apa

after

apa (1) prep. "after" (VT44:36), attested as a prefix in apacenyë and Apanónar, q.v. Variant ep- in epessë, q.v.; see epë for futher discussion. (According to VT44:36, apa was glossed "after" and also "before" in one late manuscript, but both meanings were rejected.) See also apa # 2 below. For Neo-Quenya purposes, apa should probably be ascribed the meaning "after", as in our most widely-published sources (compare Apanónar, "the After-born", as a name of Men in the Silmarillion). Variants pa, pá (VT44:36), but like apa these are also ascribed other meanings elsewhere; see separate entry. Apo (VT44:36) may be yet another variant of the word for "after".

apo

after

apo prep. ?"after" (see apa #1) (VT44:36)

cata

after

epe

after

ala

after, beyond

ala (5) prep. "after, beyond" (MC:221, 214; however, LotR-style Quenya has han and pella "beyond" and apa "after")

apa

on

apa (2) prep. denoting "on" with reference to contact of surfaces, especially vertical surface (in the sense in which a picture hangs on a wall). Apa is said to have this meaning in various Tolkien manuscripts (VT44:26), but apa is also used for "after" (see apa #1 above), and the two were probably never meant to coexist in a single variant of Quenya. The clash may be avoided by consistently using the variants pá, pa (q.v.) mentioned by Tolkien in the sense of apa #2. Another variant gives apa, pá "on (above but touching)" (VT49:18).

epë

before

epë prep. "before" ("in all relations but time", VT49:32), though the word was glossed "after" when first published (VT42:32; Bill Welden, the writer of the article in question, later presented this correction in VT44:38). The preposition can indeed express "after" when used of time, since the Eldar imagined future time (time that comes after the present) as being "before" them (VT49:12, 32); epë is in this respect a variant of apa, q.v. (Cf. VT49:22.) Compare epessë, q.v. Epë "before" may also be used in comparison (PE17:56, 57), apparently in much the same way as lá #2 (q.v.) (VT42:32)

nó

before

nó (3) prep. "before" (of time, compare nóvo), "at back" (of spatial relationships). In other conceptual phases, Tolkien also let the word have the opposite meaning "after" (of time) or "in front" (of space). (VT49:32).

opo

before, in front of

opo prep. "before, in front of" (of spatial relationships); "after" (of time), also pó, po or pono, poto (VT49:12, VT44:36, evidently a variant of apa).

po

before, in front of

po, pó prep. "before, in front of" (of spatial relationships) "after" (of time), also opo or pono, poto- (VT49:12, 32, VT44:36; evidently a variant of apa)

pá

on

pá, pa (1) prep. "on" with reference to contact of surfaces, especially vertical surface (in the sense in which a picture hangs on a wall); also used = "touching, as regards, concerning" (VT44:26). Another variant gives pá (and apa) with the meaning "on (above but touching)". (2) Variants of apa "after" (VT44:36), which preposition is in one source also ascribed the first meaning here discussed. For Neo-Quenya purposes, pá and pa may be used for "on" or "concerning", whereas apa is used for "after" (see entries for apa #1 and #2), or pa may also be seen as a shorter form of apa "after", as in the phrase yéni pa yéni *"years upon years" (VT44:36)

appa-

touch

appa- vb. "touch" (in the literal sense; contrast #ap-, q.v.) (VT44:26)

han

beyond

han prep. "beyond" (compare the _postposition pella of similar meaning) (VT43:14)_

han

preposition. beyond

Derivations

• √HAN “add to, increase, enhance, enrich, honour (especially by gift); give” ✧ VT43/14

Element in

• Q. Átaremma i ëa han Eä “our Father who art in Heaven” ✧ VT43/14

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√HAN > han	[han]	✧ VT43/14

opo

before, ahead, in front of

pella

beyond

pella "beyond", apparently a postposition rather than a preposition: Andúnë pella "beyond the West", elenillor pella "from beyond the stars" (Nam, RGEO:66, Markirya) In one version of the Quenya Lord's Prayer, Tolkien used pell' (evidently an elided form of pella) as a _preposition, but this version was abandoned (VT43:13)_

tar

beyond

tar (2) prep. "beyond" (FS)

ab

preposition. after

Cognates

• Q. apa “after (of time)”

Derivations

• √PĀ/APA “touch; after, behind of place”

Element in

• ᴺS. abgen- “to foresee, expect”
• S. Abonnen “After-born” ✧ WJ/387
• ᴺS. abor “tomorrow, (lit.) after-day”
• S. aphad- “to follow”
• ᴺS. avnedhor “afternoon”

Variations

• Ab ✧ WJ/387 (Ab)

cad

adverb. *after

Cognates

• Q. ca(ta) “behind, at back of place, behind, at back of place; [ᴹQ.] after”

Derivations

• √KĀ “after (later than) of time”

Element in

• S. Cadlaer “July, *After-summer” ✧ PM/136

Variations

• Cad ✧ PM/136 (Cad)

ab-

prefix. after, later

ab

after

#ab (only attested as a prefix, as in:)

ab

after

(only attested as a prefix, as in:)

abonnen

afterborn

pl. Ebennin (archaic "Eboennin" = Ebönnin, WJ:387), Elvish name of Men as the "Secondborn" of Eru. – If ab can be used as an independent preposition, it is probably followed by soft mutation.****

alae

interjection. (?) behold!

