lér

man

**lér noun "man" (NI1; hypothetical Q form of PQ dēr; the form actually used in Quenya was nér)

nér

man

nér (1) (ner-, as in pl. neri) noun "man" (adult male elf, mortal, or of other speaking race) (MR:213, VT49:17, DER, NDER, NI1, VT45:9; see also WJ:393)

nér

noun. man

merya

festive

merya adj. "festive" (MBER)

sorna

steadfast

sorna (þ) adj. "steadfast" (PE17:113)

sorna

adjective. steadfast

Cognates

• S. thorn “steadfast” ✧ PE17/113

Derivations

• √STOR “steadfast” ✧ PE17/113

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√THOR > thorna > sorna	[tʰorna] > [θorna] > [sorna]	✧ PE17/113

vëo

man

†vëo noun "man" (WEG; etymologically connected to vëa "manly, vigorous"; the more neutral word for "man" is nér. According to VT46:21, Tolkien indicated that vëo is an archaic or poetic word.) Tolkien at a later point defined the word as "living creature" (PE17:189). Cf. variant wëo, q.v.

canya

bold

canya (1) ("k")adj. "bold" (KAN).

sarta

steadfast, trusty, loyal

sarta adj. "steadfast, trusty, loyal" (PE17:183)

beren

masculine name. Bold

Hero of Beleriand and love of Lúthien who wrested a Silmaril from the crown of Morgoth (S/162). His name is simply [N.] beren “bold” used as a name.

Conceptual Development: The name G. Beren dates back to the earliest Lost Tales, though in the earliest stories he was a Noldorin Elf instead of a Man (LT2/11). The name N. Beren appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s as a derivative of ᴹ√BER alongside N. beren “bold” (Ety/BER), which is the source of the derivation given above.

Element in

• S. Narn Beren ion Barahir “*Tale of Beren son of Barahir” ✧ MR/373

Elements

Word	Gloss
beren	“bold”

adanath

noun. men

thorn

adjective. steadfast

adj. steadfast. Q. thorna, sorna. >> Arathorn

thorn

adjective. steadfast

Cognates

• Q. sorna “steadfast” ✧ PE17/113

Derivations

• √STOR “steadfast” ✧ PE17/113; PE17/113

Element in

• S. Arathorn “Steadfast King” ✧ PE17/113; PE17/113
• ᴺS. thornang “steel”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√THOR > thorn	[tʰorna] > [θorna] > [θorn]	✧ PE17/113
√STOR > thorn	[storna] > [sθorna] > [θorna] > [θorn]	✧ PE17/113

Variations

• thorn ✧ PE17/113; PE17/113

drúadan

noun. wild man, one of the Woses

dîr

noun. man, man, [N.] adult male; agental suffix

A word for “man” as a male person, attested only as an element in compounds or as (archaic?) ndir (PE17/60). This word likely refers to male individuals of all races including Elves, Men, Dwarves and so forth, much like its Quenya cognate Q. nér. This word must have been derived from the primitive subjective form ✶ndēr of the root √N(D)ER “male person”, where the ancient long ē became ī, and the initial cluster nd- became d-, though the ancient cluster would still be reflected in mutated forms, such as in i nîr “the man” rather than ✱✱i dhîr.

Conceptual Development: Perhaps the earliest precursor to this word is (archaic) G. †drio “hero, warrior” with variants driw, driodweg and driothweg, a cognate of ᴱQ. nēr (GL/22). This Gnomish word was derived from primitive ᴱ✶n’reu̯, where the initial nr- became dr-. At this early stage, the root was unstrengthened ᴱ√NERE (QL/65), as reflected in (archaic) ᴱN. nîr “hero, prince, warrior-elf” in the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s (PE13/164).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root became ᴹ√DER “adult male, man” of any speaking race and the derived form was N. dîr (Ety/DER). However, in this document Tolkien said:

> EN †dîr surviving chiefly in proper names (as Diriel older Dirghel [GYEL], Haldir, Brandir) and as agental ending (as ceredir “doer, maker”) ... In ordinary use EN has benn [for “man”] (properly = “husband”).

Thus in the scenario described in The Etymologies, dîr “man” was archaic and used only as an element in names or as a suffix. In ordinary speech it was replaced by N. benn, which used to mean “husband” but now meant “man”, while the word for “husband” became N. hervenn (Ety/BES). It is unlikely Tolkien imagined this exact scenario in later Sindarin, however, since the 1930s root for benn was ᴹ√BES “wed”, but by the 1960s the root for husband/wife/marry words had become √BER.

