The table below contains all stems and suffixes of Black Speech (CBS) and Orcish dialects (DBS, AO) found in J.R.R. Tolkien's works. It is sorted in alphabetical order by Black Speech roots. Main sources are:
Articles about sources also provide additional etymology information. Some of stems have unknown meaning but reserved for future extrapolation. Undoubtful words are marked bold (not all attested Black Speech roots have clear meaning). While many names of orcs and other evil creatures usually considered Sindarin, other Elvish or Mannish languages, their form is not exactly the same. In example “Balrog” should be “Baulraug” in standard Sindarin while “bal” and “rog” are treated as special forms for compound words. But in Nûrlâm dialect it's supposed that such words were corrupted by orcs thus becoming Debased Black Speech from which they return back to Elvish tongues. Another example to prove this theory is Classical Black Speech word “Nazgûl” containing Sindarin root “gûl” (necromancy or dark magic as in Dol Guldur and Minas Morgûl) though with different but related translation (“wraith”).
Word | Language | Source | Meaning |
---|---|---|---|
agh | CBS | LOTR (RI) | and |
ash | CBS | LOTR (RI) | one |
-at | CBS | LOTR (RI) | (infinitive/participle/gerund suffix) |
Azog | DBS | TH (PN) | ? |
bag | DBS | LOTR (OC & PN) | 1) torture (PE) 2) dung (VT) 3) cess (PM) |
bal | CBS1) | many | (divine) power, might |
bol | AO | HOME 3 (PN) | torment (LR), cruel |
Bolg | DBS | TH (PN) | stong? (either shortened form of name Bol-dog or strong2)) |
bûb3) | DBS | LOTR (OC) | 1) dung, muck (PE) 2) pig (VT) |
bûb-hosh4) | DBS | LOTR (OC) | great (PM) |
bug5) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? |
bûrz6) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | dark |
burzum | CBS | LOTR (RI) | the darkness |
dog | AO | HOME 3 (PN) | slayer (LR), warrior |
duf | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? gloomy (NL) |
dug | DBS | LOTR (OC) | filth (NL) |
durb- | CBS | LOTR (RI) | rule, constrain, force, dominate |
dush | DBS | WJ, WR, SD (PN) | (dark) sorcery (AA) |
gaz | DBS | WR (PN) | ? |
gash | DBS | LOTR (PN) | fire |
Ghash | DBS | SD (PN) | fire |
ghâsh | DBS, CBS? | LOTR | fire |
gimb- | CBS | LOTR (RI) | find, seek out, discover |
glob | DBS | LOTR (OC) | 1) filth (PE, VT), 2) foul (PE), 3) fool (PM) |
goi | DBS | WJ, WR, SD (PN) | city, town with citadel or central watch tower (AA) |
gol | DBS | HOME 3 (PN) | ? |
golug | AO | UT | Noldo elf |
gor | AO, DBS7) | LOTR and HOME 3 (PN) | violence, impetus, haste, vigor (LR) |
gorb8) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | choose (EH) |
gorg9) | AO | HOME 3 (PN) | butcher |
goth [1] | CBS10) | LOTR, WR, Silm. (PN) | 1) war, strife, warrior (BOLT II, Gnomish) 2) dread, terror (LR) 3) enemy (Sindarin) |
goth [2] | AO | LR (The List of Names) | lord, master < Sindarin name “Morgoth” |
grat11) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? |
grish | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? cut (NL) |
gûl | CBS | many, PN | wraith |
-hai | AO, CBS, DBS | many | folk, people |
horn | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? |
hosh | DBS | OC | 1) heap (PE) 2) guts (VT) |
hûr12) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? vigourous, fiery (NL) |
ishi | CBS | LOTR (RI) | 1) in, inside 2) within (NL, SV) 3) into, inwards (NL) |
kha(m) | DBS13) | UT (PN) | ? |
krimp- | CBS | LOTR (RI) | bind, tie |
kû | DBS | LOTR (PN) | old? |
lag | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? sword (NL) |
lug14) [1] | AO15) | BOLT (PN) | snake |
lug [2] | DBS | LOTR (PN) | tower, fortress, lock-up, prison |
lûk16) 17) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? |
lûn | DBS | WR (PN) | ? 1) pale 2) blue |
mau18) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? warrior (LOS, NL) |
mog [1] | CBS19) | LOTR, WR, Silm. (PN) | 1) hate, hateful, hatred (BOLT II, Gnomish) 2) oppressor, tyrant (LR) |
mog [2] | AO | LR (The List of Names) | voice |
mor | AO | LR (The List of Names) | black, dark < Sindarin name “Morgoth” |
mûl | DBS20) | UT (PN) | ? way (LOS) |
muz21) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? |
nâkh22) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? |
nazg | CBS | LOTR (RI) | (finger-ring) |
Nûzu | DBS | WR (PN) | ? |
oghor | AO | UT | Drúedain |
olog | CBS | LOTR | troll |
oth | AO | BOLT, UT (PN) | ? |
push | DBS | LOTR (OC) | excrement (LOS), dung (NL) |
pushd- | DBS | LOTR (OC) | stink (AA) |
rad23) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? |
radb24) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? |
rat25) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? |
rod | AO | BOLT, UT (PN) | ? mountain (NL) |
rog | CBS26) | many | demon |
ronk | DBS | LOTR (OC) | 1) chamber (PE) 2) pit (VT) 3) pool (PM) |
sha | DBS | LOTR (OC) | 1) with (PE, VT) 2) (not translatable interjection) (PM) |
shag27) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? |
shagr-28) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? |
shar29) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | man? |
shark30) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | man? |
skai | DBS | LOTR (OC) | (not translatable interjection) |
snaga | DBS | LOTR (PN) | servant, slave, an orc of lesser breeds |
tark | DBS | LOTR | men of Númenór |
thak | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? face (LOS) |
thrak- | CBS | LOTR (RI) | bring (by force), hale, drag |
u | DBS | LOTR (OC) | to |
uf | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? horrible, hideous (NL) scary (LOS) |
-ug | DBS | LOTR (OC) | English Participle I suffix (-ing) (AA) |
ug31) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? |
ugl32) | DBS | LOTR (PN) | ? |
-ûk | CBS | LOTR (RI) | all, completely, totally, fully |
-ul | CBS | LOTR (RI) | them |
-um | CBS | LOTR (RI) | (particularizing suffix or 'article'), (abstract noun suffix), -ness, |
uruk | CBS | LOTR | orc |
yag33) | DBS | SD, WR (PN) | ? |
zag | DBS | WR (PN) | ? |
The Lord of The Rings, The Two Towers, Book 4, Chapter X “The Choices of Master Samwise” contains also untranslated exclamations “nar” and “garn”, which become used in Neo-Black Speech with meanings “No” and “Come on!” respectively.