tan

root. indicate, show

In Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957, Tolkien gave √TAN “indicate, show” as the basis for Q. tanna “sign, token” (PE17/186) and in notes from the late 1950s Tolkien gave the verbal root √tana “show, indicate” (MR/385). Possible earlier hints of this root can be seem in the first and second versions of Tengwesta Qenderinwa where Tolkien gave √TAN as an extension of demonstrative √TA (PE18/33, 60, 84, 95), but those references were unglossed and may simply have been illustrations of principles of root formation. The use of √TAN = “indicate” would have conflicted with √TAN “make, fashion, construct” (Ety/TAN; PE17/96, 106), but in 1968 or 69 Tolkien changed {√TAN >>} √TAM “construct” (PE17/107); see that entry for details.

tam

root. construct, construct; [ᴹ√] knock, [ᴱ√] beat; smelt, forge

There were two roots in competition for “construction” words in Tolkien’s later writing: √TAM and √TAN. The first appearance of these was ᴱ√TAMA “(beat) smelt, forge” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. tambe “copper” and ᴱQ. tamin “forge” (QL/88). In the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon it had derivatives like G. tăm “copper” and G. tambos “cauldron” (GL/69).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the early root reappeared as ᴹ√TAM “knock” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tamba-/N. tamma- “knock” and ᴹQ. tambaro/N. tavor “woodpecker, knocker” (Ety/TAM; EtyAC/TAM). However, for “construction” words Tolkien introduced a new root ᴹ√TAN “make, fashion” with derivatives like ᴹQ. tano “craftsman, smith”, ᴹQ. tanwe “craft, thing made, device, construction” and ᴹQ. kentano/N. cennan “potter” (Ety/TAN). The root ᴹ√TAN was the basis for several names: ᴹQ. Martan(o) “Earth-smith”, ᴹQ. Tintánie “Star-maker”, and ᴹQ. Cirdan “Shipbuilder” (Ety/TAN).

The root √TAN appeared several times in Tolkien’s later writings with the glosses “make with tools” (PE17/96) and “construct” (PE17/106). But the names ᴹQ. Martan(o) and ᴹQ. Tintánie became Q. Martamo (LT1A/Talka Marda) and Q. Tintallë (PE21/85; LotR/377), and in notes from 1968 or 1969 Tolkien had {√TAN >>} √TAM “construct” with derivatives like Q. taman/S. tavn “a thing made by handicraft” and Q. tamo “smith” (PE17/107-108). However, in this same note Tolkien said “in Sindarin the base appeared mostly in form √TAN owing to contact with √PAN arrange, set in order”, most likely because he wanted to retain names like S. Círdan.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume the root √TAM originally had the sense “beat, knock”, from there becoming the basis for “forge” words and then a general root for tool and handicraft words, but with a Sindarin-only variant √TAN as noted above. I would use the root √TAN for “indicate, show”, see that entry for details.

kegyā

noun. hedge

nar

root. fire, fire, [ᴹ√] flame

A root for “fire” first appearing as ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” in The Etymologies of the 1930s along with derivatives like ᴹQ. nár(e)/N. naur “flame” (Ety/NAR¹). There was also an augmented variant ᴹ√ANÁR that served as the basis for “Sun” words: ᴹQ. Anar and N. Anor (Ety/ANÁR). These roots and the various derivatives continued to appear in Tolkien’s later writings in the 1950s and 60s (PE17/38; Let/425), and in one place Tolkien specified that nār- was “fire as an element” as opposed to √RUYU for an actual blaze.

nāro

noun. fire

sinkitamo

noun. smith

te

pronoun. they

tī

pronoun. they

tano

craftsman, smith

tano noun "craftsman, smith" (TAN), cf. final element -tan in calmatan "lampwright" (PE17:123), Ciryatan *"ship-builder" (Appendix A).

ta

they, them

ta (3) pron. "they, them", an "impersonal" 3rd person pl. stem, referring "only to 'abstracts' or to things (such as inanimates) not by the Eldar regarded as persons" (VT43:20, cf. ta as an inanimate Common Eldarin plural pronoun, VT49:52). Compare te, q.v. The word ta occurring in some versions of Tolkien's Quenya Lord's Prayer may exemplify this use of ta as an "impersonal" plural pronoun: emmë avatyarir ta** "we forgive them" (VT43:8, 9; this refers to trespasses, not the trespassers). However, since Tolkien also wanted ta to mean "that" (see #1 above), he may seem to be somewhat dissatisfied with ta "they, them", introducing variant forms like tai (VT49:32) to free up ta as a sg. pronoun. In one document, tai was in turn altered to te (VT49:33), which could suggest that the distinction between animate and inanimate "they, them" was abandoned and the form te (q.v.) could be used for both. In some documents, Tolkien seems to use tar as the plural form (VT49:56 mentions this as an uncertain reading in a source where the word was struck out; compare ótar under ó**-).

