pl1. emyn n. hill, lump, clump, mass, often applied to (esp. isolated) mountains. Q. umbo(n). FAmon Amarth
Sindarin
amon
noun. hill, mountain with steep sides; lump, clump, mass, hill, (isolated) mountain; lump, clump, mass; [G.] steep slope
amon
hill
amon
noun. hill, steep-sided mount
amon darthir
place name. Amon Darthir
amon gwareth
place name. Amon Gwareth
The hill upon which Gondolin was built (S/126). The first word is clearly amon “hill”, but the meaning of the second word is unclear.
Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, G. Amon Gwareth was translated “Hill of Watch” (LT2/158), and appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon as the lenited form Amon ’Wareth “Hill of Ward”. Similar translations of N. Amon Gwareth appeared early drafts of the Silmarillion from the beginning of the 1930s (SM/34, 137, 139), but the name was left untranslated in Tolkien’s later writings. It is unclear whether the name retained its original meaning. The closest forms in The Etymologies from the 1930s is N. gwarth “betrayer” < ᴹ√WAR “give way, betray” (Ety/WAR), but it seems unlikely this was connected.
According to Christopher Tolkien, this name was at one point revised to Amon Gwared (WJ/200) in the his father’s later writings, but this form did not appear in the published Silmarillion.
amon obel
place name. Amon Obel
The hill on which Ephel Brandir was built (S/216). The first element is amon “hill”, but the meaning of the second element is unclear. It might be a lenited form ’obel of gobel “walled house or village, town”, but in Tolkien’s later writings, nouns were not usually lenited in this position. A likelier explanation is that the second element might be the Halathian word obel “town”.
Amon Hen
Amon Hen
topon. >> amon
Amon Lhaw
Amon Lhaw
Amon Dîn
place name. Amon Dîn
topon. >> dîn
Amon Sûl
place name. Amon Sûl
topon.
amon amarth
place name. Mount Doom, (lit.) Hill of Doom
The Sindarin name of “Mount Doom” (LotR/1037), a combination of amon “hill” and amarth “fate, doom”, literally “Hill of Doom” (RC/769).
Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name first appeared as N. Amarthon >> Dolamarth (TI/343), with the element dôl for “hill” instead of amon.
amon anwar
place name. Hill of Awe
The Gondorian name for Roh. Halifirien, translated “Hill of Awe” (UT/301). It is a combination of amon “hill” and anwar “awe”, sometimes referred to simply as Anwar, as in the “Woods of Anwar” and the “wardens of Anwar” (UT/306).
amon dîn
place name. Silent Hill
One of the beacon hills of Gondor (LotR/747), translated “Silent Hill” (UT/319). This name is a combination of amon “hill” and dîn “silence” (PE17/95, 98).
Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Ring drafts from the 1940s, this name first appeared as N. Amon Thorn (WR/232).
amon ereb
place name. Lonely Hill
A hill in East Beleriand where Denethor died (S/122), translated “Lonely Hill” (LR/143, WJ/185). This name is a combination of amon “hill” and ereb “lonely” (SA/er, Ety/ERE).
Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this hill was briefly named N. Amon Thoros (of unclear meaning), but this was changed to Amon Ereb, translated “Lonely Hill” (LR/56). The name also appeared in The Etymologies with the derivation given above (Ety/ERE).
amon ethir
place name. Hill of Spies
An artificial hill near Nargothrond from which the Elves could observe the surrounding country. It was translated “Hill of Spies” (S/217, WJ/149), a combination of amon “hill” and ethir “spy”.
amon hen
place name. Hill of Sight, (lit.) Hill of the Eye
A hill on the shore of Nen Hithoel, companion to Amon Lhaw. This name was usually translated “Hill of Sight” (LotR/393), but more literally meant “Hill of the Eye” (LotR/400, PE17/77). It is a combination of amon “hill” and hen “eye”.
Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts, this hill was first named ᴹQ. Tirmindon “✱Watch Tower” (TI/364), but was soon changed to N. Amon Hen(n) (TI/364, WR/128).
amon lanc
place name. Naked Hill
The hill upon which Dol Guldur was built, translated “Naked Hill” (UT/280). It is a combination of amon “hill” and lanc “naked”.
amon lhaw
place name. Hill of Hearing, *(lit.) Hill of Ears
A hill on the shore of Nen Hithoel, companion to Amon Hen. This name was usually translated “Hill of Hearing” (LotR/393), but more literally meant “✱Hill of Ears” (LotR/400, PE17/77). It is a combination of amon “hill” and lhaw “ears”, the plural of lheweg “ear”.
Conceptual Development: The first mention of these hills in Lord of the Rings drafts were a collection of experimental names like N. Lhawhen that combined the elements of hearing and sight (TI/387). When the hills were separated, this one was named ᴹQ. Larmindon “✱Listen Tower” (TI/364), but it was soon changed to N. Amon Lhaw (TI/364).
amon rûdh
place name. Bald Hill
The hill where Mîm lived, translated “Bald Hill” (S/204). It is a combination of amon “hill” and rûdh “bald”.
Conceptual Development: In early drafts of the Silmarillion map, this hill as first named N. Amon Carab “Hill of the Hat” along with several other similar forms (WJ/187).
amon sûl
place name. Weathertop, (lit.) Hill of the Wind
amon uilos
place name. Hill of Ever-snow
The Sindarin name of the mountain Q. Oiolossë (S/37). The first element is amon “hill” and the second element Uilos “Ever-snow” is the cognate of its Quenya name.
Conceptual Development: The earliest form of this name was N. Amon Uilas with an a corresponding to earlier ᴹQ. Ialasse (SM/81), but it was revised to N. Amon Uilos in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/210). This form of the name also appeared in The Etymologies (Ety/OY).
Amon Amarth
noun. mount [of] doom
amon (“hill, steep-sided mount”), amarth (“fate, doom”)
Amon Anwar
noun. hill of awe
amon (“hill, steep-sided mount”), anwar (“awe”)
Amon Carab
noun. hill of the hat
amon (“hill, steep-sided mount”), carab (“hat”)
Amon Dîn
noun. silent hill
amon (“hill, steep-sided mount”), dîn (“silent”) Davis Salo: “dh and mh were liable to revert to d and m when they came to follow a nasal after syncope” TolkLang message 19.31. #The name also could be interpreted as “hill of silence”, as adjective “silent” is attested as dínen.
Amon Ereb
noun. lonely hill
amon (“hill, steep-sided mount”), ereb (“isolated, lonely”)
Amon Ethir
noun. hill spy
amon (“hill, steep-sided mount”), [His.] ed (“out”) + tirn (“watcher”)
Amon Hen
noun. hill of the eye
amon (“hill, steep-sided mount”), hend (“eye”) #The ending -nd is usually preserved at the end of fully accented monosyllables, but here might be dropped because hend is preceded by another fully accented polysyllable, which made it lose some stress.
Amon Lanc
noun. naked hill
amon (“hill, steep-sided mount”), lanc (“naked”)
Amon Lhaw
noun. hill of hearing
amon (“hill, steep-sided mount”), lhaw (pl. “ears”)
Amon Obel
noun. hill-village
amon (“hill, steep-sided mount”) + obel (“walled house or village”) #The second element is found in Obel Halad (possibly “town of chieftain”) .
Amon Rûdh
noun. bald hill
amon (“hill, steep-sided mount”), rûdh (“bald”)
Amon Sû
noun. hill of the wind
amon (“hill, steep-sided mount”), sûl (“wind”)
Amon Uilo
noun. mount of ever-white snow
amon (“hill, steep-sided mount”), #ui (stem of uireb “eternal”) + loss (“snow”) The final s in loss is dropped at the end of a polysyllable [HKF].
amon tirith
place name. Hill of Guard
The hill where Minas Tirith was built, translated “Hill of Guard” (RC/772). It is a combination of amon “hill” and tirith “watch, guard”.