Neo-Sindarin: Since the status of N. benn is questionable given ᴹ√BES >> √BER, many Neo-Sindarin writers prefer to use S. ✱dîr as the Sindarin word for man. I am of the opinion that both dîr and benn are acceptable for “man, male person”. This is because I prefer to retain ᴹ√BES as the root for “marry, wed”, since it is the best basis for attested husband/wife words in (Neo) Sindarin.

Derivations

• ✶ndē̆r “man”
  • √N(D)ER “male (person), man”

Element in

• S. Borondir “?Steadfast-man”
• S. Brandir “*Noble Man”
• S. condir “mayor, *(lit.) chief-man”
• S. curunír “wizard, wizard, [N.] man of craft”
• S. dagnir “slayer, bane”
• S. Dírhael “*Wise Man”
• S. dírnaith “wedge-shaped battle-formation, (lit.) man-spearhead”
• S. Emeldir “Manhearted, *Manly-mother”
• S. Haldir
• S. Handir
• S. Hathaldir
• S. Hatholdir “*Axe-man”
• S. herdir “master”
• S. Lindir
• S. Othrondir “?Stronghold Man”
• S. randir “wanderer, wandering man, pilgrim” ✧ PE17/060
• S. Thorondir “*Eagle-man”

Variations

• ndir ✧ PE17/060

adanadar

noun. man, one of the Fathers of Men

adan

noun. man, one of the Second People (elvish name for men)

cand

adjective. bold

drû

noun. wild man, Wose, Púkel-Man

In PE/11:31, an older Gnomish word drû, drui meant "wood, forest", and in PE/13:142, the early Noldorin word drú was assigned the meaning "dark". Drû pl. Drúin later came to be used for the name of the Woses, with other derivatives (Drúadan, etc.). "Wose" is actually the modernization of an Anglo-Saxon word wasa only found in the compound wudu-wasa "wild man of the woods", cf. UT/385 sq. In the drafts of the "Ride of the Rohirrim" in WR/343-346, the Woses first appeared as "the dark men of Eilenach". Though internally said to derive from drughu in their own tongue, Tolkien's choice for the Sindarin name of the Woses was apparently influenced by earlier meanings assigned to this word

Dúnadan

noun. Man of the west, Númenórean

beren

bold

1) beren (lenited veren), pl. berin. Also used as masc. name Beren. 2) cand (lenited gand, pl. caind)

beren

bold

(lenited veren), pl. berin. Also used as masc. name Beren.

meren

festive

meren (lenited veren; pl. merin) (gay, joyous). Note: In the Etymologies, Tolkien changed the relevant root from _ to

meren

festive

(lenited veren; pl. merin) (gay, joyous). Note: In the Etymologies, Tolkien changed the relevant root from MER to MBER so that meren became beren, but names occurring in Tolkien’s narratives (Mereth Aderthad, Merethrond) were not changed, so this revision was never fully implemented. (If meren were to become beren, the related word mereth ”feast” would also become bereth.)

meren

gay

meren (lenited veren; pl. merin) (festive, joyous). Note: In the Etymologies, Tolkien changed the relevant root from _ to

meren

gay

(lenited veren; pl. merin) (festive, joyous). Note: In the Etymologies, Tolkien changed the relevant root from MER to MBER so that meren became beren, but names occurring in Tolkien’s narratives (Mereth Aderthad, Merethrond) were not changed, so this revision was never fully implemented. (If meren were to become beren, the related word mereth ”feast” would also become bereth.)

meren

joyous

meren (lenited veren; pl. merin) (gay, festive). Note: In the Etymologies, Tolkien changed the relevant root from _ to

meren

joyous

(lenited veren; pl. merin) (gay, festive). Note: In the Etymologies, Tolkien changed the relevant root from MER to MBER so that meren became beren, but names occurring in Tolkien’s narratives (Mereth Aderthad, Merethrond) were not changed, so this revision was never fully implemented. (If meren were to become beren, the related word mereth ”feast” would also become bereth.)

meren

adjective. festive, gay, joyous

Derivations

• ᴹ√M(B)ER “*feast, festive”

bôr

trusty man

(boron-) (i vôr, construct bor) (steadfast man, faithful vassal), pl. *b**ŷr* for older beryn, i meryn (archaic böryn, i möryn). In ”Noldorin”, the older pl. forms were berein, beren.

