áva

don't!

áva, avá (the latter stressed on the final syllable) "Don't!", negative imperative particle (compare ala, #ála). Cf. ávan "I won't" (also ván, ványë); áva carë! ("k") "don't do it!" (WJ:371)

-da

draught, the amount drunk

-da suffix used to derive nouns denoting the result of an action, like yulda "draught, the amount drunk" (the stem YUL is here given the meaning "drink"). (PE17:68) Cf. also carda "deed" (q.v.) vs. the verb car- "do".

-ina

general 'passive' participle

-ina ending for what Tolkien called "general 'passive' participle" (VT43:15); compare nótina "counted", rácina "broken", hastaina "marred" (q.v.). The stem-vowel is usually lengthened when the ending is added to the stem of a primary verb (as in the two first examples above), though the lengthening fails to occur (or is not denoted) in carina as the passive participle of car- "make, do" (VT43:15).

-ldë

you

-ldë (1) pronominal suffix "you", 2nd person pl. (VT49:51; carildë *"you do", VT49:16). This ending Tolkien revised from -llë in earlier sources (VT49:48, cf. PE17:69).

-llo

you

[-llo (2) "you", dual; abandoned pronominal ending. Also written -illo. (VT49:49)]

-llë

you

-llë (2) abandoned pronominal ending "you", 2nd person pl. (VT49:48); Tolkien later revised this ending to -ldë.

-lmë

we

-lmë 1st person pl. pronominal ending: "we" (VT49:38; 51 carilmë *"we do", VT49:16). It was originally intended to be inclusive "we" (VT49:48), including the person(s) spoken to, but by 1965 Tolkien made this the ending for exclusive "we" instead (cf. the changed definition of the corresponding possessive ending -lma, see above). _(VT49:38) Exemplified in laituvalmet "we shall bless them" (lait-uva-lme-t "bless-shall-we-them") (the meaning apparently changed from inclusive to exclusive "we", VT49:55), see also nalmë under ná# 1. (LotR3:VI ch. 4, translated in Letters:308_)

-lto

they

-lto, "Qenya" pronominal ending "they"; see -ltë

-ltë

they

-ltë, 3rd person pl. pronominal suffix, "they" (VT49:51; cariltë "they do", VT49:16, 17). It alternates with -ntë in Tolkiens manuscripts (VT49:17, 57). In his early material, the ending also appears as -lto, occurring in Fíriel's Song (meldielto "they are beloved" and cárielto "they made"), also in LT1:114: tulielto "they have come" (cf. VT49:57). Compare -lta, -ltya as the ending for "their".

-ltë

suffix. they

-lwë

we

-lwë, later -lvë, pronominal ending "we" (VT49:51), 1st person pl. inclusive ending, occurring in the verbs carilwë "we do" (VT49:16) and navilwë (see #nav-). The ending became -lvë in later, Exilic Quenya (VT49:51). See -lv-.

-lyë

you, thou

-l or -lyë (VT49:48, 51), pronominal endings for 2nd person sg. polite/formal "you, thou": caril or carilyë *"you do" (VT49:16), hamil "you judge" (VT42:33), anel "you were" (see ná #1); see -lyë for further examples. These endings may also be added to pronouns (etel/etelyë or mil, milyë; see et, mi). In one source, -l is rather used as a reduced affix denoting plural "you"; see heca! (WJ:364)

-lyë

thou, you

-lyë pronominal ending "thou, you" (VT49:48), 2nd person sg. formal/polite: hiruvalyë "thou shalt find" (Nam, RGEO:67), carilyë *"you do" (VT49:16). Long form of -l, q.v. The ending also occurs in alyë, the imperative particle a with a pronominal suffix (VT43:17); see a #3. The intimate/familiar ending corresponding to polite/formal -lyë is -tyë, q.v

-mmë

we

-mmë "we", 1st person dual exclusive pronominal ending: "I and one other" (compare the inclusive dual form -ngwë or -nquë). First written -immë in one source (VT49:57). Carimmë, "the two of us do" (VT49:16, cf. VT43:6). At an earlier conceptual stage, the ending was already exclusive, but plural rather than dual: vammë "we won't" (WJ:371), firuvammë "we will die" (VT43:34), etemmë ?"out of us" (VT43:36); see also VT49:48, 49, 55. Also compare the corresponding emphatic pronoun emmë (q.v.). The ending -lmë replaced -mmë in its former (plural exclusive) sense. In some early material, -mmë was apparently used as an ending for plural inclusive "we" (VT49:55).

-n

suffix. I

-n(yë)

suffix. I

-ndë

you

[#-ndë (2) pronominal suffix for dual "you", as in carindë *"you (two) do". Tolkien changed the ending to -stë (VT49:33)]

-ngwë

we

-ngwë "we", 1st person dual inclusive pronominal ending: "thou and I" (compare the exclusive dual form -mmë). Caringwë, "the two of us do" (VT49:16). One source lists the ending as "-inke > -inque" instead (VT49:51, 53, 57; "inke" was apparently Old Quenya). In an earlier pronoun table reproduced in VT49:48, the ending -ngwë is listed as an alternative to -lmë, which Tolkien at the time used as the plural inclusive ending (a later revision made it plural exclusive).

-ntyë

you

[-ntyë "you", abandonded pronominal ending for 2nd person pl. familiar (VT49:49)]

-ntë

they

-ntë "they", pronomimal ending, inflexion of 3rd person plural when no subject is previously mentioned (CO; see also VT49:49). This ending competes with -ltë (q.v.) in Tolkiens conception (VT49:57; for "they do", both carintë and cariltë are attested, VT49:16 vs. 17). The corresponding pronominal possessive suffix appears as -ntya or -nta in various sources.

-ntë

suffix. they

-nyë

i am come

-n (2), also -nyë, pronominal ending, 1st person sg. "I" (VT49:51), as in utúlien "I am come" (EO), cainen "I lay" (VT48:12-13), carin or carinyë "I do" (VT49:16), veryanen *"I married" (VT49:45). See also VT49:48. Long form -nye- with object ending -s "it" following in utúvienyes (see tuv-). A possible attestation of -n in object position ("me") is provided by the untranslated verbal form tankassen (PE17:76), where -n may be preceded by -sse- as a longer form of the 3rd person sg. ending -s (see -s #1).

-nyë

i do

-nyë, 1st person sg. pronominal suffix "I"; also short form -n (q.v.). Carin or carinyë *"I do" (VT49:16). With object -s following in utúvienyes "I have found it" (see tuv-). It may be that Tolkien at one point considered nye (or ne, inyë) as an independent emphatic pronoun "I", but this was struck out (VT49:49).

-stë

you

-stë "you", 2nd person dual pronominal ending (VT49:51, 53), e.g. caristë "the two of you do" (VT49:16). Tolkien first wrote carindë, but changed the ending (VT49:33). The ending -stë is derived from earlier -dde (VT49:46, 51). An archaic ending of similar form could also be the third person dual, "the two of them" (but see -ttë #1).

-ttë

they

-ttë (1) "they", dual 3rd person pronominal ending ("the two of them") (VT49:51), replacing (also within the legendarium) the older ending -stë (which was later used for the second person only). This older ending -stë corresponds to a possessive ending -sta "their" (VT49:16), but this was presumably likewise altered to *-tta as the new ending for dual "their" = "of the two of them".

-tyë

you

-t (3) reduced pronominal affix of the 2. person, "you" (sg.), the long form being -tyë (both endings are listed in VT49:48). See heca regarding the example hecat (WJ:364). However, in a later source, Tolkien denies that -tyë has any short form (VT49:51, 57). The status of the ending -t is therefore doubtful.

-tyë

you, thou

-tyë pronominal ending "you, thou" (VT49:48, 51), 2nd person familiar/intimate: carityë *"you do" (VT49:16; the corresponding formal/polite ending is -l, -lyë, cf. PE17:135 where Tolkien states that hiruvalyë "thou shalt find" from Namárië would be hiruvatyë if the polite pronoun were replaced by the familiar one). Compare the independent pronoun tye. In VT49:51, Tolkien denies that the ending -tyë has any short form (see, however, -t # 3). Cf. natyë "you are"; see ná #1. Compare tye, -tya.

-ya

elvish

-ya (5) adjectival ending, as in the word Quenya "Elvish" itself; when added to a verbal stem it may derive a kind of short active participle, as in melumatya "honey-eating" (mat- "eat"), saucarya "evil-doing" (car- "do"). (PE17:68)

Argol(do)

noun. Noble Noldo

Noble Noldo

Nando

valley, wide valley

nando (2) "valley, wide valley", variant of nandë #1, q.v. (PE17:80)

Yón

son

Yón (1) noun "Son" (VT44:12, 17, referring to Jesus. Tolkien rewrote the text in question. Normally the Quenya word for "son" appears as yondo, which also refers to Jesus in one text.)

accar-

verb. do back; react; requite, avenge

accar- vb. "do back; react; requite, avenge" (PE17:166). Also ahtar-. (The note containing this form was struck out, but the related Sindarin word acharn "vengeance" appears in the narratives.)

accar-

verb. to do back, react; to requite, avenge

ahtar-

do back; react; requite, avenge

ahtar- "do back; react; requite, avenge" (PE17:166). Also accar-. (The note containing this form was struck out, but the related Sindarin word acharn "vengeance" appears in the narratives.)

ahtar-

verb. to do back, react; to requite, avenge

In notes from around 1959 Tolkien had a verb akkar- or ahtar-, cognate to S. achar- “do back, react; requite; avenge” as combination of √AT “back” (related to √AT-TA “two”) and √KAR “do” (PE17/166). This etymology was rejected when Tolkien decided that, as a prefix, at- meant “re- of the same or other agent in repeating (more or less similarly) a previous action” and in Q. “only in literal sense of second time, double”. It was thus not suitable for “avenge”.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I think ᴺQ. ahtar- can be salvaged in the more limited sense “to do back, react”.

aira

red, copper-coloured, ruddy

aira (1) adj. "red, copper-coloured, ruddy" (GAY)

ala

not

ala, #ála (1) imperative particle á, a combined with the negation lá, -la "not" to express a prohibition (VT43:22; see lá #1). Also with 1st person suffix -lyë (alalyë and álalyë, VT43:10, 22, VT44:8) and 1st person pl. object suffix -më (alamë and álamë, "do not [do something to] us", as in álamë tulya, "do not lead us", VT43:12, 22). In the essay Quendi and Eldar, negative imperatives are rather indicated by áva, q.v., but this form can well coexist with ala, #ála.

ala-

not

ala- (2) negative prefix "not", "un-", reduced to al- before a vowel (VT42:33, GALA, VT45:25), though the example Alcorin would suggest that al- can sometimes appear before a consonant as well. In a deleted entry in Etym, al(a)- was defined as "not" and said to be a "pure negative" (VT45:5). In alahasta, Alamanyar, alasaila, Alcorin.

