Possibly the most impactful line:

[12.072] And my breath death!

• 5.046 As cold as death;
• 5.144 trampled to death,
• 6.061 was the death of the Great Goblin,
• 7.122 because of the death of the Great Goblin,
• 7.122 and the death from the wizard’s fire
• 10.038 and spoke confidently of the sudden death of the dragon
• 12.072 and my breath death!’
• 14.042 Only five days after the death of the dragon
• 15.019 The news of the death of the guardian
• 15.024 over with the death of the dragon –
• 16.005 The treasure is likely to be your death,
• 17.044 Then they learned of the death of Smaug,

I included both the noun breath and the verb breathe in this entry. Breath is the older word and is related to scent and vapor and heat. Hmm.

• 1.034 he managed to say after taking a deep breath.
• 1.090 He paused for breath
• 1.092 until he was out of breath,
• 2.071 and he had no breath
• 5.046 Alive without breath,
• 5.107 recover his breath,
• 5.128 Bilbo almost stopped breathing,
• 6.046 that he could hear the dwarves’ breathing
• 7.106 to judge by their breathing;
• 8.037 There was a breath of air
• 8.107 and round with only his nose to breathe through.
• 8.107 Some had hardly been able to breathe at all
• 8.124 and draw breath.
• 12.015 To say that Bilbo’s breath was taken away
• 12.020 There was a breath of strange air
• 12.029 His hot breath shrivelled the grass before the door,
• 12.045 I hear your breath.
• 12.072 and my breath death!’
• 13.009 or hardly even to breathe.
• 13.019 and he caught his breath.
• 14.013 and their shafts fell back kindled by his breath burning
• 15.027 and they still had a breathing space.

It’s good to be alive, but it’s pretty eerie when one must bring it up in these passages — until the very last one.

• 1.121 and am I going to come back alive?’
• 1.123 After that there were no dwarves left alive inside,
• 4.036 and wolves being roasted slowly alive together
• 5.046 Alive without breath,
• 6.006 without trying to find out if he was alive or dead,
• 6.074 Roast ’em alive, or stew them in a pot;
• 8.056 if we never got back alive from it,’
• 8.057 we shan’t remain alive much longer anyway,’
• 8.090 the meat’s alive
• 9.069 but whether alive or dead still remains to be seen.
• 10.011 Well, are you alive or are you dead?’
• 10.015 and seemed only half alive;
• 11.010 The dragon is still alive
• 12.054 I am he that buries his friends alive
• 12.054 and draws them alive again from the water.
• 12.063 If you get off alive,
• 12.084 and this might even be one of those that were alive then,
• 12.089 and got home alive,
• 12.101 glad to be still alive,
• 14.025 had at least escaped alive;
• 15.019 whether you are alive or dead.
• 15.021 or the violent carry off while we are alive.
• 15.046 that you are alive beyond our hope.
• 18.014 Alive after all –
• 19.037 admitted to be alive again.

Gosh. I have just learned that treasure comes from Old French, from Latin thesaurus, from Greek θησαυρός. Our word-hoard is our wealth. Yes. This is exactly the magic that I’m here for.

“Treasure, N.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/4835049275.

