ringwraith meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

ringwraith

nounalso spelled Ringwraith

Etymology From Ringwraith (fantasy character), in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings; from ring + wraith.

A person who is loyal, as if bound or entranced, to a band, group or organization.

It is twisted out of shape and used for base purposes by the ringwraiths, the bent ones among the intellectuals, for purposes that are transient...1976, Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, page 192:
...or shandy quaffers at tennis with Joan Hunter-Dunn, even though many of them are mere ringwraiths of the Thomson Empire.1982, William Ready, Files on Parade: A Memoir, page 231:

1 more example

This book, then, is a sort of tribute: an ode to the Himalaya of heavy rock, a paganish take on rock and roll, ringwraiths, and the iconic fetish of the gatefold LP."2005, Erik Davis, Led Zeppelin IV, page 9:

noun

Etymology From ring + wraith, coined by J. R. R. Tolkien as a fantasy character in The Lord of the Rings.

Fantasy Anyone who keeps a magical ring, and is enslaved thereby, and may also be rendered invisible and immortal thereby.

A party of four at one of my stations included a pretty creditable Scarlett O'Hara in her famous green velvet `curtains' gown, a fairy princess complete with fancy airbrushed wings, a man dressed as either a Ringwraith or the Grim Reaper (I guessed from the absence of a sickle that he was probably a Ringwraith), and George Washington.2006, J.C. Sillesen, No Return, page 40:
I had written a number of short stories in the Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents vein, and a couple of fantasy novels that explored the premise of modernized 'Ringwraiths' invading a 1986 Alabama high school."2007, Mark Stephen Smith, The Art of Flash Animation: Creative Cartooning, page x:

1 more example

Like the Ringwraiths, I need your acacia unfurled, Enabling my dream-stuns Of fizzing mauve whirls.2007. Jerry Dowlen, "Lio Lios", 2007, p27