aman

blessed, free from evil

aman adj. "blessed, free from evil". Adopted and adapted from Valarin (WJ:399), though in other versions Tolkien cited an Elvish etymology (cf. VT49:26-27). Place-name Aman the Blessed Realm, from the stem mān- "good, blessed, unmarred" (SA:mān), translated "Unmarred State" (VT49:26). Allative Amanna (VT49:26). Adj. amanya "of Aman, Amanian" (WJ:411), nominal pl. Amanyar "those of Aman", Elves dwelling there (with negations Úamanyar, Alamanyar "those not of Aman"). Also fuller Amaneldi noun "Aman-elves" (WJ:373).Masc. name Amandil *"Aman-friend" (Appendix A, SA:mān), the father of Elendil; also name of the Númenorean king Tar-Amandil (UT:210).

aman

place name. Blessed Realm

The continent in the Uttermost West where the Valar dwelled after the first wars with Morgoth destroyed the world as it was initially created (S/37). Its name is derived from the same root √MAN “blessed, unmarred” as the name of Manwë (PE17/162). The most common translation of this name was the “Blessed Realm” (S/62), though more precisely it describes the “unmarred” state of this land, free from the influence of Morgoth (PE17/162).

Tolkien elsewhere said that Aman was adapted from an (unknown) word from Valarin, meaning “at peace, in accord (with Eru)”, much as Manwë was an adaptation of Val. Mānawenūz (WJ/399). This is not incompatible with its derivation from the root √MAN, which itself may have been adopted into Primitive Elvish from Valarin.

Conceptual Development: According to Christopher Tolkien, the idea for this name first emerged from Ad. Amân, the Adûnaic name for Manwë (SD/376). In Tolkien’s earliest writings, the name for the Land of the Valar was simply ᴱQ. Valinor (LT1/70), but in later writings this became the Elvish name for this land, whereas Aman was its “proper” name (PE17/106).

Cognates

• S. Avon “Unmarred State” ✧ PE17/162

Derivations

• ✶Ámān “Unmarred State” ✧ PE17/162
  • √MAN “good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil, good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil; [ᴹ√] holy spirit” ✧ PE17/162
• √MAN “good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil, good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil; [ᴹ√] holy spirit” ✧ SA/mān

Element in

• Q. Amandil “Lover of Aman” ✧ SA/mān
• Q. Amaneldi “*Elves of Aman”
• Q. Amanyar “Those of Aman”
• Q. Araman “Outside Aman, *Beside Aman” ✧ SA/mān
• Q. ar cé mo formenna tentanes Amanna “and if northwards, it pointed towards Aman” ✧ VT49/26
• Q. Úmanyar “Those not of Aman” ✧ SA/mān

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶Ámān > Aman	[amān] > [aman]	✧ PE17/162
√mān- > Aman	[amān] > [aman]	✧ SA/mān

Variations

• aman ✧ WJ/399

amanya

blessed

amanya adj. "blessed" (VT49:39, 41)

amal

mother

amal noun "mother"; also emel (VT48:22, 49:22); the form amil (emil) seems more usual.

manna

blessed

manna adj. "blessed" (also mána, q.v.) (VT43:30, VT45:32, VT49:41)

mána

blessed

mána 1) adj. "blessed" (FS); also manna, q.v. 2) noun "any good thing or fortunate thing; a boon or blessing, a grace, being esp. used of some thing/person/event that helps or amends an evil or difficulty. (Cf. frequent ejaculation on receiving aid in trouble: yé mána (ma) = what a blessing, what a good thing!)" (VT49:41)

Amarië

good

Amarië fem. name; perhaps derived from mára "good" with prefixing of the stem-vowel and the feminine ending -ië (Silm)

ainima

blessed, holy (of things)

ainima adj. "blessed, holy (of things)" (PE17:149)

manquë

blessed

manquë, manquenta adj. "blessed" (VT44:10-11; it cannot be ruled out that manquë spelt manque in the source is simply an uncompleted form of manquenta. Whatever the case, Tolkien decided to use the form manaquenta instead, q.v.)

