sharkû is an Orkish word meaning "old man".[1][note 1] Modified to fit the Common Speech (and anglicized in The Lord of the Rings) it was rendered as "Sharkey", used by the Orcs and Men of Isengard as a nickname for their leader, the Wizard Saruman.[2]
Etymology
Andreas Möhn has suggested that sharkû might be derived from a hypothetical Mannish root ZAR. The ending could be identified with the ending seen in Tharkûn.[3]
Notes
- ↑ Robert Foster used the form sharkú in his Complete Guide to Middle-earth (see entry for Sharkey).
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 763
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 658
- ↑ Andreas Möhn, "Etymologies of the Atani Languages", Lalaith's Middle-earth Science Pages, accessed 22 April 2013