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Race
Pronunciation
Approximately oo'rch1
Meaning
Other Names
Note
Yrch is a plural term. The singular form is orch.

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About this entry:

  • Updated 24 August 2002
  • Updates planned: 1

Yrch

An Elvish name for Orcs

The Sindarin name for the race known to Men as Orcs. 'Yrch' is the plural form; the singular is 'orch'.


Notes

1

The 'ch' here should be pronounced as in German, so that the word ends with the same sound as Bach, rather than torch.

'oo' is close to the Sindarin vowel sound, but is not exactly correct. Tolkien suggests a sound similar that in the French word lune would match the Elves' pronunciation more closely. Note that in Gondor, 'y' was pronounced differently in Sindarin words, so that a native of that land would pronounce yrch more like 'eerch' than the 'oorch' given above.

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