ana

to

ana (1) prep. "to" (VT49:35), "as preposition _ana _is used when purely _dative formula is required" (PE17:147), perhaps meaning that the preposition ana can be used instead of the dative ending -n (#1, q.v.) Also as prefix: ana- "to, towards" (NĀ1); an (q.v.) is used with this meaning in one source (PE17:127)_

manaitë

blessed

manaitë adj. "blessed" (VT49:41, 42)

ala-

good

ala- (3), also al-, a prefix expressing "good" or "well" (PE17:146), as in alaquenta (q.v.) Whether Tolkien imagined this ending to coexist with the negative prefix of the same form (#2 above) is unclear and perhaps dubious.

almárëa

blessed

almárëa adj. "blessed". In a deleted entry in Etym, the gloss provided was "bless", but this would seem to be a mistake, since the word does not look like a verb. Another deleted entry agrees with the retained entry GALA that almárëa means "blessed" (GALA, VT45:5, 14)

amil

mother

amil noun "mother" (AM1), also emil (q.v.) Longer variant amillë (VT44:18-19), compounded Eruamillë "Mother of God" in Tolkien's translation of the Hail Mary (VT43:32). If amil is a shortened form of amillë, it should probably have the stem-form amill-. Also compare amilyë, amya, emya. Compounded amil- in amilessë noun "mothername" (cf. essë "name"), name given to a child by its mother, sometimes with prophetic implications (amilessi tercenyë "mother-names of insight"). (MR:217).

ammë

mother

ammë noun "mother" (AM1)

lára

blessed

[lára (3) adj. "blessed", also lárëa (VT45:26)]

mamil

mother, mummy

mamil noun *"mother, mummy" (UT:191)

mára

adjective. good

manaquenta

blessed

manaquenta adj. "blessed" (VT44:10; see manquë, manquenta)

amil(lë)

noun. mother

Tolkien used a number of similar forms for “mother” for most of his life. The earliest of these are ᴱQ. amis (amits-) “mother” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s along with variants ᴱQ. ambi, âmi, amaimi under the root ᴱ√AMA (QL/30). An additional variant ammi appeared in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/30). In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s Tolkien had ᴱQ. ambe or mambe “mother” (PE16/135). This became ᴹQ. amil “mother” in The Etymologies under the root ᴹ√AM “mother” (Ety/AM¹).

This 1930s form amil appears to have survived for some time. It appeared in a longer form Amille in Quenya Prayers of the 1950s (VT43/26; VT44/12, 18), and as an element in the term amilessi “mother-names” in a late essay on Elvish naming (MR/217). In the initial drafts of Elvish Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s Tolkien used the form amilye or amye as an affectionate word for “mother”, and amaltil as the finger name for the second finger (VT47/26-27 note #34 and #35).

However, in those documents Tolkien seems to have revised the root for “mother” from √AM to √EM and the affectionate forms from amye to emya or emme (VT47/10; VT48/6, 19). The revised word for “mother” appears to be emil based on the 1st person possessive form emil(inya) (VT47/26).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I prefer to retain the root √AM for “mother”, since that is what Tolkien used for 50 years, and ignore the very late change to √EM. As such, I would recommend amil(le) for “mother” and affectionate forms amme “mommy” and amya. However, if you prefer to use Tolkien’s “final” forms, then emil(le), emme and emya seem to be what Tolkien adopted in the late 1960s.

