am

preposition. up, upwards, upon

am

up

am

up, up, [G.] upwards, towards head of, above

The basic Sindarin adverb and prefix for “up”, very well attested and derived from the root √AM of the same meaning. Since the m survives in this adverb, it must have been derived from amb- (PE22/35); compare its Quenya equivalent Q. amba.

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, where G. am appeared as an adverb with the glosses “up, upwards, towards head of” (GL/19). In Gnomish Lexicon Slips modifying that document, G. am was first glossed “above”, but was quickly revised to “above, up” (PE13/109). Starting with Early Noldorin word-lists of the 1920s and into The Etymologies of the 1930s, the gloss was only “up” (PE13/137, 159; Ety/AM²).

am-

up

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

am-

prefix. up, up, [ᴱQ.] upwards

A prefix for “up”, very well attested and derived from √AM of the same meaning (Ety/AM²).

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. am(u)- “up(wards)” reflecting the earliest form of the root ᴱ√AM(U) (QL/30), but by the 1920s the u was dropped (PE16/75), and it was only am- thereafter. In Tolkien’s later conception, it probably became ama- when seperation from a following consonant or cluster was needed (PE17/92), as in ᴹQ. amatikse “above dot” (Ety/TIK).

ama

up

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

amba

up, upwards

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

amba

adverb. up

amu

up, upwards

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