alasaila ná lá carë tai mo nave mára

it is unwise not to do what one judges good

alyë

you

alyë imperative particle with ending -lyë "you"; see a #3.

anon

son

anon noun "son" (PE17:170), possibly intended by Tolkien as a replacement for yondo.

anon

noun. son

A transient word for “son” in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957, written of above the more common yon-do (PE17/170).

argol(do)

masculine name. Noble Noldo

A name attested only as an example of the phonetic rule that [[q|medial [ŋ] after a [n], [ŋ], [l], [r] became [g]]] (PE19/81). It seems to be a compound of ar(a)- “noble” and Noldo.

asa-

verb. be willing, agree (to do so)

asanye

verb. I will (do so) -- as you ask/order

attat

2 fathers or neighbours

-t (1) dual ending, on nouns denoting a _pair of something: attat "2 fathers or neighbours" (VT48:19; see _atto), máryat "her (pair of) hands" (Nam), siryat "two rivers" (VT47:11), ciriat "2 ships" (Letters:427 read ciryat as in the Plotz Letter?), maquat "group of ten" (from maqua, meaning among other things "group of five") (VT47:7), nápat "thumb and index as a pair" (VT48:5), also compare met "us two" as the dual form of me "us" (Nam, VT47:11). Other dual endings known from the Plotz letter: genitive -to, possessive -twa, dative -nt, locative -tsë, allative -nta, ablative -lto, instrumental -nten, plus -tes as a possible short locative. It may be that these endings only apply to nouns that would have nominative dual forms in -t, and that nouns preferring the alternative dual ending -u would simply add the otherwise "singular" case endings to this vowel, e.g. *Alduo rather than ?Alduto as the genitive form of "Two Trees" (Aldu). The ending -t is also used as a verbal inflection, corresponding to pl. -r (elen atta siluvat**, "two stars shall shine", VT49:45; the verb carit** "do" would also be used with a dual subject, VT49:16; cf. also the endings listed in VT49:48, 50).

avatyar-

verb. forgive

#avatyar- vb. "forgive" (VT43:18); the form ávatyara (VT43:10) seems to include the imperative particle á (the two-word phrase *á avatyara "forgive!" merging into ávatyara). Plural aorist avatyarir (VT43:20). Where Tolkien used avatyar-, he cited the person(s) forgiven in the ablative (ávatyara mello** "forgive us", literally "from us"), whereas the matter that is forgiven appears as a direct object (VT43:11). Compare apsenë**.

aþa

adverb. I agree of course, of course I do

car-

verb. make, do, build, form

car- (1) vb. "make, do, build, form" (1st pers. aorist carin "I make, build"; the aorist is listed with all pronominal endings in VT49:16, also in pl. and dual forms carir, carit). Regarding the form carize- (PE17:128), see -s #1. Pa.t. carnë (KAR, PE17:74, 144). The infinitival aorist stem carë ("k") (by Patrick Wynne called a "general aorist infinitive" in VT49:34) occurs in ecë nin carë sa "I can do it" (VT49:34), also in áva carë "don't do it" (WJ:371) and uin carë (PE17:68); in the last example Tolkien calls carë an example of the "simplest aorist infinitive", the same source referring to carië as the "general infinitive" of the same verb. Pl. aorist carir "form" in the phrase i carir quettar ("k") "those who form words" (WJ:391, cf. VT49:16), continuative cára, future caruva (PE17:144), carita ("k"), infinitive/gerund "to do" or "doing" (VT42:33), with suffixes caritas "to do it" or "doing it", caritalya(s) "your doing (it)" in VT41:13,17, VT42:33. Past participle #carna, q.v.; VT43:15 also gives the long form carina ("k"), read perhaps *cárina. (Carima as a passive participle may be a mistake, VT43:15.) PE17:68 refers to a "simple past passive participle" of the form carinwa ("kari-nwa"). "Rare" past participle active (?) cárienwa* ("k") "having done" (PE17:68), unless this is also a kind of passive participle (the wording of the source is unclear). Some alternative forms in Fíriel's Song: past tense cárë ("káre") "made"; this may still be an alternative to the better-attested form carnë (LR:362) even in LotR-style Quenya. Cf. ohtacárë "war-made", made war (see #ohtacar-). Also cárië with various suffixes: cárier ("kárier") is translated "they made"; in LotR-style Quenya this could be seen as an augmentless perfect, hence "they have made", "they" being simply the plural ending -r. The literal meaning of cárielto* ("k") must also be "they made" (cf. -lto). Derived adjectives urcárima and urcarnë "hard to make / do", urucarin "made with difficulty" (PE17:154), saucarya "evil-doing" (PE17:68).

car-

verb. do, make

car-

verb. to do, make, to do, make, *act [take action]; [ᴹQ.] to build

Car- is the Quenya verb for “do, make”, derived from the root √KAR of the same meaning, and was very well established in Tolkien’s mind. ᴱQ. karin “I do, make” dates back all the way to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/45), and appeared regularly in Tolkien’s writings thereafter. Tolkien frequently used car- in examples of conjugating basic verbs, so the inflections of car- are pretty representative of Tolkien’s evolving notations of the Quenya verb system.

The English verb “do” has many specialized functions, such as in the formation of questions like “do you want to go?”. Quenya car- does not share many of those functions. Quenya car- serves as a “generic action” verb, in some sense acting like verbal pronoun, which can be substituted for a more specific verb. For example, in phrases like A carnë ta yallë B (carnë) “A did that as / like B (did)” (PE17/74) or ecuva nin carë sa nöa “I may do that tomorrow” (VT49/20), the verb car- is a placeholder for the specific action done, in the same way that ta and sa is a pronominal placeholder for the action as a noun.

The English verb “do” often requires a generic object like “it”, but that is not the case for Quenya car-: consider English “don’t do it” [with object] vs. Quenya áva carë [without object] (WJ/371) or the Quenya phrase á carë ancárië “try harder” (PE17/94), more literally “✱do [it] with more doing”. When car- has a specific direct object, it generally has the sense “make” or “build”, as in ma caruvalwë ohta “shall we make war” (PE22/161) or i carir quettar ómainen “those who form [make] words with voices” (WJ/391).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had ᴹQ. karin “I make, build” under the root ᴹ√KAR {“make, do” >>} “make, build, construct” (Ety/KAR), and in this period kar- was more often glossed “make” rather than “do”, such as in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948. It could be that in the 1930s and 40s this verb was more limited in sense than it was earlier and later.

Neo-Quenya: Orondil suggested this verb can probably also be used for “to act” [= “take action”], especially given the suffix -carë often used as “action”.

carilye tar

you do, sir

carne (carni-)

adjective. red

carnë

red

carnë adj. "red", "scarlet, red" (SA:caran, PE17:154, MC:214, KARÁN - spelt with a k in the two latter sources), not to be confused with the past tense of car- "do, make". Stem carni- as in Carnimírië, Carnistir.

casta

cause

casta (2) noun "cause" (reason) (QL:43)

cuita-

verb. to live

A word appearing as Q. kuita “live” in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969, most notably in the phrase kuita’r pare “live and learn”, derived from the root √KUY “live” (PE22/154, 156).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I prefer to use √KUY for “wake” (NM/274) and √KOY for “live”; see those roots for discussion. As such, I would use Q. coita- for “to live” and would assume ᴺQ. cuita- means to “to waken, rouse”, as did its primitive form from the 1950s: ✶kuitā- (PE22/136). I further assume cuita- “to waken, rouse” is a transitive/causative verb (taking a direct object) based on the long ā in this primitive form, with a past tense cuitane “woke, roused”.

cárima

adjective. feasible, possible (to do)

cárima

adjective. feasible, possible (to do), able to be done, feasible, possible (to do), able to be done, [ᴹQ.] able to be made

An adjective that is a combination of car- “do, make” with the suffix -ima “-able”, so literally “able to be done, ✱doable”, with alternate meanings like “feasible, possible” (PE22/137, 155). As a verbal formation, the á is long in cárima. In one place Tolkien had carima with a short a as an ordinary adjective replacing the passive participle carina “done” (VT43/15), but that seems to have been a transient idea. In another place Tolkien glossed ᴹQ. kárima as “{able to make (likely, apt to) >>} able to be made” (PE22/111). I believe both meanings of cárima are applicable, depending on context: hirië Valinor cárima (ná) “finding Valinor (is) doable” vs. macili cárimë anganen “swords [are] makable with iron”.

cé

conjunction. if

ec-

i can do it

ec- ("k") verb denoting an opportunity, with the one having the opportunity in dative: ecë nin carë sa "I can do it" (it-is-open for-me to-do it), ecë nin? "please, may I?", ecuva nin care sa noa "I may do [have a chance of doing] do that tomorrow". This construction is said to denote "have chance, opportunity or permission" (VT49:20, 34)

ecë nin care sa

I can do that

elwen

heart

elwen noun "heart" (LT1:255; rather hón or enda in LotR-style Quenya)

emmë

we

emmë (2) pron. "we", emphatic pronoun; dative emmen (VT43:12, 20). In the source this pronoun is intended as the 1st person plural exclusive; later Tolkien changed the corresponding pronominal ending from -mmë to -lmë, and the plural emphatic pronoun would likewise change from emmë to *elmë. Since the ending -mmë was redefined as a dualexclusive pronoun, the form emmë may still be valid as such, as a dual emphatic pronoun "we" = "(s)he and I".

enda

heart

enda noun "heart", but not referring to the physical organ; it literally means "centre" (cf. endë) and refers to the fëa (soul) or sáma (mind) itself. (VT39:32)

finya-

verb. to do a thing / make a thing (with fine work)

finya- (2) vb. "to do a thing / make a thing (with fine work)" (PE17:181)

finya-

verb. to do/make a thing (with fine work)

A verb in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 glossed “to do a thing / make a thing (with fine work)”, derived from the root √PHIN “clever, fine, delicate” (PE17/181).

horya-

have an impulse, be compelled to do something, set vigorously out to do

horya- noun "have an impulse, be compelled to do something, set vigorously out to do" (VT45:22)

hum-

verb. not to do

[#hum- vb. "not to do" (cited as 1st person aorist: humin "I do not"; pa.t. húmë. (VT45:17). See #um-.]

hón

heart

hón noun "heart" (physical) (KHŌ-N); hon-maren "heart of the house", a fire (LR:63, 73; this is "Qenya" with genitive in -en, not -o as in LotR-style Quenya read *hon-maro?)