Cognates

• S. emel “mother”

Derivations

• ✶amal “mother”
  • √AM “mother” ✧ VT48/19; VT48/19

Element in

• Q. amaltil “*mother finger”
• Q. amilessë “mother-name”
• Q. Amillë Eruva lissëo “Mother of divine grace” ✧ VT44/18
• Q. Amillë Hristo “Mother of Christ” ✧ VT44/18
• ᴺQ. amilosto “metropolis”
• Q. amya “mummy, (orig.) my mother”
• Q. Eruamillë “*Mother of God”

Variations

• Amille ✧ VT44/18

na

to, towards

na (2) prep. "to, towards", possibly obsoleted by #1 above; for clarity writers may use the synonym ana instead (NĀ1). Originally, Tolkien glossed na as "at, by, near"; the new meaning entered together with the synonyms an, ana (VT45:36).

-nna

to

-n (1) dative ending, originating as a reduced form of -nă "to", related to the allative ending -nna (VT49:14). Attested in nin, men, ten, enyalien, Erun, airefëan, tárin, yondon (q.v.) and also added to the English name Elaine (Elainen) in a book dedication to Elaine Griffiths (VT49:40). The longer dative ending -na is also attested in connection with some pronouns, such as sena, téna, véna (q.v.), also in the noun mariéna from márië "goodness" (PE17:59). Pl. -in (as in hínin, see hína), partitive pl. -lin, dual -nt (Plotz). The preposition ana (#1) is said to be used "when purely dative formula is required" (PE17:147), perhaps meaning that it can replace the dative ending, e.g. *ana Eru instead of Erun for "to God". In some of Tolkiens earlier material, the ending -n (or -en) expressed genitive rather than dative, but he later decided that the genitive ending was to be -o (cf. such a revision as Yénië Valinóren becoming Yénië Valinórëo, MR:200).

-nna

to, at, upon

-nna "to, at, upon", allative ending, originating from -na "to" with fortified n, VT49:14. Attested in cilyanna, coraryanna, Endorenna, Elendilenna, númenórenna, parma-restalyanna, rénna, senna, tielyanna, q.v. If a noun ends in -n already, the ending -nna merges with it, as in Amanna, formenna, Elenna, númenna, rómenna as the allative forms of Aman, formen, elen, númen, rómen (q.v.). Plural -nnar in mannar, valannar, q.v.

emel

mother

emel noun "mother"; also amal (VT48:22, 49:22); the form amil (emil) seems more usual.

emil

mother

emil noun "mother", emilinya "my mother" (also reduced to emya) the terms a child would use in addressing his or her mother (VT47:26). Emil would seem to be a variant of amil. Also compare emel.

emil

noun. mother

naxa

noun. bond

bond, fetter

nútë

bond, knot

nútë noun "bond, knot" (NUT)

ontari

mother

ontari noun "mother" or etymologically "begetter, parent" (fem.); clashing with the plural ontari "parents", this was apparently an emphemeral form (see ontarë, ontaril, ontarië for other feminine forms of "begetter, parent") (VT44:7)

ontaril

mother

ontaril noun "mother", female *"begetter" (cf. onta-). Variant of ontarë. (VT43:32)

vérë

bond, troth, compact, oath

vérë (1) noun "bond, troth, compact, oath" (WED)

aman

Aman

The Quenya name Aman is glossed as "Blessed Land", or "blessed, free from evil". The etymology of the name Aman changed over time in Tolkien's writings. In early linguistic writings, Aman was intended to be a "native Quenya form", derived from the root MAN ("good"). However, in later writings (such as Quendi and Eldar), the name is said to derive from a Valarin word.

an

preposition. to, towards, for

With suffixed article and elision in aglar'ni Pheriannath

an

to

_ prep. _to, for. naur an edraith ammen! 'fire [be] for rescue/saving for us'. aglar an|i Pheriannath  'glory to all the Halflings'.

ma

adjective. good

_ adj. _good. Archaic and obsolete except as interjection 'good, excellent, that's right'.

bain

good

_ adj. _good, wholesome, blessed, fair (esp. of weather). . This gloss was rejected.

maer

good

_ adj. _good.

maer

good

adj. good, proper, excellent. Q. mára good, proper, Q. maira excellent. >> mae-. This gloss was rejected.

