epë

before

epë prep. "before" ("in all relations but time", VT49:32), though the word was glossed "after" when first published (VT42:32; Bill Welden, the writer of the article in question, later presented this correction in VT44:38). The preposition can indeed express "after" when used of time, since the Eldar imagined future time (time that comes after the present) as being "before" them (VT49:12, 32); epë is in this respect a variant of apa, q.v. (Cf. VT49:22.) Compare epessë, q.v. Epë "before" may also be used in comparison (PE17:56, 57), apparently in much the same way as lá #2 (q.v.) (VT42:32)

nó

before

nó (3) prep. "before" (of time, compare nóvo), "at back" (of spatial relationships). In other conceptual phases, Tolkien also let the word have the opposite meaning "after" (of time) or "in front" (of space). (VT49:32).

epeni

adverb. before

merin sa haryalyë alassë nó vanyalyë ambarello

I hope that you have happiness before you pass from the world

This sentence appeared in a letter from Tolkien to a girl (woman?) named Dorothy. This sentence was first described publicly by Michael Dawson in 1999 on the Tolkien mailing list. The date of the original letter is unknown, since it was only described indirectly in another letter from Dorothy to Dawson’s (deceased) mother, dated 1968 (see Tolklang/34.99), but it seems likely that it was written after The Lord of the Rings was published. In the literature, this phrase is usually referred to as the “Merin Sentence”.

The sentence was first analyzed by Helge Fauskanger (Tolklang/35.02) and Ales Bican posted a short description of the sentence on the Elfling website. Based on its use of vanya-, Helge Fauskanger suggested the sentence was probably written before the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60, since in that essay the base verb form auta- (WJ/366, Tolklang/35.02). When first published, there was some question on the validity of the sentence, but later independent confirmation of the existence of the Quenya word nó “before” supports its authenticity (as discussed by Bill Welden, VT49/32 note #12).

In the original description of the phrase, the first word is given as meriu, but there is a general concensus is that this is probably a misreading of merin “I hope”, the aorist 1st-singular form of the verb mer- “to hope”. The second word sa “that” is used here as a relative pronoun. The third word haryalye “you have” is the aorist 2nd-singular-polite form of the verb harya- “to have”.

The fourth word is alassë “happiness” followed by nó “before”. The sixth word vanyalye “you pass” is the aorist 2nd-singular-polite form of the verb vanya- which appeared in The Etymologies (Ety/WAN); in late writings this verb is usually given as auta- “to pass away”. The last word Ambarello “from the world” is the ablative form of the noun Ambar “World”.

nóvo

previously, before

nóvo adv. "previously, before" (?) _(PE15:35). _Compare nó #3.

opo

before, in front of

opo prep. "before, in front of" (of spatial relationships); "after" (of time), also pó, po or pono, poto (VT49:12, VT44:36, evidently a variant of apa).

po

before, in front of

po, pó prep. "before, in front of" (of spatial relationships) "after" (of time), also opo or pono, poto- (VT49:12, 32, VT44:36; evidently a variant of apa)

fai

adverb. *before of time

epë

preposition. after (of time), following; before (in all relations but time)

nó

before (of time); at back (of place), before (of time); at back (of place); [ᴹQ.] yester-; [ᴱQ.] after (of place), behind; after (only of time); than

opo

preposition. before, in front (of place); after (of time)

a anamelda na epë b

A is dear before B

eru fai, sî, euva

*Eru (was) before, (is) now, will be (after)

fai; afea

adverb. before (of time)

opo

before, ahead, in front of

potai

conjunction. *therefore, (lit.) before which

pó

preposition. before, in front (of place); after (of time)

etta

therefore

etta adv. "therefore" (VT49:12)

potai

therefore

potai adv. "therefore". Tolkien seems uncertain whether to use this form or etta (VT49:12). Cf. also epetai.

nópata-

verb. to precede, (lit.) to walk before

Ainu

holy one, angelic spirit

Ainu noun "holy one, angelic spirit"; fem. Aini (AYAN, LT1:248); "one of the 'order' of the Valar and Maiar, made before Eä"; pl. Ainur is attested. Adopted and adapted from Valarin ayanūz(WJ:399). In the early "Qenya Lexicon", ainu was glossed "a pagan god", and aini was similarly "a pagan goddess", but as Christopher Tolkien notes, "Of course no one within the context of the mythology can call the Ainur 'pagan' " (LT1:248). Ainulindalë noun "Music of the Ainur" (SA:lin #2), the First History (WJ:406), the Song of Creation (AYAN)

