melin adj. "dear" (MEL)
Quenya
melda
beloved, dear, sweet
melda
adjective. dear, beloved, beloved, dear, [ᴹQ.] sweet
Cognates
- S. mell “dear, beloved” ✧ PE17/041
Derivations
Element in
- Q. A anamelda na ar ilyan “A is dearest of all” ✧ PE17/057
- Q. A anamelda na epë B “A is dear before B” ✧ PE17/057
- Q. A anamelda na ep’ ilya “A is dearest of all” ✧ PE17/057
- Q.
A arimelda na epe B“A is (very much) [dearer] than B” ✧ PE17/056 (A arimelda na epe B)- Q. A arimelda na ilyaron “A is dearest of all” ✧ PE17/056
- Q. nessamelda “species of tree in Númenor, (lit.) beloved of Nessa”
- Q. vanimelda “beautiful and beloved, elven-fair” ✧ PE17/056; PE17/057
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶melnā > meldā > melda [melnā] > [meldā] > [melda] ✧ PE17/041 ✶mel-nā > melda [melnā] > [meldā] > [melda] ✧ PE17/056
melin
dear
ar-
brightest
ar- (2), also ari-, prefix for superlative (compare arya #1, 2), hence arcalima "brightest", arimelda *"dearest" (PE17:56-57). In the grammar described in the source, this prefix was to express superlative as the highest degree (in actual comparison), whereas the alternative prefix an- rather expressed "very" or "exceedingly" with a more purely augmentative or adverbial force, but these distinctions do not seem to have been clearly present at all stages of Tolkiens work. See an- #2, am- #2.
sonda
dear, fond
[sonda adj. "dear, fond" (VT46:15)]
melda adj. "beloved, dear, sweet" (MEL, VT45:34), superlative arimelda *"dearest" (PE17:56, see ar- #2), meldielto "they are beloved" (sc. meld[a]-ië-lto "beloved-are-they" however, both the stative verb ending -ië "is/are" and the ending -lto "they" may be obsolete in LotR-style Quenya) (FS) PE17:55 gives the comparative form as arimelda or ammelda and the superlative as eremelda, anamelda or once again ammelda (PE17:55).