• 1.124 But we have never forgotten our stolen treasure.
• 3.003 where Smaug lies on our treasure.”
• 3.037 I have heard that there are still forgotten treasures of old
• 4.013 and discussed what each would do with his share of the treasure
• 4.046 on a treasure hunt!”
• 5.040 Yet golden treasure inside is hid,
• 7.142 Think of the treasure at the end,
• 8.132 and the strong place of his treasure,
• 8.133 whom they accused of stealing their treasure.
• 8.133 If the elf-king had a weakness it was for treasure,
• 8.133 since he had not yet as great a treasure as other elf-lords of old.
• 9.014 all about his treasure
• 9.015 in the treasure,
• 9.016 in the treasure
• 10.041 No treasure will come back
• 12.009 I have absolutely no use for dragon-guarded treasures,
• 12.015 the glory of such treasure
• 12.016 across the floor to the nearest edge of the mounds of treasure.
• 12.019 and talking delightedly of the recovery of their treasure,
• 12.035 but to steal treasure.
• 12.037 if you mean about removing the treasure.
• 12.068 how the treasure was to be removed,
• 12.095 about what would happen after the treasure had been won.
• 13.018 Bilbo was climbing the great mound of treasure.
• 13.032 The mere fleeting glimpses of treasure
• 13.033 as they lifted old treasures from the mound
• 13.039 of examining the treasures,
• 13.040 This treasure is not yet won back.
• 14.035 of the fabled treasure of the Mountain
• 14.038 concerning the vast treasure that was now unguarded.
• 15.016 and the treasure is ours!’
• 15.019 all the treasure is yours –
• 15.019 They too think to find amends from your treasure,
• 15.048 and your treasure delivered.
• 15.050 To the treasure of my people
• 15.050 The treasure was not his
• 15.056 he shall deliver one twelfth portion of the treasure unto Bard,
• 16.001 and ordering the treasure;
• 16.002 That stone of all the treasure I name unto myself,
• 16.005 The treasure is likely to be your death,
• 17.019 the treasure of my house.
• 17.025 so strong was the bewilderment of the treasure upon him,
• 17.061 with all the wretched treasure,
• 18.032 for Dain dealt his treasure well.
• 18.034 From that treasure Bard sent much gold
• 18.035 This treasure is as much yours as it is mine;
• 18.036 How on earth should I have got all that treasure home
• 19.003 Than silver in treasure;

A word from Old English with Germanic roots meaning “to cover.”

• 5.040 A box without hinges, key, or lid,
• 9.038 even before his lid was on.
• 9.038 and to fix on all the lids as safely as could be managed,
• 9.039 Only a minute or two after Balin’s lid had been fitted on
• 9.058 I do hope I put the lids on tight enough!’
• 12.044 from under the drooping lid of Smaug’s left eye.

A common word by our calculations, yet upon which much relied in our tale. There are dozens and dozens of meaning and uses for Key and it’s got cognate words in Frisian and Old Frisian — but nowhere else! It’s origin is a localized mystery! I shall now imagine an early Frisian child named Ki who could get into anything.

• 1.113 that with the map went a key,
• 1.113 a small and curious key.
• 1.113 and handed to Thorin a key
• 1.134 and the key.’
• 1.136 and use the key.
• 2.019 pushing his keys into Gandalf’s hands,
• 2.112 He held out a largish key,
• 5.040 A box without hinges, key, or lid,
• 9.026 Very soon the chief guard had no keys,
• 9.026 for he could not prevent the keys from making every now
• 9.033 when you managed to get hold of the keys.
• 9.034 but I don’t suppose I shall ever get hold of the keys again,
• 9.035 and kindheartedly put the keys back on his belt.
• 10.040 about keys or barrels while the dwarves stayed
• 11.034 The key!
• 11.034 The key!’
• 11.036 The key!’
• 11.036 The key that went with the map!
• 11.037 and drew the key on its chain from round his neck.
• 13.002 Neither key nor the magic it had once obeyed

It’s only ever a noun in The Hobbit. Box is a good, old-fashioned Old English word, spelled just as it is here and now. It’s not the same word as box the hedge and it might just come from pyx, a container for the Eucharist.

• 5.040 A box without hinges, key, or lid,
• 7.076 that haven’t yet come out of their boxes?’

Have you heard Jamie Stinnet’s presentation on the music of The Lord of the Rings? She posits that silence is a form of music, and we should pay attention to those parts of the books wherein music is silenced. Wise words. I notice the parts of The Hobbit wherein laughter is silenced. See also Laugh.

• 3.013 like laughter
• 4.022 and to the ugly laughter of their ho, ho! my lad!
• 5.038 Ends life, kills laughter.
• 8.038 At times they heard disquieting laughter.
• 8.038 The laughter was the laughter of fair voices
• 8.038 The laughter was the laughter of fair voices
• 8.062 and the laughter quite plainly.
• 10.008 and new laughter.
• 11.004 There was no laughter or song or sound of harps,
• 19.016 they answered with laughter.