This is an old revision of the document!


Tolkien's word list

The table below contains all stems and suffixes of Black Speech (CBS) and Orcish dialects (DBS, AO) found in J.R.R. Tolkien's works. It is sorted in alphabetical order by Black Speech roots. Main sources are:

Articles about sources also provide additional etymology information. Some of stems have unknown meaning but reserved for future extrapolation. Undoubtful words are marked bold (not all attested Black Speech roots have clear meaning). While many names of orcs and other evil creatures usually considered Sindarin, other Elvish or Mannish languages, their form is not exactly the same. In example “Balrog” should be “Baulraug” in standard Sindarin while “bal” and “rog” are treated as special forms for compound words. But in Nûrlâm dialect it's supposed that such words were corrupted by orcs thus becoming Debased Black Speech from which they return back to Elvish tongues. Another example to prove this theory is Classical Black Speech word “Nazgûl” containing Sindarin root “gûl” (necromancy or dark magic as in Dol Guldur and Minas Morgûl) though with different but related translation (“wraith”).

Word Language Source Meaning
agh CBS LOTR (RI) and
ash CBS LOTR (RI) one
-at CBS LOTR (RI) (infinitive/participle/gerund suffix)
Azog DBS TH (PN) ?
bag DBS LOTR (OC & PN) 1) torture (PE)
2) dung (VT)
3) cess (PM)
bal CBS1) many (divine) power, might
bol AO HOME 3 (PN) torment (LR), cruel
Bolg DBS TH (PN) ?
(either shortened form of name Bol-dog or strong (The History of Hobbit)
bûb2) DBS LOTR (OC) 1) dung, muck (PE)
2) pig (VT)
bûb-hosh3) DBS LOTR (OC) great (PM)
bug4) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
bûrz5) DBS LOTR (PN) dark
burzum CBS LOTR (RI) the darkness
dog AO HOME 3 (PN) slayer (LR), warrior
duf DBS LOTR (PN) ?
gloomy (NL)
dug DBS LOTR (OC) filth (NL)
durb- CBS LOTR (RI) rule, constrain, force, dominate
dush DBS WJ, WR, SD (PN) (dark) sorcery (AA)
gaz DBS WR (PN) ?
gash DBS LOTR (PN) fire
Ghash DBS SD (PN) fire
ghâsh DBS, CBS? LOTR fire
gimb- CBS LOTR (RI) find, seek out, discover
glob DBS LOTR (OC) 1) filth (PE, VT),
2) foul (PE),
3) fool (PM)
goi DBS WJ, WR, SD (PN) city, town with citadel or central watch tower (AA)
gol DBS HOME 3 (PN) ?
golug AO UT Noldo elf
gor AO, DBS6) LOTR and HOME 3 (PN) violence, impetus, haste, vigor (LR)
gorb7) DBS LOTR (PN) choose (EH)
gorg8) AO HOME 3 butcher
goth CBS9) LOTR, WR, Silm. (PN) 1) war, strife, warrior (BOLT II, Gnomish)
2) dread, terror (LR)
3) enemy (Sindarin)
grat10) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
grish DBS LOTR (PN) ?
cut (NL)
gûl CBS many, PN wraith
-hai AO, CBS, DBS many folk, people
horn DBS LOTR (PN) ?
hosh DBS OC 1) heap (PE)
2) guts (VT)
hûr11) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
vigourous, fiery (NL)
ishi CBS LOTR (RI) 1) in, inside
2) within (NL, SV)
3) into, inwards (NL)
kha(m) DBS12) UT (PN) ?
krimp- CBS LOTR (RI) bind, tie
DBS LOTR (PN) old
lag DBS LOTR (PN) ?
sword (NL)
lug13) [1] AO14) BOLT (PN) snake
lug [2] DBS LOTR (PN) tower, fortress, lock-up, prison
lûk15) 16) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
lûn DBS WR (PN) ?
mau17) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
warrior (LOS, NL)
mog CBS18) LOTR, WR, Silm. (PN) 1) hate, hateful, hatred (BOLT II, Gnomish)
2) oppressor, tyrant (LR)
mûl DBS19) UT (PN) ?
way (LOS)
muz20) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
nâkh21) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
nazg CBS LOTR (RI) (finger-ring)
Nûzu DBS WR (PN) ?
oghor AO UT Drúedain
olog CBS LOTR troll
oth AO BOLT, UT (PN) ?
push DBS LOTR (OC) excrement (LOS), dung (NL)
pushd- DBS LOTR (OC) stink (AA)
rad22) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
radb23) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
rat24) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
rod AO BOLT, UT (PN) ?
mountain (NL)
rog CBS25) many demon
ronk DBS LOTR (OC) 1) chamber (PE)
2) pit (VT)
3) pool (PM)
sha DBS LOTR (OC) 1) with (PE, VT)
2) (not translatable interjection) (PM)
shag26) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
shagr-27) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
shara DBS LOTR (PN) man
skai DBS LOTR (OC) (not translatable interjection)
snaga DBS LOTR (PN) servant, slave, an orc of lesser breeds
tark DBS LOTR men of Númenór
thak DBS LOTR (PN) ?
face (LOS)
thrak- CBS LOTR (RI) bring (by force), hale, drag
u DBS LOTR (OC) to
uf DBS LOTR (PN) ?
horrible, hideous (NL)
scary (LOS)
-ug DBS LOTR (OC) English Participle I suffix (-ing) (AA)
ug28) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
ugl29) DBS LOTR (PN) ?
-ûk CBS LOTR (RI) all, completely, totally, fully
-ul CBS LOTR (RI) them
-um CBS LOTR (RI) (particularizing suffix or 'article'), (abstract noun suffix), -ness,
uruk CBS LOTR orc
yag30) DBS SD, WR (PN) ?
zag DBS WR (PN) ?

The Lord of The Rings, The Two Towers, Book 4, Chapter X “The Choices of Master Samwise” contains also untranslated exclamations “nar” and “garn”, which become used in Neo-Black Speech with meanings “No” and “Damn!” respectively.

1) , 9) , 18)
more like Sindarin
2) , 3) , 5) , 11) , 16) , 21)
spelling normalized
4) , 22) , 23)
Radbug may be split as radb- + -ug or rad + bug
6)
so possibly a CBS word too
7)
Gorbag may be split as gor- + -bag or gorb- + -ag
8)
Gorgol may be split as gor- + -gol or gorg- + -ol
10) , 24) , 26) , 27)
Shagrat may be split as shagr- + -at or sha + grat or shag + rat
12) , 19)
probably some mannish language
13)
once spelled also as Lûg
14)
more like Gnomish word
15) , 28) , 29)
Uglûk may be split as ugl- + -ûk or ug + lûk
17)
may be also mauh
20)
may be also muzg
25)
probably Sindarin
30)
Yagûl may be split as ya + gûl or yag + gûl
tolkien_word_list.1591449178.txt.gz · Last modified: 2023/09/07 15:31 (external edit)