tan-

verb. to make, fashion

A neologism in ABNW (ABNW) from the early 2000s based on ᴹ√TAN “make, fashion”. This root became √TAM in notes published after ABNW, so I would instead use attested cat- “shape, fashion”, also published after ABNW.

tamo

noun. smith, builder, wright, artificer

This word appeared in notes from the late 1960s, where Tolkien said that it was “translated ‘smith’, but meaning a craftsman in wood, stone, or metal: carpenter (carver), mason (sculptor), or [metal] smith (PE17/107)”. Tolkien further gave sintamo specifically for “[metal] smith”, but said “tamo unspecified, especially among the Noldor, was usually employed = sintamo, our ‘smith’ (PE17/108)”. In this 1960s note the word tamo was derived from the root √TAM “construct” (PE17/107).

Based on its use as an element in other words, tamo could be translated as “smith, builder, wright, artificer” = “✱one who crafts things from some material”. As a reduced element in compounds it becomes -tan, since final m became n in Quenya (PE19/104). This can be seen in words like calmatan “lampwright” (PE17/96) and ciryatan “shipbuilder” (S/265). The element tamo can also be seen in one of the names for Aulë: Martamo “World-artificer” appearing a very late note according to Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Talka Marda).

Conceptual Development: Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s had ᴱQ. talka “smith” (PE16/138) as in ᴱQ. Talka Marda “Smith of the World” from the early Lost Tales (LT1/180). This 1920s word was probably a cognate of ᴱN. taglon “smith” (PE13/153) and was likely based on the early root ᴱ√TAKA “fix, fasten”. A remnant of talka “smith” can be seen in primitive ᴹ✶talkō “craftsmen, wright”, which appeared in the first version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ1) from the 1930s as a derivative of ᴹ√TAK (PE18/54).

The Etymologies of the 1930s had ᴹQ. tano “craftsman, smith” derived from primitive ᴹ✶tanō under the root ᴹ√TAN “make, fashion” (Ety/TAN). In this document Aulë’s name was ᴹQ. Martan(o) “Earthbuilder, Earth-smith” (Ety/MBAR, TAN). Remnants of this √TAN derivation can be seen a few later names like Q. Artano “High-smith” (UT/254), but it seems Tolkien decided sometime in the 1960s to make the root √TAM instead. Some of the 1950s and 60s compounds with -tan were probably originally from √TAN, but these remain fine after the change in root since final m became n as noted above.

-lto

they

-lto, "Qenya" pronominal ending "they"; see -ltë

-ltë

they

-ltë, 3rd person pl. pronominal suffix, "they" (VT49:51; cariltë "they do", VT49:16, 17). It alternates with -ntë in Tolkiens manuscripts (VT49:17, 57). In his early material, the ending also appears as -lto, occurring in Fíriel's Song (meldielto "they are beloved" and cárielto "they made"), also in LT1:114: tulielto "they have come" (cf. VT49:57). Compare -lta, -ltya as the ending for "their".

-ltë

suffix. they

-ntë

they

-ntë "they", pronomimal ending, inflexion of 3rd person plural when no subject is previously mentioned (CO; see also VT49:49). This ending competes with -ltë (q.v.) in Tolkiens conception (VT49:57; for "they do", both carintë and cariltë are attested, VT49:16 vs. 17). The corresponding pronominal possessive suffix appears as -ntya or -nta in various sources.

