morlock means A member of a troglodyte cannibalistic race described in H. G. Wells' novel The Time Machine (1895). Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “morlock” is a great word
MORLOCK — [Noun] A member of a debased, subterranean, and cannibalistic race of the distant future created by H. G. Wells. Coined by British author H. G. Wells in 1895; possibly influenced by 'Morlach' (a historical Balkan people) or the biblical idol 'Moloch'. Unlike a "troglodyte," a mere cave-dweller, or an "ogre," a folkloric brute, the Morlock is a specific artifact of speculative horror—a devolved, nocturnal descendant of humanity. It is the pale, scuttling shape glimpsed in the dark machinery vents, the unnerving chittering from below, and the ultimate, predatory consumer of the leisured surface world it was bred to serve; a chilling allegory for the cannibalistic nature of class itself.
Etymology
Coined by British science fiction author H. G. Wells in 1895; possibly influenced by Morlach or Moloch.
noun
- A member of a troglodyte cannibalistic race described in H. G. Wells' novel The Time Machine (1895).
- A brutish troglodyte.“Thus civilian morale became a key issue in war preparations, which were undertaken in a spirit so fretfully suspicious that centralised mass shelters were not constructed for fear of encouraging a deep shelter mentality that would turn London's population into a race of modern Morlocks.”