il-

verb. no, *un-

il- (prefix) "no, *un-" (LA); cf. ilfirin "immortal" (vs. firin "dead"). This prefix "denotes the opposite, the reversal, i.e. more than the mere negation" (VT42:32). But il- can also mean "all, every"; see ilaurëa, ilqua, ilquen.

ilcë

you

ilcë ("k") (2) *"you", emphatic pronoun of the 2nd person pl. familiar, apparently a form abandoned by Tolkien. An alternative form incë was also listed; a query appears between the forms (VT49:48).

incë

you

incë ("k") *"you", emphatic pronoun for 2nd person pl. familiar, apparently a form abandoned by Tolkien. It is listed as an alternative to ilcë in the source, a query appearing between the forms (VT49:48, 49). The word could also be read as intë (VT49:49)

indo

heart, mood

indo (1) noun "heart, mood" (ID), "state" (perhaps especially state of mind, given the other glosses) (VT39:23), "mind, region/range of thought, mood" (PE17:155, 179), "inner thought, in fea as exhibited in character or [?personality]" (PE17:189). In another post-LotR source, indo is translated "resolve" or "will", the state of mind leading directly to action (VT41:13). Indo is thus "the mind in its purposing faculty, the will" (VT41:17). Indo-ninya,a word occurring in Fíriels Song, translated "my heart" (see ninya). In the compound indemma "mind-picture", the first element would seem to be indo.

indu-

verb. will, do on purpose

indu-

verb. to will, do on purpose

inyë

i, too

inyë emphatic independent 1st person sg. pronoun, "I" with emphasis, translated "I, too" in LR:61 (and, according to one reading of Tolkiens manuscript, in VT49:49).

iqui

conjunction. if

iqui

conjunction. if

irin

town

irin noun "town" (LT2:343; hardly a valid word in Tolkien's later Quenya)

ita

that which

ita 3) pron "that which" (VT49:12), emended from tai (#1, q.v.) The form ita is compounded from the relative pronoun i + the pronoun ta "that, it".

la

no, not

la negation "no, not" (see lá); also prefix la- as in lacarë, q.v. (VT45:25)

laceníte cuimar

creatures that cannot/do not (by nature) see

la navin caritalyas mára

I do not advise you to do so, (lit.) I don’t judge your doing (it) good

le

you

le, pronominal element "you", (originally) the "reverential 2nd person sing" (RGEO:73, VT49:56). However, singular le was apparently altered to lye (q.v.), and le took on a plural significance (le for pl. "you" is apparently derived from de, the ancient 2nd person pl. stem, VT49:50-51). Stressed lé (VT49:51), dual let "the two of you" (ibid.). At certain points in Tolkiens conception, le was still sg. "thou" rather than pl. "you". It is attested as an ending in the imperative form antalë "give thou" (VT43:17); see anta-. The form ólë in VT43:29 apparently means *"with thee"; according to Tolkiens later system, it would rather mean "with you" (pl.) Compare aselyë "with thee" (sg.) in a later source (see as).

lerta-

verb. can

lerta- vb. "can" in the sense "be free to do", being under no restraint (physical or other). Lertan quetë "I can speak (because I am free to do so, there being no obstacle of promise, secrecy, or duty)". Where the absence of a physical restraint is considered, this verb can be used in much the same sense as pol- (VT41:6)

lerta-

verb. to be free to do

lá

no, not

lá (1) adv. "no, not" (LA, VT45:25) According to VT42:33, lá is the stressed form, alternating with la when the negation is unstressed. In another conceptual phase of Tolkien's, lá had the opposite meaning "yes" (VT42:32-33), but this idea is contradicted by both earlier and later material: usually lá is conceived as a negation. The negation can receive tense markers and be used as a negative verb "when [another] verb is not expressed" (VT49:13), apparently where the phrase "is not" is followed by a noun or an adjective as a predicate, or where some verb is understood, as in English "I do not" (i.e. "I do not do whatever the context indicates"). With pronominal endings la- in the aorist, e.g. lanyë "I do not, am not" (etc.) (Tolkien abandoned the form lamin.) Exemplified in the sentence melin sé apa lanyë hé *"I love him but I do not [love] him" (another person) (VT49:15). Present tense laia, past lánë, perfect alaië, future lauva.

lá

not to be/do

lá-

verb. to not be

lá carita i hamil mára alasaila ná

not to do (in this case) what you judge good (would be) unwise

lélë

noun. will

mai

if

mai (2) conj. "if" (PE14:59 cf. VT49:20; possibly obsoleted by #1 above; for "if", Tolkien later used qui)

mat-

verb. to eat

The verb for “to eat” derived from the root √MAT of the same meaning (VT39/7).

Conceptual Development: This verb and root are quite well established, dating all the way back to ᴱQ. mat- and ᴱ√MATA of the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/59) and appearing as ᴹQ. mat- and ᴹ√MAT in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/MAT), as well as numerous other places albeit with occasional variants like mata- (PE12/26). This verb was one Tolkien often used in examples of verb conjugations and as such its inflected forms changed considerably over time, but that is more a topic of the evolution of the Quenya verb system itself.

mavar

shepherd

mavar noun "shepherd" (LT1:268, GL:58)

me

we, us

me (1) 1st person pl. exclusive pronoun "we, us" (VT49:51; VT43:23, VT44:9). This pronoun preserves the original stem-form (VT49:50). Stressed mé (VT49:51). Cf. also mel-lumna "us-is-heavy", sc. *"is heavy for us" (LR:47, mel- is evidently an assimilated form of men "for us", dative of me; the form men is attested by itself, VT43:21). For me as object, cf. álamë** "do not [do something to] us", negative imperative particle with object pronoun suffixed (VT43:19: álamë tulya, "do not lead us"), ámen** "do [something for] us", imperative particle with dative pronoun suffixed (ámen apsenë "forgive us", VT43:12, 18). Dual exclusive met "we/us (two)" (Nam, VT49:51), "you and me" (VT47:11; the latter translation would make met an inclusive pronoun, though it is elsewhere suggested that it is rather exclusive: "him/her and me", corresponding to wet [q.v.] as the true inclusive dual form). Rá men or rámen "for us/on our behalf", see rá. Locative messë "on us", VT44:12 (also with prefix o, ó- ?"with" in the same source). See also ménë, ómë.

mendë

will

#mendë noun "will", only attested in mendelya "thy will" (VT43:15)

meneltarma

place name. Pillar of Heaven

Name of the highest and holiest mountain in Númenor, translated “Pillar of Heaven” (S/261). This name is a compound of menel “the heavens” and tarma “pillar” (SA/menel, tarma).

Conceptual Development: This mountain was referred to only as the “Mountain of Ilúvatar” in the first version of the “Fall of Númenor” (LR/27). Its Quenya name first emerged in the versions of the stories associated with the unfinished “Notion Club Papers” story from the 1940s, in forms such as ᴹQ. Menelmin(do) or Meneltyúla (SD/315, 335, 346), though at this stage it frequently appeared in its Adûnaic forms: Ad. Menel-Tûbal >> Minul-târik (SD/388). In the revisions of the Akallabêth in the 1950s, the name first appeared as Menelmindon but was soon revised to its final form Meneltarma (PM/146).

nalda

valley

nalda adj. "valley" (used as an adjective), also "lowly" (LT1:261, QL:66)$

nandë

valley

nandë (1) noun "valley" in Laurenandë (UT:253), elided nand in the name Nand Ondoluncava (k") "Stonewain Valley" (PE17:28). Possibly the complete word is here meant to be the variant nando (PE17:80), as suggested by the alternative form Ondoluncanan(do) ("k") "Stonewain Valley". Also nan, nand- noun "valley" (Letters:308); Nan-Tasarion "Vale of Willows" (LotR2:III ch. 4) (Note that this and the next nandë would be spelt differently in Tengwar writing, and originally they were also pronounced differently, since nandë "harp" was ñandë in First Age Quenya.)

nandë

noun. valley

nand’ ondoluncava

place name. Stonewain Valley

A Quenya name of the hidden Stonewain Valley in the Druadan Forest (LotR/833, PE17/28). It is a compound of the elided form nand’ of nan(do) “valley” and the possessive form of ondolunca “stonewain”.

nasar

red

nasar adj. "red" (in Vanyarin Quenya only). Adopted and adapted from Valarin. (WJ:399)

nev-

verb. try

nev- vb. "try" (PE17:167; Tolkien in the source expresses uncertainty as to whether this word should be adopted or not)

nin

to me, for me

nin pron. "to me, for me", dative of ni (FS, Nam). Sí man i yulma nin enquantuva? "Now who will refill the cup for me?" (Nam), nás mara nin *"it is good to me" = "I like it" (VT49:30), ecë nin carë sa* "it-is-open for me to do it" = "I can do it" (VT49:34). See also ninya**.

níra

will

níra noun "will" (as a potential or faculty) (VT39:30, VT41:6, 17, PE17:168)

omentielvo

we/our

-lv- element in pronominal endings for inclusive plural "we/our" (VT43:14). Iincludes the old 1st pl. inclusive stem we (VT48:10). Omentielvo "of our meeting" (q.v.) includes the ending #-lva "our" with the genitive ending -o attached. The corresponding ending for inclusive "we" is perhaps normally -lvë in late exilic Quenya; the variant form -lwë occurs in the verbs carilwë "we do" (VT49:16), navilwë "we judge" (VT42:34); according to VT48:11 this may simply be the older (pre-Exilic) form of *-lvë (VT49:51 lists the ending for "we" as "-lwe, -lve", apparently the older and the younger form).

on

stone

on, ondo noun "stone" (LT2:342, LT1:254 probably only ondo in LotR-style Quenya, see below). Various "Qenya" forms: ondoli "rocks" (MC:213; this would be a partitive plural in LotR-style Quenya), ondolin "rocks" (MC:220), ondoisen "upon rocks" (MC:221), ondolissen "rocks-on" (MC:214; the latter form, partitive plural locative, is still valid in LotR-style Quenya).

ondo

stone

ondo noun "stone" as a material, also "rock" (UT:459, GOND). Pl. ondor in an earlier variant of Markirya; partitive pl. locative ondolissë "on rocks" in the final version. Compounded in ondomaitar "sculptor in stone" (PE17:163), Ondoher masc.name, *"Stone-lord" (ondo alluding to Ondonórë = Sindarin Gondor, "stone-land") (Appendix A), #ondolunca ("k") "stonewain", possessive form in the place-name Nand Ondoluncava "Stonewain Valley" (PE17:28, also Ondoluncanan(do) as a compound). Ondolindë place-name "Gondolin" (SA:gond, J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator p. 193); see Ondo. Earlier "Qenya" has Ondolinda _(changed from Ondolin) "singing stone, Gondolin" (LT1:254)_

ondoluncanan(do)

place name. Stonewain Valley

A Quenya name of the hidden Stonewain Valley in the Druadan Forest appearing in Tolkien’s Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings (WPP) from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/28). It is a compound of ondolunca “stonewain” and nan(do) “valley”. A “qu” was placed above this form, indicating a variant form Ondolunquanan(do), as suggested by Christopher Gilson (PE17/28), though I think Ondoluquanan(do) is more likely given the variant for luqua of lunca.

