Dictionary

Nazgul en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈnæzɡul/ (Canada, US)

Etymology

From nazgûl (“ringwraith”) in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional language Black Speech, a compound of nazg (“ring”) and gûl (“wraith; evil spirit”). Tolkien thought it “probable” that the former term nazg was “actually derived from” Irish nasc (“link, bond”), though not borrowed consciously. For the latter term gûl compare ghoul.

Meanings

1. (qualifier:roleplaying games) A type of demonic or undead creature.
   • Scrolls of mass genocide, scrolls of teleport, and a kick-ass bow generally are prerequisites for killing Nazguls in Pernband. 2001, Pat Gunn, “Re: [Pern] YASD (#$# Nazguls)”, in rec.games.roguelike.angband (Usenet):
   • While poking around on level 20, I came across an object I've never seen before, a Short Bow of the Nazgul (x2) (-7,-7) {cursed}. 2002, Matthew Murray, “Short Bow of the Nazgul”, in rec.games.roguelike.angband (Usenet):
   • Soulcrusher established his power in Valhalla itself where he trained the Nazguls and built a guardian to protect his privacy. 2000, Fuzzy, “AD: [rom] Dawn of Empires - mud.dawnofempires.com”, in rec.games.mud.misc (Usenet):
   • (On Lost Souls there is a Ringwraith guild; Nazguls are members at levels 26-29.) 1994, Chiaroscuro, “Re: ColdMUD, interesting career(class,guild)-systems, and thoughts about mudding”, in rec.games.mud.misc (Usenet):
   • In the Touist^([sic]) quest, there was a polymorph trap on the first level, and one of the non-peaceful buggers polyed into a Nazgul (ugh!). 1994, The Nowhere Man, “Re: Only 9 Nazguls? (was: Ascension (long))”, in rec.games.roguelike.nethack (Usenet):
   • AFAIK Moria itself has never had uniques, though some variants do (Morgul has the nine Nazguls, for instance) or artifacts. 1999, Jonathan Ellis, “Re: unique version of moria”, in rec.games.roguelike.moria (Usenet):
2. An evil force which heedlessly destroys everything in its path, and appears like a horseman dressed all in black.
   • There's three blokes who look like the Nazgul in pinstripes, and a skinny hatchetfaced bird who keeps saying “Well?” at me every time she asks me a question and I don't answer her inside half a second. 2012, Tom Holt, You Don't Have to Be Evil to Work Here, But it Helps, page 133:
   • The West Hampstead studio flat looks like the Nazgul have just thundered through it […] 2007, Glen Duncan, I, Lucifer, page 55:
   • The last thing she wanted was for Zach to come storming out of the house like a Nazgul, telling her to get the hell away from his daughter. 2011, Kristin Hannah, Night Road, page 282:

Forms

wikipedia: J. R. R. Tolkien