Ingolondë

land of the gnomes

Ingolondë place-name "Land of the Gnomes" (Beleriand, "but before applied to parts of Valinor") (ÑGOLOD)

apa

after

apa (1) prep. "after" (VT44:36), attested as a prefix in apacenyë and Apanónar, q.v. Variant ep- in epessë, q.v.; see epë for futher discussion. (According to VT44:36, apa was glossed "after" and also "before" in one late manuscript, but both meanings were rejected.) See also apa # 2 below. For Neo-Quenya purposes, apa should probably be ascribed the meaning "after", as in our most widely-published sources (compare Apanónar, "the After-born", as a name of Men in the Silmarillion). Variants pa, pá (VT44:36), but like apa these are also ascribed other meanings elsewhere; see separate entry. Apo (VT44:36) may be yet another variant of the word for "after".

epetai

consequently

epetai adv. "consequently" (VT49:11). Since this is to contain tai "that which" (epe-ta-i "before that which"), a form Tolkien may later have abandoned, the less problematic synonym etta should perhaps be preferred. Compare potai.

i eru i or ilyë mahalmar ëa

(the one/they) who; (that) which

i (2) relative pronoun "(the one/they) who; (that) which" (both article and relative pronoun in CO: i Eru i or ilyë mahalmar ëa: the One who is above all thrones", i hárar "(they) who are sitting"); cf. also the phrase i hamil mára "(that) which you deem good" (VT42:33). Notice that before a verb, i means "the one who", or, in the case of a plural verb, "those who"; e.g. i carir quettar ómainen "those who form words with voices" (WJ:391). According to VT47:21, i as a relative pronoun is the personal plural form (corresponding to the personal sg. ye and the impersonal sg. ya). This agrees with the example i carir..., but as is evident from the other examples listed above, Tolkien in certain texts also used i as a singular relative pronoun, both personal (Eru i...) and impersonal (i hamil). In the sense of a plural personal relative pronoun, i is also attested in the genitive (ion) and ablative (illon) cases, demonstrating that unlike the indeclinable article i, the relative pronoun i can receive case endings. Both are translated "from whom": ion / illon camnelyes "from whom you received it" (referring to several persons) (VT47:21).

imbë

between

imbë (1) prep "between" (Nam, RGEO:67, VT47:11, PE17:92). This is "between" referring to a gap, space, barrier, or anything intervening between two other things, like or unlike one another (compare enel). The pluralized form imbi implies "among" of several things (ancalima imbi eleni "brightest among stars"); "in the sense 'among' before plurals [imbë] is usually pluralized > imbi even when a plural noun follows". As pointed out by Patrick Wynne, imbi may also be used in the sense of "between" before two singular nouns connected by "and" (as in the example imbi Menel Cemenyë "between heaven and earth"), whereas imbë is used before dual forms, as in the examples imbë siryat "between two rivers", imbë met "between us". Elided imb' in the phrase imb' illi "among all" (VT47:11, 30). A dual form imbit is also mentioned, used to express "in absolute form the sense 'between two things' when these are not named" (apparently meaning that imbit expresses *"between them" referring to two entities, with no noun following) (VT47:30, PE17:92)

ta

then

ta (4) conj., said to be a reducted form of tá "then", used "before each new item in a series or list"; "if as often in English the equivalent of and was omitted, and placed only before a final item [e.g. Tom, Dick, and Harriet], this would in Quenya represent a discontinuity, and what followed after ta would be an addition of something overlooked or less important". (PE17:70) Hence the use of arta (ar ta, "and ta") for "et cetera"; in older language ta ta or just ta.

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.

au-

prefix. away (from)

Nárië

june

Nárië noun sixth month of the year, "June" (Appendix D); derived from the stem (a)nar- having to do with fire or sun.

ala

after, beyond

ala (5) prep. "after, beyond" (MC:221, 214; however, LotR-style Quenya has han and pella "beyond" and apa "after")

ane-

was

#ane-, form of copula "was" when pronominal endings follow: anen "I was", anel "you were", anes "(s)he/it was" (VT49:28, 29); see ná #1.

apa

preposition. after (of time)

apo

after

apo prep. ?"after" (see apa #1) (VT44:36)

ca

behind, at back of place

ca, cata, cana prep? "behind, at back of place" (VT43:30)

cata

after

enel

between

enel prep. "between" = "at the central position in a row, list, series, etc. but also applied to the case of three persons" (VT47:11). This preposition refers to the position of a thing between others of the same kind; compare imbë.