ontamo

mason (sculptor)

ontamo noun "mason (sculptor)" (PE17:107-108); this is a compound on(do) "stone" + tamo "smith".

ontamo

noun. mason (sculptor), mason, sculptor

A word a “mason (sculptor)” in notes from the late 1960s, a combination of ondo “stone” and tamo “smith” (PE17/107-108).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use this word mainly for stone craftsmen = “mason”. For a stone artist = “sculptor” I would use ondomaitar.

or-

verb. urge, impel, move

#or- vb. "urge, impel, move", only of "mental" impulse. Constructed as an impersonal verb: orë nin caritas "I would like/feel moved to do so" (VT41:13), literally *"it impels for me to do so" (notice that what is the subject in English appears in the dative in Quenya). Elsewhere this verb is presented as an A-stem ora- instead (so that the aorist would be ora instead of orë, cf. ora nin "it warns me" in VT41:15), with past tense oranë or ornë, future tense oruv[a], present tense órëa and a form orië that may be the gerund; the forms orórië and ohórië were rejected but may have been intended as perfect forms (VT41:13, 18, VT49:54)

orë nin caritas

I feel an urge/wish/desire to do it

orë nin caritas nó namin alasaila

I would like / feel moved to do so but judge it unwise

poica

clean, pure

poica ("k")adj. "clean, pure" (POY)

pol-

verb. can

pol- (1) vb. "can" = have physical power and ability, as in polin quetë "I can speak (because mouth and tongue are free)". Cf. ista-, lerta- as verbs "can" with somewhat different shades of meaning. (VT41:6, PE17:181)

que

conjunction. if

qui

if

qui conj. "if" (VT49:19)

qui

conjunction. if, when

qui

conjunction. if

quí(ta)

conjunction. if

ric-

verb. try, put forth effort, strive, endeavour

#ric- ("k") (1) vb. "try, put forth effort, strive, endeavour" (PE17:93, 94, 167), imperative á ricë "try!", pl. á ricir "let them try", á rice am(a)ricië "try harder!" (or more idiomatically á carë (sí) ancarië, lit. *"do (now) with more doing!"

ría

wreath

ría noun "wreath" (PM:347)

sa

it

sa pron. "it", 3rd person sg, corresponding to the ending -s (VT49:30). Used of inanimate things or abstracts (VT49:37; plants are considered animate; see se). For sa as object, cf. the sentence ecë nin carë sa "I can do it" (VT49:34). Stressed sá (VT49:51). Ósa "with it" (VT43:36). Also compare the reflexive pronoun insa "itself", q.v. In one text, sa is also defined as "that" (VT49:18); apparently Tolkien also at one point considered giving sa a plural significance, so that it meant *"they, them" of inanimate things, the counterpart of "personal" té (VT49:51).

sa

pronoun. it

sahta-

verb. induce

#sahta- (þ) vb. "induce", apparently primarily in negative sense: *"tempt, seduce". Compare the gerund or abstract noun sahtië (þ) "pressure or force (to do something against one's will or conscience)" (VT43:22-23; also compare úsahtië.)

sahtië

noun. pressure or force (to do something against one’s will or conscience)

suhto

draught

suhto noun "draught" (SUK)

sá

adverb/interjection. very good, all right, I will, I agree of course, of course I do

ta

they, them

ta (3) pron. "they, them", an "impersonal" 3rd person pl. stem, referring "only to 'abstracts' or to things (such as inanimates) not by the Eldar regarded as persons" (VT43:20, cf. ta as an inanimate Common Eldarin plural pronoun, VT49:52). Compare te, q.v. The word ta occurring in some versions of Tolkien's Quenya Lord's Prayer may exemplify this use of ta as an "impersonal" plural pronoun: emmë avatyarir ta** "we forgive them" (VT43:8, 9; this refers to trespasses, not the trespassers). However, since Tolkien also wanted ta to mean "that" (see #1 above), he may seem to be somewhat dissatisfied with ta "they, them", introducing variant forms like tai (VT49:32) to free up ta as a sg. pronoun. In one document, tai was in turn altered to te (VT49:33), which could suggest that the distinction between animate and inanimate "they, them" was abandoned and the form te (q.v.) could be used for both. In some documents, Tolkien seems to use tar as the plural form (VT49:56 mentions this as an uncertain reading in a source where the word was struck out; compare ótar under ó**-).

tai

that which, what

tai (1) pron. "that which, what", "which fact" (VT42:34, VT49:12, 20). The word occurs in the sentence alasaila ná lá carë tai mo navë mára, translated "it is unwise not to do what one judges good". So tai = "what", but it means more literally "that which" (VT49:12), ta + i (cf. ta #1 and the use of i as a relative pronoun). In one note, Tolkien emended tai to ita, reversing the elements (VT49:12) and also eliminating the ambiguity involving the homophone tai #2, see below.

tai

they, them

tai (2) pron. "they, them", 3rd person pl., used with reference to inanimates rather than persons or living things (VT49:32, see ta #3 above). Perhaps to avoid the clash with tai "that which", the pronoun tai "they, them" was altered to te in at least one manuscript (VT49:33), so that it would merge with the pronoun used of living beings and the distinction between animate and inanimate would be abandoned (see te).

tamen

thither

tamen adv. "thither" (VT49:33). Compare simen.

tamen

adverb. thither

A word for “thither” appearing in a list of demonstratives from 1969 (VT49/33), a combination of ta “that” and men “way”.

tande

thither

tande adv. "thither" (MC:215; this is "Qenya")

tanna

thither

tanna (2) pron. in allative "thither" (VT14:5, PE16:96; evidently to be understood as the allative of ta #2: "to that [place]"). Compare tar and locative tassë.

tanna

adverb. thither

A word for “thither” appearing in the Nieninquë poem of the 1950s (PE16/96), a combination of ta “that” and the allative suffix -nna. Similarly formed ᴹQ. tanna appeared in Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from 1948 (PE23/112). ᴹQ. tanna was also used for “thither” in the Koivienéni sentence from the 1930s.

Conceptual Development: In the version of the Nieninqe poem from around 1930, Tolkien used ᴱQ. tande for “thither” (MC/215), with allative suffix -nde that appeared in early 1930s (PE21/52).

tar

adverb. thither

PQ. thither

tar

thither

tar (1) adv. or technically pron. with old allative ending: "thither" (TA). This is ta #1 with the same allative ending -r (from primitive -da) as in mir "into". Compare tanna. According to VT49:11, tar may also appear in the logner form tara.

tar(a)

adverb. thither, thither; [ᴹQ.] beyond

An (archaic?) word for “thither” appearing in a list of demonstratives from 1968, a combination of primitive ✶ta with the ancient allative suffix ✶-da (VT49/11). The short form tar was mentioned a few times in Tolkien’s earlier writings (PE19/104; Ety/TA). In one phrase from the 1930s, tar was used in the sense “beyond”: enyáre tar i tyel, íre Anarinya qeluva “in that day beyond the end, when my Sun faileth” (LR/72).

tara

thither

tara adv. "thither"; see tar #1.

te

they, them

te pron. "they, them", 3rd person pl. (VT49:51, LotR3:VI ch. 4, translated in Letters:308). The pronoun te represents an original stem-form (VT49:50). Dative ten, téna or tien "for them, to them" (q.v.) Stressed té (VT49:51). Ótë "with them", q.v. VT43:20 connects te "them" with a discussion of Common Eldarin pronominal stems (ca. 1940s), where te is the "personal" 3rd person pl. stem, referring to persons rather than abstracts or inanimates (which are denoted by ta instead; see, however, the entry ta #3 regarding the problems with this form, and the hints that te may possibly be used with reference to inanimates as well)). Also consider the reflexive pronoun intë "themselves", the final element of which is apparently this pronoun te; see also tú for the dual form.

toi

they

toi pron. "they" (FS; replaced by te in LotR-style Quenya?)

tyal-

verb. play

play

tyal-

verb. play

tyal- vb. "play" (1st pers. aorist tyalin "I play") (TYAL)

tyar-

verb. cause

tyar- vb. "cause" (KYAR)

tyar-

verb. cause

tye

you, thou, thee

tye pron. "you, thou, thee", 2nd person intimate/familar (LR:61, 70, Arct, VT49:36, 55), corresponding to formal/polite lye. According to VT49:51, tye was used as an endearment especially between lovers, and (grand)parents and children also used it to address one another ("to use the adult lye was more stern"). Tyenya "my tye", used = "dear kinsman" (VT49:51). The pronoun tye is derived from kie, sc. an original stem ki with an added -e(VT49:50). Stressed tyé; dual tyet "the two of you" (VT49:51 another note reproduced on the same page however states that tye has no dual form, and VT49:52 likewise states that the 2nd person familiar "never deleloped" dual or plural forms). Compare the reflexive pronoun intyë "yourself". Possibly related to the pronominal stem KE (2nd person sg.), if tye represents earlier *kye.

tú

they, them

tú pron. "they, them", 3rd person dual ("the two of them"), both "personal and neuter" (the pronoun can be used of persons and things alike). (VT49:51) Tolkien also considered tet for the same meaning, listing it alongside tú in one source (VT49:56), but this form was apparently abandoned.

u-

verb. not do, not be

#u- vb. "not do, not be" (1st pers. aorist uin "I do not, am not"), pa.t. úmë (UGU/UMU). A late (ca. 1968) source gives the forms uin, uin(yë) "I am not", uil(yë) "you are not", uis "it is not", uilmë "we are not", uir "are not" and endingless ui *"is not" (VT49:29, 36); these forms were however struck out. The example uin carë "I dont" (PE17:68) combines this negative verb with a following verb in the "simplest aorist infinitive". Compare ua in another late source. See also ui, which (despite its use as an interjection "no") seems to be the endingless 3rd person aorist.

