This is the original sense of doom, from the Old English dōm for judgement, related to dēma (judge) and dēman (to judge). This is a case where the original Old English words were displaced by Norman French, which imposed its own vocabulary for legal matters, among many other things. This goes back to near the beginning of Middle English.

Today’s meaning of “doom,” in the sense of a final catastrophe, is a case of the Old English word surviving with a unique shade of meaning. Note that Aragorn, Faramir and many other characters also say “I deem,” which is another lingering remnant of the original dēman.



I guess that it has something to do with "deem"?

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Vinyadan
I guess that it has something to do with "deem"?

Yes—“deem” comes directly from dēman, and carries the meaning “I judge,” in the sense of estimating or considering something.

Tolkien also uses “ween,” which is from Old English wēnan, meaning to expect. “I ween” is more uncertain, a guess or a supposition, while “I deem” is rendering a fixed opinion.

[Aeson]

'Attercop,' 'lob,' and 'cob' are all derived from or variants of Old English words for 'spider.' 'Warg' might be derived from Old Norse 'vargr' ("wolf") but is also a variant spelling of Old English 'wearh' "evil spirit" or "monster" or "criminal." 'Wight,' as in 'barrow-wight,' might also count; it's a fairly old word for a person, creature, or living thing, and according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary the first known use of the word predates the 12th century. I have no idea how commonly used it was around the time Tolkien was writing, but obviously it's somewhat popular these days as a word for some kinds of undead.

Also, if you want to count the names of people and places, many of those either have meanings in Old English or are derived from words in Old English or related languages. Samwise 'halfwit,' Hamfast 'stay-at-home,' Theoden from þeoden 'ruler,' Beorn 'man' or 'warrior,' etc.

[Mith]

"Shelob" is literally "female spider"? Neat.

Also I thought Beorn derives from the word for "Bear"? Hence Beorn having that specific name.

[Aeson]

Also I thought Beorn derives from the word for "Bear"? Hence Beorn having that specific name.
Old English 'beorn' means 'man' or 'warrior,' while Old English 'bera' and Old Norse 'bjorn' are 'bear.' Could be a bit of a play on both, since Beorn is a bit of a bear of a man.

[factotum]

One I recall off-hand that I don't think I've encountered before is "worsted", for defeated in battle.


Even in the novel "worsted" was supposed to be an archaic usage, considering it was spoken by (Merry or Pippin? I forget which) channeling the spirit of a warrior of Arnor, which had ceased to exist a thousand years before the story opens.

[Eldan]

In Lord of the Rings, yes. But in Children of Hurin, the narrator uses it about three times when talking about various battles lost and countries overrun.

[factotum]

Children of Hurin? That thing that was set in the First Age, several thousand years before the aforementioned already archaic usage?

[Eldan]

No, the other one, that Tolkien said was sent back to him from the seventh age.

[Vinyadan]

Sigaldry: a word that Tolkien found in a XIII century manuscript. You find it in Errantry. It means something like "magic" or "sorcery".

[Jay R]

The book you want to read is The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary (https://www.amazon.com/Ring-Words-Dictionary-Gilliver-Paperback/dp/B011DAUUO6/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=).