engë

was

engë vb. "was", "existed", past tense of ëa, q.v. (VT43:38, VT49:29)

epe

after

han

beyond

han prep. "beyond" (compare the _postposition pella of similar meaning) (VT43:14)_

han

preposition. beyond

mitta

preposition/adverb. between, [ᴹQ.] inwards, into, [ᴱQ.] in; [Q.] between

mitta-

between

mitta- (2) prep. "between" (VT43:30; the final hyphen may suggest that suffixes would normally follow)

nánë

was

nánë vb. "was", náner "were"; see ná #1

né

verb. was

was

né

was

né vb. "was"; see ná #1. Also used as interjection "yes" when the meaning is "it was so, it was as you say/ask" (VT49:31). Pl. nér "were", dual nét (VT49:30). Nésë "he was" (VT49:29), though Tolkien elsewhere stated that né did not "take any inflection of person" (VT49:31), pronominal endings rather being added to ane- (the form anes *he was" is attested). Anda né "long ago" (VT49:31).

né

was

né vb. in pa.t. "was"; see ná #1.

pella

beyond

pella "beyond", apparently a postposition rather than a preposition: Andúnë pella "beyond the West", elenillor pella "from beyond the stars" (Nam, RGEO:66, Markirya) In one version of the Quenya Lord's Prayer, Tolkien used pell' (evidently an elided form of pella) as a _preposition, but this version was abandoned (VT43:13)_

san

then

san (1) adv. "then" (MC:216; also twice in Narqelion), a "Qenya" term apparently replaced by tá in Tolkiens later conception. In his later Quenya, san would be the dative form of sa "it", hence "for it; to it".

tai

then

tai (3) adv. "then", also tá (which form may be preferred because tai has other meanings as well) (VT49:33)

tai

1lE adverb. then

tar

beyond

tar (2) prep. "beyond" (FS)

tá

then

tá 1) adv. "then" (VT49:11). Cf. ta #4.

tá

adverb. then, then, [ᴹQ.] at that time [past]

A word for “then” appearing in a list of demonstratives from 1968, a vowel-lengthened form of ta “that” (VT49/11). It reappeared in some notes from 1969 alongside a variant tai (VT49/33). ᴹQ. tá “then, at that time (past now)” appeared in Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from 1948, where Tolkien indicated it was specifically used to refer to the past (PE23/109), as opposed to ᴹQ. en “then” referring to the future.

phā/apha

root. before of time

A root appearing in a list of roots for spatial and temporal directions from 1969, with an unglossed (primitive?) derivative ✶afar and the Quenya form fai with variant afea, apparently meaning “before” in the phrase Eru fai, sî, euva “✱Eru (was) before, (is) now, will be (after)” (PE22/147). Later in the same set of notes Tolkien seems to have reverted to earlier roots for these functions (PE22/168).

opo

root. before of place, ahead, in front

This primitive form was noted in the margins and rough notes from Late Notes on Verbs from 1969, glossed “before of place” (PE22/167) and “before, ahead, in front of place” (PE22/168). Primitive or Quenya forms opo/pō “before, in front of” and pōna/ompa “forward” appear in other late notes from this period associated with the Q. Ambidexters Sentence, as part of an explanation for Q. potai “therefore” (VT49/12), though this word was eventually revised to Q. epetai (VT49/8). Quenya or primitive forms opo, po, pono, poto “in front, of place” appeared in notes from the mid-1950s (VT49/32 note #12), and as suggested by Patrick H. Wynne might be a reemergence of the early root ᴱ√POT-I “after, behind (of place)” with a reversal in its meaning (QL/75). Other similar roots in the same semantic space are √APA and √EPE.

Neo-Eldarin: Tolkien’s treatment of “before” and “after” words was wildly inconsistent, but I generally prefer ✶epe for “after (of time); before (of space)” and ✶nō for its opposite. However, I think √APA and √OPO can serve as variants of √EPE, with √OPO more specifically referring to the front of things, especially given Tolkien’s use of √OP as a root referring to the front of the (open) mouth (PE17/126).

wā/awa

root. away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago, away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago; [ᴹ√] forth, out

This invertible root and ones like it were the basis for “away” words for much of Tolkien’s life. The earliest iteration was ᴱ√AVA “go away, depart, leave” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. au “away from” and ᴱQ. avanwa “going, passing, nearly gone” (QL/33). This early root remanifested as ᴹ√AB “go away, depart, leave” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, but the gloss of that root was revised to “refuse, deny” (Ety/AB). As a replacement, Tolkien introduced ᴹ√AWA “away, forth; out” with derivatives like ᴹQ. ava “outside”; Tolkien also considered deriving a privative prefix ᴹQ. ava- from this root (Ety/AWA).

