Quenya 

amya

my mother

amya (1) noun "my mother", form used in address (PE17:170), cf. emya

amya

noun. mummy, (orig.) my mother

An affectionate word used by a child to address his or her mother (PE17/170), also appearing as emya (VT47/10; VT48/6, 19) along with other variants like amye or amilye (VT47/26-27, 32). It is a reduction of the possessive form: amilinya “my mother”. See amil(lë) “mother” for a discussion of the am-/em- variation.

Changes

  • (a)milyeemya ✧ VT47/10

Elements

WordGloss
amil(lë)“mother”
-nya“my”

Variations

  • emya ✧ VT47/10; VT47/26; VT47/26; VT48/06; VT48/19
  • (a)milye ✧ VT47/26 ((a)milye)
  • amilye ✧ VT47/27
  • amye ✧ VT47/32
Quenya [PE17/170; VT47/10; VT47/26; VT47/27; VT47/32; VT48/06; VT48/19] Group: Eldamo. Published by

amya-

verb. [unglossed]

Derivations

  • AM “go up, go up, [ᴹ√] up” ✧ PE17/157

Elements

WordGloss
-ya“verbal suffix”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
AM > amya[amja-]✧ PE17/157

Variations

  • amya ✧ PE17/157 (amya)

amal

mother

amal noun "mother"; also emel (VT48:22, 49:22); the form amil (emil) seems more usual.

emya

mummy

emya noun "mummy", also used in children's play for "index finger" and "index toe" (VT47:10, 26, VT48:4, 6). Said to be a reduction of emenya *"my mother", seemingly presupposing #emë as a word for "mother" (but this word normally appears as emil or amil, incorporating a feminine ending). In VT48:19, emya is explained as deriving from em-nya "my mother". Compare emmë # 2.

emya

noun. mummy, (orig.) my mother

amilyë

mummy

amilyë or milyë (cited as (a)milyë), noun "mummy", also used as a play-name of the index finger, but Tolkien emended it to emmë, emya. (VT48:4) In its basic sense, (a)milyë would be a variant of amil, amillë "mother", q.v.

maitya

?. [unglossed]

Variations

  • mahtya ✧ PE19/084 (mahtya)

melya-

verb. [unglossed], *to be in love

Derivations

  • MEL “love, love, [ᴹ√] love (as friend)”

amil

mother

amil noun "mother" (AM1), also emil (q.v.) Longer variant amillë (VT44:18-19), compounded Eruamillë "Mother of God" in Tolkien's translation of the Hail Mary (VT43:32). If amil is a shortened form of amillë, it should probably have the stem-form amill-. Also compare amilyë, amya, emya. Compounded amil- in amilessë noun "mothername" (cf. essë "name"), name given to a child by its mother, sometimes with prophetic implications (amilessi tercenyë "mother-names of insight"). (MR:217).

ammë

mother

ammë noun "mother" (AM1)

arra

adjective. [unglossed]

Derivations

  • SRAG “awkward, awry; hard, (very) difficult” ✧ PE17/172

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
SRA-G > asra > arra[asra] > [azra] > [arra]✧ PE17/172

cúma

noun. [unglossed]

Cognates

  • S. “bow, bow; [N.] arch, crescent; [G.] waxing or waning moon” ✧ PE17/122

Derivations

  • kūma ✧ PE17/122
    • KU(H) “bow, [ᴱ√] bend”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
kūma > cúma[kūma]✧ PE17/122

emmë

mummy

emmë (1) noun "mummy", hypocoristic form of "mother", also used in children's play for "index finger" and "index toe" (VT47:10, 26, VT48:4, 6, 17, 19). Also emya.

háro

?. [unglossed]

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
khādo > hāzo > hāro[kʰādo] > [xādo] > [xāðo] > [hāðo] > [hāro]✧ PE22/148

Variations

  • hāro ✧ PE22/148

malsa

?. [unglossed]

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
maslā > malsa[maslā] > [malsā] > [malsa]✧ PE19/101

mamil

mother, mummy

mamil noun *"mother, mummy" (UT:191)

tomba

noun. [unglossed]

