-r nominative plural ending regularly used on nouns ending in -a, -i, -ië, -o, -u, e.g. Ainur, Valar, tier. Occasionally it is added also to nouns ending in -ë (that normally take the ending -I in the pl.). This seems to regularly happen in the case of nouns in -lë (see #fintalë, mallë, tyellë), sometimes also otherwise (see Ingwë, wendë, essë #1). This plural ending was ("it is said") first used by the Noldor (PM:402).
Quenya
-lë
seem properly to have been universal and abstract
-lë
suffix. abstract noun, adverb
Changes
- -le → ve ✧ PE17/074
Derivations
Element in
- ᴺQ. aitalë “reverence, worship, religion”
- Q. cendelë “face, face, *visage”
- Q. findelë “tress, lock [of hair]”
- Q. findilë “head of hair”
- Q. fintalë “trick”
- Q. hantalë “thanksgiving”
- Q. laitalë “praise”
- Q. lambelë “phonetics” ✧ VT39/16
- Q. lindalë “music”
- Q. lumbulë “dark shadow, heavy shadow; deep in shadow”
- Q. maitalë “the act of doing [artistic] work”
- Q. máralë “goodness” ✧ PE17/058
- Q. nurtalë “hiding”
- Q. oialë “forever; everlastingly, eternally, in eternity, forever; everlastingly, eternally, in eternity; [ᴹQ.] everlasting age” ✧ PE17/058; PE17/074
- Q. ontalë “descent, descent, *derivation, ancestry”
- Q. quellë “late autumn and early winter, (lit.) fading”
- Q. quentalë “history, narration, history, narration, [ᴹQ.] account” ✧ VT39/16
- Q. sillë “like this” ✧ PE17/074
- Q. tallë “like that” ✧ PE17/074
- Q. tengwelë “language (general term), language (general term); [ᴱQ.] sense” ✧ VT39/16
- Q. tumbalë “depth, deep valley”
- Q. vendelë “maidenhood”
- Q. yallë “as, in the same way as, like” ✧ PE17/074
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶-lē > -le [-lē] > [-le] ✧ PE17/058 √LEŊ > -le [-leŋ] > [-leɣ] > [-le] ✧ PE17/074 ✶-lē > -lë [-lē] > [-le] ✧ VT39/16 Variations
- -le ✧ PE17/058; PE17/074
-ië
suffix. abstract noun, adverb
Derivations
- ✶-(i)yē “abstract noun, adverb” ✧ PE17/058
Element in
- Q. Andúnië “Sunset”
- Q. aquapahtië “privacy, *(lit.) full-closedness”
- Q. aranië “kingdom”
- Q. túrindië “*kingdom”
- Q. Carnimírië “Red-jewelled”
- Q. coloitië “endurance, staunchness, fortitude”
- Q. enquië “Elvish week of six days”
- Q. hísië “mist, mistiness”
- Q. látie “openness”
- Q. laurië “goldenness; like gold”
- Q. lintië “swiftness, speed; swiftly, *quickly” ✧ PE17/058
- Q. londië “harbourage”
- Q. alatúlië “welcome”
- Q. márië “well, happily; goodness, good estate, being well, happiness” ✧ PE17/058
- ᴺQ. molië “labour, work”
- Q. mornië “darkness, blackness”
- Q. Nárië “June, *Fire-ness”
- Q. Neldië “*Trinity”
- Q. olass(i)ë “foliage, collection of leaves”
- Q. Onnarië “Time of Children”
- ᴺQ. otolmië “keyboard”
- Q. quelië “*fading” ✧ LotR/1110
- Q. sangië “necessity”
- Q. sarnië “shingle, pebble bank”
- Q. Sindanórië “Grey Country, Land of Greyness”
- Q. sindië “greyness”
- Q. tárië “height”
- Q. tengwestië “language [as a concept]”
- Q. terpellië “*temptation”
- Q. Yavannië “September, *Yavanna-ness”
- Q. yávië “autumn, harvest [time or act]”
- Q. yénië “annals”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶-(i)ı̯ē > -ië [-ijē] > [-ie] ✧ PE17/058 Variations
- -ië ✧ LotR/1110 (-ië); PE17/058
- -ie ✧ PE17/058; PE17/058; PE17/058; PE17/059; PE17/059
-më
suffix. abstract noun
Derivations
- ✶-(u)mē “denoting a (single) action”
Element in
Variations
- -me ✧ PE17/169 (-me)
-rë
suffix. abstract noun
Derivations
- ✶-(a)rē “abstract noun”
Element in
Variations
- -re ✧ MC/223 (-re)
-vë
suffix. abstract noun, adverb
Derivations
- ✶-b(iy)ē “-ing”
Element in
- Q. andavë “long, at great length”
- ᴺQ. anwavë “surely, certainly”
- Q. auvië “possession (abstract), *the act of possessing”
- Q. coivië “life, life, [ᴱQ.] liveliness; awakening” ✧ PE17/068
- Q. cuivië “awakening” ✧ PE17/068
- Q. ilúvë “the whole, the all, allness, the whole, the all, allness; [ᴹQ.] universe, world; Heaven”
- Q. návë “being” ✧ PE17/068
- Q. oialë “forever; everlastingly, eternally, in eternity, forever; everlastingly, eternally, in eternity; [ᴹQ.] everlasting age” ✧ PE17/074
- Q. sívë “knowing, knowledge” ✧ PE17/068
Variations
- -ve ✧ PE17/068
- ve ✧ PE17/074
-ssë
suffix. abstract noun
Cognates
- S. -as “abstract noun”
Derivations
Element in
- Q. alanessë “nicotiana, pipeweed, nicotiana, pipeweed, *tobacco”
- Q. aranus(së) “kingship”
- Q. carpassë “mouth-system; full organized language, including system, vocabulary, metre, etc.”
- Q. celussë “freshnet, water falling out swiftly from a rocky spring”
- Q. entulessë “return”
- ᴺQ. failassë “justice, fair-mindedness”
- Q. findessë “head of hair, person’s hair as a whole”
- Q. incánussë “mind mastership”
- ᴺQ. letinwessë “constellation”
- Q. Lótessë “May, *(lit.) Flower-ness”
- Q. nassë “nature, true-being, *essence; person, individual” ✧ VT49/30
- ᴺQ. omolmessë “corporation”
- ᴺQ. restassë “countryside, the country”
- Q. táris(së) “queenship”
- Q. tengwassë “alphabet”
Variations
- -sse ✧ VT49/30 (-sse)
-a
it is said
nurtalë
hiding
nurtalë noun "hiding" (evidently a verbal stem #nurta- "hide" with the verbal noun ending -lë); Nurtalë Valinóreva "the Hiding of Valinor" (Silm)
nurtalë
noun. hiding
Element in
- Q. Nurtalë Valinóreva “the Hiding of Valinor” ✧ S/102
Elements
Word Gloss nurta- “*to hide” -lë “abstract noun, adverb” Variations
- Nurtalë ✧ S/102
cuvoite
adjective. hiding, secretive
-lë ending forming nouns that "seem properly to have been universal and abstract" (VT39:16, in which source Tolkien is actually commenting on the prehistoric form -lē, but -lë is its Quenya descendant)