-ntë

suffix. they

-ttë

they

-ttë (1) "they", dual 3rd person pronominal ending ("the two of them") (VT49:51), replacing (also within the legendarium) the older ending -stë (which was later used for the second person only). This older ending -stë corresponds to a possessive ending -sta "their" (VT49:16), but this was presumably likewise altered to *-tta as the new ending for dual "their" = "of the two of them".

ahto

noun. maker

maker, wright

car-

verb. make, do, build, form

car- (1) vb. "make, do, build, form" (1st pers. aorist carin "I make, build"; the aorist is listed with all pronominal endings in VT49:16, also in pl. and dual forms carir, carit). Regarding the form carize- (PE17:128), see -s #1. Pa.t. carnë (KAR, PE17:74, 144). The infinitival aorist stem carë ("k") (by Patrick Wynne called a "general aorist infinitive" in VT49:34) occurs in ecë nin carë sa "I can do it" (VT49:34), also in áva carë "don't do it" (WJ:371) and uin carë (PE17:68); in the last example Tolkien calls carë an example of the "simplest aorist infinitive", the same source referring to carië as the "general infinitive" of the same verb. Pl. aorist carir "form" in the phrase i carir quettar ("k") "those who form words" (WJ:391, cf. VT49:16), continuative cára, future caruva (PE17:144), carita ("k"), infinitive/gerund "to do" or "doing" (VT42:33), with suffixes caritas "to do it" or "doing it", caritalya(s) "your doing (it)" in VT41:13,17, VT42:33. Past participle #carna, q.v.; VT43:15 also gives the long form carina ("k"), read perhaps *cárina. (Carima as a passive participle may be a mistake, VT43:15.) PE17:68 refers to a "simple past passive participle" of the form carinwa ("kari-nwa"). "Rare" past participle active (?) cárienwa* ("k") "having done" (PE17:68), unless this is also a kind of passive participle (the wording of the source is unclear). Some alternative forms in Fíriel's Song: past tense cárë ("káre") "made"; this may still be an alternative to the better-attested form carnë (LR:362) even in LotR-style Quenya. Cf. ohtacárë "war-made", made war (see #ohtacar-). Also cárië with various suffixes: cárier ("kárier") is translated "they made"; in LotR-style Quenya this could be seen as an augmentless perfect, hence "they have made", "they" being simply the plural ending -r. The literal meaning of cárielto* ("k") must also be "they made" (cf. -lto). Derived adjectives urcárima and urcarnë "hard to make / do", urucarin "made with difficulty" (PE17:154), saucarya "evil-doing" (PE17:68).

finta-

verb. to make, finish off, or decorate a thing with delicate work

finta- (1) vb. "to make, finish off, or decorate a thing with delicate work" (PE17:17)

isca

pale

isca ("k") adj."pale" (LT1:256)

luina

pale

[luina] adj. "pale" (VT45:30)

marya

pale, fallow, fawn

marya adj. "pale, fallow, fawn" (MAD)

néca

pale, vague, faint, dim to see

néca ("k") adj "pale, vague, faint, dim to see", pl. nécë ("k") in Markirya

nívë

pale

nívë adj."pale" (MC:213; this is "Qenya" Tolkien's later Quenya has néca)

ruinë

fire, a blaze

ruinë noun "a fire, a blaze" (PE17:183). Compare nárë.

sintamo

smith

sintamo noun "smith" (PE17:107-108), cf. more usual variant tamo, q.v.

sintamo

noun. smith

A word specifically for a “[metal] smith” based on primitive ✶sinkitamo, as opposed to more generic tamo “smith, ✱builder” which can refer to a variety of craftsman (PE17/107-108). Its initial element seems to be a restoration of ᴱQ. sink “mineral, metal, gem” from the 1910s (QL/83), and might be related to Q. sinca “flint”. If so, this word may have originally meant “✱mineral smith”, perhaps referring to the extraction of metal from minerals.

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. tongar “smith”, apparently an agental form ᴱQ. tonga “great hammer” under the early root ᴱ√TOŊO, so more literally “✱hammerer” and thus likely referring to metal smithing (QL/94).

sá

fire

sá noun "fire" (LT1:265; "Qenya" spelling sâ. Rather nárë in LotR-style Quenya.)

tai

they, them

tai (2) pron. "they, them", 3rd person pl., used with reference to inanimates rather than persons or living things (VT49:32, see ta #3 above). Perhaps to avoid the clash with tai "that which", the pronoun tai "they, them" was altered to te in at least one manuscript (VT49:33), so that it would merge with the pronoun used of living beings and the distinction between animate and inanimate would be abandoned (see te).