The root √AWA was mentioned many times in Tolkien’s later writings, along with its inverted variant √WĀ, usually with the sense “away (from)” or a verbal sense “go (away), depart, pass away”. Its most detailed description appeared in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60, where Tolkien said:

> The element ✱AWA ... referred to movement away, viewed from the point of view of the thing, person, or place left. As a prefix it had probably already developed in CE the form ✱au-. The form ✱awa was originally an independent adverbial form, but appears to have been also used as a prefix (as an intensive form of ✱awa-, ✱au-). The form ✱wā- was probably originally used as a verbal stem, and possibly also in composition with verbal stems (WJ/361).

In this same document Tolkien said of Sindarin that:

> The only normal derivative [of √AWA] is the preposition o, the usual word for “from, of”. None of the forms of the element ✱awa are found as a prefix in S, probably because they became like or the same as the products of ✱wō, ✱wo (WJ/366).

Indeed, most of the attested derivatives of this root are in Quenya, but there are a couple in Sindarin, such as the aforementioned S. o from AWA, as well S. gwanwen “departed” (WJ/378) and the verb S. gwae- “go”, probably only in the limited sense “depart” (PE17/148), both from WĀ.

In late notes from 1969 Tolkien gave the root √AWA the sense “before or ago (of time)” (PE22/167 note #117; PE22/168), but I suspect this was a transient idea.

afar

?. *before of time

khyar

?. *before, in front of place

khyā

root. before, in front of place

A root appearing in a list of roots for spatial and temporal directions from 1969, with a single unglossed (primitive?) derivative ✶khyar (PE22/147). Later in the same set of notes Tolkien seems to have reverted to earlier roots for these functions (PE22/168).

apha

root. before of time

nē

adverb. was; then, ago, before

nō

adverb. behind

lā̆

preposition/adverb. beyond

imbi

preposition. between

mīni

preposition. between

eb

preposition. ?before

ebloer

noun. June, ?Before-summer

adel

preposition. behind, in rear (of)

athan

preposition. beyond

eb

preposition. ?before

eblaer

noun. June, ?Before-summer

nui

preposition/adverb. before (of time); [G.] afterwards, again, later

nî-

verb. was

A (very hypothetical) past form of na- “is”; see that entry for discussion.

ab-

prefix. after, later

ab

preposition. after

alae

interjection. (?) behold!

Uncertain meaning, but compare with Quenya ela! "imperative exclamation directing sight to an actually visible object" (WJ/362)

athan

preposition. beyond

im

preposition. between

ab

after

#ab (only attested as a prefix, as in:)

ab

after

(only attested as a prefix, as in:)

abonnen

afterborn

pl. Ebennin (archaic "Eboennin" = Ebönnin, WJ:387), Elvish name of Men as the "Secondborn" of Eru. – If ab can be used as an independent preposition, it is probably followed by soft mutation.****

adel

behind

(adv. and prep) adel; as prep. probably followed by soft mutation.

adel

behind

; as prep. probably followed by soft mutation.

athar

beyond

1) *athar (across). Suggested correction of the reading "athan" in SD:62. As prep. probably followed by soft mutation. 2) (adverbial prefix) thar- (across, athwart, over)

athar

beyond

(across). Suggested correction of the reading "athan" in SD:62. As prep. probably followed by soft mutation.

im

between

(prep.) im (within), also as prefix im- ”between, inter-”. Note: homophones include the pronoun ”I” and a noun mening ”dell, deep vale”. The word mîn (min-) means ”between” referring to a gap, space, barrier or anything intervening between two other things (VT47:11, 14)

im

between

(within), also as prefix im- ”between, inter-”. Note: homophones include the pronoun ”

mi

between

mi (with article: min)

mi

between

(with article: min)

mîn

i

(min-) means ”between” referring to a gap, space, barrier or anything intervening between two other things (VT47:11, 14)

nórui

june

Nórui

nórui

june

thar

beyond

(across, athwart, over)

ob Reconstructed

preposition. fore, *before

A prepositional element only attested in the late (1968) word obroth “fore-cutting” (PM/376), referring to the wake before a boat, so perhaps meaning “✱before”. It appears only as a suffix, but in the earlier Adûnaic grammar of Lowdham’s Report from the 1940s, Adûnaic prepositions are used as suffixes (SD/435). This preposition also differs from the earlier phonetic rules of Lowdham’s Report, which allow only long [ō] in Adûnaic words. If this preposition were used in the grammatical and phonetic context of Lowdham’s Report (Middle Adûnaic), it might be the suffix ✱-ôb. See the entry on conceptual-changes-in-late-Adûnaic for further discussion.

enel

preposition. between, in the middle

This form was supposedly recorded by the Loremasters (VT47:39). It is derived from a variant of the root ÉNED- "centre" (LR:356), since "d and l interchanged frequently in Common Eldarin" (VT47:39).