Etymology
The word "Ent" was taken from the Anglo-Saxon (Old English) word ent, meaning "giant". Tolkien borrowed the word from the Anglo-Saxon phrases orþanc enta geweorc = "work of cunning giants" and eald enta geweorc = "old work of giants" (describing Roman ruins). In this sense, Ents are probably the most ubiquitous of all creatures in fantasy and folklore, perhaps second only to dragons; for the word can refer to a variety of large, roughly humanoid creatures, such as giants, trolls, orcs, or even the monster Grendel from the poem Beowulf.
Along with Old Norse jǫtunn (Jötunn), "ent" came from Common Germanic *etunaz.
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