Uncertain meaning, but compare with Quenya ela! "imperative exclamation directing sight to an actually visible object" (WJ/362)

athan

preposition. beyond

bo

preposition. on

erin

preposition. on the

palan-

adverb. afar, abroad, far and wide

athar

beyond

1) *athar (across). Suggested correction of the reading "athan" in SD:62. As prep. probably followed by soft mutation. 2) (adverbial prefix) thar- (across, athwart, over)

athar

beyond

(across). Suggested correction of the reading "athan" in SD:62. As prep. probably followed by soft mutation.

or

on

(prep.) 1) or (above), with article erin ”on the” (followed by ”mixed mutation” according to David Salos reconstructions). Erin represents archaic örin. 2)

or

on

(above), with article erin ”on the” (followed by ”mixed mutation” according to David Salo’s reconstructions). Erin represents archaic örin.

po

on

po (lenited bo) (VT44:23)

po

on

(lenited bo) (VT44:23)

thar

beyond

(across, athwart, over)

-nud Reconstructed

preposition. on

A preposition attested only in the phrase “on us” in the Lament of Akallabêth, changing through the drafts as nēnum >> nēnu >> nēnud (SD/247, 312). Most authors identify -nud as the prepositional element (AAD/20, LGtAG, NBA/14), perhaps related to Q. nu “under”. If so, it may be a derivative of the Elvish roots √NŪ/UNU “under” or √NDU “down”, with a semantic shift to the meaning “on”.

Cognates

• Q. nu “under, beneath”

Derivations

• √NDU “down, under, below; sink, descend, go down, down, under, below; sink, descend, go down, [ᴹ√] set (of Sun)”

Element in

• Ad. agannâlô burôda nênud “[the] death-shadow [is] heavy on us” ✧ SD/247; SD/312
• Ad. agannūlo burudan nēnum “death-shade heavy-is on-us” ✧ SD/312
• Ad. zâira nênud “longing (is) on us” ✧ SD/247

Variations

• -num ✧ SD/312
• -nu ✧ SD/312

pā/apa

root. touch; after, behind of place

This root and ones like it were used for various spatial and temporal relationships during Tolkien’s life. Perhaps the earliest iteration in this chain of developments was the root ᴱ√PE “at, by” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, with derivatives like ᴱQ. penasta “being near at hand, support, backing” and ᴱQ. peanta- “give into one’s hands, give instructions to, enjoin” (QL/72). In Noldorin Word-lists from the 1920s Tolkien gave primitive ᴱ✶apa > ᴱN. ó “to, on” and ᴱT. pa, presumably of the same meaning (PE13/151). In a late note of unclear date Tolkien wrote:

> √apa “touch” (not with fingers but of the contact of surfaces, esp. vertical surface). So prep. apa, pa “touching, against”. In Q. this, espec. in form pā̆ is used as prep. = touching, as regards, concerning. Also the verb ape is used fig. as to touch one, concern, affect. In literal sense [touch] the strengthened weak verb appa is mostly used (VT44/26).

In another note from this period Tolkien glossed apa as “above but touching” (VT44/26).

In other words from the 1950s and 60s, apa- is given the temporal sense “after”, most notably in Q. Apanónar/S. Abonnen “After-born” (WJ/386-387), the former appearing in the published version of The Silmarillion (S/103). It was also used temporally in Q. apacenyë “of foresight” (MR/216). In a table of spatial and temporal roots from 1969, Tolkien gave √PĀ/PATA “after, behind of place” (PE22/147) and in another 1969 note Tolkien glossed apa, pā as both “before of time” and “after (later than)”, with both being deleted (VT44/36). Other similar roots in the semantic space of “after” include √EPE and √OPO.

Neo-Eldarin: As indicated by the discussion above, Tolkien’s treatment spatial and temporal prepositional elements was wildly inconsistent. √APA was one of the elements Tolkien used for “before” and “after”, but also as “on” or “touching”. For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, the most useful definition of √PĀ/APA is “touch”, for which we have no other good late roots, so I would assume this was its primary meaning. I generally prefer ✶epe for “after (of time); before (of space)” and ✶nō for its opposite. However, I think apa- might be a euphonic variant of epe-, perhaps limited to “after” of time, to justify Q. Apanónar/S. Abonnen “After-born”.

Derivatives

• ✶patar “*after, behind of place” ✧ PE22/147
• Q. ap- “to touch one, concern, affect” ✧ VT44/26
• Q. apa “after (of time)”
• Q. appa- “to touch” ✧ VT44/26
• Q. pá “touching, against, on (above but touching); as regards, concerning, touching, against, on (above but touching); as regards, concerning, [ᴹQ.] about” ✧ VT44/26
• S. ab “after”
• ᴺS. apha- “to touch”

Element in

• ✶ap-pata “to walk behind on a track or path”

Variations

• PĀ ✧ PE22/147
• PATA ✧ PE22/147
• apa ✧ VT44/26

patar

?. *after, behind of place

Derivations

• √PĀ/APA “touch; after, behind of place” ✧ PE22/147

pata

root. after, behind of place

apa

root. touch

lā̆

preposition/adverb. beyond

Derivations

• √LAƷ “cross, pass over, go beyond” ✧ PE17/065

Derivatives

• Q. lá “beyond, over, across, athwart” ✧ PE17/065; PE17/065

Element in

• ✶orlā “over” ✧ PE17/065
• ✶pelola “beyond (the boundary)” ✧ PE17/065

Variations

• laŋa ✧ PE17/065

cad

adverb. *after

Cognates

• ᴹQ. kata “after”

Element in

• N. Cadloer “July, *After-summer” ✧ PM/136
• N. Cathriw “January, *After-winter”

Variations

• Cad ✧ PM/136 (Cad)

athan

preposition. beyond

Element in

• N. Bronwe athan Harthad “Endurance beyond Hope” ✧ SD/062

Elements

Word	Gloss
ath-	“on both sides, across”