ua-

not do, not be

ua- negative verb "not do, not be". If a verb is to be negated, ua (coming before the verb) receives any pronominal endings (and presumably also any endings for plurality or duality, -r or -t), whereas the uninflected tense-stem of the verb follows: With the ending -n for "I", one can thus have constructions like uan carë "I do not" (aorist), uan carnë "I did not" (past), uan cára "I am not doing" (present), uan caruva "I shall not do" (future). The verb ua- can itself be fully conjugated: #ua aorist (or present?), únë (past), úva "(future), #uië (perfect) (the aorist and perfect are attested only with the ending -n "I"). In "archaic Quenya" these tense-forms could be combined with an uninflected aorist stem, e.g. future *úvan carë = later Quenya uan caruva, "I shall not do". In later Quenya, only the forms ua (present or aorist) and "occasionally" the past tense form #únë were used in normal prose (únen* "I did not, was not"). (PE17:144; compare FS for úva** as a future-tense negative verb "will not")

ua-

verb. to not be, to not do

uan carë

I do not make

ui

no

ui interjection "no" (originally an endingless negative verb in the 3rd person aorist: "it is not [so]"; see #u-). Apparently this is the word for "no" used to deny that something is true (compare vá, which is rather used to reject orders, or to issue negative orders). (VT49:28) Compare uito.

ui-

verb. to not be, to not do

uin carë

I do not make

um-

verb. not to do, not to be

#um- vb. "not to do, not to be" (1st pers. aorist umin "I do not, am not"), past tense úmë (UGU/UMU). Another version of this negative verb had the form #hum-, q.v., but Tolkien rejected it.

urcarne

adjective. hard to make / do

urcárima

hard to make / do

urcárima, urcarnë adj. "hard to make / do". (PE17:154). Cf. urucarin.

urucárima

adjective. hard to make / do

ve

we

ve (2) pron. "we", 1st person pl. inclusive (corresponding to exclusive me), derived from an original stem-form we (VT49:50, PE17:130). Variant vi, q.v. Stressed wé, later vé (VT49:51). Dative (*wéna >) véna, VT49:14. Dual wet*, later vet "the two of us" (inclusive; cf. exclusive met) (VT49:51). Also compare the dative form ngwin or ngwen (q.v.), but this would apparently be wen > ven** according to Tolkiens later ideas.

vesta-

verb. to wed

vesta- vb. "to wed" (BES, VT49:46). (Under WED, the verb vesta- was defined as "swear to do something", but this was struck out.)

vi

we

vi pron. "we", 1st person inclusive (PE17:130), variant of ve #2.

vá

i will not!

vá exclamation "I will not!" or "Do not!", interjection accompanied by a "jerk back of head" (PE17:145). It was inflected only in the 1st person sing. and 1st person pl. exclusive: ván, ványë "I won't!", vammë "we won't" (WJ:371, PE17:143; read *valmë in Second Edition Quenya, after Tolkien revised the pronominal suffixes in the sixties).

vá caris i

he is not to do it (now or ever); in any case (whatever may be said, desired, or may occur to the contrary) he is not to do this

ván caruva

I will not (do not intend) to make

váquet-

verb. to say no

váquet- vb. (1st pers. aorist váquetin and 1st pers. past tense váquenten are given) "to say no" (not denying that something is true, but denying to do or to allow something: "to say I will not/do not"; "to refuse", "to forbid" (WJ:370, 371)

vó

son

vó (actually spelt vô), also vondo, noun "son" (LT2:336; in Tolkien's later Quenya yondo)

we

we

we, wé, see ve #2

yondo

son

yondo noun "son" (YŌ/YON, VT43:37); cf. yonya and the patronymic ending -ion. Early "Qenya" has yô, yond-, yondo "son" (LT2:342). According to LT2:344, these are poetic words, but yondo seems to be the normal word for "son" in LotR-style Quenya. Yón appears in VT44, 17, but Tolkien rewrote the text in question. In LT2:344, yondo is said to mean "male descendant, usually (great) grandson", but in Tolkien's later Quenya, yondo means "son", and the word is so glossed in LT2:342. Dative yondon in VT43:36 (here the "son" in question is Jesus). See also yonya. At one point, Tolkien rejected the word yondo as "very unsuitable" (for the intended meaning?), but no obvious replacement appeared in his writings (PE17:43), unless the (ephemeral?) form anon (q.v.) is regarded as such. In one source, yondo is also defined as "boy" (PE17:190).

yonyo

son, big boy

yonyo noun "son, big boy". In one version, yonyo was also a term used in children's play for "middle finger" or "middle toe", but Tolkien may have dropped this notion, deciding to use hanno "brother" as the alternative play-name (VT47:10, 15, VT48:4)

yulda

draught, something drunk, a drink, the amount drunk

yulda noun "draught, something drunk, a drink, the amount drunk", pl. yuldar (Nam, PE17:63, 68, RGEO:66). See -da regarding etymology.

á

immediate time reference

a (3), also á, imperative particle. An imperative with "immediate time reference" is expressed by á in front of the verb (or "occasionally after it, sometimes before and after for emphasis"), with the verb following in "the simplest form also used for the uninflected aorist without specific time reference past or present or future" (PE17:93). Cf. a laita te, laita te! "[o] bless them, bless them!", á vala Manwë! "may Manwë order it!", literally "o rule Manwë!" (see laita, vala for reference); cf. also á carë "do[!]", á ricë "try!", á lirë "sing[!]", á menë "proceed[!]", a norë "run[!]" (PE17:92-93, notice short a in this example), á tula "come!" (VT43:14). In the last example, the verb tul- "come" receives an ending -a that probably represents the _suffixed form of the imperative particle, this apparently being an example of the imperative element occurring both "before and after" the verbal stem "for emphasis" (PE17:93)_. This ending may also appear on its own with no preceding a/á, as in the command queta "speak!" (PE17:138). Other examples of imperatives with suffixed -a include cena and tira (VT47:31, see cen-, tir-); the imperatives of these same verbs are however also attested as á tirë, á cenë (PE17:94) with the imperative particle remaining independent and the following verb appearing as an uninflected aorist stem. This aorist can be plural to indicate a 3rd person pl. subject: á ricir! "let them try!" (PE17:93). Alyë (VT43:17, VT44:9) seems to be the imperative particle a with the pronominal suffix -lyë "you, thou" suffixed to indicate the subject who is to carry out the command; attested in the phrase alyë anta "give thou" (elided aly' in VT43:11, since the next word begins in e-: aly' eterúna me, *"do thou deliver us"); presumably other pronominal suffixes could likewise be added. The particle a is also present in the negative imperatives ala, #ála or áva, q.v.

á

particle. imperative particle

ála

particle. do not

ási, sí

interjection. come now, now

á tule

do come!

áva carë

Don’t do it

órë

heart

órë (1) noun "heart" (inner mind), also name of tengwa #21 (Appendix E), "premonition" (VT41:13), "nearest equivalent of 'heart' in our application to feelings, or emotions (courage, fear, hope, pity, etc.)" (VT41:13). The órë apparently defines a person's personality, cf. the description of Galadriel in PM:337, that "there dwelt in her the noble and generous spirit (órë) of the Vanyar". Órenya "my heart" (VT41:11).

ú

particle. not

úa

do not thou lead us

úa, with 1st person suffix úalyë, imperative particle á, a combined with the negation ú- to express a prohibition (úalyë mittanya me, *"do not thou lead us", VT43:9, 21-22). However, Tolkien apparently abandoned úa in favour of ala, alalyë, q.v. (later he also used the form áva for "don't"). Compare ua.

úcar-

verb. to sin, trespass; to do wrong

#úcar- vb. "to sin, trespass; to do wrong" (pl. aorist úcarer in VT43:12, we would rather expect úcarir, a form seemingly indicated by an emendation in one variant of the text in question, VT43:21). The verb is car- "do" with the prefix ú-, here suggesting something morally bad ("do wrong") rather than simple negation.

úcárima

adjective. hard to do, difficult

úcárima

adjective. hard to do, difficult, *undoable, unmakeable; hard to do, difficult

A word glossed “hard to do, difficult” in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969, a negated form of cárima “able to be done” (PE22/156). This word is from the brief period in 1969 where Tolkien decided that the main negative root was √LA, and ú- meant only “bad, hard, difficult, unfavourable”.

Neo-Quenya: For most of the 1960s, the prefix ú- was used for negation, and thus úcárima is likely to be interpreted as “✱undoable, unmakeable” for those Neo-Quenya writers that subscribe to u-negation; see the entry on the Quenya negative for discussion. To minimize ambiguity, I would instead use hraia or hranga to mean “difficult” for purposes of Neo-Quenya, and urucárima for “hard to make / do”.

úsahtië

inducement to do wrong

úsahtië (þ) noun "inducement to do wrong" (VT43:23); allative úsahtienna attested (the alternative form úsahtíenna with a long í must be erroneous, as pointed out by the editors [ibid.]). Compare sahta-, sahtië.

úva

will not

úva (1) vb. "will not", future tense of a negative verb (present/aorist tense úyë?) in Fíriel's Song. Compare #úva as the future tense of the negative verb ua- (q.v.) in a later source (PE17:144, where the verb is cited with a 1st person sg. ending: úvan).

þá

adverb. I agree of course, of course I do

ʼondō

noun. stone

PQ. stone

Ma istanyel?

t# `B81D5Ì$jÀ interrogative. Do I know you?

Translates officially as: Do I know (formal) you?

ahtar-

verb. to do back, react; to requite, avenge

ascárima

adjective. easy [to do]

caira

adjective. eager [to do]

hep-

verb. to keep

A neologism for “to keep” appearing in ABNW (ABNW) from the early 2000s, based on S. heb- “keep”.

horina

adjective. driven under compulsion, impelled

horna

adjective. driven under compulsion, impelled

it(ë) Speculative

adverb. if

ninya ná cares

I need do it, (lit.) mine is to do it

@@@ modernization of MQ idiom to express “I need/should ...”, of form <possessive-pronoun> + ná + <infinitive> (or possibly gerund), more literally “mine is to do”. This is an alternative to mauya nin care (“it is compelled to me to do”) construction

sitta-

verb. I am used to, I do habitually

car

do

car- (i gâr, i cherir), pa.t. agor (make, build) (WJ:415),

car

do

(i gâr, i cherir), pa.t. agor (make, build) (WJ:415)

dadbenn

do

(downhill, sloping down, inclined), lenited dhadbenn, pl. dedbinn. Verb

-d

suffix. you

2nd du. pron. suff. #you (two). Q. -star.See paradigm PE17:132.

-dh

suffix. you

{ð} 2nd du. pron. suff. #you (two). Q. -star.See paradigm PE17:132.

-dh

suffix. you

{ð} 2nd sg. pron. suff. #you. Q. -tar.See paradigm PE17:132.

-dhir

suffix. you

{ð} 2nd pl. pron. suff. #you. Q. -ltar.See paradigm PE17:132.

-m

suffix. we

1st du. pron. suff. #we (you and me). Q. -mmo.See paradigm PE17:132.