Amon Amarth
place name. 'Mount Doom'
topon. 'Mount Doom'. >> amarth
Amon Amarth
'Mount doom'
topon. 'Mount (of) doom'. >> amarth. This gloss was rejected.
amon
hill
1) amon (pl. emyn) (steep-sided mount), 2) dôl (i dhôl, construct dol) (head), pl. dŷl (i nŷl). Note: In the Etymologies, this word was derived from a root with initial nd- (NDOL), which would make the mutations different (i nôl, pl. i ndŷl). However, the later name Fanuidhol "Cloudyhead" apparently indicates that the lenited form of this d was later to be dh (whereas it would be n if the former derivation had been maintained). 3) tund (i dund, o thund, construct tun) (mound), pl. tynd (i thynd), coll. pl. tunnath.
amon
steep-sided mount
amon (hill), pl. emyn.
amon
hill
(pl. emyn) (steep-sided mount)
amon
steep-sided mount
(hill), pl. emyn.
Amon Uilos
Amon Uilos (name)
Amon Anwar
Amon Anwar
Amon Anwar means "Hill of Awe" in Sindarin. Halifirien means "Holy Mountain" in the language of Rohan. Tolkien derived the name from Old English.
Amon Gwareth
Amon Gwareth
Amon Gwareth is Sindarin. It has meant "Hill of Watching", from amon "hill" and gwareth "watching", since its first conception. Christopher Tolkien wrote that his father later changed the name to Amon Gwared but this change did not make it into the published Silmarillion.
Amon Rûdh
Amon Rûdh
Amon Amarth
Mount Doom
Sindarin: amon, "hill" and amarth, "fate, doom".
Amon Dîn
silent hill
Amon Gwareth
Hill of Watching
Amon Gwareth is Sindarin. It has meant "Hill of Watching", from amon "hill" and gwareth "watching", since its first conception. Christopher Tolkien wrote that his father later changed the name to Amon Gwared but this change did not make it in the published Silmarillion.
Amon Lanc
Naked Hill
Amon Obel
Fortified Hill
Amon Rûdh
Bald Hill
Amon Uilos
taniquetil
Amon Uilos
orod
noun. mountain
The Sindarin word for “mountain”, a derivative of √RŌ/ORO “rise” (PE17/63). Its proper plural form is eryd; the plural form ered in The Lord of the Rings is a late [Gondorian only?] pronunciation (PE17/33).
Conceptual Development: The singular form of this noun was extremely stable. It first appeared as G. orod “mountain” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s beside variant ort (GL/63), and it reappeared as N. orod “mountain” in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√OROT “height, mountain” (Ety/ÓROT). It appeared in a great many names in the sixty year span that Tolkien worked on the Legendarium.
The development of its plural form is a bit more complex. Its Gnomish plural was orodin (GL/63), but by the Early Noldorin of the 1920s, its plural was eryd (MC/217). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, however, Tolkien gave its plural form as oroti > ereid > ered (Ety/ÓROT). This fits with normal Noldorin plural patterns of the 1930s: compare plurals N. eregdos → eregdes, N. golodh → geleidh, N. doron → deren, N. thoron → therein. Sindarin plural patterns consistently show o → y in final syllables, such as S. golodh → gelydh or S. Nogoth → Negyth.
This Noldorin plural for orod “mountain” made it into Lord of the Rings drafts, and Tolkien never corrected it before publication. This meant Tolkien was stuck with this remnant of Noldorin plural patterns, which was contradicted by other plural forms in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien was forced to contrive an explanation for this phenomenon:
> S. Ered. This is used always in L.R. as plural of orod, mountain. But Emyn, pl. of Amon. Cf. also Eryn Forest (oron originally plural = trees?) in Eryn Lasgalen. Rodyn, pl. of Rodon = Vala. It seems necessary to assume that: eryd > ered by late change, but y unstressed remained in certain circumstances, e.g. before nasals. † Use Eryd in Silmarillion (PE17/33).
