Dwarvish Dictionary

aglâb "(spoken) language" (WJ:395). This evidently contains the same radicals G-L as in iglishmêk.

ai-mênu "upon you" (LotR2/III ch. 7, Appendix F), with ai, a reduced form of aya (q.v.), and mênu (WR:20)

Azaghâl name of the lord of the Dwarves of Belegost (Silmarillion ch. 20)

[Azanûl - a form Tolkien seems to have replaced with Azanulbizar (RS:466)]

Azanulbizar "Dimrill Dale" (LotR1/II ch. 4). In A Tolkien Compass p. 182, Tolkien states that "the Common Speech form is an accurate translation: the valley of the dim (overshadowed) rills that ran down the mountainside". See also RS:466: Azanulbizar "Vale of Dim Streams" with the elements ZN, ûl, bizar (q.v.)

aya "upon" (WR:20). Reduced form ai in ai-mênu "upon you".

baraz "?red" in Barazinbar, TI:174. Baraz "?Red One", short name of Barazinbar. (LotR1/II ch.3)

Barazinbar "Redhorn", one of the mountains over Moria, Sindarin Caradhras (LotR1/II ch. 3).

baruk "axes of" (WR:20), Baruk Khazâd! "Axes of the Dwarves!" (Appendix F). Possibly the construct state plural of *burk "axe".

bizar "dale, valley" (RS:466) in Azanulbizar

B-N-D radicals of bund, q.v. (TI:174)

B-R-Z radicals of baraz, q.v. (TI:174)

bund "head" (TI:174). In Bundushathur, q.v.

Bundushathur "Cloudyhead", one of the mountains above Moria, in Sindarin Fanuidhol (LotR1/II ch. 3); the elements are Bund-u-shathur "Head in/of Clouds" (TI:174).

Buzundush "Morthond, Blackroot" (TI:167)

dûm "excavations, halls, mansions", either a true plural or a collective singular (in Khazad-dûm, q.v.)

felek "hew rock" (stated to be a root; the radicals are evidently *F-L-K) (PM:352)

felak 1) (used as noun) a tool like a broad-bladed chisel, or small axe-head without haft, for cutting stone, 2) (used as verb) to use this tool (PM:352)

felakgundu, also assimilated felaggundu "cave-hewer" (name given to Finrod because of his skill in lighter stone-carving, adapted to Sindarin as Felagund). (PM:352) This evidently obsoletes the entry PHELEG in the Etymologies (LR:381), where Tolkien provided an Elvish etymology for this name.

Fundinul translated "son of Fundin", literally probably a kind of adjective derived from this name (which is in itself Mannish, not Khuzdul)

gabil "great", isolated from Gabilgathol, q.v.

Gabilân a name of the river Sirion (WJ:336). Apparently includes gabil "great", cf. Gabilgathol.

Gabilgathol "Great fortress", Sindarin Belegost (Silm ch. 10, LR:274)

Gamil Zirak name of a dwarf-smith, master of Telchar of Nogrod (UT:76). Suggested interpretations are "Old Silver" or "Old Spike"; see zirak.

gathol "fortress", isolated from Gabilgathol, q.v.

gundu "underground hall" (from root gunud) (PM:352). Does a form of this noun occur in the name of the mountain Gundabad, stated to be "in origin a Khuzdul name"? (PM:301)

gunud "delve underground, excavate, tunnel" (PM:352 cf. 365), stated to be a root. Cf. gundu above.

Ibun the name of one of Mîm's sons (Silm. ch 21, UT:102)

iglishmêk a gesture-code used by the Dwarves. (WJ:395) Cf. aglâb.

inbar "horn"; the radicals are given as M-B-R, note apparent dissimilation mb > nb. (TI:174). In Barazinbar, q.v.

Kazaddûm unorthodox spelling of Khazad-dûm (RS:467). It should hardly be taken as an indication that k and kh are not distinct phonemes after all.

K-B-L radicals of kibil, the word for silver (TI:174)

Khazâd "Dwarves", their name for themselves (Appendix F). Sg *Khuzd?

Khazad-dûm "Dwarrowdelf", Moria (LotR1/II ch. 3)

Khazâd ai-mênu! "The Dwarves are upon you!", Dwarvish battle-cry. (Appedix F)

kheled "glass" in Kheled-zâram "Mirrormere", lit. "glasslake" (Silmarillion Appendix, entry khelek-; see also A Tolkien Compass p. 190)

Khîm the name of one of Mîm's sons. (Silm. ch. 21)

[Khuzûd "Dwarves", changed by Tolkien to Khazâd. (LR:274, 278)]

*Kh-Z-D radicals in words having to do with dwarves and dwarvishness, in Khazâd "the Dwarves" (sg. *Khuzd?), in Khuzdul "Dwarvish" and evidently also in Nulukkhizdîn "Nargothrond" (Silm. ch. 21)

kibil "silver" (TI:174). Radicals K-B-L. TI:174 suggests that this word is related to Quenya telpë, but the actual borrowing must rather be from Sindarin celeb (and the borrowing must be fairly late, for even at the Old Sindarin stage, the word was kelepe [LR.367] with no change of post-vocalic p to b; the Primitive Quendian form was *kyelepê). Khuzdul kibil reverses the order of the two last consonants of celeb.

