Word |
Page 1st Used |
Meaning as used in The Lord of the Rings |
Context of use, sentence used in |
eaves |
3 |
The overhanging or lower edge of roof. |
See text above for vales. |
eglantine |
658 |
The sweetbrier, sometimes the Austrian brier; formerly, the honeysuckle or some, similar plant.
|
The swift growth of the wild briar and eglantine
and trailing clematis was already drawing a veil over this place of dreadful feast and slaughter; but it was not ancient. |
ells |
613 |
Orig. meaning 'arm,' 'forearm'. A measure of length, now little used, varying in different
countries: in England equivalent to 45 inches. 30 ells = 112.5 feet or 34.29 meters. |
Sam paid it out slowly, measuring it with his arms: 'Five, ten, twenty, thirty ells
, more or less,' he said. |
embassy |
899 |
The sending of an ambassador; also, the message or charge entrusted to an ambassador. |
And thereupon the door of the Black Gate was thrown open with a great clang, and out of it came an
embassy from the Dark Tower. |
embattled |
27 |
Drawn up in battle array, marshalled for fight. |
See text above for phalanx. |
embattled |
758 |
To furnish with battlements; hence, to form with square indentations; fortified. |
At its furthest point from the Great Gate of the City, north-eastward, the wall was four leagues
distant, and there from a frowning bank it overlooked the long flats beside the river, and men had made it high and strong; for at that point, upon a walled c |
embrasures |
581 |
An enlargement of the aperture of a door or window, at the inside of the wall, by means of splayed
sides. |
This was the only entrance to the tower; but many tall windows were cut with deep embrasures
in the climbing walls: far up they peered like little eyes in the sheer faces of the horns. |
engines |
832 |
An invention; a machine or instrument used in warfare, as a battering-ram, catapult, etc; an
instrument of torture. |
And as each length of trench was completed, they could see great wains approaching; and soon yet
more companies of the enemy were swiftly setting up, each behind the cover of a trench, great engines for the casting of missiles. |
enmity |
110 |
A feeling or condition of hostility; hatred; ill-will; animosity; antagonism; variance. |
For the moment there was no whispering or movement among the branches; but they all got an
uncomfortable feeling they were being watched with disapproval, deepening to dislike and even enmity. |
entreat |
697 |
To ask earnestly for; also, to persuade be entreaty; to make an earnest request or petition. |
Then I will entreat him to confirm what I have done and to make it lifelong. |
ere |
4 |
Before. |
There was room and to spare for incomers, and ere
long the Hobbits began to settle in ordered communities. |
errantry |
228 |
Journeying; traveling, as a medieval knight in quest of adventure; roving adventurously; also
wandering or straying. |
But her brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, were out upon errantry: for they rode often
far afield with the Rangers of the North, forgetting never their mother's torment in the dens of the orcs. |
erring |
585 |
To deviate form the true course; aim, or purpose; also to go astray in thought or belief; be
mistaken. |
See text above for remonstrance. |
espied |
699 |
Espy - to see at a distance; catch sight of; see or discover suddenly after some effort, or
unexpectedly as by chance. |
You will be espied. |
esquire |
245 |
An attendant upon a knight; any of various officials in the service of a king or nobleman. |
One of these was Ohtar, the esquire
of Isildur, who bore the shards of the sword of Elendil; and he brought them to Valandil, the heir of Isildur, who being but a child had remained here in Rivendell. |
essays |
45 |
A testing or experiment, a trial specimen; a tentative effort; also an effort to perform or
accomplish something; an attempt or endeavor. |
The lesser rings were only essays
in the craft before it was full-grown, and to the Elven -smiths they were but trifles - yet still to my mind dangerous for mortals. |
et |
280 |
Eat. Preterit of eat. Old form of eat. |
You could have stayed here and et the best hay till the new grass comes.' |
etten |
298 |
Preterit of eat, eaten. |
'But we aren't etten yet, and there are some stout folk here with us. |
ever and anon |
766 |
Presently again, or now again; also every now and then; continually. |
Pippin never forgot that hour in the great hall under the piercing eye of the Lord of Gondor,
stabbed ever and anon by his shrewd questions, and all the while conscious of Gandalf at his side, watching and listening, and (so Pippin felt) holding in a chec |
