Tolkien vocabulary I (serious)

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

I found something interesting in the Concise Oxford Dictionary. They only give the modern usage of "fey": "vague and unworldly", which is annoying. They do say, though, that it's from the Old English word "faege". I'm assuming either that JRRT uses the word as it would have been used in Old English or that the Oxford dictionary isn't what it was in his day. Probably both: every sort of drivel seems to have found its way in lately.

I don't doubt that, aside from other considerations, the use of this archaic language was another small act of rebellion against the inexorable march of progress, which since his time has seen "gobsmacked" and "downsize" accepted as real words, and "impact" somehow transformed into a verb. Poor fellow must be revolving in his sepulchre as I write.

[ January 18, 2002: Message edited by: Squatter of Amon Rudh ]