bôr

faithful vassal

bôr (boron-) (i vôr, construct bor) (trusty/steadfast man), pl. bŷr for older beryn, i meryn (archaic böryn, i möryn). In ”Noldorin”, the older pl. forms were berein, beren.

bôr

faithful vassal

bôr (boron-) (i vôr, construct bor) (trusty/steadfast man), pl. bŷr (i mŷr) for older beryn, i meryn (archaic börin, i mörin). In ”Noldorin”, the older pl. forms were berein, beren.

bôr

faithful vassal

(boron-) (i vôr, construct bor) (trusty/steadfast man), pl. *b**ŷr* for older beryn, i meryn (archaic böryn, i möryn). In ”Noldorin”, the older pl. forms were berein, beren.

bôr

steadfast man

bôr (boron-) (i vôr, construct bor) (trusty man, faithful vassal), pl. bŷr (i mŷr) for older beryn, i meryn (archaic börin, i mörin). In ”Noldorin”, the older pl. forms were berein, beren.

bôr

steadfast man

bôr (boron-) (i vôr, construct bor) (trusty man, faithful vassal), analogical pl. pl. bŷr (i mŷr) for older beryn, i meryn (archaic börin, i mörin). In ”Noldorin”, the older pl. forms were berein, beren.

bôr

steadfast man

(boron-) (i vôr, construct bor) (trusty man, faithful vassal), pl. *b**ŷr* (i m**ŷr) for older beryn, i meryn (archaic börin, i mörin). In ”Noldorin”, the older pl. forms were **berein, beren.

firion

mortal man

(pl. firyn).

rhavan

wild man

(?i thravan or ?i ravan – the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhevain (?idh revain) (WJ:219). – The following terms apparently apply to ”men” of any speaking race:

curunír

man of craft

(i gurunír, o churunír) (wizard), no distinct pl. form except with article (i churunír), coll. pl. ?curuníriath.

adan

man

(pl. Edain; the coll. pl. Adanath is attested). The word Adan came to be used primarily of a member of the Three Houses of the Edain, not of the mortal race of Men in general.

dîr

man

1) (adult male of any speaking race) dîr (dír-, also agentive ending -dir or -nir; with article, i nîr, hard mutation as in o ndîr), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndîr); coll. pl. díriath. Also benn (i venn, construct ben), pl. binn (i minn). The latter is in archaic language used = "husband" (the etymological meaning). The ending -we in names may also express ”being, man, person”. 2) (mortal human as opposed to Elf) Adan (pl. Edain; the coll. pl. Adanath is attested). The word Adan came to be used primarily of a member of the Three Houses of the Edain, not of the mortal race of Men in general.

dîr

man

(dír-, also agentive ending -dir or -nir; with article, i nîr, hard mutation as in o ndîr), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndîr); coll. pl. díriath. Also benn (i venn, construct ben), pl. binn (i minn). The latter is in archaic language used = "husband" (the etymological meaning). The ending -we in names may also express ”being, man, person”.

cand

adjective. bold

Element in

• ᴺS. úgan(n) “gutless, faint-hearted, diffident”

cand

bold

(lenited gand, pl. caind)

thalion

dauntless man

(hero), pl. thelyn. Also used as an adj. ”dauntless, steadfast, strong”. 

thalion

steadfast

thalion (dauntless, strong), pl. thelyn. Also used as a noun ”hero, dauntless man”.

thalion

steadfast

(dauntless, strong), pl. thelyn. Also used as a noun ”hero, dauntless man”.

dúnadan

man of the west

(i Núnadan), pl. Dúnedain (i Ndúnedain) (WJ:378, 386).

him

steadfast

1) him (abiding), lenited chim, no distinct pl. form. Note that homophones include both the adjective ”cool” and the adverb ”continually”.

him

steadfast

(abiding), lenited chim, no distinct pl. form. Note that homophones include both the adjective ”cool” and the adverb ”continually”.

beorn

noun. man

The shift of e to eo is strange and has no direct parallels, but compare eo from i in meord "fine rain" (< primitive mizdê). Normally final -ô becomes -â in Nandorin (see golda), but here it is simply lost instead of producing *beorna. C.f. meord the other word where we might have expected to see a final -a (in that case from -ê); it may be that final vowels are lost in words that would otherwise come to have more than two syllables. - The shift of primitive s to r in besnô > beorn may be ascribed primarily to the blending with ber(n)ô, but r from z is seen in meord < mizdê; perhaps the s of besnô first became z and then r. Such developments are common in Quenya.