ewer |
363 |
A pitcher with a wide spout, esp. one to hold water for absolutions; in decorative art, a vessel
having a spout and a handle; esp. a tall and slender vessel with a foot or base. |
At the bottom, upon a low pedestal carved like a branching tree, stood a basin of silver, wide and
shallow, and beside it stood a silver ewer. |
eyot |
385 |
An islet; an ait (a small island in a river). |
That night they camped on a small eyot close to the western bank. |
fag-end |
1013 |
The unfinished end of a piece of cloth; the untwisted end of a rope; hence, the last and inferior
part of anything; a remnant; the very end of something. |
The land looked rather sad and forlorn; but it was after all the first of November and the
fag-end of Autumn. |
faggot |
164 |
A bundle or sticks, twigs, or small branches of trees bound together, used for fuel. |
It was not until they had puffed up the embers into a blaze and thrown on a couple of faggots
that they discovered Strider had come with them. |
fair |
626 |
Clearly, legibly. |
'He looks fair famished. |
fallow |
339 |
Pale yellowish or brownish color. |
In the dim light of the stars their stems were grey, and their quivering leaves a hint of
fallow gold. |
falter |
134 |
To hesitate of waver in action, purpose, etc.; begin to give way, as resolution, courage, hopes,
powers, etc. |
See text above for Wights. |
falter |
330 |
To become unsteady in movement, as a person, an animal, or the legs, steps, etc.; stagger,
stumble, or totter. |
He faltered and leaned heavily on his staff. |
Fare |
76 |
An expression of good wishes to a parting friend. |
Fare you well! Fare you well! |
fare |
80 |
To be entertained as with food. |
'This is poor fare,' they said to the hobbits; 'for we are lodging in the greenwood
far from our halls. |
fastness |
50 |
A secure place; a stronghold. |
The rumours that you have heard are true: he has indeed arisen again and left his hold in Mirkwood
and returned to his ancient fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor. |
fathom |
301 |
A unit of linear measurement, orig. the distance covered by outstretched arms, now a definite
measure of 6 feet, use chiefly in measuring the length of cables etc., and the depths of water by sounding. 30 feet. 5 fathoms = 30 feet. |
Rounding the corner they saw before them a low cliff, some five fathoms
high, with a broken and jagged top. |
fawning |
623 |
To show fondness by crouching, wagging the tail, licking the hand, etc. (said esp. of dogs);
hence, to court notice or favor by servile demeanor, act servilely. |
Gollum raised himself and began pawing at Frodo, fawning at his knees. |
fealty |
765 |
Fidelity to a lord; the obligation or the engagement to be faithful to a lord; hence, fidelity in
general; faithfulness. |
'Here do I swear fealty
and service to Gondor, and to the Lord and Steward of the realm, to speak and to be silent, to do and to let be, to come and to go, in need or plenty, in peace or war, in living or dying, from this hour henceforth, until my lord re
|
feigned |
251 |
To put on an appearance of; simulate; to make believe, pretend. |
Then he gave way before us, but only feigned
to flee, and soon after came to the Dark Tower and openly declared himself. |
feigned |
548 |
To make believe; pretend; fictitiously invented; also pretended. |
My old age is not feigned nor due only to the whisperings of Wormtongue. |
feint |
897 |
A feigned or assumed appearance; a pretense; also, a movement made with the object of deceiving an
adversary; an appearance of aiming at one part or point when another is the real object of attack. |
'It is but a feint,' said Aragorn; 'and its chief purpose, I deem, was rather to
draw us on by a false guess of our Enemy's weakness than to do us much hurt, yet.' |
fell |
84 |
Fierce or savage, cruel or ruthless; dreadful or terrible. |
See text above for forbodes. |
fell |
850 |
Great or huge; also, the skin or hide of an animal; a pelt. |
And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell
meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed. |
fells |
201 |
A stretch of elevated waste land or pasture; a down. |
It flows down out of the Ettenmoors, the troll-fells
north of Rivendell, and joins the Loudwater away in the South. |
fen |
376 |
Low land covered wholly or partly with water; boggy land; a marsh. |
That is a wide region of sluggish fen where the stream becomes tortuous
and much divided. |
fend |
339 |
To make shift for, look after, provide for. |
We must fend for ourselves tonight. |
fend |
614 |
To support or maintain. |
I'll lower you, and you need do no more than use your feet and hands to fend