Despite his statement that y only remained before nasals, ered is the only Sindarin word that retains the Noldorin plural pattern: see the examples golydh and nogyth above, neither involving nasals. Also, despite J.R.R. Tolkien’s intent to use eryd in The Silmarillion, his son Christopher Tolkien retained the form ered in The Silmarillion as published, most likely to avoid confusing readers when they compared this plural to the plural forms in The Lord of the Rings.
Neo-Sindarin: Most knowledgeable Neo-Sindarin writers assume o → y in final syllables is the correct Sindarin plural pattern, and orod → ered is an aberration. I personally assume it is a late Gondorian-only (mis)pronunciation. See the discussion of Sindarin plural nouns for more information.
mîg
preposition. among
aegas
noun. mountain peak
aeglir
noun. range of mountain peaks
el
star
n. star.
elen
star
pl1. elin, pl2. elenath _n._star. Its collective plural (pl2.) designates 'the (host of all the) stars, (all) the (visible) stars of the firmament'. Q. elen, pl1. eldi, eleni. o menel aglar elenath ! lit. 'from Firmament glory of the stars !'. >> êl
elen
noun. star
gil
noun. star, bright spark
gil-
noun. star
giliath
noun. all the host of stars
gill
noun. star
im
preposition. between
min-
preposition. (in) between (referring to a gap, space, barrier or anything intervening between two other things)
mîn
preposition. (in) between (referring to a gap, space, barrier or anything intervening between two other things)
ned
preposition. (uncertain meaning) in, of (about time, e.g. giving a date)
[Another possible interpretation: "another, one more" (related to Q. net(e)), VT/47:40]
orod
noun. mountain
orod
mountain
pl1. ered or eryd, pl2. #orodrim _n. _mountain. Tolkien notes that "eryd > ered by late change, but y unstressed remained in certain circumstances, e.g. before nasals" (PE17:33). >> dol, doll, Thangorodrim
pân
adjective. all, in totality
As no other word beginning in ph- is attested, it is assumed that a nasal mutation is triggered by the pronoun în.1 , hence the form observed in the "King's Letter"
pân
adjective. all, all, *complete, entire, full, the whole
@@@ extended meaning suggested on Discord 2022-03-11
vi
preposition. in
vi
preposition. in
êl
noun. star (little used except in verses)
êl
star
pl1. elin, pl2. elenath** ** n. star. Q. elen, pl1. eldi, eleni, pl2. elelli. >> elen
êl
noun. star
A Sindarin word for “star” that is largely archaic and poetic, and is mainly used as element in names like Elrond (Let/281; WJ/363; Ety/EL); the more usual word for “star” in ordinary speech was gil (RGEO/65). However, the collective form elenath is still used in common speech to refer to the entire host of stars (WJ/363). The plural of êl is elin, as this word was derived from ancient ✶elen, and the final n that was lost in the singular was preserved in the plural. In some cases Tolkien posited a restored analogical singular elen from the plural form (PE17/24, 67, 139), but this isn’t in keeping with the notion that the word was archaic, so I would ignore this for purposes of Neo-Sindarin.
Conceptual Development: This word and its root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where N. el “star” was derived from the root ᴹ√EL of similar meaning, but was “only [used] in names” (Ety/EL). It seems Tolkien introduced the root to give a new etymology for names like N. Elrond and N. Elwing, which initially appeared under the root ᴹ√ƷEL “sky” (Ety/ƷEL).
ambenn
uphill
(adj.) ambenn (sloping upward), pl. embinn,
cîl
pass between hills
(i gîl, o chîl) (cleft, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. . A homophone means ”renewal”.
dî
in
unstressed di (beneath, under) (VT45:37). Note: a homophone means ”bride, lady”.
dôl
hill
(i** dhôl, construct **dol) (head), pl. dŷl (i** nŷl). Note: In the Etymologies, this word was derived from a root with initial nd- (NDOL), which would make the mutations different (i** nôl, pl. i** ndŷl). However, the later name Fanuidhol "Cloudyhead" apparently indicates that the lenited form of this d was later to be dh (whereas it would be n** if the former derivation had been maintained).
