[William Cloud Hicklin]

A lot of talking at cross-purposes, due to confusion of terms, which are not synonymous, but which do overlap considerably.

1) Uruk, group-plural Uruk-hai (Sindarin Orchoth).* This term applies to all great soldier-Orcs, as opposed to lesser 'snagas.'** Uruk-hai does not denote, specifically, Saruman's hybrids, but does include a great number or even the majority of them (see 2a below); it applies with equal force to Grishnakh's group, Shagrat, Gorbag, and the Mordor-detachment in Moria. Their history goes back centuries before the War of the Ring.
It would be wholly typical of Orkish behavior if most groups considered themselves Uruk-hai, and all smaller Orcs as snagas or maggots- just as even bigger Orcs in turn classed them as apes or snagas or maggots.

2) Half-orcs, Orc-men, Man-orcs, crossbreeds, etc. These are the Orc-Man hybrids bred at Isengard at the end of the Third Age. There was (unsurprisingly) a great deal of genetic variation among this group: "producing both Men-orcs large and cunning, and Orc-men treacherous and vile."

2a) Those in whom Orkish characteristics predominated appeared to be, and plainly considered themselves, Uruks, if of an especially powerful type ("We are the fighting Uruk-hai!");

2b) Those in whom the Mannish character was more pronounced ("Orc-faces") were useful to mingle with men, as the "squint-eyed Southerner" at Bree and at least some of Sharkey's Ruffians, and (I suspect) used to stir up the Dunlendings.


*Lit. "Orc-folk, the host of the Orcs," but (in BS and Orkish jargon, not Sind.) modified in practice (see note 2)

**Originally meant all Orcs, but in their own usage became restricted to the heavy soldiery.