yourself off the rock. |
fenny |
392 |
See definition for fen. |
The vale of Entwash is flat and fenny, and fog is a deadly peril there for those on
foot and laden. |
fetters |
568 |
A chain or shackle by which a person or an animal is confined by the foot; hence any shackle;
fig., anything that confines or restrains. |
'One who cannot cast away a treasure at need is in fetters. |
fey |
731 |
Fated to die; doomed to death; on the verge of a sudden death. |
Dread was round him, and enemies before him in the pass, and his master was in a fey
mood running heedlessly to meet them. |
fiefs |
758 |
A fee or feud, or estate in land held of a feudal lord; tenure of land subject to feudal
obligations; also a territory held in fee. |
See text above for quays. |
figured |
277 |
Formed or shaped; also, marked or adorned with figures; or with a pattern or design. |
See text above for storied. |
file |
138 |
Row. To march or move in a file, one after another; a line of persons or things arranged one
behind the other. |
Soon they were leading their ponies in a single file
over the rim and down the long northward slope of the hill, down into a foggy sea. |
finery |
1037 |
Fineness, smartness, or elegance; also, fine or showy dress, ornaments, etc. |
See text above for dash. |
firth |
1042 |
A narrow arm of the sea. |
And when they passed from the Shire, going about the south skirts of the White Downs, they came to
the Far Downs, and to the Towers, and looked on the distant Sea; and so they rode down to Mithlond, the Grey Havens in the long firth of Lune. |
fit |
106 |
An inclination. |
'The Brandybucks go in - occasionally when the fit takes them. |
flagging |
455 |
Drooping, failing. |
They were flagging
in the rays of the bright sun, winter sun shining in a pale cool sky though it was; their heads were down and their tongues lolling out. |
flagon |
766 |
A large bottle for wine, etc.; also, a vessel for holding liquids, as for use at table, esp. one
with a handle, a spout and usually a cover. |
See text above for salver. |
fleeted |
756 |
To float; drift; sail; also to flow, as water; hence, to glide away like a stream; slip away; to
move swiftly. Gliding swiftly away; passing swiftly, as time. |
Another day of hiding and a night of journey had fleeted by. |
flitted |
853 |
To pass away quickly; a light, swift movement. |
For a moment the thought flitted through Merry's mind: ' Where is Gandalf? |
flitting |
679 |
To move lightly and swiftly; to shift position; move; to fly, dart or skim along. |
He soon became aware also that though they walked alone, there were many men close at hand: not
only Damrod and Mablung flitting in and out of the shadows ahead, but others on either side, all making their swift secret way to some appointed place. |
flotsam |
564 |
Such part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo as is found floating on the water. |
Chapter title - Flotsam and Jetsam |
flout |
916 |
To mock, scoff at; treat with disdain or contempt; a mocking insult; gibe. |
If you think I'm so damaged that it's safe to flout me, you're mistaken. |
flying |
63 |
To move or pass swiftly; move with a start or rush, be forced or driven suddenly, to flee, run
away, or take flight. Does not necessarily mean 'flying' in 'air.' |
He suddenly realized that flying
from the shire would mean more painful partings than merely saying farewell to the familiar comforts of Bag End. |
fodder |
535 |
Food for cattle, horses, etc., esp. such food as hay, straw, vegetables, etc. |
'But great store of food, and many beasts and their fodder,
have also been gathered there.' |
foeman |
533 |
A foe, as in war. |
'He that flies counts every foeman
twice, yet I have spoken to stouthearted men, and I do not doubt that the main strength of the enemy is many times as great as all that we have here.' |
foiled |
38 |
A defeat, discomfiture, or baffling check; frustrate or baffle; also when used as a noun, the
track of hunted game. |
'Foiled again!' he said to his wife. |
fold |
758 |
An enclosure for domestic animals, esp. sheep. |
See text above for tilth. |
follies |
822 |
Unwise or light-minded conduct; also, a foolish action. |
Enough to perceive that there are two follies to avoid. |
folly |
265 |
Unwise or light-minded conduct; also, a foolish action; also, a foolish, but costly undertaking.
|
It was impossible to find you, Frodo, in the wilderness, and it would have been folly
to try with all the Nine at my heels. |
footpads |
1018 |
A highwayman who robs on foot. |
'We are not used to footpads in this country, but we know how to deal with them.'
