Quenya 

ambos

breast

ambos (ambost-) noun "breast" (chest). PE16:82

motto

noun. fen, marsh, fen, marsh; [ᴹQ.] blot

The word ᴹQ. motto first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “blot” as a derivative of the root ᴹ√MBOTH (Ety/MBOTH). It reappeared in Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957 as a derivative of √MOT “fen, marsh”, apparently of the same meaning. Its 1957 Sindarin form both < mbotto implies the root may have been √M(B)OT. For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d keep both the 1957 and 1930s senses, as derivations of slightly different roots.

Cognates

  • S. both “fen, marsh, fen, marsh; [N.] puddle, small pool” ✧ PE17/165

Derivations

  • √MOT “fen, marsh” ✧ PE17/165

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
√MOT > motto[motto]✧ PE17/165

ambar

breast

ambar (3) noun ""breast" (chest), with stem in -s- or -r- (QL:30). The form ambar, translated "in bosom", occurs in MC:213 (this is "Qenya"). Note: if this word were to be adapted to LotR-style Quenya, we should probably have to read *ambas with stem ambar-; compare olos, olor- "dream" from a late source. However, the form ambos (q.v.) is less ambiguous and may be preferred.

róma

shoulder

róma (3) noun "shoulder" (LT2:335; evidently obsoleted by # 1 and # 2 above.)

Sindarin 

(a)moth

noun. fen, marsh

both

noun. fen, marsh, fen, marsh; [N.] puddle, small pool

The word N. both first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “puddle, small pool” as a derivative of the root ᴹ√MBOTH (Ety/MBOTH). It reappeared in Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957 as a derivative of √MOT “fen, marsh”, apparently of the same meaning, along with variants moth and amoth. For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I’d use the form both and retain the 1957 and 1930s senses as derivations of slightly different roots.

Cognates

  • Q. motto “fen, marsh, fen, marsh; [ᴹQ.] blot” ✧ PE17/165

Derivations

  • √MOT “fen, marsh” ✧ PE17/165

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
√MOT > mbotto > both[mbotto] > [mbottʰo] > [mboθθo] > [boθθo] > [boθθ] > [boθ]✧ PE17/165

Variations

  • moth ✧ PE17/165
  • amoth ✧ PE17/165
Sindarin [PE17/165] Group: Eldamo. Published by

amoth

noun. shoulder

Derivations

  • √AM “go up, go up, [ᴹ√] up”

Primitive elvish

mot

root. fen, marsh

A root in Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957 glossed “fen, marsh” with derivatives like [Q?] motto and [S?] both or moth, apparently of similar meaning (PE17/165). A likely precursor is the unglossed root ᴹ√MBOTH in The Etymologies of the 1930s serving as the basis for words like ᴹQ. motto “blot”, N. both “puddle, small pool”, and Ilk. umboth “large pool”, the last of these being the basis for Ilk. Umboth Muilin “Veiled Pool” (Ety/MBOTH, MUY).

In the Gnomish of the 1910s, the first element of G. Umboth-muilin “Pools of Twilight” was derived from ᴱ√mbaþ-, a strengthened form of ᴱ√MAÞA “dusk”, with the second element muilin meaning “pools”, the plural G. muil (LT2/225; GL/58, 75). Later still this name became S. Aelin-uial, and it seems √M(B)OT was repurposed for swamp words.

Derivatives

  • Q. motto “fen, marsh, fen, marsh; [ᴹQ.] blot” ✧ PE17/165
  • S. both “fen, marsh, fen, marsh; [N.] puddle, small pool” ✧ PE17/165
Primitive elvish [PE17/145; PE17/165] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Qenya 

ambor

noun. breast, breast, *chest

The word ᴹQ. ambor “breast” appeared in the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, derived from ᴹ✶amƀus (PE21/33). This word shows the Early Qenya sound change whereby [[eq|final [s] became [r]]]; in Tolkien’s later writings this change applied mainly to intervocalic [s]. This word also had the unusual development of u to o in final syllables, a sound change Tolkien used for Quenya in the Declension of Nouns but nowhere else.

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s Tolkien gave ᴱQ. ambar “breast” with stems ambar- or ambas- (QL/30); the word also appeared in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa, but only with the stem ambas- (PME/30). ᴱQ. ambos was glossed “breast” in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/136), and in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s, ᴱQ. ambos (ambost-) appeared as a word related to both ᴱN. bost “back, from shoulder to shoulder” and ᴱN. amoth “shoulder” (PE13/137, 139, 159), the latter with primitive forms ᴱ✶a-mbod-t’ (PE13/137) or ᴱ✶a-mbos-t (PE13/159).