na

to

e _ prep. _to, towards (of spacetime). n' before vowels. >> nan 2

na

preposition. to

prep. to Na-chaered palan-díriel lit. "To-distance (remote) after-gazing" >> na-chaered, nan 2

emel

noun. mother

emel

noun. mother

A word for “mother” in notes on Elvish Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s, along with a diminutive form emelig (VT48/17 note #13). These forms were struck through and replaced by emig as the proper diminutive form from the root √EM (VT48/6), but that doesn’t necessarily invalidate emel = “mother”, which appeared elsewhere as (probably primitive) emel, emer in rough versions of these notes (VT48/19 note #16). These Sindarin forms are unusual in that the medial m did not become v, which means the primitive form was likely based on ✱emm- as suggested by Patrick Wynne (VT48/17 note #14).

Conceptual Development: G. amil “mother” appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s along with rejected forms {anwin, amril} and an archaic variant †amaith (GL/19). The forms {emaith >>} amaith appeared unglossed in Gnomish Lexicon Slips revising that document (PE13/109). In The Etymologies of the 1930s there was a form N. †emil for “mother” under the root ᴹ√AM of the same meaning, but Tolkien said this word was archaic, apparently replaced by N. naneth (Ety/AM¹; EtyAC/AM¹). With N. emil, the a became e via i-affection, but the medial m failing to become v requires an explanation similar to that of 1960s S. emel.

Neo-Sindarin: I generally prefer derivatives of the earlier root √AM for “mother” words in Quenya, but in the case of Sindarin, I find emel and emig from √EM to be better and more widely accepted.

Cognates

• Q. amil(lë) “mother”

Derivations

• √AM “mother” ✧ VT48/17

Element in

• S. Emeldir “Manhearted, *Manly-mother”
• S. emig “[little] mother, mommy” ✧ VT48/17 (emel) (emelig*)

Variations

• emen ✧ VT48/17 (emen)

emig

noun. "litte mother"

emig

noun. index finger (Elvish play-name used by and taught to children)

emmel

noun. mother

an

to

(prep.) an (+ nasal mutation), with article ni "to the" (+ nasal mutation in plural).

an

to

(adverbial prefix) an-. 3)

manwe

manwë

in Sindarin as well (na Vanwe), or he may be referred to as Aran Einior ”the Elder King”.

maer

good

_(”useful” of things _ not of moral qualities) maer (lenited vaer, no distinct pl. form) (fit, useful). For ”good” as an adjective describing human qualities, the word fael ”fair-minded, just, generous” may be considered.

maer

good

(lenited vaer, no distinct pl. form) (fit, useful). For ”good” as an adjective describing human qualities, the word fael ”fair-minded, just, generous” may be considered.

gwêdh

chain

(i ’wêdh, construct gwedh), pl. gwîdh (in gwîdh), 3) (ditto) nûd (construct nud, pl. nuid). 4) (the ”bond” of friendship) gwend (i ’wend, construct gwen) (friendship), pl. gwind (in gwind), coll. pl. gwennath. Note: a homophone means ”maiden”.

naneth

mother

naneth (pl. nenith). Hypocoristic form (”mom”) nana, pl. nenai (but this word is probably rarely pluralized). In a higher style also †emil. No distinct pl. form; coll. pl. emillath. Variant form emel (pl. emil), also spelt emmel (pl. emmil). (VT48:17)

naneth

mother

(pl. nenith). Hypocoristic form (”mom”) nana, pl. nenai (but this word is probably rarely pluralized). In a higher style also †emil. No distinct pl. form; coll. pl. emillath. Variant form emel (pl. emil), also spelt emmel (pl. emmil). (VT48:17)

emig

little mother

(no distinct pl. form except with article: in emig). Also used (in children’s play) as a name for the index finger (VT48:6, 17)

gwaedh

bond

1) (a ”bond” of loyalty) gwaedh (i **waedh) (troth, compact, oath), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaedh**), 2) _(apparently referring to physical ”bonds”, cf.