Kibil-nâla "Silverlode" (LotR1/II ch. 3), the river Celebrant. The separate elements kibil, nâla (q.v.) are discussed in TI:174, 175. Curiously, the Khuzdul name of this river is given as Zigilnâd in PM:279, 286. PM:275 indicates that Tolkien in one draft for a LotR appendix used the name Kibil-nâla to refer to the Mirrormere, but changed it to Kheled-zâram, the name used in the main text of LotR. Christopher Tolkien dismisses this as a "slip without significance" (PM:286).

Mahal Dwarvish name of Aulë (Silm. ch. 2)

Mazarbul "(of?) Records". The Chamber of Mazarbul is equated with "the Chamber of Records". (LotR1/II ch. 5, Letters:186) If -ul is the Khuzdul adjectival ending, "of" in the translation may be strictly superfluous.

M-B-R the radicals of inbar "horn" (note apparent dissimilation mb > nb). (TI:174)

mênu "you (acc. pl.)" (WR:20)

Mîm name of a Petty-Dwarf (Silm. ch. 21)

-nâd element occurring in Zigilnâd, another name of the river Celebrant (Silverlode): PM:279, 286. This river is elsewhere called Kibil-nâla in Khuzdul, so nâd would have to mean the same as nâla, q.v.

-nâla According to TI:175, the meaning of this word is not known, but if the Khuzdul name Kibil-nâla has the same meaning as Sindarin Celebrant, Silverlode, it may be assumed to mean "path, course, rivercourse or bed". (TI:174)

Narag-zâram "? Black Pool". Includes radicals N-R-G, q.v. (RS:466)

Nargûn "Mordor"; includes radicals N-R-G "black" (RS:466)

N-R-G radicals of the word for "black" (vowels not given); in Nargûn "Mordor, Blackland". (RS:466) The independent word "black" may be *narag, compare baraz "red" from B-R-Z.

Nulukkhizdîn "Nargothrond" (WJ:180), misspelt Nulukkizdîn in Silm ch. 21 (see WJ:180, where Christopher Tolkien admits that this spelling is wrong). Changed by Tolkien from Nulukhizidûn. Apparently includes the radicals Kh-Z-D "dwarf".

Rukhs "Orc", pl. Rakhâs (WJ:391)

Sharbhund "? Bald Hill", Petty-Dwarvish name of Amon Rûdh (UT:98). Is bhund just a variant form of bund, q.v.?

shathûr "cloud(s)", Shathûr short name of Bundushathûr, "Cloudyhead", one of the mountains above Moria (LotR1/II ch. 3, TI:174)

Sigin "long" in Sigin-tarâg, q.v. (PM:321) If Khuzdul adjectives agree in number, this may be a plural form (or the basic form may be preferred in compounds).

Sigin-tarâg, "the Longbeards" (PM:321)

tarâg "beards" in Sigin-tarâg, q.v. (PM:321). Sg. *turg?

Tharkûn, Dwarvish name of Gandalf, said to mean "Staff-man" (LotR2/IV ch. 5, UT:353)

Tumunzahar "Hollowbold", Dwarvish name of Nogrod (Silm ch. 10)

-u "in/of" in Bundushathur, Bund-u-shathur "Head in/of Clouds" (TI:174), Uzbad Khazad-dûmu "Lord of Moria" (LotR1/II ch. 4)

[Udushinbar - a form Tolkien seems to have replaced with Bundushathûr (TI:174)]

ûl "streams" in Azanulbizar (RS:466)

-ul, possible adjectival suffix (Khuzdul "Dwarvish", Fundinul "[son] of Fundin")

[Uruktharbun a name of Moria? (possibly replaced by Khazad-dûm) (RS:458)]

Uzbad "Lord" (LotR1/II ch 4)

zâram "lake, pool" (in Narag-zâram and Kheled-zâram, RS:466)

Z-G-L radicals of zigil (TI:174)

zigil either "spike (smaller and more slender than a horn)" (TI:174) or a word for "silver" (TI:175) - the compound Zirak-zigil is said to mean "Silver-spike", but it is not entirely clear which element means "silver" and which means "spike". According to Tolkien's latest explanation, zigil means "silver", and in accordance with this, Zigilnâd is listed as a name of the Silverlode (Celebrant) in one source (PM:279, 286). However, TI:174, 175 clearly implies that the name Kibil-nâla (occurring in LotR itself) is the Dwarvish designation of this river. See Kibil-nâla.

zirak either "silver" (colour not metal, cf. kibil) or "spike"; see zigil. Since Tolkien's final decision seems to have been that in the name Zirak-zigil "Silvertine, Silverspike", it is the zigil part that means "silver", zirak must mean "spike" (TI:174 vs. 175). Zirak either "Silver" or (more probably) "Spike", short name of Zirak-zigil, q.v. (LotR1/II ch. 3) Perhaps also in Gamil Zirak, q.v.

[Zirakinbar "Silverhorn" (see inbar), form Tolkien evidently replaced by Zirak-zigil "Silvertine". (SD:45)]

Zirak-zigil "Silvertine", one of the mountains over Moria (Sindarin Celebdil).

Z-N radicals of words for "dark, dim" (RS:466). In Azanulbizar, q.v.

Z-R-K radicals of zirik, q.v. (TI:174)