sack
(English) 'large bag', from Old English
sacc or
sæc. This element appears in the
Hobbit family names
Sackville and
Sackville-Baggins where it carries its normal English meaning (representing a translation from an original name used in the
Shire). '
Sackville' must have originated as a place-name, implying that the family originated in a town or village well known for the manufacture of sacking (though no such place is recorded in the
Shire). The use of 'sack' also implies a connection with the 'bag' of the name
Baggins, emphasised when
Camellia Sackville married
Longo Baggins and gave rise to the
Sackville-Baggins family.
sapphira
(anglicised
Westron) a feminine name developed from
sapphire, a precious blue stone whose name derives ultimately from Greek
sappheiros, meaning literally 'blue stone'. The only instance of its use was for
Sapphira Brockhouse, a
Hobbit of the Shire. As Greek was unknown in
Middle-earth, this name must represent a translation of an unrecorded
Westron name of related meaning.
sarn
(
Sindarin) 'stone', used especially for smaller individual stones or pebbles. Seen in
Sarn Athrad, the '
Ford of Stones' across the river
Gelion, and in the half-translated
Sarn Ford across the
Brandywine on the
Shire's southern borders. The treacherous rapids of
Anduin were known as
Sarn Gebir, which translates as 'stone spikes'. A related form of the word is seen in
Serni, a river of
Gondor, whose name meant 'shingle'. The name
Gondor, incidentally, contains
gond, which also meant 'stone', but as opposed to
sarn this was used for larger rocks or for the concept of stone in general.
saur
(
Quenya) from an adjective
saura meaning 'foul, rotten, corrupt', seen in
Sauron (a name that is universally translated 'the abhorred'). The
Sindarin equivalent was
thaur, seen in the
Sindarin form of
Sauron's name,
Gorthaur (with prefixed
gor for 'dread, terror').
sharkû
(
Orkish) 'old man', a very rare example of a word from an
Orkish dialect used in
Isengard for the
Wizard Saruman. When
Saruman was later expelled from his tower of
Orthanc and took control of the
Shire, a version of the name was retained among the ruffians who served him, who called him '
Sharkey'.
sigis (Gothic) 'victory', which combined with
munt 'protection' to give rise to the name of
Sigismond Took, one of the
Old Took's many grandchildren. This Gothic form is a variation on the more familiar name 'Sigmund'.
silma
(
Sindarin) a contraction of
silima, the name given by
Fëanor to a hard crystalline substance he devised within which to hold the
Light of the Trees. The resulting
Jewels were named the
Silmarils, where
-ril means 'brilliance'. The entire name
Silmaril was translated as 'radiance of pure light', but it explicitly incorporated
silma as a contraction of
silima for the material from which the
Jewels were formed. The name
silima was connected to the adjective
silma, 'shining white or silver', and where
silma occurs in other names, it typically derives from this original form, rather than indirectly via
silima as for the
Silmarils.
silvan
(archaic English) 'of the woods', the original form of an adjective still found in modern English, but now more usually spelt
sylvan (though 'silvan' is truer to the Latin origins of the word). Seen in '
Silvan Elves', an approximate translation of
Elvish Tawarwaith (literally 'forest people') used of a branch of the
Nandor who settled in the forests on either side of the
Great River Anduin.
sinda
(
Elvish root) '(pale) grey', in
Sindar ('grey people', '
Grey-elves') and their language
Sindarin. This old form came from a root
*thindi 'pallid, wan' and evolved over time among the
Sindar. The surname of their lord
Elwë was originally
Sindacollo ('
Greycloak') but this developed into
Singollo and ultimately into
Thingol, the form used during his time as
King of Doriath. The old word
sinda is rare in later usage, and the
Sindarin word
mith (originally 'mist', but later adapted to mean '(pale) grey') is a much more common alternative.
sîr
(
Elvish root) 'river, stream' from an original root
sir- meaning 'to flow'. As a separate word, it formed a general identifying prefix for rivers (as in
Sîr Angren, the River
Isen, or
Sîr Ninglor, the
Gladden River). This element is common within actual river-names, especially
Sirion, the great river of
Beleriand, and in names such as
Siril (which literally means 'rivulet'),
Sirith (literally 'flowing') or
Sirannon ('
Gate-stream'). It also appears in
Ossiriand ('
Land of Seven Rivers'), and in mutated form
-hir- in names like
Minhiriath ('between the rivers [
Baranduin and
Gwathló]') or
Nanduhirion ('valley of dim streams', the
Dimrill Dale).
sloe
(Old English) from
slah, ultimately deriving from a root word *
sleiÉ™- meaning 'blue-black'. The name is given to the dark blue berries produced by the blackthorn plant, which was found growing along the banks of the
Great River Anduin.
sméagol
(Old English) interpreted by Tolkien as 'burrowing, worming in', used as the original name of the creature named
Gollum, from the Old English verb
sméagean. That word can be taken as 'burrow', but it equally meant 'penetrate', in both a literal way, and also metaphorically as in 'examine' or 'gain insight'. These might also be seen as relevant to
Sméagol's growth as a character, but Tolkien's choice of this name was doubtless also influenced by his wish to rhyme the name with that of
Sméagol's friend
Déagol, whose name meant 'secret'.
sock
(English) a term used of
horses or
ponies, describing a marking extending from the hoof some way up the lower leg. Seen in
White-socks, the name chosen by
Tom Bombadil for one of the
ponies ridden by
Frodo and his companions. (The word derives from Latin
soccus, originally referring to a kind of light shoe or slipper.)
star
(
Quenya) translated 'lands', this form is only ever used in the names of the five outer regions or promontories of
Númenor (the
Andustar,
Forostar,
Hyarnustar,
Hyarrostar and
Orrostar, translated respectively '
Westlands', '
Northlands', '
Southwestlands', '
Southeastlands' and '
Eastlands'). The etymology of this element is highly uncertain, but it may suggest either 'surrounding lands' or 'promontories' (it is perhaps notable that the central region of the
Númenor, the
Mittalmar, is differently derived).