te

they, them

te pron. "they, them", 3rd person pl. (VT49:51, LotR3:VI ch. 4, translated in Letters:308). The pronoun te represents an original stem-form (VT49:50). Dative ten, téna or tien "for them, to them" (q.v.) Stressed té (VT49:51). Ótë "with them", q.v. VT43:20 connects te "them" with a discussion of Common Eldarin pronominal stems (ca. 1940s), where te is the "personal" 3rd person pl. stem, referring to persons rather than abstracts or inanimates (which are denoted by ta instead; see, however, the entry ta #3 regarding the problems with this form, and the hints that te may possibly be used with reference to inanimates as well)). Also consider the reflexive pronoun intë "themselves", the final element of which is apparently this pronoun te; see also tú for the dual form.

toi

they

toi pron. "they" (FS; replaced by te in LotR-style Quenya?)

tú

they, them

tú pron. "they, them", 3rd person dual ("the two of them"), both "personal and neuter" (the pronoun can be used of persons and things alike). (VT49:51) Tolkien also considered tet for the same meaning, listing it alongside tú in one source (VT49:56), but this form was apparently abandoned.

uru

fire

uru noun "fire" (LT1:271)

úr

fire

úr noun "fire" (UR)This stem was struck out in Etym, but a word that must be derived from it occurs in LotR, so it seems that Tolkien restored it. Early "Qenya" also has Ûr, noun "the Sun" (also Úri, Úrinci ("k"), Urwen) (LT1:271). Cf. Úri.

tân

maker

1. ?tân (i dân, o thân), only attested as -dan or -than as the final element of compounds, e.g. Círdan ”Ship-maker”). Construct tan, pl. tain (i thain), 2)

tân

maker

(i dân, o thân), only attested as -dan or -than as the final element of compounds, e.g. Círdan ”Ship-maker”). Construct tan, pl. tain (i thain)

-ruin

suffix. fire

suff. #fire. Q. ruine. >> Angruin

cai

noun. hedge

cai

noun. hedge

naur

fire

_ n. fire. naur an edraith ammen! _'fire [be] for rescue/saving for us'. Q. nár. >> Sammath Naur

naur

noun. fire, fire, [N.] flame

The basic Sindarin word for “fire”, derived from the root √NAR of the same meaning (LotR/942; PE17/38) and very well attested. It is derived from primitive ✱nār- since primitive long ā became au in Sindarin. It appeared as N. naur “flame” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the same derivation (Ety/NAR). As a suffix it usually reduces to -nor, since au usually becomes o in polysyllables. As a prefix, though, it is often Nar- before consonant clusters, no doubt because the ancient long ā was shortened before it could become au.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, the word for “fire” was G. sâ with archaic form †sai (GL/66) clearly based on the early root ᴱ√SAH(Y)A “be hot” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Sári; QL/81). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s, the word for “fire” was ᴱN. byr or buir from primitive ᴱ✶ [mburyē] (PE13/139). Tolkien introduced naur in The Etymologies of the 1930s and stuck with it thereafter.

nimp

adjective. pale

adj. pale, pallid. nimp << nim (PE17:168). >> niphred

bregedúr

wildfire

(i vregedúr), pl. bregedýr (i mregedýr)

cad-

z2# verb. to shape; mold

Derived from the primitive root '√KAT' found in compound of 'etkat-': Out-Shape (later becoming Sindarin Echad: To Fashion). Cognate of Quenya Cat-.

cai

hedge

cai (i gai, o chai), pl. cî (i chî);

cai

hedge

(i gai, o chai), pl. cî (i chî);

car

make

(i gâr, i cherir), pa.t. agor (do, build) (WJ:415)

car

make

1. car- (i gâr, i cherir), pa.t. agor (do, build) (WJ:415), 2) echad- (i echad, in echedir) (fashion, shape), pa.t. echant (VT45:19)

caraes

hedge of spikes

(i garaes, o charaes). No distinct pl. form except with article (i charaes).

ceredir

maker

ceredir (i geredir, o cheredir) (doer), no distinct pl. form except with article (i cheredir)

ceredir

maker

(i geredir, o cheredir) (doer), no distinct pl. form except with article (i cheredir)

echad

make

(i echad, in echedir) (fashion, shape), pa.t. echant (VT45:19)

elu

pale blue

(analogical pl. ely). Archaic elw (pl. ilw?).

gael

pale

(glittering), lenited ’ael; no distinct pl. form.

gwind

pale blue

(lenited ’wind; no distinct pl. form).

hîn

they

(of women) hîn. It is unclear whether Tolkien maintained this ”Noldorin” pronoun in Sindarin.

hîn

they

. It is unclear whether Tolkien maintained this ”Noldorin” pronoun in Sindarin.

