Vocabulary in The Lord of the Rings

A hobbit-style word for one hundred and eleven, blending the counting pattern of 'twenty-one' or 'thirty-one' to make the number sound folksy and comically grand.

Any old object that a hobbit no longer has a use for but cannot bring himself to throw away; typically passed on as a gift or stored in a museum-like hall.

A hobbit hole or burrow-dwelling, especially a large tunnel-home dug into a hillside and used as a family residence.

In hobbit reckoning, the years between childhood and coming-of-age at thirty-three; roughly equivalent to the human teenage years.

Not anticipated or expected; arriving or happening without any prior warning or preparation.

A hobbit exclamation meaning to confound or bewilder; used as a mild curse expressing annoyance or exasperation.

The person who carries and is responsible for the One Ring; a title that comes with great burden and growing psychological danger.

A spirit or ghostly undead being; in this text, specifically one of the nine Ringwraiths — former kings enslaved by Sauron and reduced to shadowy, terrifying forms.

Lembas, the compact, nourishing elvish travel-bread that sustains a traveller for a long journey on very small portions.

A rare, precious metal found in the mines of Moria, lighter than steel yet stronger; used to craft armour and objects of great value.

To fully understand or make sense of something deep or difficult; to grasp the true meaning or extent of a situation.

Relating to the adventurous, reckless side of a hobbit's nature, after the Took family's reputation for unconventional boldness and wandering spirit.

One of the ancient tree-herders of Middle-earth; enormous, slow-moving, tree-like beings who shepherd the forests and speak in long, deliberate sentences.

A river in Rohan fed by the waters of Fangorn; its name signals the domain of the Ents and marks a boundary of the ancient forest.

Done too quickly and without proper thought; in Treebeard's usage it carries a particular weight, as hastiness is the chief fault he warns against.

One of the ancient seeing-stones of Númenor; a crystal globe that allows the user to communicate with or spy upon distant places, but which can be turned to deception by Sauron.

Pirates or sea-raiders; in this text, the seafaring enemies from Umbar who attack Gondor's southern coasts by ship.

A large, fierce wolf-like creature allied with orcs; used as a mount in battle and regarded as an evil, semi-intelligent beast.

A brutal, warlike creature in Sauron's service; bred for fighting, orcs are described as twisted, dark-skinned, and cruel, serving as the main foot-soldiers of the Enemy.

The nine Ringwraiths, Sauron's most terrifying servants; once mortal kings corrupted by rings of power, now invisible, undead hunters who inspire paralyzing dread.

To clean out or clear away by force; in the chapter title 'The Scouring of the Shire' it means the violent purging of an occupying force from the hobbits' homeland.

A hobbit-country peace officer, more like a rural warden than a soldier; the Shire's modest equivalent of a sheriff, responsible for keeping order.

To become smaller, weaker, or less powerful over time; used of the Elves fading from Middle-earth as the age of Men begins.

The immortal realm in the far West, Valinor, to which the Elves and certain Ring-bearers sail at the end of the age; a place beyond mortal death.