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)_

ʼondō

noun. stone

PQ. stone

Argonath

noun. royal stones

arn (prefix “royal”) + gond (“great stone, rock”) + ath (collective plural suffix). Triconsonantal cluster rgn produces rg; in this case original nd doesn’t produce nn before the collective plural suffix ath. #It might be a dialectal form or a mistake on the part of Gondorians who didn't always use Elvish languages correctly (VT42 “Rivers and Beacon-hills”).

argonath

place name. Pillars of the Kings, (lit.) Royal Stones

Two statues of Gondorian kings just north of Nen Hithoel, translated “Pillars of the Kings” (LotR/392), more literally “(Pair of) Royal Stones” (RC/347, RGEO/67, Let/427). It is combination of the prefix ar(a)- “noble”, the noun gond “stone”, and the class-plural suffix -ath (RC/347).

It is not clear why this noun uses the class-plural. However, in one place Tolkien describes a dual variant argonad using the archaic dual suffix †-ad (Let/427). Perhaps this was the original form of the name, altered to Argonath after the Sindarin dual form was forgotten.

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name first appeared as N. Sern Aran(ath) “King Stones” along with an alternate name N. Sern Ubed “[Stones of] Denial” (WR/98, 132). Later in these drafts it was revised to N. Argonath (TI/366).

Elements

Word	Gloss
ar(a)-	“noble, royal, high”
gond	“stone, rock, stone, rock, [N.] stone (as a material), [G.] great stone”
-ath	“collective or group plural”

Variations

• argonath ✧ Let/427
• arn(a)gon-ath ✧ Let/427 (arn(a)gon-ath)

gond

noun. great stone, rock

gond

stone

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

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

gondren

adjective. (made) of stone

Argonath

Argonath (name)

The name is Sindarin and is composed as arn "royal" + gond "stone". The ending -ath is a collective plural, used sometimes (perhaps irregularly) for dual.

Argonath

Argonath

The name is Sindarin and is composed of ar "royal" plus gond "stone". The ending -ath is a collective plural, used sometimes (perhaps irregularly) for dual.

gondrath

street of stone

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

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”)

gond

stone

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

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”.

gôn

stone

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

gondren

made of stone, stony

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

argonath

place name. King Stones

sern aranath

place name. King Stones

Earlier name for the Argonath appearing in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (TI/366), a combination of the plural of sarn “stone” and the class-plural of aran “king”. It also appeared with the ordinary plural Sern Erain, and the singular form Sarn Aran (WR/98).

Changes

• Sern Aranath → Argonath ✧ TI/366
• Sern Erain → Sarn Aran “King Stones” ✧ WR/098

Elements

Word	Gloss
sarn	“stone as a material”
aran	“king, lord (of a specific region)”

Variations

• Sern Erain ✧ WR/098; WRI/Sarn Aran
• Sarn Aran ✧ WR/098; WRI/Sarn Aran

gondram

noun. hewn stone

gondrafn

noun. hewn stone

gonn

noun. great stone, rock

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