al- (negative prefix) + firin (“mortal”)
Sindarin
alf
noun. flower
alfirin
noun/adjective. immortal, (lit.) not dying; a species of flower
alfirin
noun/adjective. immortal
alfirin
noun/adjective. name of a flower, bell-like and running through many soft and gentle colours
alfirin
noun/adjective. also used for another small white flower
alfirin
noun. immortal
alfirin
noun. a flower name
alfirin
noun. 'not dying'
alfirin
immortal
alfirin (no distinct pl. form). Note: the word alfirin is also used as name of a flower.
alfirin
immortal
(no distinct pl. form). Note: the word alfirin is also used as name of a flower.
alfeg
noun. cygnet, young swan
alfuil
noun. large white sea-bird, albatross, †swan
alph
noun. swan
The Sindarin noun for “swan” derived from primitive ✶alkwā (NM/378; UT/265; Ety/ÁLAK), where first the [[at|ancient [kw] became [p]]] and then the [[os|[lp] became [lf] (spelled lph)]].
Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, this word appeared as {alcwi >>} alfa (GL/18), which is perhaps the moment that Tolkien decided that labialized velars became labials in the Sindarin branch of Elvish (though in Gnomish this sound change applied only medially). In Gnomish Lexicon Slips modifying this document, the word became alf (PE13/109), and Tolkien stuck with this form thereafter, though eventually revising the spelling to alph once he decide that final [f] was spelled ph. In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. alf “swan” appeared under the root ᴹ√ALAK “rushing” (Ety/ÁLAK).
alph
noun. swan
alph
noun. swan
n. Zoo. swan.
elanor
noun. a flower, a kind of enlarged pimpernel bearing golden and silver flowers
elloth
noun. (single) flower
loth
noun. flower, inflorescence, a head of small flowers
The noun is collective, a single flower being lotheg
loth
noun. flower
_n._flower, a single bloom. Q. lóte, lōs.
lotheg
noun. (single) flower
mallos
noun. a golden flower
ninglor
noun. golden water-flower, gladden
niphredil
noun. a pale winter flower, snowdrop
alph
swan
alph (pl. eilph)
alph
swan
(pl. eilph)
edlothia
flower
(verb) #edlothia- (i edlothia, in edlothiar) (to blossom);
edlothia
flower
(i edlothia, in edlothiar) (to blossom);
edlothiad
flowering
(blossoming), pl. edlothiaid if there is a pl.**
gwaloth
collection of flowers
(i ’waloth) (blossom), pl. gwelyth (in gwelyth). Also goloth (i ’oloth) (blossom), pl. gelyth (i ngelyth = i ñelyth). Archaic pl. gölyth. (VT42:18). Specific flowers, see
loth
flower
loth, pl. lyth (but loth is also glossed ”blossom” and may itself function as a collective term: all the flowers of a plant. For individual flowers cf. the following:)
loth
flower
pl. lyth (but loth is also glossed ”blossom” and may itself function as a collective term: all the flowers of a plant. For individual flowers cf. the following:)
lotheg
single flower
lothod (”singulars” derived from the more collective term loth; it is unclear whether lotheg, lothod can themselves have ”plural” forms. If so it would be lethig, lethyd, for archaic löthig, löthyd.) (VT42:18, VT45:29) Another word for a single flower is elloth (pl. ellyth) (VT42:18). An alternative to loth is loss (construct los; pl. lyss), but the form loth seems to be more common (and loss also means ”fallen snow” and ”wilderness”).
A word used in The Lord of the Rings for a flower that was clearly intended to mean “immortal” when Tolkien first coined the word, a negated form of firin “mortal, dying”. Tolkien described this flower as being similar to an immortelle (Let/402). In the period where Tolkien decided that √LA was not a negative element, he coined a couple alternate etymologies for the flower, one based on alph “swan” (PE17/100) and another where the initial element was al- “well” and the second element was pirin for flowers that opened and closed with changes of light (PE17/146). In periods where Tolkien used √LA for negation, the meaning “immortal” was restored (PE22/153, PE22/156).
Neo-Sindarin: Since I retain al- as a negative prefix for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I’d keep the gloss “immortal” for this word, using it as both an adjective and noun with this meaning, as well as referring to the immortelle-like flower.