-nc

suffix. we

1st du. pron. suff. #we (you and me). Q. -lmo.See paradigm PE17:132. >> -ngid

achar-

do back

_ v. _do back, react; requite; avenge. Q. _akkar _or ahtar. Tôl achar 'vengeance is coming'. . This gloss was rejected.

al-

prefix. not

pref. not. >> alfirin

athgar

adjective. easy (easy to do)

ava-

auxillary verb. will not

ava-

verb. will not, do not

avgaro

don’t do it

avo garo

don’t do it

baw

interjection. no, don't!

car-

verb. to do

car-

verb. to do, make

Car- is the Sindarin verb for “do, make”, derived from the root √KAR of the same meaning. Tolkien often used it for examples of verb inflections in his writings.

Conceptual Development: The earliest iteration of this verb was G. {car- >>} cartha- “make, finish” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s with past tense côri (GL/25), reappearing as cartha- “to finish” in the Gnomish Lexicon Slips modifying that document with past tense cair- or cawr- (PE13/111). A set of rough verb forms caron, {cur}, côr, {carn}, crantha, cor and cranthi appear in the margin of a page of the Early Noldorin Grammar, which the editors suggested might be related to the (unglossed and rejected) sentence ᴱN. on gós i·bhelon ar cranthi gwaist ’worin o nomad othra, perhaps meaning “✱he made everyone aware of your sinking” (PE13/128 and note #76).

In the Early Noldorin Dictionary, also from the 1920s, Tolkien had ᴱN. cara- “to make, do, perform, act (trans. and absolute)” with a new past form agor (PE13/161). Hints of the verb N. car- can be found in The Etymologies of the 1930s in words like N. ceredir “doer, maker” and N. osgar “cut round, amputate” (Ety/DER, OS). The verb appeared regularly in conjugation charts and sentences Tolkien’s later writings of the 1950s and 60s (VT50/22; PE17/132).

caran

adjective. red

caran

red

_ adj. _red, ruddy. >> Caradhras

caran

adjective. red

caro

verb. do! make!

ci

thou

{k} _pron. _thou. Lenited in _gī _as in mae g(ī)' ovannen 'well [art] you met'.

ci

pronoun. thou

cuia-

verb. to live

A verb for “to live” appearing only in the imperative form cuio in the phrase cuio i Pheriain anann “long live the Halflings” or “may the Halflings live long” (LotR/953; Let/448; PE17/102). It already had this form when it appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (SD/46).

de

pronoun. you

díhena-

verb. to forgive (with matter forgiven as object?)

díhena-

verb. *to forgive

díheno

verb. forgive!

edhellen

adjective. elvish, of the Elves

edhellen

adjective. Elvish

_ adj. _Elvish. annon edhellen edro hi ammen! 'Elvish gate open now for us'. >> edhel

gaer

adjective. red, copper-coloured, ruddy

gohena-

verb. to forgive (with person forgiven as object?)

gohena-

verb. *to forgive

gond

noun. great stone, rock

gond

stone

_n. _stone, rock. Archaic S. gond > gonn. Q. ondo. >> Gondor

gondren

adjective. (made) of stone

gûr

noun. heart (in the moral sense), counsel

heb-

verb. to retain, keep, do not give away or release, keep hold of

heb-

verb. to keep

A verb for “to keep” appearing only in its negated form ú-chebin in the phrase ú-chebin estel anim “I have kept no hope for myself” from The Lord of the Rings Appendix A (LotR/1061). Its root √KHEP “retain, keep, do not give away or release, keep hold of” appeared in notes from around 1959-60 (PE17/157; VT41/6).

im

pronoun. I

In late writings (see esp. VT/47:37-38), Tolkien reinterpreted this form as a reflexive pronoun (= "self").

im

noun. valley, valley; [N.] dell, deep vale

An archaic element meaning “valley” that survived only in compounds, a derivation of ✶imbi “between” (VT47/14). The basic sense “valley” was transferred to its more elaborate form imlad as in Imladris “Rivendell”, and †im “valley” fell out of use due to its conflicted with other words like the reflexive pronoun im.

Conceptual Development: N. imm “dell, deep vale” was mentioned in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√IMBE, alongside its elaboration N. imlad of the same meaning (Ety/IMBE).

imlad

noun. deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides (but a flat habitable bottom)

imloth

noun. flower-valley, flowery vale

This word only occurs in the place name Imloth Melui, a vale where roses grew

imrad

noun. a path or pass (between mountains, hills or trackless forest)

imrath

noun. long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise

imrath gondraich

place name. Stonewain Valley

A Sindarin name for the Stonewain Valley, written as Imrath Gondraich by Christoper Tolkien in the index of the Unfinished Tales (UTI/Stonewain Valley), and as Imrath Gondraith by Hammond and Scull based on Tolkien’s “Unfinished Index” of The Lord of the Rings (RC/558). The first word is imrath “valley with a road” (RC/558), and the initial element of the second word is clearly gond “stone”, so the final element raich/raith may be a plural of “wain”. This is perhaps from a variant (✱rach/rath) of the other attested Sindarin word for “wagon” rasg, which appeared as a plural in the other name for the Stonewain Valley: Nan Gondresgion (PE17/28).

innas

noun. will

ion

noun. son

For the second meaning, cf. Hadorion, a Húrin's epithet in WJ/294, Hurinionath referring to the house of Húrin the Steward in PM/202-3,218, and Gil-Galad's epithet Ereinion, cf. also the gloss of the old Qenya cognate yondo "descendant of" in PE/12:106, or the use of the same suffix in later Quenya names such as Isildurioni and Anárioni "Heirs of Isildur (resp. Anárion)" in PM/192,196

ion

noun. scion, male descendant

For the second meaning, cf. Hadorion, a Húrin's epithet in WJ/294, Hurinionath referring to the house of Húrin the Steward in PM/202-3,218, and Gil-Galad's epithet Ereinion, cf. also the gloss of the old Qenya cognate yondo "descendant of" in PE/12:106, or the use of the same suffix in later Quenya names such as Isildurioni and Anárioni "Heirs of Isildur (resp. Anárion)" in PM/192,196

ion(n)

noun. son, son, *boy

The usual word for “son” in Sindarin, derived from the root √YON of similar meaning (MR/373; SD/129; VT50/18; Ety/YŌ). Tolkien gave it as both ion and ionn.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s the word for “son” was G. bo or bon (GL/23). This became ᴱN. gó “son” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/144). Tolkien introduced N. ionn “son” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√YO(N) of the same meaning (Ety/YŌ), and seems to have stuck with it thereafter.

Neo-Sindarin: In later writings, Tolkien sometimes glossed its Quenya equivalents yondo or yonyo as “boy” (PE17/190; VT47/10, 27). Since we don’t have any good Sindarin words for “boy”, I’d use ionn for this purpose as well.

iond

noun. son

For the second meaning, cf. Hadorion, a Húrin's epithet in WJ/294, Hurinionath referring to the house of Húrin the Steward in PM/202-3,218, and Gil-Galad's epithet Ereinion, cf. also the gloss of the old Qenya cognate yondo "descendant of" in PE/12:106, or the use of the same suffix in later Quenya names such as Isildurioni and Anárioni "Heirs of Isildur (resp. Anárion)" in PM/192,196

iond

noun. scion, male descendant

For the second meaning, cf. Hadorion, a Húrin's epithet in WJ/294, Hurinionath referring to the house of Húrin the Steward in PM/202-3,218, and Gil-Galad's epithet Ereinion, cf. also the gloss of the old Qenya cognate yondo "descendant of" in PE/12:106, or the use of the same suffix in later Quenya names such as Isildurioni and Anárioni "Heirs of Isildur (resp. Anárion)" in PM/192,196

ionnath

noun. all the sons

iôn

noun. son

iôn

masculine name. Son

A name that Eöl used for his son Maeglin while he was growing, which is simply ion(n) “son” used as a name (WJ/337).

mad-

verb. to eat

The Sindarin verb for “to eat” derived from the root √MAT of the same meaning (PE17/131; Ety/MAT). In Tolkien’s later writing it appears only in inflected forms, but the verb itself is well established, dating back all the way to G. mad- in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/56). This verb was one Tolkien often used in examples of verb conjugations and as such its inflected forms changed considerably over time, but that is more a topic of the evolution of the Sindarin verb system.

nan gondresgion

place name. Stonewain Valley

Another Sindarin name for the Stonewain Valley (PE17/28), apparently a combination of nan(d) “valley”, gond “stone”, the plural of rasg “wagon” and the suffix -ion “-land”.

nidh-

verb. will, mean to, have a mind to

ruin

adjective. (fiery) red

sarn

noun. stone (as a material)

Sern in UT/463 is a misprint, see VT/42:11

sarn

noun. small stone

Sern in UT/463 is a misprint, see VT/42:11

suith

noun. draught

taw

adverb. thither

A word for “thither” based on ✶tad = √TA “that” + ancient allative suffix ✶-da “motion towards”, where [[os|final [d] spirantalized and vanished]] (PE19/104). In the 1930s and 40s it appeared only in its Old Noldorin form tō (Ety/TA; PE19/52; PE21/58).

ten

pronoun. (?) it (as object)

thalion

noun. hero, dauntless man (especially as surname of Húrin Thalion)

tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills

tum gondregain

place name. Stonewain Valley

uin

suffix. I do not

_ v. & pron. suff. _I do not. Could be used with bare verbs : uin gare I do not make. >> -n, ú-

uin gar

I do not make

ú

prefix. no, not (negative prefix or particle)

ú-

~M prefix. negates the sense of the following word

pref. negates the sense of the following word. Applied to all classes of words but especially to verbs and adjectives. Prefixed to verbal stems (without further suffix), it forms quasi-participles in aorist mode (e.g. únod not ever counting, _úbed _not saying). The continuative participle ol can be added in order to express a strictly present (and continuative) sense : úgarol 'not now doing or making', idling vs. ugar '(generally) idle'. There is no sens of 'without' attaching to ú- in Sindarin, see pen- (ben-). >> pen-, úland, úlann

úchebin

suffix. I do not retain

v. & 1st sg. suff. I do not retain.  úchebin estel anim 'I don't keep hope for myself'.