|
forayers |
665 |
To ravage in search of forage or booty; pillage. To make a raid, forage; pillage. |
From such men the Lord Denethor chose his forayers, who crossed the Anduin secretly
(how or where, they would not say) to harry to Orcs and other enemies that roamed between the Ephel Dúath and the river. |
forbear |
911 |
To endure the absence of; to keep away from; also, to restrain from; desist from; also, to
restrain form using, etc. |
He felt that from now on he had only two choices: to forbear
the Ring, thought it would torment him; or to claim it, and challenge the Power that sat in its dark hold beyond the valley of shadows. |
forbodes |
84 |
A forbidding, a prohibition, interdiction, prohibitory ordinance. |
But my heart forbodes
that, ere all is ended, you, Frodo son of Drogo, will know more of these fell things than Gildor Inglorion. |
forlorn |
233 |
Lost; hopeless, abandoned, deserted or forsaken. |
He was alone and felt rather forlorn, although all about him the folk of Rivendell
were gathered. |
forsook |
252 |
Preterit of forsake. To give up or renounce; also to quit or leave entirely; desert;
abandon. |
'With that thought, I forsook the chase, and passed swiftly to Gondor. |
forsooth |
584 |
In truth; in fact; indeed. |
What aid can he give to you, forsooth? |
fortnight |
188 |
The space of fourteen nights and days, two weeks. |
We have at least a fortnight's
journey before us, for I do not think we shall be able to use the road.' |
fosse |
355 |
A ditch; trench, or canal; esp., a moat in a fortification. |
Beyond it was a deep fosse lost in soft shadow, but the grass upon its brink
was green, as if it glowed still in memory of the sun that had gone. |
foundering |
959 |
To stumble; slip, plunge, or tumble about, with strong efforts to maintain or regain the footing
or balance. |
The Captains of the West were foundering in a gathering sea. |
fraught |
255 |
Loaded, stored, or filled with. |
For if that tongue is not soon to be heard in every corner of the West, then let all put doubt
aside that this thing is indeed what the Wise have declared: the treasure of the Enemy, fraught with all his malice; and in it lies a great part of his strength |
fray |
450 |
A fight, skirmish, or battle. |
His guards had gone to join in the fray. |
fresh |
932 |
Newly made; also, retaining the original properties, unimpaired; not deteriorated in any way, not
faded, worn, etc.; looking youthful and healthy; also, not exhausted or fatigued. |
Sam was almost fresh, ready for another day; but Frodo sighed. |
freshened |
898 |
To become or grow fresh (moderately strong), bright, strong, brisk, etc. |
As morning came the wind began to stir again, but now it came from the North, and soon it
freshened to a rising breeze. |
freshet |
336 |
A small stream of fresh water; also a flood or overflowing of a stream, due to heavy rains or
melted snow. |
Some way below the mere they came on a deep well of water, clear as crystal, from which a
freshet fell over a stone lip and ran glistening and gurgling down a steep rocky channel. |
fret |
543 |
To gnaw; wear away or consume by gnawing; to torment, irritate, annoy, vex. |
'I fret in prison,' said Théoden. |
fretting |
127 |
A gnawing or wearing away; gusty, as wind. |
Suddenly he woke, or thought he had waked, and yet still heard in the darkness the sound that had
disturbed his dream: tip-tap, squeak: the noise was like branches fretting in the wind, twig-fingers scraping wall and window: creak, creak, creak. |
fretting |
382 |
To move in agitation or commotion, as water. |
Frodo sat and listened to the faint lap and gurgle of the River fretting
among the tree-roots and driftwood near the shore, until his head nodded and he fell into an uneasy sleep. |
furlongs |
146 |
A measure of length equal to the eighth part of a mile (equivalent to 40 rods, 220 yards, or
201.17m). 440 to 660 feet. |
They galloped their ponies over the last furlongs, and halted under the long shadows
of the trees. |
furtive |
54 |
Obtained by theft or stolen; also, thieving or thievish, taken, done by stealth or in the manner
of one wishing to escape observation, surreptitious; clandestine; secret. |
'All the "great secrets" under the mountains had turned out to be just empty night:
there was nothing more to find out, nothing worth doing, only nasty furtive eating and resentful remembering. |
gaffer |
363 |
A rustic title or term for an old man. |
'It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish, as my old gaffer used to say. |
gainsaid |
582 |
To deny, contradict; dispute; also, to oppose; act against. |
See text above for uncouth. |
gait |
553 |
Manner of going, walking, or stepping. |
They came swiftly form the North, walking like wading herons in their gait,
but not in their speed; for their legs in their long paces beat quicker than the heron's wings. |
gammers |
1034 |
A rustic title or term for an old woman. |
Now there were thousands of willing hands of all ages, from the small but nimble ones of the
hobbit lads and lasses to the well-worn and horny ones of the gaffers and gammers. |
gangrel |
664 |
A vagabond or vagrant; also, a lank, loosely built person. |
He is only a wretched gangrel creature, but I have him under my care for a while.
