er (from ereb “one, alone”) + cam(b) (“hand”) + ion (#ending for a male name)
Quenya
maitë
handed
maitë
handed
erchamion
adjective. one-handed
erchamion
noun. one handed
er (from ereb “one, alone”) + cam(b) (“hand”) + ion (#ending for a male name)
erchamion
masculine name. One-handed
Sobriquet of Beren after his hand was bitten off during his quest for a Silmaril (S/183). The two initial elements of this name are er “one” and a mutated form cham of cam “hand” (SA/er, cam). The second of these is especially interesting, in that it is a rare example of liquid mutation. The meaning of the final element is unclear, but it is probably a variant of the masculine suffix -on. As further evidence of this, Tolkien also wrote Erchamon without the i, and according to Patrick Wynne this was clearly deliberate and not a slip (VT47/7, PE21/86).
Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales from the 1910s, this name appeared as G. Ermabwed (LT2/34). In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name was revised first to (Ilkorin?) Ermabuin (SM/310), then again to N. Erchamui (LR/146, LR/405). In one place it appeared as Erchamron (Ety/MAP).
As a variation on all these names, the forms N. Er(h)amion or Erchamion appeared as early as the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s (LB/119, 121) and also in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/146, 405). In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name appeared as Erhamion (RS/183) and was firmly established in its final form Erchamion by the time of the Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (WJ/51, 231).
Cognates
- Q. Ercambo “Onehand(ed), One-hand Man” ✧ PE21/86; VT47/07
Elements
Word Gloss er “one, alone” cam “(cupped) hand, holding hand; handful” -on “masculine suffix” Variations
- Erchamon ✧ PE21/86; VT47/07
erchamon
noun. one-handed man
erchammon
noun. one-handed man
erchammui
adjective. one-handed
ergammon
masculine name. One-Handed
erchamion
one-handed
(pl. erchemyn).
erchamion
one-handed
erchamion (pl. erchemyn), also *erchammui, no distinct pl. form. (The word is spelt erchamui in the source.)
erchammon
one-handed man
(pl. erchemmyn). The spelling used in the source is ”erchamon” (VT47:7)
crumui
left-handed
crumui (lenited grumui; no distinct pl. form), also hargam (lenited chargam, pl. hergaim)
crumui
left-handed
(lenited grumui; no distinct pl. form), also hargam (lenited chargam, pl. hergaim).
maenas
handicraft
(i vaenas) (craft, art), pl. maenais (i maenais), coll. pl. maenassath.
erchamion
masculine name. One-handed
Changes
Erchamion→ Erchamui ✧ Ety/KABCognates
- Ilk. Ermabuin “One-handed” ✧ Ety/MAP
Variations
- Erchamron ✧ Ety/MAP
- Er(h)amion ✧ LB/119; LBI/Erchamion
- Erhamion ✧ RS/183; RSI/Beren; RSI/Erhamion
erchamui
adjective. one-handed
erchamui
masculine name. One-handed
An earlier variant of S. Erchamion “One-handed” (LR/146, 405; Ety/KAB), ending instead with the adjective suffix -ui.
Changes
- Erchamui → Erchamion ✧ LR/146
- Erchamui → Erchamion ✧ LR/405
Elements
Word Gloss er “one, alone” cam “hand” -ui “adjective suffix”
crumui
adjective. left-handed
hargam
adjective. left-handed
Cognates
- ᴹQ. hyarmaite “left-handed” ✧ Ety/KHYAR
Elements
Word Gloss heir “left (hand)” cam “hand”
harwed
adjective. left-handed
Elements
Word Gloss heir “left (hand)” moed “handy, skilled” Variations
- harvaed ✧ EtyAC/KHYAR (
harvaed)
Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!
hyarmaite
adjective. left-handed
Cognates
- N. hargam “left-handed” ✧ Ety/KHYAR
Elements
Word Gloss hyarya “left (hand)” maite “handy, skilled”
ermabuin
masculine name. One-handed
Predecessor to the name S. Erchamion. In The Etymologies, the form Ermab(r)in “One-handed” was marked Ilkorin (Ety/MAP), and the similar form Ermabuin from the narratives may also be Ilkorin, since it appeared beside the Ilkorin name Mablosgen “Empty-handed” (LR/131). This name is a compound of er “one”, mâb “hand” and a variation of the adjective suffix -en. The u might be explained as a fossilized dual element [u], but the absence of this vowel in The Etymologies may mean that Tolkien rejected it in the Ilkorin form of the name.
Changes
- Ermabuin → Erchamui ✧ LR/146
- Ermabuin → Erchamui “One-handed” ✧ LR/405
- Ermabuin → Erchamion ✧ SMI/Erchamion
- Ermabuin → Erchamion ✧ SMI/Ermabwed
Cognates
- N. Erchamion “One-handed” ✧ Ety/MAP
Elements
Word Gloss er “one” mâb “hand” -en “adjectival suffix” Variations
- Ermab(r)in ✧ Ety/MAP
- Ermabin ✧ EtyAC/MAP (Dor.
Ermabin)
ermabwed
masculine name. One-handed
Cognates
- Eq. Elmavoite “One-handed” ✧ LT2/034; LT2I/Elmavoitë; LT2A/Elmavoitë
ermabwed
masculine name. One-handed
Changes
- Ermabweth → Ermabwed ✧ LB/119
- Ermabwed → Er(h)amion ✧ LB/119
- Ermabwed → Erchamion ✧ LB/121
- Ermabwed → Erchamion ✧ LBI/Erchamion
- Ermabwed → Erchamion “One-handed” ✧ LBI/Ermabwed
Ermabwed→ Ermabuin ✧ SM/310- Ermabwed → Ermabuin “One-handed” ✧ SMI/Ermabwed
Variations
- Ermabweth ✧ LB/119; LBI/Ermabwed
maite
adjective. handed
Element in
- Eq. erumaite “one handed” ✧ PE14/084
Variations
- maite ✧ PE14/084 (maite)
elmavoite
masculine name. One-handed
Cognates
- G. Ermabwed “One-handed” ✧ LT2/034; LT2I/Elmavoitë; LT2A/Elmavoitë
Elements
Word Gloss er “one, only, alone, a single” mavoite “having hands” Variations
- Elmavoitë ✧ LT2/034; LT2A/Elmavoitë; LT2A/Ermabwed; LT2I/Elmavoitë
maitë (stem *maiti-, given the primitive form ¤ma3iti) adj. "handed" or "handy, skillful" (VT49:32, 42) in Angamaitë, hyarmaitë, lungumaitë, morimaitë, Telemmaitë, q.v. Etym gives maitë pl. maisi "handy, skilled" (MA3), but Tolkien later eliminated the variation t/s (compare ataformaitë "ambidextrous", pl. ataformaiti).