ai

interjection. cry of pain or woe

aiglir angrin

place name. Iron Mountains

aiglir

noun. peak, mountain top

aidh

noun. pain, anguish, woe

aithorn

noun. lightning

An Early Noldorin word from the Lays of Beleriand of the 1920s that might mean “lightning” in the name ᴱN. Celeg Aithorn which might mean “Lambent Lightning” (LB/45), but this “translation” of the name might be an unrelated description instead.

aig

adjective. high, steep

aigos

noun. pine-tree

ailin

noun. lake

aith

noun. thorn, †spear

aithl

noun. spring, fount, source

aithr

noun. spearman, warrior

aithr

noun. thorn, sword

ai-

prefix. [unglossed]

aiw

noun. bird

naich

noun. pain

braith

?. [unglossed]

A verb appearing in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s as G. braitha- “wrap, swathe” based on G. brach “a shawl, plaid, wrap” (GL/23). The form ᴱN. braith also appeared in Early Noldorin word lists of the 1920s (PE13/139), but it was unglossed and whether it was related is unclear.

Neo-Sindarin: Since I retain ᴺS. brach “shawl, wrap”, I’d also keep this Gnomish verb as a derivative of the Neo-Root ᴺ√BARAK “wrap”, but updated to ᴺS. braetha- “to wrap, swathe” since ai became ae in Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s.

gwai

noun. sea

A word for “sea” in Early Noldorin Word-lists from the 1920s (PE13/146), probably a cognate of ᴱQ. vea “sea” from this same period. It is probably a later iteration of G. Bai “the Outer Seas” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, cognate of ᴱQ. Vai as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (GL/21; LT1A/Vai).

bhraig

?. [unglossed]

A set of unglossed forms written next to ᴱN. braith (also unglossed) in Early Noldorin word lists of the 1920s (PE13/139), their meaning and etymology are unclear.

bailchir

noun. [unglossed]

cai

?. [unglossed]

glaith

?. [unglossed]

glaithfedhui

?. [unglossed]

lhuaith

?. [unglossed]

blaithrod

?. [unglossed]

braithgair

noun. [unglossed]

caiad

?. [unglossed]

flair

?. [unglossed]

flaith

?. [unglossed]

fraith

?. [unglossed]

lhaig

adjective. sharp

luaith

?. [unglossed]

rhaith

noun. [unglossed], [G.] extent, reach; region, sphere, district; scope

blith

noun. breeze, breeze, [G.] zephyr; air

A noun in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s appearing as G. blith “air, breeze, zephyr”, probably related to the early root ᴱ√VILI (GL/23). ᴱN. blith “breeze” also appeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/139).

narw

noun. pain

eitheb

adjective. thorny, sharp

A word appearing as {aitheb >>} eitheb “thorny” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/142). In the contemporaneous Early Noldorin Dictionary it was glossed “thorny, sharp” (PE13/158). It was an adjectival form of ᴱN. aith “thorn, †spear”.

Conceptual Development: Similar words in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s include G. aithra “piercing, sharp; thorny” and G. aithog “thorny”, both based on G. aith “thorn” (GL/18). Gnomish Lexicon Slips modifying that document had {aithreg >>} G. aitheb “sharp, piercing” (PE13/108).

Neo-Sindarin: Since the noun [N.] aith/eith “spear-point” reappeared in Tolkien’s later writing, I would retain ᴺS. eitheb “thorny” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, perhaps with an original sense “✱full of points”. However, I would not use this word for “sharp”, since there are other later words with this meaning like S. aeg.

ei-

prefix. [unglossed]

fedhui

adjective. [unglossed]

loloth

noun. poplar-tree

pethil

noun. [unglossed]

tha-

verb. to make, cause to be

thlos

noun. shore, shore; [G.] breaker

A noun glossed “shore” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/154). In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s there was a similar word G. thloss “breaker” derived from ᴱ√thol-, as well as an earlier (rejected?) word G. thloth “breakers, waves, surf” (GL/73). The Early Noldorin word was thus likely of similar derivation. The Gnomish word G. thloss was “confused with flass, floss” (GL/35, 73), but there are no signs of this in Early Noldorin.

turhod

noun. throne

-ui

suffix. adjective suffix

alf

noun. swan

alt

noun. bough, branch

A noun appearing as ᴱN. alt “bough, branch” in the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s, a cognate of ᴱQ. alda, and representative of the sound change whereby [[en|final ld [lð] became lt]] in Early Noldorin (PE13/159). In the 1920s, ᴱQ. alda was also glossed “branch” (PE16/139).