|
garlands |
978 |
A wreath or chaplet of flowers, leaves, or other material, for the head, worn for adornment or
serving as a mark of distinction or honor; any wreath, festoon or string of flowers, leaves or the like, hung on something as a decoration or on occasions of re |
Before the barrier stood Faramir the Steward, and Húrin Warden of the Keys, and other captains of
Gondor, and the Lady Éowyn of Rohan with Elfhelm the Marshal and many knights of the Mark; and upon either side of the Gate was a great press of fair people |
Garn |
747 |
Slang for 'go on.' Related to a yarn ( a made up story); an exclamation uttered when you
believe somebody is lying or exaggerating. |
'Garn!' said Shagrat. |
garner |
758 |
A storehouse for grain. |
See text above for tilth. |
garth |
480 |
A yard or garden. |
When spring is come to garth and field, and corn is in the blade; |
gaunt |
489 |
Abnormally thin, as from hunger; lean; emaciated; haggard. |
The woods fell away and they came to scattered groups of birch, and then to bare slopes where only
a few gaunt pine-trees grew. |
ghylls |
896 |
A narrow valley, esp. one with a stream running through it; a ravine; a glen; also, a stream in a
ravine; a mountain stream, a brook. |
They went openly but heedfully, with mounted scouts before them on the road, and others on
foot upon either side, especially on the eastward flank; for there lay dark thickets, and a tumbled land of rocky ghylls and crags, behind which the long grim slop |
gibbet |
584 |
A gallows; esp., an upright post with a projecting arm at the top, from which formerly the bodies
of criminals were suspended after execution; to hold up to public scorn. |
When you hang from a gibbet
at your window for the sport of your own crows, I will have peace with you and Orthanc. |
gimlets |
457 |
A kind of boring tool. Gimlet-eyed - having a sharp or piercing eye. |
'There's only one thing those maggots can do: they can see like gimlets in the dark.
|
gird |
333 |
To prepare (oneself) for action; to brace up (oneself) for, to, or to do something. |
Let us gird ourselves and weep no more! |
girdle |
125 |
A belt, cord, sash or the like, worn about the waist. |
'Here's my Goldberry clothed all in silver-green with flowers in her girdle! |
girt |
279 |
Preterit and past participle of gird. To bind or encircle a person, the waist, etc., with a belt
or girdle. |
Gandalf bore his staff, but girt
at his side was the elven-sword Glamdring, the mate of Orcrist that lay now upon the breast of Thorin under the Lonely Mountain. |
glede |
253 |
Gleed. A live or burning coal; a fire or flame, cinders or coke. |
It was hot when I fist took it, hot as glede, and my hand was scorched, so that I doubt
if ever again I shall be free of the pain of it. |
glens |
510 |
A narrow valley; a depression or hollow between hills. |
Immediately before the travellers the widest of these glens
opened like a long gulf among the hills. |
gloaming |
801 |
Evening twilight, shade, dusky, light; also, the beginning of twilight. |
Only a glimpse, as through a tall window, could be seen of the great valley in the gloaming
below. |
glowering |
358 |
To stare or gaze intently; also, to look angrily or with sullen dislike or discontent. |
She looked upon Gimli, who sat glowering and sad, and she smiled. |
goaded |
855 |
A stick with a pointed end, for driving cattle, etc., hence anything that pricks or wounds like
such a stick; a stimulus. |
Horns were blown and trumpets were braying, and the mûmakil were bellowing as they were
goaded to war. |
gobbler |
936 |
One who or that which gobbles food, etc. |
That gobbler with the flapping hands? |
gossamer |
240 |
A fine filmy substance, consisting of cob web formed by various small spiders, seen on grass and
bushes, or floating in the air in calm weather esp. in autumn; a thread or a web of this substance; hence, an extremely delicate variety of gauze. |
He walked along the terraces above the loud-flowing Bruinen and watched the pale, cool sun rise
above the far mountains, and shine down, slanting through the thin silver mist; the dew upon the yellow leaves was glimmering, and the woven nets of gossamer t |
grating |
931 |
Harsh or jarring in sound; irritating or unpleasant in effect. |
The sullen shrivelled leaves of a past year hung on them, grating
and rattling in the sad airs, but their maggot-ridden buds were only just opening. |
graven |
380 |
Carved, sculpted; engraved. |
Yet as is the way of Elvish words, they remained graven
in his memory, and long afterwards he interpreted them, as well as he could: the language was that of Elven-song and spoke of things little known on Middle-earth. |
graven |
591 |
Carved, sculpted; engraved. |
The pillar was still sanding, but the graven
hand had been thrown down and broken into small pieces. |
graven |
762 |
Carved; sculpted; engraved. Past participle of grave. Grave
- to carve, sculpt. |
See text above for webs. |
greensward |
80 |
Turf green with grass. |
At the south end of the greensward there was an opening. |
grit |
571 |
Firmness of character; indomitable spirit. |
His wizardry may have been falling off lately, of course; but anyway I think he has not much
grit, not much plain courage alone in a tight place without a lot of slaves and machines and things, if you know what I mean. |
grots |
657 |
A grotto, a cave or cavern. |
The grots and rocky walls were already starred with saxifrages and
stonecrops. |
guile |
1085 |
Insidious cunning; craft; deceit; treachery; also, a stratagem. |
But Náin was half blind with rage, and also very weary with battle, whereas Azog was fresh and
fell and full of guile. |
guises |
439 |
Manner, mode, or fashion; also, style of dress, or garb, sometimes, assumed appearance. |
See text above for dwimmer-crafty. |
gunwale |
387 |
The upper edge of a vessel's or boat's side. |
A long whitish hand could be dimly seen as it shot out and grabbed the gunwale; two
pale lamplike eyes shone coldly as they peered inside, and then they lifted and gazed up at Frodo on the eyot. |
guttering |
918 |
To become channeled, as a burning candle does by the flow of the melted tallow or wax down its
side. |
He came to the guttering
torch, fixed above a door on his left that faced a window-slit looking west-ward: one of the red eyes that he and Frodo had seen from below the tunnel's mouth. |
habergeon |
234 |
Same as haubergeon. A short hauberk, reaching to the middle of the thighs; hence any
hauberk. Hauberk: a piece of armor orig. intended for the protection of the neck and shoulders, but early developed into a long coat of mail reaching below the knees. |
of silver was his
habergeon, |
haft |
348 |
A handle, esp. of a cutting or thrusting instrument, as a knife, sword, dagger, etc. |
He planted his feet firmly apart, and laid his hand upon the haft of his axe. |
haggard |
197 |
Wild or untamed; also, wild looking, as from prolonged suffering, anxiety, exertion, want, etc.
