Quenya 

am-

up

am- (1) prefix "up" (AM2)

am-

prefix. up, up, [ᴱQ.] upwards

Derivations

  • AM “go up, go up, [ᴹ√] up”

Element in

am-

signifying addition, increase

am- (2) prefix used in comparison, "signifying addition, increase" (PE17:90), or with genitive superlative: elenion ancalima "brightest of stars" (PE17:91). Originally identical with #1 above. The form am- as such is in late Quenya only used before p and (presumably) before vowels; the longer form ama- came to be preferred before r and l; before other consonants, the prefix assumes the form an- (pronounced, but not in Romanized Quenya orthography written, - before c) (PE17:90-92). Phonologically we would expect am- before y- (since my is an acceptable Quenya combination); however, Tolkien used an- in the word anyára (q.v.) See an- #2 and compare ar- #2.

am(a)-

prefix. intensive prefix

ama

up

ama adv.? element not glossed, evidently meaning "up" like the prefix am-, or an alternative form of amba (UNU)

amu

up, upwards

amu adv. "up, upwards" (LT2:335; in Tolkien's later Quenya amba)

an-

very

an- (2) intensive or superlative prefix carrying the idea of "very" or "most", seen in ancalima "most bright" (cf. calima "bright"), antara "very high, very lofty" and #anyára "very old" or "oldest" (the latter form occurring in the so-called Elaine inscription [VT49:40], there with the dative ending -n). Assimilated to am- before p-, as in amparca ("k") "very dry", and to al-, ar-, as- before words in l-, r-, s- (though Tolkien seems to indicate that before words in l- derived from earlier d, the original quality of the consonant would be preserved so that forms in and- rather than all- would result). See also un-. (Letters:279, VT45:5, 36) Regarding the form of the superlative prefix before certain consonants, another, partially discrepant system was also set down in the Etymologies and first published in VT45:36. The prefix was to appear as um- or un- before labialized consonants like p-, qu-, v- (the consonant v preserving its ancient pronunciation b- following the prefix, thus producing a word in umb-), as in- (technically -) before c- and g- (the latter presumably referring to words that originally had initial g-, later lost in Quenya but evidently preserved following this prefix), and as an- otherwise. However, this system would contradict the canonical example ancalima, which would have been *incalima if Tolkien had maintained this idea. In a post-LotR source, the basic form of the prefix is given as am- instead (see am- #2). In this late conception, the prefix still appears as an- before most consonants, but as ama- before r, l, and the form an- is used even before s- (whether original or from þ), not the assimilated variant as- described above. General principles would suggest that the form am- should also appear before y- (so the form #anyára probably presupposes an- rather than am- as the basic form of the prefix, Tolkien revisiting the earlier concept in the _Elaine inscription). (PE17:92)_

an-

prefix. intensive prefix

Changes

  • an-an ✧ PE17/090

Cognates

  • S. an- “intensive prefix”

Derivations

  • andā “long, far” ✧ PE17/090
    • ANAD “long; far” ✧ PE17/090
  • am- “intensive prefix” ✧ PE17/090; PE17/092
    • AMA “addition, increase, plus”
  • AMA “addition, increase, plus” ✧ PE17/091
  • NA/ANA “to, towards; at side of, alongside, besides; moreover, in addition, plus” ✧ PE17/146; PE21/79

Element in

  • ᴺQ. amyára “elder”
  • Q. Anairë “*Holiest”
  • Q. Ancalimë “*Brightest (f.)”
  • Q. Ancalimon “*Brightest (m.)”
  • ᴺQ. anyára “elder, *senior”
  • Q. unqualë “death agony, death agony, torment, [ᴹQ.] agony, death” ✧ PE19/078

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
and(a) > an-[an-]✧ PE17/090
and(a) > anda-[anda-]✧ PE17/090
am > an[am-]✧ PE17/090
AMA > ama[ama-]✧ PE17/091
am > an[am-]✧ PE17/092
ANA/NĀ > an-[an-]✧ PE17/146
ANA/NA > an-[an-]✧ PE21/79