úgar

verb. he does not do

_ v. _he does not do (make). >> ú-

úmedin

suffix. I do not eat

v. & pron. suff. I do not eat. >> -n, ú-, úvedin

û

interjection. no

adv. or interj. no, not (of fact).

ae

lE conjunction. if, supposing

Cognate of Q. ai.

ae

conjunction. if

al

not

al- (prefix) as in alfirin "not-mortal", immortal.

al

not

(prefix) as in alfirin "not-mortal", immortal.

athal (athchal)

adjective. easy to lift, light (in weight)

A neo-compound, from ath- + KHAL (cp. athgar, athgen, PE17/148). The contact assimilation -th+kh- > -th- is according to Salo, "A Gateway to Sindarin" §§ 4.136, 15.17.

ava

will not

(i ava, in avar).

ava

will not

ava- (i ava, in avar).

ava

will not

ava- (i ava, in avar)

baw!

no

! (interjection expressing refusal or prohibition, not denying facts) baw! (dont!) Prefix

baw!

no

(don’t!) Prefix

born

red

(hot), lenited vorn, pl. byrn

bôr

trusty man

bôr (boron-) (i vôr, construct bor) (steadfast man, faithful vassal), pl. bŷr for older beryn, i meryn (archaic böryn, i möryn). In ”Noldorin”, the older pl. forms were berein, beren.

bôr

trusty man

bôr (boron-) (i vôr, construct bor) (steadfast man, faithful vassal), pl. bŷr (i mŷr) for older beryn, i meryn (archaic börin, i mörin). In ”Noldorin”, the older pl. forms were berein, beren.

caetha-

verb. to make to do or be, cause, compel, induce, bring about

callon

hero

1. callon (i gallon, o challon), pl. cellyn (i chellyn), coll. pl. callonnath; 2) thalion (dauntless man), pl. thelyn. Also used as an adj. ”dauntless, steadfast, strong”.

callon

hero

(i gallon, o challon), pl. cellyn (i chellyn), coll. pl. callonnath

car

make

1. car- (i gâr, i cherir), pa.t. agor (do, build) (WJ:415), 2) echad- (i echad, in echedir) (fashion, shape), pa.t. echant (VT45:19)

caran

red

1. caran (lenited garan, pl. cerain). Also carn (lenited garn, pl. cern), 2) coll (scarlet), lenited goll, pl. cyll (VT45:15, 24). Note: homophones mean "hollow" and also "cloak". 3) born (hot), lenited vorn, pl. byrn, 4) (fiery red) naru (analogical pl. nery). The archaic fom narw is also listed (LR:374 s.v. _NAR_1). 5) rhosc (russet, brown), lenited ?throsc or ?rosc (the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhysc. Cf. also

caran

red

(lenited garan, pl. cerain). Also carn (lenited garn, pl. cern)

coll

red

(scarlet), lenited goll, pl. cyll (VT45:15, 24). Note: homophones mean "hollow" and also "cloak".

crann

ruddy

(lenited grann, pl. crain).

dadbenn

prone (to do)

(adj.) dadbenn (downhill, sloping down, inclined), lenited dhadbenn, pl. dedbinn. Verb

dadbenn

prone (to do)

(adj.) dadbenn (downhill, sloping down, inclined), lenited dhadbenn, pl. dedbinn

dihena

forgive

(i nihena, i ndihenar if the first element represents a stem in ND-; cf. the derivation of dî, di cited in VT45:37) 

edhellen

elvish

edhellen (of language apparently = ”Sindarin”), pl. edhellin

gaer

red, reddish

(copper-coloured, ruddy); lenited ’aear; no distinct pl. form. (This is a suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” goer.) Note: homophones mean "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy" and also "sea".

gobel

town

(in archaic sense, cf. other glosses) ) gobel (i **obel) (enclosed dwelling, walled house or village), pl. gebil (i ngebil** = i ñebil). Archaic pl. *göbil.

gobel

town

(i ’obel) (enclosed dwelling, walled house or village), pl. gebil (i ngebil = i ñebil). Archaic pl. ✱göbil.

gohena

forgive

1. gohena- (i **ohena, i ngohenar = i ñohenar). Apparently this refers to foregiveness between equals. (VT44:23), 2) (of a superior to an inferior) dihena- (i nihena, i ndihenar if the first element represents a stem in ND-; cf. the derivation of dî, di** cited in VT45:37)

gohena

forgive

(i ’ohena, i ngohenar = i ñohenar). Apparently this refers to foregiveness between equals. (VT44:23)

gond

stone

(i ’ond, construct gon) (great stone or rock), pl. gynd (i ngynd = i ñynd), coll. pl. gonnath (Letters:410).

gondrath

street of stone

(i ’ondrath) (causeway, raised stone highway), pl. gendraith (i ngendraith = i ñendraith). Archaic pl. göndreith. (WJ:340)

gondren

made of stone, stony

(stony), lenited ’ondren, pl. gendrin. Archaic pl. göndrin (TI:270).

gonhir

master of stone

(i ’Onhir), no distinct pl. form except with article (i Ngonhir = i Ñonhir), maybe primarily used as a coll. pl. Gonhirrim  (WJ:205, there spelt ”Gonnhirrim”)

gôn

stone

(i ’ôn, construct gon); pl. gŷn, coll. pl. #gonath as in Argonath.

gú

no, not

also ú

gûr

heart

(i ’ûr, construct gur), pl. guir (i nguir = i ñuir). Note: A homophone means ”death”, but has different mutations. (VT41:11).

ha

it

ha, han, hana. (The distinctions between these forms are unclear. Possibly ha is the nominative, whereas han is the accusative. Hana could be an emphatic form. It may be that these pronouns as ”N” rather than Sindarin proper.)

ha

it

han, hana. *(The distinctions between these forms are unclear. Possibly ha is the nominative, whereas han is the accusative. Hana could be an emphatic form. It may be that these pronouns as ”N” rather than Sindarin proper.)*

heb

retain

heb- (i chêb, i chebir) (keep)

heb

retain

(i chêb, i chebir) (keep)

heria

have an impulse

heria- (i cheria, i cheriar) (be compelled to do something, begin suddenly and vigorously, set vigorously out to do) (VT45:22)

heria

set vigorously out to do

heria- (i cheria, i cheriar) (have an impulse, be compelled to do something, begin suddenly and vigorously) (VT45:22)

heria

set vigorously out to do

heria- (i cheria, i cheriar) (have an impulse, be compelled to do something) (VT45:22)

heria

set vigorously out to do

(i cheria, i cheriar) (have an impulse, be compelled to do something, begin suddenly and vigorously) (VT45:22)

heria

must); be compelled to do something

DO SOMETHING heria- (i cheria, i cheriar) (have an impulse, begin suddenly and vigorously, set vigorously out to do) (VT45:22)

horn

driven under compulsion

horn (impelled), lenited chorn; pl. hyrn

horn

driven under compulsion

horn (impelled), lenited chorn; pl. hyrnÛ: Û-

hîn

they

(of women) hîn. It is unclear whether Tolkien maintained this ”Noldorin” pronoun in Sindarin.

hîn

they

. It is unclear whether Tolkien maintained this ”Noldorin” pronoun in Sindarin.

hûn

heart

1. (physical heart) hûn (i chûn, o chûn, construct hun), pl. huin (i chuin), 2) (inner mind) gûr (i **ûr, construct gur), pl. guir (i nguir = i ñuir). Note: A homophone means ”death”, but has different mutations. (VT41:11). 3) ind (inner thought, mind, meaning), no distinct pl. form;, coll. pl. innath. 4) nest (core, center), pl. nist. Also notice the prefix hû**- apparently meaning ”heart”..

hûn

heart

(i chûn, o chûn, construct hun), pl. huin (i chuin)

im

i

but as subject usually simply the ending -n, as in ónen ”

imloth

flowering valley

(pl. imlyth) (VT42:18).

imrath

valley

(long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise) imrath (pl. imraith)

ind

heart

(inner thought, mind, meaning), no distinct pl. form;, coll. pl. innath.

innas

will

(noun) innas, pl. innais (VT44:23)

innas

will

pl. innais (VT44:23)

iond

wj

pl. ynd, coll. pl. ionnath.

ista

have knowledge

ista- (i ista, in istar), pa.t. sint or istas (VT45:18).

iôn

son

iôn (-ion) (descendant), pl. ŷn, coll. pl. #ionath_ isolated from Hurinionath (PM:202-3) as the name of the House of Húrin. (MR:373, WJ.337, PM:202-203, 218) _Also iond, pl. ynd, coll. pl. ionnath. DARK SON, see DARK ELF

iôn

son

(-ion) (descendant), pl. ŷn, coll. pl. #*ionath*** isolated from Hurinionath* (PM:202-3) as the name of the House of Húrin. (MR:373*

lae-

verb. to not be

law

adverb. not

law

jyE prefix. not

Neologism derived from the root √LA "no, not". ló- and lenition before consonants. It's meant to be used as an alternative to ú-, which Tolkien rejected as a negative prefix in his later writings.

Examples:
*ló-hevin mass "I do not have bread."
*law aníron mass "I do not want bread."

Phonological development:
lā > lǭ > lau, law
?law > ló-

le

thou

le (attested as dative ”to thee”; possibly also used as nominative/accusative, though an accusative *len ”thee” may be theorized to exist). Genitive lín ”thy”.

le

thou

(attested as dative ”to thee”; possibly also used as nominative/accusative, though an accusative ✱len ”thee” may be theorized to exist). Genitive lín ”thy”.

lâd

valley

(lowland, plain), construct lad, pl. laid

mav-

verb. to like

men

we

men (accusative mín ”us”, presumably usually lenited vín, which is also the genitive ”our”).

men

we

(accusative mín ”us”, presumably usually lenited vín, which is also the genitive ”our”).

nand

valley

1. nand (construct nan) (wide grassland, land at the foot of hills with many streams), pl. naind, coll. pl. nannath (VT45:36), 2) lâd (lowland, plain), construct lad, pl. laid, 3) (long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise) imrath (pl. imraith).

nand

valley

(construct nan) (wide grassland, land at the foot of hills with many streams), pl. naind, coll. pl. **nannath **(VT45:36)

naru

red

(analogical pl. nery). The archaic fom narw is also listed (LR:374 s.v. NAR1).

nest

heart

(core, center), pl. nist. Also notice the prefix hû- apparently meaning ”heart”..

ni

pronoun. I

nin

i

”me”, genitive nín ”my”, dative anim or enni ”to me, for me”.

pi

adverb. if

pol-

verb. can

puig

clean

puig (tidy, neat); lenited buig, no distinct pl. form.

puig

clean

(tidy, neat); lenited buig, no distinct pl. form.

rhosc

red

(russet, brown), lenited ?throsc or ?rosc *(the lenition product of rh is uncertain)*, pl. rhysc. Cf. also

rî

wreath

rî (construct ri) (crown, garland), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rî), coll. pl. ríath

rî

wreath

(construct ri) (crown, garland), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh rî), coll. pl. ríath

said

not common

(lenited haid; no distinct pl. form) (separate, private, excluded) (VT42:20)

sarn

stone

1. (small stone, or stone as material) sarn (i harn, o sarn), pl. sern (i sern); also used as adj. ”stony, made of stone”. 2) gôn (i **ôn, construct gon); pl. gŷn, coll. pl. #**gonath as in Argonath. 3) (larger stone) gond (i **ond, construct gon) (great stone or rock), pl. gynd (i ngynd = i ñynd), coll. pl. gonnath** (Letters:410).