Derivations

  • TOM “of resonant sounds” ✧ PE17/138

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
TOM > tomba[tomba]✧ PE17/138

um(ba)-

prefix. [unglossed]

Derivations

  • UMU “not, expressing privation, not, expressing privation; [ᴹ√] negative stems” ✧ PE17/172
    • Ū “denial of fact, privation, negative element, denial of fact, privation, negative element, [ᴱ√] not”

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
UMU > um(ba)[umba-]✧ PE17/172

Variations

  • um(ba) ✧ PE17/172 (um(ba))

amil(lë)

noun. mother

Tolkien used a number of similar forms for “mother” for most of his life. The earliest of these are ᴱQ. amis (amits-) “mother” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s along with variants ᴱQ. ambi, âmi, amaimi under the root ᴱ√AMA (QL/30). An additional variant ammi appeared in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/30). In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s Tolkien had ᴱQ. ambe or mambe “mother” (PE16/135). This became ᴹQ. amil “mother” in The Etymologies under the root ᴹ√AM “mother” (Ety/AM¹).

This 1930s form amil appears to have survived for some time. It appeared in a longer form Amille in Quenya Prayers of the 1950s (VT43/26; VT44/12, 18), and as an element in the term amilessi “mother-names” in a late essay on Elvish naming (MR/217). In the initial drafts of Elvish Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s Tolkien used the form amilye or amye as an affectionate word for “mother”, and amaltil as the finger name for the second finger (VT47/26-27 note #34 and #35).

However, in those documents Tolkien seems to have revised the root for “mother” from √AM to √EM and the affectionate forms from amye to emya or emme (VT47/10; VT48/6, 19). The revised word for “mother” appears to be emil based on the 1st person possessive form emil(inya) (VT47/26).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I prefer to retain the root √AM for “mother”, since that is what Tolkien used for 50 years, and ignore the very late change to √EM. As such, I would recommend amil(le) for “mother” and affectionate forms amme “mommy” and amya. However, if you prefer to use Tolkien’s “final” forms, then emil(le), emme and emya seem to be what Tolkien adopted in the late 1960s.

Cognates

  • S. emel “mother”

Derivations

  • amal “mother”
    • AM “mother” ✧ VT48/19; VT48/19

Element in

Variations

  • Amille ✧ VT44/18
Quenya [VT44/18; VT47/26] Group: Eldamo. Published by

umbacarin

noun. [unglossed]

emel

mother

emel noun "mother"; also amal (VT48:22, 49:22); the form amil (emil) seems more usual.

emil

mother

emil noun "mother", emilinya "my mother" (also reduced to emya) the terms a child would use in addressing his or her mother (VT47:26). Emil would seem to be a variant of amil. Also compare emel.

emil

noun. mother

naue

?. [unglossed]

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ndagwē > ndau̯we > nau̯we > naue[ndagwē] > [ndaɣwē] > [ndauwē] > [nauwē] > [naue]✧ PE19/094

Variations

  • nawe ✧ PE19/094 (nawe)

sal-

verb. [unglossed]

Derivations

  • SAL “[unglossed], *harp(ing), lyre” ✧ PE22/133

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
SAL > azálie[asālie] > [azālie]✧ PE22/133

éna

?. [unglossed]

Derivations

  • eñna ✧ PE19/097
    • “be, exist”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
eñna > enna > éna[eŋna] > [enna]✧ PE19/097

cairë

?. [unglossed]

Cognates

  • S. caer “*flat isle on a river, [N.] flat isle on a river” ✧ PE17/101

Derivations

  • KAY “lie, lie, [ᴹ√] lie down; [ᴱ√] rest, dwell” ✧ PE17/101

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
KAYA > caire[kaire]✧ PE17/101

Variations

  • caire ✧ PE17/101

felca

adjective. [unglossed]

Derivations

  • PHELEGexcavation, excavation; [ᴹ√] cave” ✧ PE17/118

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
PHELEK > felca[pʰelka] > [ɸelka] > [felka]✧ PE17/118

finca

noun. [unglossed]

