Eldamo : Sindarin : guru

S. guru [ng-] n. “death” (Category: to Die; Dead; Death)

S. guru [ng-], n. “death (abstract)” (Category: to Die; Dead; Death)

A Sindarin word for “death” derived from primitive ✶ñgurū (PE17/87), unusual in that its primitive ancient vowel u did not vanish. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had variant forms [N.] gûr and gurw “death” marked with a “?”, both derived from Old Noldorin nguru and indicating some uncertainty on the exact phonetic developments (EtyAC/ÑGUR). Elsewhere in The Etymologies Tolkien said that [N.] guru was “Death as state or abstract”, as opposed to [N.] gwanw or gwanath for the “act of dying” (Ety/GWAN).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume guru was for death as an abstraction or principle, and for the death of individuals I would use either gurth or gwanu/gwanath; see those entries for discussion.

References ✧ PE17/87

Glosses

“death” ✧ PE17/87

Variations

guru ✧ PE17/87
gûru ✧ PE17/87

gurth “death”

Changes

gûru >> guru “death” ✧ PE17/87

Element In

S. guruthos “dread of death, death-horror, shadow of death” ✧ PE17/87 (nguruthos)

Cognates

ᴹQ. nuru “death”

Derivations

< ✶ñgurū “death” ✧ PE17/87 (ngurū)
- < √ÑGUR “death; to die”

Phonetic Developments

✶ngurū > guru

[ŋgurū] > [ŋguru] > [guru] > [guru] > [guru]

✧ PE17/87

N. guru [ng-] n. “death (abstract)” (Category: to Die; Dead; Death)

See S. guru for discussion.

References ✧ Ety/ÑGUR, WAN; EtyAC/ÑGUR, WAN