gwaedh

bond

(i ’waedh)  (troth, compact, oath), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaedh)

emmë

noun. mother

Cognates

• Q. emmë “mummy, mother (familiar/family)” ✧ VT48/06

Element in

• T. emmecë “mother [diminutive]; *mommy” ✧ VT48/06

Variations

• emme ✧ VT48/06

u

preposition. to

Element in

• Bs. Uglúk u bagronk sha pushdug Saruman-glob búbhosh skai “Uglúk to the cesspool, sha! the dungfilth, the great Saruman-fool, skai; Uglúk to torture chamber with stinking Saruman-filth, dung-heap, skai” ✧ LotR/0445; PE17/078; PM/083

amân

masculine name. Manwë

The Adûnaic name of Manwë (SD/376). According to Christopher Tolkien, the invention of this Adûnaic name preceded the use of Q. Aman as the name of the Blessed Realm, and was likely the inspiration for this Quenya name (SD/376). The later status of Ad. Amân as the name of Manwë is unclear, but it could be that the ancestors of the Númeróreans conflated the name of the Valar with the name of the land he ruled. Conceptual Development: The first Adûnaic name for Manwë was Manawē (SD/55).

Changes

• Amân → Aman “Manwë” ✧ SD/376

Cognates

• ᴹQ. Manwe “on Taniqetil” ✧ SDI2/Amân

Derivations

• ✶Ad. Amān “*Manwë”

Element in

• Ad. Amatthâni “Blessed Realm, (lit.) Land of Manwë” ✧ SD/435
• Ad. Zen’namân “Blessed Realm, Land of Amân”
• Ad. thâni’nAmân “Land of Aman” ✧ SD/435

Variations

• Aman ✧ MRI/Aman
• Amān ✧ SD/435

manawē

masculine name. Manwë

A draft version of the Adûnaic name for Manwë, later replaced by Amân (SD/376).

Changes

• Manawē → Amân “Manwë” ✧ SD/376

Cognates

• ᴹQ. Manwe “on Taniqetil” ✧ SDI2/Manwë

ammê

noun. mother

A noun for “mother” (SD/434). Tolkien gave two forms of this word, ammî and ammê, with no indication as to which would be preferred. However, ammî resembles a plural word, and Tolkien elsewhere stated that such forms tended to change their final vowel to -ê (SD/438), so my guess is that ammî is an archaic form. This word is probably related to the Elvish root √AM “mother”. Some authors have suggested it is directly related to ᴹQ. amme (AAD/10, AL/Adûnaic), but as Andreas Moehn points out (EotAL/MAM) such basic words are rarely borrowed from other languages, so the relationship is more likely from the Primitive Elvish root.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. amme “mother”

Derivations

• √AM “mother”

Variations

• ammī/ammē ✧ SD/434

aman

root. good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil

man

root. good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil, good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil; [ᴹ√] holy spirit

This root for “(morally) good” and “holy” things dates back to Tolkien’s earliest versions of Elvish, probably due to its long-standing connection to the name Q. Manwë, one of the most stable names in Tolkien’s Legendarium. The unglossed root ᴱ√MANA appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. mane “good (moral)” and ᴱQ. manimo “holy soul” (QL/58). Derivatives like G. mani “good (of men and character only), holy” and G. manos “spirit that has gone to the Valar” also appear in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/56).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s ᴹ√MAN “holy spirit” appeared with derivatives like ᴹQ. manu/N. mân “departed spirit” (Ety/MAN). Earlier versions of the entry had the gloss “holy” (EtyAC/MAN), and an earlier version of the entry for ᴹ√MBAD has MAN- “blessed” (EtyAC/MBAD).

