ᴹQ. nuru [ñ-] n. “death” (Category: to Die; Dead; Death)
A word for “death” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√ÑGUR, where Tolkien said its personification was Mandos (Ety/ÑGUR). Tolkien also use this word as “death” in the phrase ᴹQ. núruhuine méne lumna “death-shadow on-us is-heavy” (LR/47, 56; SD/310).
Conceptual Development: A possible precursor to this word is ᴱQ. urdu “death” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√GWṚÐṚ “die” (QL/104), given as a cognate to G. gurthu in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/43). A variant of this form seems to have been briefly restored in Quenya prayers from the 1950s as incomplete urtulm..., probably Q. urtu with a possessive suffix, but this was quickly replaced by Q. fírië “death” (VT43/27, 34).
Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use the word nuru for death as an abstract force or concept (Death), as opposed to the death of individuals which would be fírie (if natural or peaceful) or [ᴹQ.] qualme (if undesired or painful). This is the way its cognate [N.] guru was used (Ety/WAN).
References ✧ Ety/ÑGUR; EtyAC/ÑGUR; LR/47, 56; SD/310
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ√ÑGUR > ñuru | [ŋguru] > [ŋuru] > [nuru] | ✧ Ety/ÑGUR |
ᴱQ. urdu n. “death” (Category: to Die; Dead; Death)
References ✧ GL/43; LT2A/Gurtholfin; QL/104
Glosses
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴱ✶gu̯rþū́ > urdu | [gʷṛθū] > [gʷṛθu] > [wṛθu] > [urθu] > [urðu] > [urdu] | ✧ GL/43 |
| ᴱ√GWṚÐR > urdu | [gʷṛðū] > [gʷṛðu] > [wṛðu] > [urðu] > [urdu] | ✧ QL/104 |
Q. ?urtu n. “death” (Category: to Die; Dead; Death)
References ✧ VT43/34
Changes
Inflections
| urtulm | ? | “*of our death” | ✧ VT43/34 |
Element In
Cognates