maenor

noun. craftsman

A neologism coined by Paul Strack in 2018 specifically for Eldamo, a combination of [N.] maen “skilled” and the agental suffix -or. It is for someone of physical skills, as opposed to curunír for one of mental prowess.

maidh

pale

1. maidh (lenited vaidh; no distinct pl. form) (fallow, fawn), 2) nimp (nim-) (white); no distinct pl. form, 3) thind (grey); no distinct pl. form; 4) gael (glittering), lenited ael; no distinct pl. form. 5) *malu (lenited valu; analogical pl. mely; lenited valu) (fallow). Cited in archaic form malw (LR:386 s.v. SMAL).

maidh

pale

(lenited vaidh; no distinct pl. form) (fallow, fawn)

malu

pale

(lenited valu; analogical pl. mely; lenited valu) (fallow). Cited in archaic form malw (LR:386 s.v. SMAL).

mith

pale grey

(lenited vith; no distinct pl. form). David Salo would read mîth with a long vowel. Note: a homophone means ”white fog, wet mist”.

narthan

fire-sign

pl. **nerthain** (VT45:20)

naur

fire

1. naur (in compounds nar-, -nor) (flame, sun), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath; 2) ûr (heat), pl. uir. Notice the homophone ûr ”wide”.

naur

fire

(in compounds nar-, -nor) (flame, sun), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath

nimp

pale

(nim-) (white); no distinct pl. form

tagron

noun. smith

thind

pale

(grey); no distinct pl. form

ûr Reconstructed

noun. fire, fire; [ᴱN.] sun

A word for “fire” attested in later writings only as an element in names, such as S. Úrui “August, ✱Hot-one” (LotR/1110). It appeared as N. ûr “fire” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√UR “be hot”, but this and related words were deleted when Tolkien changed the sense of the root to “wide, large, great” (Ety/UR). However, √UR “heat” was restored in later writings (PE17/148; PE22/160), and primitive ✶ūr “a fire (on hearth)” appeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s, though Tolkien did mark it with a “?” (PE21/71 and note #8).

Conceptual Development: Perhaps the first precursor to this word was G. †Uril, an archaic word for the Sun in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s appearing beside its modern form G. Aur (GL/75) and clearly a derivative of the early root ᴱ√URU as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Ûr; QL/098). In Gnomish Lexicon Slips revising this document, it became {ŷr >>} hŷr “sun” (PE13/114), and in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s it became ᴱN. {húr >>} úr “sun”, derived from primitive ᴱ✶ourū̆ (PE13/155).

This in turn became N. ûr “fire” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under ᴹ√UR “be hot”, but as noted above the meaning of this root was changed in that document (Ety/UR). Although the root √UR “heat” was later restored, it isn’t clear whether Tolkien also restored ûr “fire”, though there is some secondary evidence of it: primitive ✶ūr “a fire (on hearth)” appeared in notes from the early 1950s, as also noted above (PE21/71).

Neo-Sindarin: If S. naur is (like its Quenya cognate Q. nár) more representative of an elemental or abstract notion of fire, then ûr might be used for an individual physical fire such as one in a fireplace.

ûr

fire

(heat), pl. uir. Notice the homophone ûr ”wide”.

maidh

adjective. pale, fallow, fawn [light yellowish tan colour]

gael

adjective. pale, glimmering

maidh

adjective. pale, fallow, fawn

meidh

adjective. pale, fallow, fawn

nim-

adjective. pale, white

nimp

adjective. pale, white

nimp

adjective. pale

rhuin

noun. fire

ûr

noun. fire, heat

ûr

noun. fire

lygn

adjective. pale

Primitive form given as lugni "blue", sc. the stem LUG1 (LR:370, not defined) with an ending -ni not otherwise attested, though -i is an ending found on many primitive colour-adjectives. The ending _-i _causes umlaut u > y; compare yrc as the plural of urc "Orc". That a short original final -i is capable of causing such an umlaut at the Common Eldarin stage is somewhat surprising, since Primitive Quendian lugni should have become *lugne at this stage, and final e would hardly cause umlaut. Perhaps we are to understand that the change of final i to Common Eldarin e happened relatively late, after the Eldar had crossed the Hihtaeglir and parted with the Nandor?

ghâsh

noun. fire

tamar

noun. smith

A noun translated “smith” and fully declined as an example of a masculine Strong I noun (SD/436). It may be related to the Eldarin root √TAM “construct”, as suggested by several authors (AAD/23, EotAL/TAM).