ᴱQ. ambar reappeared in the phrase ᴱQ. níve qímari ringa ambar “the pale phantoms in her cold bosom” from the Oilima Markirya poem written around 1930. Early 1930s ᴹQ. ambor seems to be the last published iteration of this word, as discussed above.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would adapt this word as ᴺQ. ambos (ambor-) “breast, chest” to fit better with later Quenya phonology. It might be an ancient combination of √AM “up” and ᴹ√OS “around”, perhaps with the original sense “upper enclosure (of the body)”.

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶amƀus “breast” ✧ PE21/33

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶amƀus- > ambor[amβus] > [ambus] > [ambur] > [ambor]✧ PE21/33

Middle Primitive Elvish

amƀus

noun. breast

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. ambor “breast, breast, *chest” ✧ PE21/33

Variations

  • amƀus- ✧ PE21/33
Middle Primitive Elvish [PE21/33] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

amoth

noun. breast

am

noun. breast, front (chest)

Cognates

  • Eq. ambar “breast, bosom”

Element in

  • G. ammos “byrne, hauberk, cuirass” ✧ GL/19
  • G. amrint “lark” ✧ GL/19 (amrint)

Variations

  • am ✧ PE13/109
  • amoth ✧ PE13/109
Gnomish [GL/19; PE13/109] Group: Eldamo. Published by

alan

noun. shoulder

Changes

  • awlan → alan ✧ PE13/109

Cognates

  • Eq. almo “shoulder(s), back”

Derivations

  • ᴱ✶aldamǝ ✧ PE13/109; PE13/109
    • ᴱ√ALA “spread‽”

Variations

  • awlan ✧ PE13/109 (awlan)

rôma

noun. shoulder

A noun for “shoulder” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, related to G. ram “wing” (GL/64, 66) and so probably derived from the early root ᴱ√RAHA “stretch forward”.

Cognates

  • Eq. ráma “wing; arm” ✧ GL/64

Derivations

  • ᴱ√RAHA “stretch forward”

Variations

  • róma ✧ LT2A/Alqarámë
Gnomish [GL/64; GL/66; LT2A/Alqarámë] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

amoth

noun. shoulder

A word appearing as ᴱN. amoth “shoulder” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of 1920s derived from ᴱ✶a-mbod-t’ (PE13/137, 159) and related to ᴱN. bost “back” (PE13/139). In these documents amoth was an element in the name ᴱN. Egallmoth “He of the Wide Shoulders” with an initial element of ᴱN. egall “very broad” (PE13/142, PE13/159).

In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, the name G. Egalmoth was glossed “Broad-back” and it contained G. alm “back, shoulders” from primitive ᴱ✶alđam- (GL/19), while in Gnomish Lexicon slips modifying this document, the word for “a shoulder” was G. {awlan >>} alan derived from ᴱ✶aldǝmā (PE13/109). These 1910s words were probably based on the early root ᴱ√ALA “spread”, from which ᴱQ. almo or aldamo “back, shoulders” was derived (QL/29).

In Tolkien’s later writings, S. Egalmoth was given an entirely new etymology as “Pointed Helm-crest” (WJ/318).

Neo-Sindarin: Despite the change in the meaning if Egalmoth, I think ᴺS. amoth “shoulder” can be retained for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, reconceived as a derivative of √AM “up” (< ✱ammots-) and perhaps originally an augmentative using the suffix -oth = “✱most up (part of the torso)”.

Cognates

  • Eq. ambos “breast” ✧ PE13/137; PE13/159

Derivations

Element in

  • En. Egallmoth “He of the Wide Shoulders” ✧ PE13/159
Early Noldorin [PE13/137; PE13/139; PE13/159] Group: Eldamo. Published by

am(b)

noun. breast

Changes

  • amuith → amb “breast” ✧ PE13/137

Element in

  • En. am(b)os “breastplate” ✧ PE13/137 (am(b)os)

Variations

  • amb ✧ PE13/137 (amb)
  • am ✧ PE13/137 (am)
  • amuith ✧ PE13/137 (amuith)
Early Noldorin [PE13/137] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

ambos

noun. breast

Cognates

  • En. amoth “shoulder” ✧ PE13/137; PE13/159
  • En. bost “back from shoulder to shoulder” ✧ PE13/139

Derivations

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ✶a-mbod-t’ > ambos[ambodt] > [amboðt] > [ambozt] > [ambost] > [ambos]✧ PE13/137
ᴱ✶a-mbos-t > ambos[ambost] > [ambos]✧ PE13/159
Early Quenya [PE13/137; PE13/139; PE13/159; PE16/136; PE16/146] Group: Eldamo. Published by