Meanings
plural Tolkiens
- countableA surname.
- countableBritish author J. R. R. Tolkien
A curious feature of cinema in 2001 was the sudden clutch of movies made from books which had attained the status of sacred texts for their readers: Harry Potter, Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Bridget Jones's Diary, as well as the Tolkien saga.
2001 December 29, Mark Lawson, “Never ever mess with a hobbit”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 19 Aug 2022Synonyms: JRRT
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounBritish author J. R. R. Tolkien
Origin
- Middle Low GermanTolkin
- EnglishTolkien
Likely from Middle Low German Tolkin (literally “son of Tolk”), which is probably also related to Polish Tołkiny and German Tolksdorf, names for a Prussian town; the nickname Tolk is connected to Middle Low German tolk (“interpreter”), from Proto-Slavic *tъlkъ. J. R. R. Tolkien subscribed to a folk etymology that connected the name with German tollkühn (“foolhardy”).
More words from Middle Low German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian То́лкин
- То́лкин (Tólkin)surname
Chinese Mandarin 托爾金 /托尔金
- 托爾金 /托尔金 (Tuō'ěrjīn)surname
Polish Tolkien
- Tolkiensurname
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
Tolkien. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tolkien
“Tolkien.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tolkien. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Tolkien,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Tolkien.
Source: Tolkien on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.