√RUK root. “terrible shapes and the fear they inspire”
The root ᴹ√RUK “demon” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives ᴹQ. rauko and N. rhaug of the same meaning, serving as the basis for N. Balrog (Ety/RUK). In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, similar “demon” words were derived from primitive ᴱ✶ʒǝroukē instead (QL/32). As for √RUK, in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 it was glossed “terrible shapes and the fear they inspire”, serving as the basis for both Q. rauko/S. raug “demon” and S. orch “Orc” < *urkō or *urkā (WJ/389-90, 415); the latter was instead derived from unglossed ᴹ√OROK in The Etymologies of the 1930s along with various other words for “goblin” in multiple Elvish languages (Ety/ÓROK). Primitive (o)rok reappeared in notes probably from the late 1950s denoting “anything that caused fear and/or horror” (MR/413); this might be a transition towards later √RUK “terrible shapes and the fear they inspire”.
References ✧ PE17/48, 183; VT39/10; WJ/389, 392, 415
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