Variations

  • an ✧ PE17/056; PE17/057; PE17/090; PE17/092; PE17/092
  • ana ✧ PE17/056; PE17/057
  • ana- ✧ PE17/056
  • añ- ✧ PE17/090
  • am ✧ PE17/090; PE17/091 (am)
  • anda- ✧ PE17/090
  • ama ✧ PE17/091 (ama)
  • ama- ✧ PE17/092
Quenya [Let/279; PE17/056; PE17/057; PE17/090; PE17/091; PE17/092; PE17/146; PE19/078; PE21/79] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ar-

brightest

ar- (2), also ari-, prefix for superlative (compare arya #1, 2), hence arcalima "brightest", arimelda *"dearest" (PE17:56-57). In the grammar described in the source, this prefix was to express superlative as the highest degree (in actual comparison), whereas the alternative prefix an- rather expressed "very" or "exceedingly" with a more purely augmentative or adverbial force, but these distinctions do not seem to have been clearly present at all stages of Tolkiens work. See an- #2, am- #2.

amorta-

heave

#amorta- vb. "heave" (literally "up-rise, rise up", cf. orta-; the prefix am- means "up"). Only attested as a participleamortala "heaving" in Markirya.

amba

up, upwards

amba 1) adv. "up, upwards" (AM2, PE17:157). Apparently also ama (UNU).

amba

adverb. up

Quenya [PE 22:21] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

amba

adverb. up(wards)

Cognates

  • S. am “up, up, [G.] upwards, towards head of, above”

Derivations

  • AMA “addition, increase, plus” ✧ PE17/091
  • AM “go up, go up, [ᴹ√] up” ✧ PE17/157

Element in

  • ᴺQ. ambahep- “to maintain, (lit.) upkeep”
  • ᴺQ. ambalasar “stalagmite, (lit.) up-growing stone”
  • Q. ambalotsë “uprising-flower”
  • Q. Ambaráto “*High Champion”
  • Q. Ambaróna “Eastern (Land)” ✧ PE17/082; PE17/091; RC/385
  • Q. ambarónë “dawn, dawn; [ᴹQ.] uprising, sunrise, Orient”
  • Q. Ambarto “*High and Lofty” ✧ PM/354
  • Q. Ambarussa “Top-russet” ✧ PM/354

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
AMA > amba[amba]✧ PE17/091
AM > amba-[amba]✧ PE17/157

Variations

  • amba- ✧ PE17/082; PE17/157
  • amba ✧ PE17/091; PM/354; RC/385; UT/255
Quenya [PE17/082; PE17/091; PE17/157; PM/354; RC/385; UT/255] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ita

very, extremely

ita, íta adv. 2) "very, extremely" (PE17:112). Like #1 above, this element emerged as part of Tolkiens efforts to explain the initial element of the name Idril (Q Itaril), so it is questionable if #1 and #2 were ever meant to coexist in the "same" version of Quenya.

lai

very

[lai adverbial particle "very" (VT45:8)]

ango

snake

ango noun "snake"; stem angu- as in angulócë (q.v.); pl. angwi (ANGWA/ANGU)

leuca

snake

leuca (1) noun "snake" (Appendix E)

leuca

noun. snake

The best known Quenya word for “snake”, appearing in Appendix E of The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1115). In 1964 notes on Dalath Dirnen (DD), Tolkien said it was derived from the root √LEWEK “worm” (PE17/160).

Cognates

  • S. lŷg “snake” ✧ LotR/1115; PE17/121; PE17/160

Derivations

  • LEWEK “worm” ✧ PE17/160

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
LEWEK > leuka[leuka]✧ PE17/160

Variations

  • leuka ✧ PE17/160
Quenya [LotR/1115; PE17/121; PE17/160] Group: Eldamo. Published by

hlócë

snake, serpent

hlócë ("k")noun "snake, serpent", later lócë ("k")(SA:lok-)

lai

adverb. very

Derivations

  • DAY “*great”