The senses “good, blessed, holy” were retained in Tolkien’s later writings, though sometimes the root was given in its augmented form √AMAN. In Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957, √MAN was contrasted with √ARA which also meant “good”, but with the nuance of one specimen that is “good of its kind” and hence “excels, without necessarily implying that others are bad or marred” (PE17/147). Elsewhere in QN Tolkien elaborated on the meaning of √MAN in more detail:

> √MAN “good”. This implies that a person/thing is (relatively or absolutely) “unmarred”: that is in Elvish thought unaffected by the disorders introduced into Arda by Morgoth: and therefore is true to its nature & function. If applied to mind/spirit it is more or less equivalent to morally good; but applied to bodies it naturally refers to health and to absence of distortions, damages, blemishes, &c (PE17/162).

In Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959, √AMAN “good (morally), holy, blessed, free from evil” was contrasted with √AYA(N) “treat with awe/reverence” and √MAGA “good (physically)” (PE17/149). In The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968, Tolkien said the root meant “blessed, holy” and was adapted from Valarin (PM/357 note #18), which is consistent with the fact that its derivatives were almost entirely limited to Quenya and not Sindarin; where derivatives do appear in Sindarin, such as S. Avon the equivalent of Q. Aman (PE17/162), they were probably loan words from Quenya.

Derivatives

• ✶Ámān “Unmarred State” ✧ PE17/162
  • Q. Aman “Blessed Realm” ✧ PE17/162
  • S. Avon “Unmarred State” ✧ PE17/162
• ✶manrā “good” ✧ PE17/162
  • Q. mára “good, proper, good, proper; [ᴹQ.] useful, fit, good (of things), [ᴱQ.] excellent; mighty, power, doughty” ✧ PE17/162
• Q. manna “*blessed”
• Q. ama- “*well, happily” ✧ PE17/172
• Q. Aman “Blessed Realm” ✧ SA/mān
• Q. amanya “*blessed”
• Q. mána “blessing, good thing, blessing, good thing; [ᴹQ.] blessed” ✧ PE17/162
• ᴺQ. manë “good (moral, not evil)”
• Q. manta- “to bless”
• Q. Manwë “Blessed Being” ✧ PE17/162; SA/mān
• Q. manya- “to bless”
• ᴺQ. márë “(moral) good, goodness”

Element in

• Q. Eruman “Heaven”
• Q. manaquenta “*blessed”
• Q. Manwë “Blessed Being” ✧ PM/357
• Q. Manyel
• S. Meiniel

Variations

• AMAN ✧ PE17/146; PE17/149
• AMA(N) ✧ PE17/172 (AMA(N))
• aman ✧ PM/357
• man ✧ PM/357
• mān- ✧ SA/mān

amal

noun. mother

Derivations

• √AM “mother” ✧ VT48/19; VT48/19

Derivatives

• Q. amil(lë) “mother”

Variations

• amas ✧ PE21/83
• amma ✧ PE21/83
• amme ✧ PE21/83
• emel ✧ VT48/19
• emer ✧ VT48/19

amas

noun. mother

amma

noun. mother

am

root. mother

For most of Tolkien’s life, the Primitive Elvish root for “mother” was √AM. This began with the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where Tolkien gave the root as ᴱ√AMA (QL/30). In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was ᴹ√AM with derivatives ᴹQ. amil and (archaic) N. emil “mother” (Ety/AM¹). In Quenya prayers of the 1950s, the word for mother was Q. Amille. In the last few years of his life, however, Tolkien toyed with the notion of changing this root to √EM. In notes associated with Eldarinwe Leperi are Notessi written in the late 1960s, Tolkien first gave the root as am, but then wrote em next to it with a question mark, along with several new em-derivatives (VT48/19 note #16). The Q. affectionate word emme for “mommy” appeared in the main article, indicating Tolkien did, in fact, adopt this new root, at least for some period of time.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Quenya writing, I personally prefer to ignore this late change to the root for “mother” and stick with the √AM-forms Tolkien used for most of his life. However, the √AM-forms were less stable in the Sindarin branch of the languages, so I’d use √EM-forms like S. emel and emig, and would assume √AM and √EM were variants of the root, as they were on VT48/19 (see above).