sarn

stone

(i harn, o sarn), pl. sern (i sern); also used as adj. ”stony, made of stone”.

sarn

made of stone, stony

(lenited harn; pl. sern); also used as noun ”small stone, pebble, stone [as material]”; as adj. also = ”stony”.

suith

draught

*suith (i huith, o suith), no distinct pl. form except with article (i suith). Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” sûth.

suith

draught

(i huith, o suith), no distinct pl. form except with article (i suith). – Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” sûth.

talath

wide valley

(i** dalath, o thalath) (flat surface, plane, flatlands, plain), pl. telaith (i** thelaith). *Tolkien changed this word from ”Noldorin” dalath, LR:353 s.v.*

talath

dal

Dirnen or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the Silmarillion.

teilia

play

(verb) teilia- (i deilia, i theiliar), also telia- (i delia, i theliar)

teilia

play

(i deilia, i theiliar), also telia- (i delia, i theliar)

teilien

play

(noun) teilien (i deilien) (sport), pl. teilin (i theilin). The word also occurs in a form that has e rather than ei (telien).

teilien

play

(i deilien) (sport), pl. teilin (i theilin). The word also occurs in a form that has e rather than ei (telien).

thalion

hero

(dauntless man), pl. thelyn. Also used as an adj. ”dauntless, steadfast, strong”.   

thel

will

(vb.) ?thel- (intend, mean, purpose, resolve)

thel

will

(intend, mean, purpose, resolve)

yll

noun. draught

A neologism for “draught” coined by Ryszard Derdzinski in PPW (PPW) from the early 2000s, based on Q. yulda. I prefer ᴺS. suith “draught, a drink”, but ᴺS. yll might be preferable if you think Tolkien abandoned the root √SOK/SUK “drink”.

ú

not

(adverbial prefix) ú-, u- (followed by lenition, e.g. ú-chebin ”I do not keep”) (without). Verb

ú

not

u- (followed by lenition, e.g. ú-chebin ”

cuia-

verb. to live

-ion

suffix. son

al-

prefix. no, not

callon

noun. hero

callon

noun. hero

car-

verb. to do, make

caran

adjective. red

caran

adjective. red

caron

adjective. red

coll

adjective. (golden) red

ganna-

verb. to play a harp

gannada-

verb. to play a harp

goer

adjective. red, copper-coloured, ruddy

gondrafn

noun. hewn stone

gondram

noun. hewn stone

gonn

noun. great stone, rock

ha

pronoun. it

ha

pronoun. it

hana

pronoun. it

hana

pronoun. it

horn

adjective. driven under compulsion, impelled (to do something)

hortha-

verb. to urge on, speed

hûn

noun. heart (physical)

im

pronoun. I

imlad

noun. deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides (but a flat habitable bottom)

ionn

noun. son

For the second meaning, cf. Hadorion, a Húrin's epithet in WJ/294, Hurinionath referring to the house of Húrin the Steward in PM/202-3,218, and Gil-Galad's epithet Ereinion, cf. also the gloss of the old Qenya cognate yondo "descendant of" in PE/12:106, or the use of the same suffix in later Quenya names such as Isildurioni and Anárioni "Heirs of Isildur (resp. Anárion)" in PM/192,196

ionn

noun. scion, male descendant

For the second meaning, cf. Hadorion, a Húrin's epithet in WJ/294, Hurinionath referring to the house of Húrin the Steward in PM/202-3,218, and Gil-Galad's epithet Ereinion, cf. also the gloss of the old Qenya cognate yondo "descendant of" in PE/12:106, or the use of the same suffix in later Quenya names such as Isildurioni and Anárioni "Heirs of Isildur (resp. Anárion)" in PM/192,196

ionn

noun. son

mad-

verb. to eat

mû

interjection. no

naru

adjective. red

naru

adjective. red, [fiery] red

narw

adjective. red

puig

adjective. clean, tidy, neat

sarn

noun. stone (as a material)

Sern in UT/463 is a misprint, see VT/42:11

sarn

noun. small stone

Sern in UT/463 is a misprint, see VT/42:11

sûth

noun. draught

sûth

noun. draught

A noun appearing as N. sûth “draught” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√SUK “drink”, likely from primitive ✱suktō given its Quenya cognate ᴹQ. suhto (Ety/SUK). It is thus likely that the combination ukt vocalized to ūth, as it did for similar words in The Etymologies such as N. lhûtha- “enchant” vs. ᴹQ. luhta- under the root ᴹ√LUK (Ety/LUK).

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s instead had G. suith “a drink, a draught” (GL/68) from the early root ᴱ√SOKO (QL/85), representing a different vocalization: okt vocalizing to oith (HPG/§2.6) and then oi becoming ui (PE15/13). It seems the phonetic developments in The Etymologies of that late 1930s were different, but in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from this same period, Tolkien said [ui] was the result of vocalized u + χ (PE22/40), and indeed that seems to be the phonetic developments in later Sindarin as well, given words like S. nuitha- from primitive ✶nuktā- (WJ/413).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I’d use ᴺS. suith for “draught, a drink”, a form I saw first suggested by David Salo in his book Gateway to Sindarin (GS/321).

teilia-

verb. to play

telia-

verb. to play

thalion

noun. hero, dauntless man (especially as surname of Húrin Thalion)

tog-

verb. to bring

A verb in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “to bring” under the root ᴹ√TUK “draw, bring”, appearing in its (Noldorin-style) infinitive form tegi and its present tense form tôg (Ety/TUK). It was originally glossed as “to lead, bring”, but “lead” was crossed out (EtyAC/TUK).

tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills

nasar

adjective. red

minul-târik

place name. Pillar of Heaven

The Adûnaic name of the Pillar of Heaven (Q. Meneltarma), the great and holy mountain at the center of Númenor (SD/249). The first element is the objective form of minal “the heavens”. The second element târik “pillar” is normally a noun, but in this case it behaves verbally with the sense “that which supports”, since the objective case requires a second verbal element (SD/429). Therefore, the literal translation of the name is “That Which Supports the Heavens”. Conceptual Development: The first Adûnaic name for this mountain was Menel-tūbil or Menel-Tûbal (SD/305, SD/363).

duban

noun. valley

aba-kar ā

don’t do it

del

root. will

A root in etymological notes from 1968, meaning “to will with conscious purpose, immediate or remote”; it was distinct from “be willing, to assent, consent, agree”, which partakes of the will but also involves accident or change (NM/231). Given the many other uses to which √DEL was assigned, odds are this was a transient idea.

kar-

verb. do, make

karani

adjective. red

kwel

root. revolve

kwer

root. revolve, revolve, [ᴱ√] turn

A root Tolkien used for “revolve” in notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s, along with variant √KWEL and derivatives Q. querend- “pivot, revolving centre” and Q. querma “spinning wheel, turn-table” (PE17/65). It replaced √PEL for this purpose, which came to mean “edge, bound, fence, limit”. This note seems to imply that √KWER primarily meant a horizontal rotation, but it was also the basis for Q. querna, as in silmë nuquerna “s-reversed” for an inverted silmë tengwa (LotR/1123), though it may be that the nu- here is necessary to imply a vertical rotation.

The earliest precursor to this root was ᴱ√KERE “turn” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, though this root’s derivatives mostly had to with earthenware and pottery (QL/46). In the Early Quenya Grammar of the 1920s Tolkien introduced several variants of this root: ku̯ere, ki̯ere and elaboration ᴱ√kereke “turn round and round, send to and fro”, the latter said to be the basis of words having to do with “weave” in a syncopated form √kreke (PE14/65). In this document, none of these variants had any derivatives, but it seems the first of these ku̯ere survived in Tolkien’s later conception of the languages.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would mostly use √KWER for “revolve, ✱turn”, and avoid the variant √KWEL which (a) has no derivatives and (b) conflicts with √KWEL “fade”. However, √KWEL is useful for preserving Noldorin words having to do with rotation from the earlier sense of the root ᴹ√PEL “revolve on fixed point” from the 1930s, so I would keep it as Sindarin-only variant to allow the retention of words like N. pelthaes “pivot”; this may also have been Tolkien’s motive for having such a variant of √KWER “revolve”.

lā-

verb. to not be

lāni/lanjē karnē-sa

I did not do it

mat-

verb. to eat

nir

root. will, intention, conscious resolve to move or do

te

pronoun. they

thakta-

verb. to pressure or force ([one] to do something against one’s will or conscience)

tī

pronoun. they

yon

root. son

This root was the basis for Elvish “son” words for much of Tolkien’s life. The earliest indications of this root are ᴱQ. †Y̯ó (or y̯ond-) “son” and ᴱQ. yondo “male descendant”, both tied to the patronymic suffix ᴱQ. -ion “son of, descendant of” appearing in many names (QL/106). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon there was also the related patronymic prefix G. go- (GL/40), which implies the existence of a root ✱ᴱ√YO(NO) since [[g|initial [j] usually became [g]]] in Gnomish. However, go- was deleted and changed to G. bo-, along with new Qenya forms ᴱQ. vô and ᴱQ. vondo (GL/23, 40), implying a change to a root ✱ᴱ√VO(NO).

In Early Noldorin Word-lists from the 1920s, ᴱN. gó “son” reappeared along with ᴱQ. ion and yondi (PE13/144). In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root appeared as ᴹ√YŌ or ᴹ√YON “son” with derivatives like ᴹQ. yondo/N. ionn “son” and patronymic -ion (Ety/YŌ). The root reappeared in notes from the late 1940s with the sense “son or young man”, though more anciently a general masculine suffix (PE23/87).

However, in notes labeled “Changes affecting Silmarillion nomenclature” from the late 1950s, Tolkien wrote “Delete entirely yondo = ‘son’! Very unsuitable” (PE17/43). This particular note was rejected when Tolkien changed √YON “wide, extensive” to √YAN (PE17/42). Other notes in the same bundle indicate Tolkien was still seeking a new word for son, saying “Q wanted: son, daughter”, though yon(do) remained among the forms he was considering (PE17/170, 190). It seems Tolkien eventually stopped vacillating and restored √YON, since the patronymic -ion was never discarded, and yon- was the basis for “son” words in notes from the late 1960s (VT47/26).

ʒond-

noun. son

kah

root. cause

aba-

prefix. not

abá care

don’t do it!

bá

particle. I will not, Do not!

car-

verb. to do

de

pronoun. you

mat-

verb. to eat

nand

noun. valley

Isolated from Lindórinand, Lórinand (q.v. for reference). While this word is not given in the Etymologies, it is clearly derived from the stem NAD (LR:374) and hence a close cognate of the similar Doriathrin word nand "field, valley". The Quenya cognate nanda (meaning "water-mead, watered plain") indicates a primitive form *nandâ; as in most cases, the final -â is lost in Nandorin.