|
In their white faces burned keen and merciless eyes; under their mantles were long grey robes;
upon their grey hairs were helms of silver; in their haggard hands were swords of steel. |
hail |
78 |
An exclamation of salutation or greeting. |
'Hail, Frodo!' he cried. |
hale |
227 |
Free from disease or bodily infirmity, robust, or vigorous. |
Venerable he seemed as a king crowned with many winters, and yet hale
as a tried warrior in the fulness of his strength. |
hallows |
863 |
A holy, sacred, consecrated place. |
Two of them had already fallen to his sword, staining the hallows
with their blood; and the others cursed him, calling him outlaw and traitor to his master. |
halt |
1086 |
Lame; crippled; limping; to be lame. |
He had one eye blinded beyond cure, and he was halt
with a leg-wound; but he said: 'Good! |
hamlets |
812 |
A small village; a little cluster of houses in the country. |
On down the grey road they went beside the Snowbourn rushing on its stones; through the
hamlets of Underharrow and Upbourn, where many sad faces of women looked out from dark doors; and so without harp or horn or music of men's voices the great ride into |
harbourless |
296 |
Without shelter. |
We might spend a year in such a journey, and we should pass through many lands that are empty and
harbourless. |
hardihood |
775 |
Hardy - bold, daring, or courageous, as persons, actions, etc. Hood - a suffix of nouns denoting
state, condition, character, nature, etc. |
He is bold, more bold than many deem; for in these days many are slow to believe that a captain
can be wise and learned in the scrolls of lore and song, as he is, and yet a man of hardihood and swift judgement in the field. |
harried |
894 |
See definition for harry. |
The host of Orcs and Easterlings had turned back out of Anórien, but harried
and scattered by the Rohirrim they had broken and fled with little fighting towards Cair Andros; and with that threat destroyed and new strength arriving out of the South the Cit |
harry |
665 |
Ravage as an army does. To ravage as in war; devastate, pillage, despoil; also to harass (persons)
by repeated attacks, forced extractions, rapacious demands, etc.; in general, to harass, trouble, torment, or worry. To make harassing incursions. |
See text above for forayers. |
haste |
617 |
Eager or quickened effort to do something with speed. |
'Ach, sss! Cautious, my precious! More haste, less speed. |
haughty |
436 |
Exalted, lofty, noble; also having or showing a feeling of lofty dignity, disdainfully proud,
arrogant. |
'But wanderers in the Riddermark would be wise to be less haughty
in these days of doubt. |
haunts |
102 |
To visit (a place, or a person) frequently or habitually with manifested presence. |
You have obviously been planning to go and saying farewell to all your haunts
all this year since April. |
haven |
236 |
A harbor or port. |
to haven white he came at last, |
haywards |
10 |
An officer having the charge of hedges and fences, esp., to keep cattle from straying through;
also a herdsman of cattle feeding on a common (common land where anyone could graze their cattle, sheep, etc.). |
They had, of course, no uniforms (such things being quite unknown), only a feather in their caps;
and they were in practice rather haywards than policemen, more concerned with the strayings of beasts than of people. |
headstall |
211 |
That part of the bridle or halter which encompasses the head. |
In the dusk its headstall
flickered and flashed, as if it were studded with gems like living stars. |
hearers |
1077 |
One who hears, a listener. |
We need no hearers. |
hearken |
519 |
Harken. To listen; hence, to give heed or attend. |
'Now Théoden son of Thengel, will you hearken to me? Said Gandalf. |
heath |
806 |
A tract of open and uncultivated waste land; esp., such a tract overgrown with low common shrubs;
also, any of various low evergreen ericaceous shrubs common on waste land. |
Slowly they passed through the short heath
and upland grass, speaking no more, until they came to the king's pavilion. |
heath |
898 |
Any of various low evergreen ericaceous shrubs common on waste land. |
At nightfall on the fifth day of the march from Morgul Vale they made their last camp, and set
fires about it of such dead wood and heath as they could find. |
heed |
74 |
To give attention to. |
'I couldn't stay to hear more, sir, since you were waiting; and I didn't give much heed
to it myself. |
Helm |
545 |
That by which affaires are guided; also to steer; direct. Double meaning? |
'Helm is arisen and comes back to war. |
hem |
136 |
The edge, border or margin of anything. |