Derivatives

• Ad. ammê “mother”
• ✶amal “mother” ✧ VT48/19; VT48/19
  • Q. amil(lë) “mother”
• Q. emmë “mummy, mother (familiar/family)” ✧ VT48/19
• S. emel “mother” ✧ VT48/17

Element in

• Q. amya “mummy, (orig.) my mother” ✧ VT48/19

Variations

• am ✧ VT48/17; VT48/19
• em ✧ VT48/17; VT48/19

manrā

adjective. good

Derivations

• √MAN “good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil, good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil; [ᴹ√] holy spirit” ✧ PE17/162

Derivatives

• Q. mára “good, proper, good, proper; [ᴹQ.] useful, fit, good (of things), [ᴱQ.] excellent; mighty, power, doughty” ✧ PE17/162

amme

noun. mother

em

root. mother

emel

noun. mother

emer

noun. mother

nana

noun. mother, mummy

naneth

noun. mother

naneth

noun. mother

A noun for “mother” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the (Noldorin-only?) root ᴹ√NAN (Ety/NAN). It apparently replaced archaic/poetic N. †emil (Ety/AM¹; EtyAC/AM¹).

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon had a similar set of words for “mother”: G. maba, mabir, baba, and mavwin from the early root ᴱ√maƀ “something nice” (GL/57). The last of these appeared as G. mavwen “ancestress” in the Gnomish Lexicon Slips modifying that document, with an archaic meaning of “mother” and variant forms mafwyn and mavuin (PE13/115). In these slips, it seems the normal “mother” word was G. nân (originally glossed “father”) with variant nanwin (PE13/115). This last word is likely the direct precursor of N. naneth.

Neo-Sindarin: I would use S. emel from the late 1960s as the normal word for “mother” in Neo-Sindarin, but would retain N. naneth as a dialectical or more formal variant.

Derivations

• ᴹ√NAN “*mother” ✧ Ety/AM¹; Ety/NAN

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√NAN > naneth	[nanitta] > [nanittʰa] > [naniθθa] > [naneθθa] > [naneθθ] > [naneθ]	✧ Ety/NAN

emil

noun. mother

emil

noun. mother

Cognates

• ᴹQ. amil “mother” ✧ Ety/AM¹

Derivations

• ᴹ✶amī̆l “mother”
  • ᴹ√AM “mother”
• ᴹ√AM “mother” ✧ Ety/AM¹

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√AM¹ > emil	[amil] > [emil]	✧ Ety/AM¹

gwedh

noun. bond

gwedh

noun. bond

Derivations

• On. weda “bond” ✧ Ety/WED
  • ᴹ✶wedā “bond” ✧ Ety/WED
  • ᴹ√WED “bind” ✧ Ety/WED

Element in

• N. angwedh “chain, fetter, (lit.) iron-bond” ✧ Ety/WED; PE22/032
• S. danwedh “ransom”
• ᴺS. gwedhen “oath-bound, allied”
• ᴺS. gwedhron “ally, one bound by oath”
• ᴺS. mawedh “glove”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. weda > gweð	[weda] > [gweda] > [gweða] > [gweð]	✧ Ety/WED

Variations

• gweð ✧ Ety/WED

nûd

noun. bond

Cognates

• ᴹQ. núte “bond, knot” ✧ Ety/NUT

Derivations

• ᴹ√NUT “tie, bind” ✧ Ety/NUT

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√NUT > nûd	[nūte] > [nūt] > [nūd]	✧ Ety/NUT

gwend

noun. bond, friendship

gwaedh

noun. bond, troth, compact, oath

heltha-

verb. to strip

The form helta- in the Etymologies is a misreading according to VT/46:14