ndē̆r

noun. man

Derivations

• √N(D)ER “male (person), man”

Derivatives

• S. dîr “man, man, [N.] adult male; agental suffix”

stor

root. steadfast

A root appearing Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 serving as an explanation for the element S. thorn “steadfast” in the name S. Arathorn, first appearing in a rejected page with variants √STOR and √THOR (PE17/113-114) and then later as only √THOR (PE17/113). This root may be connected to Q. torna “hard” in notes on Quenya intensive forms written between the first and second edition of The Lord of the Rings, where it was an element in Q. tornanga “hard iron”, with intensive forms aristorna, anastorna that imply derivation from √STOR (PE17/56).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume this root is √STOR to avoid conflict with ᴹ√THOR(ON), the basis for “eagle” words.

Derivatives

• Q. sorna “steadfast” ✧ PE17/113
• Q. torna “hard”
• S. thorn “steadfast” ✧ PE17/113; PE17/113

Element in

• Q. Hyarastorni “?South Fastness”

Variations

• THOR ✧ PE17/113; PE17/113; PE17/186; PE17/187

thor

root. steadfast

beren

adjective. bold

beren

masculine name. Bold

beren

adjective. bold

Cognates

• ᴹQ. verya “bold, bold, *brave” ✧ Ety/BER

Derivations

• On. berina “bold, brave” ✧ Ety/BER
  • ᴹ√BER “valiant” ✧ Ety/BER

Element in

• S. Beregond “?Valiant Stone”
• S. Beren “Bold”
• N. Beren “Bold” ✧ Ety/BER

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. berina > beren	[berina] > [berena] > [beren]	✧ Ety/BER

Variations

• beren ✧ Ety/BER

beren

adjective. festive, gay, joyous

Changes

• meren → beren “festive” ✧ Ety/MBER

Cognates

• ᴹQ. merya “festive” ✧ Ety/MBER

Derivations

• ᴹ√M(B)ER “*feast, festive” ✧ Ety/MBER; Ety/MBER

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√MBER > beren	[mberina] > [berina] > [berena] > [beren]	✧ Ety/MBER
ᴹ√MER > meren	[merina] > [merena] > [meren]	✧ Ety/MBER

Variations

• beren ✧ Ety/MBER
• meren ✧ Ety/MBER (meren)

meren

adjective. festive, gay, joyous

The word was changed to beren in the Etymologies, but meren would be restored together with mereth

benn

noun. man, male

berithil

masculine name. Berithil

Changes

• Berithil → Beregond ✧ SD/059
• Berithil → Beregond ✧ SDI1/Berithil
• Barathil → Barithil ✧ WR/288
• Barithil → Berithil ✧ WR/288
• Berithil → Beregond ✧ WR/288

Variations

• Beren ✧ WR/282
• Barathil ✧ WR/288; WRI/Berithil
• Barithil ✧ WR/288; WRI/Berithil
• Berethil ✧ WRI/Berithil

forodrim

noun. Northmen

forodwaith

noun. Northmen

forodweith

noun. Northmen

bôr

noun/adjective. steadfast; trusty man, faithful vassal

Derivations

• On. boron “steadfast; trusty man, faithful vassal” ✧ Ety/BOR; Ety/BOR
  • ᴹ✶boron- ✧ Ety/BOR
  • ᴹ√BOR(ON) “endure” ✧ Ety/BOR

Element in

• S. Bór “*Faithful”
• N. Bór “Faithful” ✧ Ety/BOR
• S. Borlach “?Steadfast-flame”
• S. Borlad
• N. Borlas ✧ Ety/BOR
• S. Boromir “?Steadfast-jewel”
• S. Borthand “*Steadfast-intelligence”
• N. Borthandos “*Steadfast-intelligence”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. boron > bór	[boron] > [boro] > [bor] > [bōr]	✧ Ety/BOR

Variations

• bór ✧ Ety/BOR

forodweith

noun. the lands of the North

cann

adjective. bold

cann

adjective. bold

Cognates

• ᴹQ. kanya “bold; wise” ✧ Ety/KAN

Derivations

• ᴹ✶kandā “bold” ✧ Ety/KAN
  • ᴹ√KAN “dare” ✧ Ety/KAN

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶kandā > cann	[kandā] > [kanda] > [kand] > [kann]	✧ Ety/KAN

dîr

noun. man, referring to an adult male (elf, mortal, or of any other speaking race)

him

adjective. steadfast, abiding

forodwaith

noun. the lands of the North

him

adjective. continually