Quenya 

ama-

prefix. *well, happily

Changes

  • ama-ala- ✧ PE17/172

Derivations

  • MAN “good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil, good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil; [ᴹ√] holy spirit” ✧ PE17/172

Element in

  • Q. amatúlië “blessed arrival” ✧ PE17/172 (amatúlie)
  • Q. amatulya “welcome (of something blessed)” ✧ PE17/172 (amatulya)

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
AMA(N) > ama-[ama-]✧ PE17/172

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

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

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)]

lai

adverb. very

Derivations

  • DAY “*great”