Cognates

  • S. fing “lock of hair” ✧ PE17/017

Derivations

  • phinik ✧ PE17/017
    • SPIN(ID) “fine thread, filament; hair” ✧ PE17/017

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
finik/fink > finca[pʰinika] > [pʰinka] > [pʰiŋka] > [ɸiŋka] > [fiŋka]✧ PE17/017

Variations

  • finca ✧ PE17/017

sóla

?. [unglossed]

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
soglā > sóla[soglā] > [soɣlā] > [sōlā] > [sōla]✧ PE19/095

thar-

verb. [unglossed]

Derivations

  • STAR “*stiff, [ᴹ√] stiff” ✧ PE22/133

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
STAR > thar[star-] > [θar-]✧ PE22/133

Variations

  • thar ✧ PE22/133

tompë

noun. [unglossed], *pulse, beat

@@@ Neo-meaning “✱pulse, beat” suggested by Röandil on 2023-04-20

Derivations

  • TOM “of resonant sounds” ✧ PE17/138

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
TOM > tompe[tompe]✧ PE17/138

Variations

  • tompe ✧ PE17/138

úpa-

verb. [unglossed]

conta-

verb. [unglossed]

Derivations

  • KOM “gather, collect” ✧ PE17/157

Elements

WordGloss
-ta“causative verb suffix”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
KOM > conta[komta-] > [konta-]✧ PE17/157

Variations

  • conta ✧ PE17/157 (conta)

hendas

?. [unglossed]

Element in

  • Q. calma hendas “*light in the eyes” ✧ PMCH/02; TMME/192
Quenya [PMCH/02; TMME/192] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ontari

mother

ontari noun "mother" or etymologically "begetter, parent" (fem.); clashing with the plural ontari "parents", this was apparently an emphemeral form (see ontarë, ontaril, ontarië for other feminine forms of "begetter, parent") (VT44:7)

ontaril

mother

ontaril noun "mother", female *"begetter" (cf. onta-). Variant of ontarë. (VT43:32)

þúna

?. [unglossed]

Derivations

  • stuknā ✧ PE19/086
    • STUK “[unglossed]” ✧ PE19/086

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
stuknā > thúna[stuknā] > [stugnā] > [θugnā] > [θuŋnā] > [θūnā] > [θūna] > [sūna]✧ PE19/086

Variations

  • thúna ✧ PE19/086 (thúna)

felehta-

verb. [unglossed], *to excavate, tunnel, mine

An untranslated form appearing in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 derived from the root √PHELEG/PHELEK (PE17/118), possibly a verb derived from ✱phelektā- or ✱phelegtā-. The derivatives of this root had to do with mines and tunnels, so perhaps this verb meant “✱to excavate, tunnel, mine”.

Derivations

  • PHELEGexcavation, excavation; [ᴹ√] cave” ✧ PE17/118

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
PHELEK > felehta[pʰelektā] > [ɸelektā] > [ɸelextā] > [ɸelextā] > [felextā]✧ PE17/118

Variations

  • felehta ✧ PE17/118

hindo

noun. [unglossed]

Derivations

  • KHIN “child” ✧ PE17/157

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
KHIN > hindo[kʰindo] > [xindo] > [hindo]✧ PE17/157

hindë

noun. [unglossed]

Derivations

  • KHIN “child” ✧ PE17/157

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
KHIN > hinde[kʰinde] > [xinde] > [hinde]✧ PE17/157

Variations

  • hinde ✧ PE17/157 (hinde)

holdë

noun. [unglossed]

Derivations

  • SKOL “shut, close” ✧ PE17/098

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
KHOL > holde[kʰolde] > [xolde] > [holde]✧ PE17/098

Variations

  • holde ✧ PE17/098

lingi-

verb. [unglossed]

sélo

?. [unglossed]

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
steglō > thélo > þélo > sélo[steglō] > [θeglō] > [θeɣlō] > [θēlō] > [θēlo] > [sēlo]✧ PE19/095