Q. nauro [ñ-] n. “werewolf, wolf (not wild wolves)” (Category: Wolf)
A noun for “werewolf” appearing a number of times in Tolkien’s notes as a derivative of the root √ÑG(W)AW (PE17/39; PE19/106; Ety/ÑGAW). In the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the 1950s Tolkien said it was “usually not used of ‘wild wolves’, and in TQ [Tarquesta] specially applied to the ‘werewolves’ of Morgoth” (PE19/106). In notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien instead said it was a loan-word from S. gaur (PE17/39). Tolkien vacillated on the meaning of its root, in some places giving it the gloss “howl” (PE19/106; Ety/ÑGAW) but in one place “falsify, deform, disguise” (PE17/39).
References ✧ PE17/39; PE19/106
Glosses
Variations
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| √ÑGAW > ñauro | [ŋgauro] > [ŋauro] > [nauro] | ✧ PE17/39 |
| ✶ñgwaurō > ñauro | [ŋgwaurō] > [ŋwaurō] ? [ŋaurō] > [ŋauro] > [nauro] | ✧ PE19/106 |