sirion

noun. the great river

sîr (“river”) + on (augmentative suffix) #Another possible interpretation: “the land of the waters” where ion is archaic pl. genitive suffix.

sirion

place name. properly 'the Vale or lands about the River Síre' or 'the Great Stream'

_ topon. _properly 'the Vale or lands about the River Síre' or 'the Great Stream'. >> -ion

sirion

place name. Great River

The Great River of Beleriand (S/120), a combination of sîr “river” and the adjective iaun “wide”, reduced to its suffixal form -ion also seen in the names of lands (PE17/42).

Conceptual Development: This river was named G. Sirion in the earliest Lost Tales (LT1/238) and was explained as an archaic word for “river” in the Gnomish Lexicon (GL/67). The name N. Sirion appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s as an elaboration of N. sîr (Ety/SIR). The derivation given above appeared in Tolkien’s Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/42). In an early name list its Qenya equivalent was given as ᴱQ. Sirion as well (PE13/102).

Derivations

• ✶siriānā “Sirion” ✧ PE17/042

Element in

• Q. Siriondil “*Sirion-lover”
• S. Eithel Sirion “Well of Sirion”
• S. Tol Sirion “*Island of Sirion”

Elements

Word	Gloss
sîr	“river, stream”
iaun	“wide, extensive, large, roomy, vast, huge”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶siriānā > Sirion	[siriānā] > [siriāna] > [siriǭna] > [siriauna] > [siriaun] > [sirion]	✧ PE17/042

sîr

noun. river

duin

noun. (long and large) river (having strong current)

sirion

Sirion

Sirion is a Sindarin/Noldorin name which contains the element sîr. Depending on the meaning of the second element, the name could either mean "great river" or "land of waters" (-ion as augmentative suffix or archaic plural genitive suffix). Its name in Khuzdul was Gabilān, with the element Gabil - "Great".

sirion

great river

(i** hirion, o sirion), pl. siryn (i** siryn).

sirion

great river

sirion (i hirion, o sirion), pl. siryn (i siryn).

tirion

great watchtower

(i** dirion, o thirion), pl. tiryn (i** thiryn).

sîr

river

1) (also = rill) sîr (i hîr, o sîr), in compounds sir- or -hir or -hír; no distinct pl. form except with article (i sîr), coll. pl. siriath. Note: sîr is also the adverb ”today”. 2) celon (i gelon, o chelon), pl. celyn (pl. i chelyn), 3) The word lind ”singer” may also be used of rivers (see . (WJ.309).

sîr

river

(i hîr, o sîr), in compounds sir- or -hir or -hír; no distinct pl. form except with article (i sîr), coll. pl. siriath. Note: sîr is also the adverb ”today”.

aearon

great ocean

also Gaearon (i** ’Aearon), pl. Gaearyn (i** Ngaearyn = *i Ñaearyn). Also short form Gaeron (i** ‘Aeron), pl. Gaeryn (i** Ngaeryn = i Ñaeryn*). Coll. pl. Gaearonnath, Gaeronnath.

ardhon

great province

(great region, world), pl. erdhyn, coll. pl. ardhonnath.

duin

river

(long, large river with strong current) duin (i dhuin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nuin) (VT48:24)

duin

large river

(i dhuin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nuin), coll. pl. duinath (Names:179, PM:54); compare the river-name Anduin, ”long river”.

gond

great stone

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

lind

river

”singer” may also be used of rivers (see

celon

river

(i gelon, o chelon), pl. celyn (pl. i chelyn)

ethir

of a river

(estuary), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. ethiriath. Note: a homophone means "spy".

roval

great wing

(pinion, wing), pl. rovail (idh rovail); this is a suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” *rhoval* pl. *rhovel*.

taur

great wood

(i daur, o thaur) (forest), pl. toer (i thoer), coll. pl. torath. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”lofty, high, sublime, noble” etc.

goe

great fear

goe (i **oe) (terror), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ngoe** = i ñoe);

lae

great number

(no distinct pl. form) (VT45:27), also rim (crowd, host), no distinct pl. form except with article (idh** rim), coll. pl. rimmath**. Note: a homophone means ”cold pool or lake”.

thamas

great hall

pl. themais, coll. pl. thamassath.

daedhelos

great fear/dread

(i** naedhelos, o ndaedhelos), pl. daedhelys (i** ndaedhelys). Coll. pl. daedhelossath. A side-form ends in -oth instead of -os. The word appears in the mutated form "ndaedelos" in LotR Appendix F, but since the second element must be delos "abhorrence" and it would surely be lenited following a vowel, this would seem to be one of the cases where Tolkien wrote d even though dh would be technically correct.

daedhelos

great fear

daedhelos (i naedhelos, o ndaedhelos), pl. daedhelys (i ndaedhelys). Coll. pl. daedhelossath. A side-form ends in -oth instead of -os. The word appears in the mutated form "ndae<u>d</u>elos" in LotR Appendix F, but since the second element must be delos "abhorrence" and it would surely be lenited following a vowel, this would seem to be one of the cases where Tolkien wrote d even though dh would be technically correct. Another term for GREAT FEAR is goe (i **oe) (terror), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ngoe** = i ñoe).