gilion
of stars
(lenited ngilion; pl. gilioen). Archaic ✱giliaun.
gîl
star
gîl (i ngîl = i ñîl, o n**gîl, construct gil) (bright spark, silver glint), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gîl = i ñgîl), coll. pl. giliath** (RGEO, MR:388). Poetic †êl (elen-, pl. elin, coll. pl. elenath) (RGEO, Letters:281, WJ:363).
gîl
star
(i ngîl = i ñîl, o n’gîl, construct gil) (bright spark, silver glint), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gîl = i ñgîl), coll. pl. giliath **(RGEO, MR:388). Poetic †êl (elen-, pl. **elin, coll. pl. elenath) (RGEO, Letters:281, WJ:363).
im
between
(prep.) im (within), also as prefix im- ”between, inter-”. Note: homophones include the pronoun ”I” and a noun mening ”dell, deep vale”. The word mîn (min-) means ”between” referring to a gap, space, barrier or anything intervening between two other things (VT47:11, 14)
im
between
(within), also as prefix im- ”between, inter-”. Note: homophones include the pronoun ”
mi
between
mi (with article: min)
mi
between
(with article: min)
mîn
i
(min-) means ”between” referring to a gap, space, barrier or anything intervening between two other things (VT47:11, 14)
ne
in
ned (used of time in the source), possibly followed by hard mutation (SD:129)
ne
in, inside
(prefix) (mid-)
orod
mountain
1) orod (pl. ered, eryd; coll. pl. #orodrim isolated from Thangorodrim), 2) ôr (stem orod-), also with pl. eryd, ered. (Names:178). Archaically, the plural forms were öryd, öröd.
orod
mountain
(pl. ered, eryd; coll. pl. #orodrim isolated from Thangorodrim)
pân
all
(adj.) *pân, pl. pain (only attested in mutated pl. form phain, SD:128-31). Not to be confused with the noun pân ”plank”.
pân
all
pl. pain (only attested in mutated pl. form phain, SD:128-31). Not to be confused with the noun pân ”plank”.
tund
hill
(i** dund, o thund, construct tun) (mound), pl. tynd (i** thynd), coll. pl. tunnath.
vi
in
(prep.) 1) vi (VT44:23), with article vin; 2) ne, ned (used of time in the source), possibly followed by hard mutation (SD:129); 3) dî, unstressed di (beneath, under) (VT45:37). Note: a homophone means ”bride, lady”.
vi
in
(VT44:23), with article vin
ôr
mountain
(stem orod-), also with pl. eryd, ered. (Names:178). Archaically, the plural forms were öryd, öröd.
The basis Sindarin word for “hill”. In one set of notes from around 1967, Tolkien said it could be applied also to any “lump, clump, mass” (PE17/93). In this same note Tolkien said it was “often applied to (especially isolated) mountains”, the most notable example being S. Amon Amarth “Mount Doom”. Its plural form emyn “hills” also appears in many names.
Conceptual Development: This word had a long history in Tolkien’s Elvish languages. It first appeared as G. amon “hill, mount, steep slope” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/19), where it was probably a derivative of the early root ᴱ√AM(U) “up(wards)”. ᴱN. amon “hill” also appears in Early Noldorin Word-lists from the 1920s again connected to am- “up” (PE13/137, 159), and was given as N. amon “hill” in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√AM “up” (Ety/AM²).
Its Quenya cognate Q. ambo was given as derivative of √AM “go up” in notes from 1967, but in other 1967 notes on the comparative, Tolkien coined some different roots as the basis for this S. amon “hill”, first √MAB “lump, mass” (PE17/90) and then √MBON, the latter being the basis for the alternate meanings “lump, clump, mass” mentioned above (PE17/90-93). Tolkien’s motivation for this change was that he wanted √AMA to have a new meaning “addition, increase, plus” to serve as the basis for the intensive.
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume S. amon was derived from √AM “up”, since I prefer Q. an- for intensives, but it may have been influenced by √MBON and this was the reason for its alternate meanings “lump, clump, mass”.