arwen

noun. noble woman

arwen

noun. royal, noble maiden

ar (prefix “high, noble, royal”) + gwend (“maiden, woman”)

arwen

feminine name. Noble Maiden

Beloved of Aragorn and first queen of reunited Gondor and Arnor (LotR/973). Her name was translated “Noble Maiden” in one of Tolkien’s letters (RC/205). The initial element of her name is the prefix ar(a)- “noble” and its final element is the suffixal form -wen of gwend “maiden”, common in female names.

Conceptual Development: Arwen’s name did not emerge until late in the Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s. She was first named N. Ellonel, but this was revised to Finduilas >> Amareth >> Emrahil before Tolkien finally settled on Arwen (SD/66).

Element in

• Q. Arwen vanimelda, namárië “Arwen beautiful and beloved, farewell” ✧ LotR/0352
• Q. Arwen vanimalda, namárië ✧ WJ/369
• S. Haudh-en-Arwen “Ladybarrow”

Elements

Word	Gloss
ar(a)-	“noble, royal, high”
gwend	“maiden, maiden, *young woman”

arphen

noun. a noble

arod

adjective. noble

arod

noble

1b _adj._noble. >> raud

arod

adjective. noble

adj. #noble.

arod

adjective. noble

d adj. noble. Q. arata. >> raud

arod

adjective. noble

Cognates

• Q. arata “high, noble, exalted, lofty” ✧ PE17/049; PE17/186
• T. aráta “noble” ✧ PM/363

Derivations

• ✶arātā “high, lofty, noble” ✧ PE17/039; PE17/186; PM/363; VT41/09
  • √RĀ/ARA “noble, high, royal” ✧ PE17/118; PM/363
  • √RAT “tower up” ✧ PE17/186
• ✶rāta “lofty, high, noble” ✧ PE17/049
  • √RĀ/ARA “noble, high, royal” ✧ PE17/118
  • √RAT “tower up” ✧ PE17/186
• √ARAT “good, excellent, noble” ✧ PE17/147

Element in

• S. Arodreth “Noble Endurance” ✧ PE17/182
• S. Arothir “Noble Lord”
• S. Finrod ✧ VT41/09
• S. Thinrod “noble member of the Thindrim” ✧ VT41/09

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶arātā > arod	[arātā] > [arāta] > [arǭta] > [arauta] > [araut] > [araud] > [arod]	✧ PM/363

arth

adjective. (unknown meaning, perhaps (?) noble, lofty, exalted)

bess

noun. wife

elrenniel

feminine name. Arwen; *(lit.) Elrond-daughter

Another name for Arwen (PE17/56), a combination of a variant form of her father’s name Elrond and the feminine suffix -iel. Like its Quenya cognate Elerondiel, it is apparently intended to mean “Daughter of Elrond”. There are several variant forms of both the Sindarin and Quenya names, reflecting Tolkien’s uncertainties on the Elvish words for “daughter”: sell versus iell. See those entries for further discussion.

Changes

• Elrondiel → Elrendiel ✧ PE17/056
• Elrendiel → Elrenniel ✧ PE17/056

Cognates

• Q. Elerondiel “*Daughter of Elrond” ✧ PE17/056

Elements

Word	Gloss
Elrond	“Star-dome”
-iel	“daughter; feminine suffix”

Variations

• Elrondiel ✧ PE17/056 (Elrondiel)
• Elrendiel ✧ PE17/056 (Elrendiel)

adaneth

noun. (mortal) woman

bess

noun. (young) woman

arwen

noble woman

(pl. erwin).****

arwen

noble woman

arwen (pl. erwin).:

arwen

noble woman

arwen (pl. erwin); CROWNED WOMAN (= queen): rîn, construct rin, no distinct pl. form except when article precedes (idh rîn). This is basically the adj. rîn ”crowned” used as a noun. Note: a homphone means ”remembrance”.

arwen

noble maiden

Arwen means "Noble Maiden" in Sindarin (from ara- = "noble" and gwenn = "maiden"). The Quenya form of her name is not entirely certain, but as just a name, it is grammatically possible to calque Arwen to Quenya as Aranwen using aran- and wendë, stem Aranwend-; compare masculine Aranwë), but Arwen itself is also coincidentally a valid Quenya synthesis (using ar-, stem Arwend-), meaning the possibility that Arwen's name is the same in Sindarin and Quenya. Her epessë, Undómiel, means "Evenstar", from Undómë "evening twilight" and el "star".

arwen

Arwen

Arwen means "Noble Maiden" in Sindarin (from ara- = "noble" and gwenn = "maiden"). The Quenya form of her name is not entirely certain, but as just a name, it is grammatically possible to calque Arwen to Quenya as Aranwen (pron. [aˈranwen] using aran- and wendë, stem Aranwend-; compare masculine Aranwë), but Arwen itself is also coincidentally a valid Quenya synthesis (using ar-, stem Arwend-), meaning the possibility that Arwen's name is the same in Sindarin and Quenya. Her epessë, Undómiel, means "Evenstar", from Undómë "evening twilight" and el "star".

arwen

noun. noble lady

Elements

Word	Gloss
ar(a)-	“noble, royal, high”
gwend	“maiden, maiden, *young woman”

arn

noble

(adjective) 1) arn (royal), pl. ern, also arth (lofty, exalted), pl. erth, or arod (archaic *araud), pl. aroed. 2) brand (high, lofty, fine), lenited vrand, pl. braind; 3) raud (eminent, high), in compounds -rod, pl. roed. 4) taur (also tor-, tar- in compounds) (lofty, high, sublime; vast, masterful, mighty, overwhelming, huge, awful), lenited daur, pl. toer. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”great wood, forest”. Also used as noun ”a noble”; see below.

arn

noble

(royal), pl. ern, also arth (lofty, exalted), pl. erth, or arod (archaic ✱araud), pl. aroed.

arphen

noble

(noun, "a noble") 1) arphen, pl. erphin; 2) raud (eminent man, champion), pl.roed (idh roed), coll. pl. rodath.

arphen

noble

pl. erphin

ar

noble

(adjectival prefix) ar- (high, royal). In the form ar(a)- this is an element in the names of the kings of Arnor and Arthedain.

ar

noble

(high, royal). In the form ar(a)- this is an element in the names of the kings of Arnor and Arthedain.

bess

woman

bess (i vess, construct bes) (wife), pl. biss (i miss). The word etymologically means ”wife”, but the meaning was generalized.

bess

woman

(i vess, construct bes) (wife), pl. biss (i miss). The word etymologically means ”wife”, but the meaning was generalized.

brand

noble

(high, lofty, fine), lenited vrand, pl. braind

gwanur

kinsman

(i ’wanur) (brother), pl. gwenyr (in gwenyr). Note: a homophone of the sg. means ”pair of twins”.

adaneth

mortal woman

(pl. edenith), also firieth (pl. firith).

dess

young woman

(i ness, o ndess, constuct des), pl. diss (i ndiss).

raud

noble

(eminent, high), in compounds -rod,  pl. roed.  4) taur (also tor-, tar- in compounds) (lofty, high, sublime; vast, masterful, mighty, overwhelming, huge, awful), lenited daur, pl. toer. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”great wood, forest”. Also used as noun ”a noble”; see below.