Conceptual Development: There was a similar word G. altha “shoot, sprig, scion, sapling” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/19), probably also related to ᴱQ. alda “tree” (QL/29). Meanwhile, the word for “branch” in the Gnomish Lexicon was unrelated G. clann from ᴱ√cala- “✱grow” (GL/26). Gnomish Lexicon Slips modifying this document had G. {eilan >>} eilian “branch” from primitive ᴱ✶alyan- (PE13/113). In the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s this became ᴱN. alt “bough, branch” cognate to ᴱQ. alda as noted above.

In Tolkien’s later writings, Q. alda was “tree” and its Sindarin/Noldorin cognate was S. galadh, whereas “branch” became [N.] golf; see that entry for further discussion.

amrent

noun. lark

The word ᴱN. amrent or amrint “lark” appeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/137, 159), and the word amrint “lark” also appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon and Gnomish Lexicon Slips of the 1910s (GL/19; PE13/110), though in the Gnomish Lexicon the word was initially glossed “robin” (GL/19).

Possible Etymology: The etymology of this word isn’t entirely clear. When glossed “robin”, its initial element seems to have been G. am “breast” and hence probably = “red breast” with its second element a variant of G. crintha “rosy, pink”. When the word was changed to amrint “lark”, Tolkien marked this new entry with a “✱”, indicating it was part of its own derivational group rather than related to G. am “breast”. In the Gnomish Lexicon Slips Tolkien gave its primitive form as ᴱ✶ambarinþǝ (PE13/110) and in the Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s Tolkien gaves its Qenya equivalent as ᴱQ. ambarin(d-). That document also had the new form ᴱN. amrent indicating some kind of a-affection. It is conceivable that the initial element might be ᴱ√AM(U) “up”, but that seems unlikely since the lark is a ground bird.

Neo-Sindarin: I would adapt ᴺS. amrent “lark” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, and assume it is derived from ✱ambarint(h)a of now-obscure meaning.

amrint

noun. lark

anc

noun. spear

arn

noun. child, child, [G.] son

A word appearing as G. arn “son” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/20), also appearing with the same form and meaning in Gnomish Lexicon Slips modifying that document, but with a new plural form eirn (PE13/110). The word reappeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s but there its gloss was changed from “son” to “child” (PE13/137). In the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s its only gloss was “child” (PE13/160). There is no sign of this word thereafter.

bhregint

?. [unglossed]

bhreigros

?. [unglossed]

celin

?. [unglossed]

ciann

?. [unglossed]

côm

noun. sickness

delin

?. [unglossed]

dâ

adjective. high

eithron

noun. warrior

farn

?. [unglossed]

floth

?. [unglossed]

geryd

?. [unglossed]

gist-

verb. to know

glewin

?. [unglossed]

glich

?. [unglossed]

golyn

noun. song

gwanwen

noun. swan

A word for “swan” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/146, 159), perhaps related to ᴱN. gwant “✱beautiful”.

gôl

noun. song

gû

?. [unglossed]

harn

?. [unglossed]

hî

adjective. [unglossed]

isteth

?. [unglossed]

laus

?. [unglossed]

leus

?. [unglossed]

lhacha

noun. flame

lhann

noun/adjective. broad

lhaur

adjective. red

lhigin

adjective. small

lhuin

noun. pool

lhû

noun. [unglossed]

ligen

adjective. small

nelyn

?. [unglossed]

pap-

verb. [unglossed]

pau

noun. sickness

scarn

?. [unglossed]

segeth

noun. sword

stroth

?. [unglossed]

tharn

?. [unglossed]

thesg

?. [unglossed]

thrand

?. [unglossed]

thrann

?. [unglossed]

tû

?. [unglossed]