Eastward the Barrow-downs rose, ridge behind ridge into the morning, and vanished out of eyesight
into a guess: it was no more than a guess of blue and a remote white glimmer blending with the hem of the sky, but it spoke to them, out of memory and old ta |
Hence |
25 |
From this source or origin. |
Hence
the excitement of the hobbit-children. |
hence |
175 |
From this time onward, henceforth. |
See text above for worthies. |
hence |
675 |
From here, away from this place, or to a distance. |
Yet we must move hence without more delay.' |
herdsman |
429 |
The keeper of a herd; a man employed in tending a herd of cattle. |
The dwellings of the Rohirrim were for the most part many leagues away to the South, under the
wooded eaves of the White Mountains, now hidden in mist and cloud; yet the Horse-lords had formerly kept many herds and studs in the Eastemnet, this easterly re |
hewed |
141 |
To strike forcible with cutting tool; cut with a blow or blows of a sharp instrument, as an axe,
sword, etc. |
With what strength he had he hewed
at the crawling arm near the wrist, and the hand broke off; but at the same moment the sword splintered up to the hilt. |
hiding |
945 |
A hiding-place. |
See text above for drowsed. |
hillock |
80 |
A little hill; a mound. |
Pippin fell asleep, pillowed on a green hillock. |
hilt |
141 |
The handle of a sword or dagger. |
See text above for hewed. |
Hither |
237 |
On or toward this side; on the side or in the direction of the person speaking; nearer. I.e.
Middle-Earth, as opposed to Valinor. |
on Hither Shores where mortals are; |
hitherto |
48 |
To or toward this place or point; also, up to this time, or until now. Similar to hither.
|
'To tell you the truth,' replied Gandalf, 'I believe that hitherto - hitherto
, mark you - he has entirely overlooked the existence of hobbits. |
hoard |
10 |
Treasure, an accumulation of something laid by for preservation or future use; a stock of store,
as of money, treasure, arms. |
The quest was successful, and the Dragon that guarded the hoard was destroyed.
|
hoary |
116 |
Gray haired or white-haired, as persons; gray or white with age, as the hair; hence ancient or
venerable. |
He lifted his heavy eyes and saw leaning over him a huge willow-tree, old and hoary.
|
hobbled |
214 |
To move unsteadily; wabble; also, to walk lamely; limp. |
There were many miles yet to go between them and the Ford, and they hobbled
forward at the best pace they could manage. |
hocks |
290 |
The joint in the hind leg of a the horse, etc., above the fetlock-joint, corresponding to the
ankle in man, but raised from the ground and protruding backward when bent; also the part of the leg back of the knee in man. |
Bill the pony stood patiently but dejectedly in front of the hobbits, and screened them a little;
but before long the drifting snow was above his hocks, and it went on mounting. |
holm-oak |
704 |
The holly (now provincial English). |
He would not rest on the ground so near the evil road, and after some debate they all climbed up
into the crotch of a large holm-oak, whose thick branches springing together from the trunk made a good hiding-place and a fairly comfortable refuge. |
hosts |
244 |
An army. |
But Sauron of Mordor assailed them, and they made the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, and the
hosts of Gil-galad and Elendil were mustered in Arnor. |
hovels |
551 |
An open shed, as for sheltering cattle, tools, etc; also a small, mean dwelling-house; a wretched
hut. |
They are but hovels
compared with the caverns I have seen here; immeasurable halls, filled with an everlasting music of water that tinkles into pools, as fair as Kheled-zâram in the starlight. |
Howe |
854 |
How - A mound, knoll, hillock; a small detached hill. |
Green and long grew the grass on Snowmane's Howe, but ever black and bare was the
ground where the beast was burned. |
hubbub |
1020 |
A loud, confused noise, as of many voices or sounds; a confused din; also, a noisy tumult or
uproar. |
Behind him Sam heard a hubbub of voices and a great din and slamming of doors. |
hue |
142 |
Appearance; color; complexion, also, color of the skin. |
They did not stir, but the sickly hue had left them. |
hummock |
594 |
A knoll or hillock (a small hill or mound). |
He was rolled in a blanket, with his cloak spread over the top; and close beside him, between his
right side and his bent arm, there was a hummock, something round wrapped in a dark cloth; his hand seemed only just to have slipped off it to the ground. |
Hunter's Moon |
274 |
The full moon next after the harvest-moon; the full moon of mid to late October. |
