# Did Tolkien ever use the adjective "Gondorian"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 4, 2006, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-tolkien-ever-use-the-adjective-gondorian/351198 "2006-04-04T04:25:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-tolkien-ever-use-the-adjective-gondorian/351198/1 "2006-04-04T04:25:32Z")
I’ve seen the word used quite a bit in games and articles about Middle-earth, but I don’t recall JRRT ever actually using it. Didn’t he always use the phrase “of Gondor”? Wish I had a searchable LOTR. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-tolkien-ever-use-the-adjective-gondorian/351198/2 "2006-04-04T16:28:44Z")
> [@Elendil's Heir](#): > > I’ve seen the word used quite a bit in games and articles about Middle-earth, but I don’t recall JRRT ever actually using it. Didn’t he always use the phrase “of Gondor”? Wish I had a searchable LOTR. I don’t know. I wish I head a searchable LOTR, Sil, UT, and all 12 volumes of HOMES. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-tolkien-ever-use-the-adjective-gondorian/351198/3 "2006-04-04T16:37:33Z")
Hey, **What Exit** , **Tevildo** , **JayJay** , et al! Howzabout a research project? Did JRRT use “gondorian”? Also, let’s confirm that he never used the word “rohirric” too! ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-tolkien-ever-use-the-adjective-gondorian/351198/4 "2006-04-04T17:24:36Z")
I heard that if you ever go to Gondor, _don’t_ have sex with the locals or you might get _Gondorrhea_. ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-tolkien-ever-use-the-adjective-gondorian/351198/5 "2006-04-04T17:51:38Z")
Apparently it isn’t in Lord of the Rings or the Silmarillion. > [@Unfinished Tales](#): > > In the days of Cirion Angrenost was still manned by a guard of Gondorians, […] > [@UT](#): > > the keys of Orthanc were taken to Minas Tirith, the Tower was shut, and the Ring of Isengard remained manned only by an hereditary Gondorian chieftain and his small people, […] > [@UT](#): > > The line of the Gondorian chieftains of Angrenost had failed, and the command of the fortress passed into the hands of a family of the people. (page numbers from my Harper Collins paperback) I don’t know about the other books. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-tolkien-ever-use-the-adjective-gondorian/351198/6 "2006-04-04T18:21:07Z")
> [@BMax](#): > > I heard that if you ever go to Gondor, _don’t_ have sex with the locals or you might get _Gondorrhea_. Those locals are called Gondolas. They’re real swingers. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-tolkien-ever-use-the-adjective-gondorian/351198/7 "2006-04-04T18:35:29Z")
> [@kellner](#): > > Apparently it isn’t in Lord of the Rings or the Silmarillion. > (page numbers from my Harper Collins paperback) > > I don’t know about the other books. Excellent, Thanks! 🆒 Just to be sure, those lines were from JRRT, not editorializing from CJRT, right? I’m 99% sure they are from the Master, just wanna make even more certain! ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-tolkien-ever-use-the-adjective-gondorian/351198/8 "2006-04-04T18:59:26Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Just to be sure, those lines were from JRRT, not editorializing from CJRT, right? As far as I can tell, yes. Both sections are preceded by a few lines of obvious editorializing and contain larger blocks of original text marked by indentation, without any indication of changes. Numerous footnotes are clearly separated from the main text.