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Ofermod- this is an Old English word which is only attested in a couple of places, notably in the poem The Battle of Maldon. Tolkien believed (not all scholars agree with him) that it meant 'overboldness, excessive courage,' and was a word of condemnation denoting rashness. Interestingly, modern Danish overmod means 'hubris', overweening pride.
Tolkien's essay on the word and the concept appear as a codicil to his dramatic poem "The Homecoming of Beohrtnoth."
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The entire plot of The Lord of the Rings could be said to turn on what Sauron didn’t know, and when he didn’t know it.
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