The Hunter's Moon
waxed round in the night sky, and put to flight all the lesser stars. |
husbanding |
383 |
Careful or thrifty management. |
Aragorn let them drift with the stream as they wished, husbanding
their strength against weariness to come. |
husbandmen |
758 |
One who tills the soil; a farmer. |
Yet the herdsmen and the husbandmen
that dwelt there were not many, and the most part of the people of Gondor lived in the seven circles of the city, or in high vales of the mountain-borders, in Lossarnach, or further south in fair Lebennin with its five
|
hutch |
878 |
A pen for confining small animals, as rabbits. |
But who knows what she spoke of to the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when
all her life seemed shrinking, and the walls of her bower closing in about her, a hutch to trammel some wild thing in?' |
hythe |
374 |
Hithe. A port or haven; esp., a landing place on a river. |
On the bank of the Silverlode, at some distance up from the meeting of the streams, there was a
hythe of white stones and white wood. |
ilex |
679 |
The holm-oak; also, any tree or shrub of the aquifoliaceous genus Ilex; holly. |
Then they turned aside again, to the right, and came quickly to a small river in a narrow gorge;
it was that same stream that trickled far above out of the round pool, now grown to a swift torrent, leaping down over many stones in a deep-cloven bed, overh |
imps |
900 |
An offspring, usually a male child; also, a person as a scion (descendant) or offshoot, as of a
noble house. |
'So you have yet another of these imps with you!' he cried. |
invested |
1057 |
To surround (a place) with military forces or works so as to prevent approach or escape; hem in,
as in besieging. |
For many years Umbar was invested, but could not be taken because of the sea-power
of Gondor. |
jeered |
451 |
To speak or shout derisively; direct derisive remarks at a person or thing. |
'Can't take his medicine,' they jeered. |
jet |
375 |
A black, inflammable fossil substance, susceptible of a high polish, found in beds of lignite and
elsewhere, used for making beads, jewelry, buttons, etc.; also, the color of this substance, a deep, glossy black; also, the color of jet; black as jet. Jet |
See text above for burnished. |
jetsam |
564 |
Goods thrown overboard to lighten a vessel in distress; esp. such goods as when washed ashore.
|
See text above for flotsam. |
jogging |
73 |
To walk or ride with a jolting pace, 'to move with small shocks like those of a low trot'; to move
on at a heavy or laboured pace, to trudge; hence, to move on, go on, be off. |
They had been jogging
along again for an hour or more when Sam stopped a moment as if listening. |
jowl |
455 |
A jaw, esp. the under jaw; also the cheek. |
Pippin was bruised and torn, his aching head was grated by the filthy jowl
and hairy ear of the Orc that held him. |
keen |
124 |
Iintense, as feeling, desire. |
He stood as he had at times stood enchanted by fair elven-voices; but the spell that was now laid
upon him was different: less keen and lofty was the delight, but deeper and nearer to mortal heart; marvellous and yet not strange. |
keen |
145 |
Sharp, or so shaped as to cut or pierce substances readily. Also, to wail in lamentation for the
dead; to mourn with wailing, as one dead; a wailing lament for the dead. |
For each of the hobbits he chose a dagger, long, leaf-shaped, and keen, of marvelous
workmanship, damasked with serpent-forms in red and gold. |
ken |
57 |
Knowledge or cognizance; mental perception; also sight or view; look or gaze; esp. range of sight
or vision. |
It wandered off southwards and passed out of the Wood-elves' ken, and was lost.
|
kerb |
942 |
Occasional spelling of curb (stone border, edge of a sidewalk). |
It had a high kerb
by which troop-leaders could guide themselves in black of night or fog, and it was banked up some feet above the level of the open land. |
kine |
764 |
Archaic plural of cow. Used in numerous combinations with a sense of 'kingly-royal' |
'And in my turn I bore it, and so did each eldest son of our house, far back into the vanished
years before the failings of the kings, since Vorondil father of Mardil hunted the wild kine of Araw in the far fields of Rhûn. |
knell |
948 |
To ring or toll; to announce or proclaim by or as by knell; to ring for a funeral; hence, to give
forth a mournful, ominous, or warning sound; any sound announcing the death of a person or the passing of a thing. |
The clatter of his precious pans as the fell down into the dark was like a death-knell
to his heart. |
