Tolkien discusses the derivation of 'Pincup' in his translation notes, explaining that it comes from the name elements pinnuc (a small bird, especially a finch or sparrow) and hop, a place of retreat (presumably meaning a nesting site in this particular case). It has been speculated that the word pinnuc perhaps originated with the sound of the chaffinch's call (which is generally characterised as sounding like pink pink). Via the form finc, that word gave rise to the modern English word 'finch'. If this speculation is accurate, then in a certain sense the bird could be said to have named itself. |
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