Talk:Uncommon words

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Whose opinion is expressed in this article with some of the explanations? --Earendilyon 16:12, 5 April 2006 (EDT)

Hm, not sure. I compiled them from various sources a while ago. Are you disagreeing with the fact that a word is listed or the actual explanation? Feel free to change anything :) --Hyarion 16:19, 5 April 2006 (EDT)
I was wondering whether some were your opinion, or maybe CT's from HoMe. I saw with at least one of the words 'I think that ...', so I though I'd ask. --Earendilyon 16:24, 5 April 2006 (EDT)
I'll double check when I get home, "I" should probably be removed, even if it is CT.

Cleanup[edit source]

Im not sure why it hasnt been done before, maybe someone can tell my why these arent broken down my letter. I was about to do it myself, but thought there must have been a logical reason why one of the more seasoned editors hadnt done it yet.--Quidon88 02:45, 26 April 2008 (EDT)


Bootless[edit source]

I was wondering why the word bootless is mentioned in this list. It seems to have another meaning besides the obvious 'without boots', but that meaning is from the Shakespearean era and moreover, I came here through a link from The Stone Troll, where the word is used with its obvious meaning. In my opinion a bit bootless to have it in this list. ~ Earendilyon 20:15, 15 September 2009 (UTC)Reply[reply]

In this sense, I agree. -- Ederchil (Talk/Contribs/Edits) 20:42, 15 September 2009 (UTC)Reply[reply]

EoA[edit source]

As I brought up over in the discussion for the Standards page, most of these definitions are copied exactly word for word from The Encyclopedia of Arda. I don't think Tolkien Gateway is authorized to lift material directly from EoA.

Should the plagiarized entries be deleted?

ElfMaven 22:15, 24 December 2009 (UTC)Reply[reply]

The problem is we have no record of which entries have been copied. Whenever I come discover one I re-write it, but as I don't use the Encyclopedia of Arda I'm not the best at discovering which articles have been repeated. As far as I'm concerned, every editor should make sure they re-write any article they know has been copied.
With regards to being "authorised", the Encyclopedia of Arda says the following:
"You're free to reproduce maps or images from the site, as long as you stick to a few guidelines. In this situation, we do insist on an acknowledgement and a link back to the Encyclopedia of Arda (let us know if you do this, and we'll normally link back to your site too). You can also quote from the text if you like, within reason.

This
only applies to non-profit, non-commercial sites. If you want to use elements of the Encyclopedia on a commercial site, please contact us for permission."
Encyclopedia of Arda - Conditions of Re-use
As such, I am going to stick a link to the Encyclopedia of Arda at the bottom of this article until such a time it's been re-edited enough to no longer require it. Incidentally, many of the words in this list do not originate from the Encyclopedia of Arda but come from sources such as The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion (and it's debatable whether you can own the copyright on deciding which words count as rare or unusual!). --Mith (Talk/Contribs/Edits) 23:05, 24 December 2009 (UTC)Reply[reply]
That's appropriate. You don't think an email to EoA would help too?
Yes, I recognize that there are many definitions (and whole articles) that are not copied from EoA. In fact I was very interested to read here the correct definition of leechcraft. ElfMaven 01:57, 25 December 2009 (UTC)Reply[reply]
In the second entry on this discussion page, Hyarion wrote he's assembled the list form various sources, so I don't think a link to EoA is neccessary.
Another thing is how we would define 'uncommon words' ;-) I'm no native English speaker myself, but many of the words listed I do know the meaning of, probably because I've read Tolkien extensively and also other English (fantasy) writers (Stephen R. Donaldson is the one using uncommon and obsolete wordt, btw!). ~ Earendilyon 10:43, 26 December 2009 (UTC).Reply[reply]
ElfMaven, by the Encyclopedia of Arda's own page on the matter it says they do not require an e-mail (and if it I think it should be someone more senior than me who should send it).
Earendilyon, no disrespect to Hyarion, but the page does bare a striking resemblance to the one at the Encyclopedia of Arda, so until someone goes through and alters it all, I do think it should stay with the little note at the bottom at the moment. I also think that some of the words on the list should go for being too "common", but then, what might seem a completely obvious word to me might be unusual to someone else (and vice-versa). --Mith (Talk/Contribs/Edits) 13:27, 26 December 2009 (UTC)Reply[reply]

Proposal: Add tilth, oast, garner, fold, byre[edit source]

These words are all used in a single sentence in The Return of the King: "The townlands were rich, with wide tilth and many orchards, and homesteads there were with oast and garner, fold and byre, and many rills rippling through the green from the highlands down to Anduin."


  • tilth - The state of being tilled, or prepared for a crop; culture.
  • oast - A kiln for drying tobacco, malt and especially hops.
  • garner - A granary; a store of grain.
  • fold - A group of sheep or goats.
  • byre - A barn, especially one used for keeping cattle in.


All of these definitions are from https://en.wiktionary.org .


Of course, if these cannot be added, that's perfectly fine! Thanks!

Timothy Chen Allen 11:35, 13 October 2015 (UTC)Reply[reply]

proposal: add "cockshut light"; how to submit changes?[edit source]

In The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Tom says

Come, Maggot! Help me up! A tankard now you owe me.
Even in cockshut light an old friend should know me!

"Cockshut light" is a more obscure phrase than several in this word list, so I thought it would be worth adding. The entry could read something like

twilight (the time when woodcocks fly out in the open)

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockshut_light

I tried to add this myself, but it says the page is protected from editing. However I didn't see any information about a process for proposing changes. What is the best way to make these proposals? Since the front page of this site says "the J.R.R. Tolkien encyclopedia that anyone can edit," there ought to be at least some indication of how to submit a proposed change for consideration. If it's there, I couldn't find it. Timothy Chen Allen's proposal from 3+ years ago (above) doesn't seem to have been acted upon or responded to, so maybe this Talk page is not a good place to propose changes. Unsigned comment by Huttarl (talk • contribs).

Certain pages are prone to vandalism, and this being one. So, brand new users and anonymous ones can't edit the page. If you make a few other edits you will then be able to edit. --Mith (Talk/Contribs/Edits) 18:06, 16 March 2019 (UTC)Reply[reply]