Quenya 

alda

tree

alda noun "tree" (GALAD, GÁLAD, SA, Nam, RGEO:66, LR:41, SD:302, LT1:249, LT2:340, VT39:7), also name of tengwa #28 (Appendix E). Pl. aldar in Narqelion; gen. pl. aldaron "of trees" in Namárië. Etymology of alda, see Letters:426 and UT:266-7. The latter source states that primitive ¤galadā, whence Quenya alda, originally applied to stouter and more spreading trees such as oaks or beeches, while straighter and more slender trees such as birches were called ¤ornē, Quenya ornë - but this distinction was not always observed in Quenya, and it seems that alda became the general word. According to PE17:25, primitive galada (sic) referred to "a plant (large) and was a general term". Place-name Aldalómë ""tree-night" or "tree-shade-night" (LotR2:III ch. 4, translated in PE17:82); Aldarion masc. name, *"Son of (the) Trees" (Appendix A), Tar-Aldarion a Númenorean King (UT:210). Aldaron a name of Oromë (Silm); aldinga "tree-top" (VT47:28), aldarembina (pl. aldarembinë attested) adj. "tree-tangled", the cognate of Sindarin galadhremmin**(PM:17:26).Aldúya fourth day of the Eldarin six-day week, dedicated to the Trees (Appendix D). The word seems to include Aldu, a dual form referring to the Two Trees. The Númenóreans altered the name to Aldëa (presumably < aldajā), referring to one tree (the White) only. The dual Aldu seems to occur also in Aldudénië** "Lament for the Two Trees" (a strange word, since Quenya does not permit intervocalic d as in this word perhaps the Vanyarin dialect of Quenya did) (Silm)

alda

noun. tree

Quenya [PE 22:116, 124; PE 22:160] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

alda

noun. tree, tree, [ᴱQ.] branch

The basic Quenya word for “tree” (LotR/1113), derived from primitive ✶galadā and very well attested. This word dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s where ᴱQ. alda “tree” appeared under the early root ᴱ√ALA “spread” (QL/29). Tolkien seems to have switched its derivation to ✱galadā in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where ᴹQ. alda “tree” appeared under the root ᴹ√GALAD of the same meaning (Ety/GALAD). See also ornë “(tall) tree” for a discussion of another similar word.

Conceptual Development: There were a few instances where the word alda had a different meaning. In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s, alda was glossed “branch” (PE16/139). In notes from 1959 Tolkien said “✱galadā, originally only large flourishing plant, as tree, and especially one that flowered, Q alda, S galað; the general word for ‘tree’ was Q orne ‘upstanding plant’ (PE17/153)”. But in its numerous appearance elsewhere, alda was simply a general word for “tree”.

Cognates

  • S. galadh “tree” ✧ Let/426; LotR/1113; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/063; PE17/136; PE17/153; PE17/153; RGEO/65; SA/alda; NM/352
  • Nan. galad “tree” ✧ PE17/050
  • T. galada “tree” ✧ NM/352

Derivations

  • galadā “great plant, tree” ✧ Let/426; NM/352; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/063; PE17/135; PE17/153; PE17/153; VT39/07
    • ᴹ√GALAD “tree”
    • ᴹ√GAL “grow, thrive” ✧ Ety/GALA
    • GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive” ✧ Let/426; PE17/025; PE17/135; PE17/153; PE17/153
  • GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive” ✧ PE22/160

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
galadā > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ Let/426
galada > alda[galada] > [galda] > [ɣalda] > [alda]✧ NM/352
galadā > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE17/025
galadā > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE17/050
galadā > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE17/063
galadā > ʒalaðā > ʒalðā > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [ɣalðā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE17/135
galadā́ > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE17/153
galadā > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE17/153
GAL > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ PE22/160
ʒalda > alda[galadā] > [galdā] > [ɣaldā] > [aldā] > [alda]✧ VT39/07

Variations

  • Alda ✧ RC/385
Quenya [Let/426; LotR/0377; LotR/1113; LotR/1123; MR/100; NM/352; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/063; PE17/126; PE17/135; PE17/136; PE17/153; PE22/160; RC/385; RGEO/58; RGEO/65; SA/alda; UT/167; VT39/07] Group: Eldamo. Published by

aldaron

masculine name. Lord of Forests, (lit.) Of Trees

A title of Oromë as the Lord of Forests (S/29). The name is genitive plural of alda “tree”, so its literal meaning is “Of Trees”.

Conceptual Development: This name was well established in Tolkien’s lengendarium, appearing as ᴱQ. Aldaron “King of Forests” in the earliest Lost Tales (LT1/66) and in later stories as ᴹQ. Aldaron “Lord of Forests” (SM/79, LR/206), always having the same basic meaning and form. This name appeared in the published version of The Silmarillion, but according to Christopher Tolkien, his father deleted this name from the final version of the “Valaquenta”, leaving only S. Tauron (MR/202, notes §8). A shorter form Aldar appeared in linguistic notes from the 1950s (PE22/86), though whether this form was intended to be a name of Oromë is unclear.

Cognates

  • S. Tauron “Lord of Forests, (lit.) Forester” ✧ S/029

Elements

WordGloss
alda“tree, tree, [ᴱQ.] branch”

Variations

  • Aldar ✧ PE21/86
Quenya [MRI/Aldaron; PE21/86; S/029; SA/alda; SI/Aldaron] Group: Eldamo. Published by

amaldar

trees

amaldar ??? (Narqelion; may include aldar "trees")

Nísimaldar

fragrant trees

Nísimaldar noun "Fragrant trees", a region in Númenor (UT:167; evidently #nísima "fragrant", attested here only, + aldar "trees").

ornë

tree

ornë noun "tree" _(Letters:308, SD:302: "when smaller and more slender like a birch or rowan", Etym stem ÓR-NI: "tree, high isolated tree"). For the etymology, see Letters:426; for (original) difference in meaning between ornë and alda, see alda. In ornemalin "tree-yellow"; see laurelindórenan lindelorendor... (LotR2:III ch. 4; cf. Letters:308), also as final element in malinornë "yellow-tree, mallorn" (q.v.) Masc. name Ornendil *"Tree-friend" (Appendix A)_, compound Ornelië "tree-folk" (Quenya name of the Galadhrim, the tree-people of Lórien) (TI:239).