sundo

noun. base

base

sundo

noun. base, root, root-word, base, root, [ᴹQ.] root-word

A word translated as “base” (PE18/33, 60, 84; WJ/319) or in its plural form as “roots” (PE18/95). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had ᴹQ. sundo “base, root, root-word” under the root ᴹ√SUD “base, ground” (Ety/SUD). The word Sundokarme “base structure” indicates a stem of sundo- (PE18/33, 84). In one place Tolkien gave its plural as sundur indicating a stem form of sundu- (PE18/95), but in another Tolkien had sundar “roots” indicating an alternate singular form sunda (UT/166). See S. thond “root” for a discussion of the vacillations on the possible etymologies of this word.

Conceptual Development: The Etymologies of the 1930s also had ᴹQ. numbe or núve “root, foundation” under the root {ᴹ√(N)DUM >>} ᴹ√(N)DUB “lay base, foundation, root; found”, but this entry was deleted (EtyAC/NDUB).

talma

noun. basis, basis; [ᴹQ.] foundation, base, root; [ᴱQ.] end

This word appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹQ. talma “base, foundation, root” derived from ᴹ✶talmā, appearing under the root ᴹ√TALAM “floor, base, ground” as an extension of ᴹ√TAL “foot” (Ety/TAL). The word talma “basis” appeared as either a Quenya or a primitive word in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s (PE21/80).

Conceptual Development: Qenya word-lists of the 1920s had ᴱQ. talma “end” (PE16/144). The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. tauma “basis, foundation, ground floor” under the early root ᴱ√TAW̯A (QL/90).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya I would use this word for “basis; foundation, base” (physical or conceptual), but for “root” I would use Q. sundo.

sundo

base, root, root-word

sundo (þ) noun "base, root, root-word" (SUD), sc. a Quendian consonantal "base". According to VT46:16, Tolkien changed the root to STUD, thereby implying that sundo was earlier þundo (compare Sindarin thond "root"). PE18:95 gives the pl. form as sundur, seemingly implying a stem-form sundu-. It is not, however, used in the compound sundocarmë "base-structure" (PE18:84 not **sunducarmë), a term used in the description of the structure of the various Quendian "bases" or roots.

sundocarme

noun. base-structure

base-structure

sundocarmë

proper name. Base-structure

A term for the “base structure” of Primitive Elvish words (PE18/33, 84). It is a compound of sundo “base, root” and carmë “structure”. See primitive root-forms for further discussion.

sundóma

base-vowel

sundóma (þ) noun *"base-vowel" (sundo + óma), the determinant vowel of a "base" or root (Christopher Tolkien gives the example KAT, which stem has the sundóma A; the stem TALAT has the sundóma repeated; in derivative forms the sundóma might be placed before the first consonant; e.g. ATALAT) (WJ:319)

talan

floor, base, ground

talan (talam-, e.g. pl. talami) noun "floor, base, ground" (TALAM)

talma

base, foundation, root

talma noun "base, foundation, root" (TALAM), also translated "bottom" in the expression "top to bottom", see below.% Talmar Ambaren (place-name, *"Foundations of the World" - this is pre-classical "Qenya" with genitive in -en instead of -o as in LotR-style Quenya) (TALAM). Allative talmanna in the phrase telmello talmanna** "from hood to base**, top to bottom" _(VT46:18; notice misreading "telmanna" in the Etymologies as printed in LR, entry TEL-, TELU-)_

sundoharmar

noun. capital [funds], (lit.) base treasures

A neologism for “capital [funds]” coined by Sami Paldanius in the 1000W project (1000W), a combination of sundo “base” and the plural of harma “treasure”.

sárë

noun. base (as opposed to acid), bitter thing

A neologism for a “base” (as opposed to acid) coined by Parmandil posted on 2024-10-06 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), derived from [ᴹQ.] sára “bitter” so more generally meaning a “bitter thing”.

sundon

noun. bedrock, (lit.) base-rock

@@@ Discord 2022-04-12

talmata-

verb. to base (on), found

Carmë

art

Carmë("k")noun "art" (UT:459); used = "structure" in sundocarmë ("k") "Base-structure", q.v. under sundo.

telmë

hood, covering

telmë noun "hood, covering" (apparently emended from telma, VT46:18); ablative in the phrase telmello talmanna "from hood to base, from crown to foot, top to bottom" (TEL/TELU; the form _telmello t__e_lmanna_ occurring in the Etymologies as printed in LR is a typo, VT46:18)_

-nna

to

-n (1) dative ending, originating as a reduced form of -nă "to", related to the allative ending -nna (VT49:14). Attested in nin, men, ten, enyalien, Erun, airefëan, tárin, yondon (q.v.) and also added to the English name Elaine (Elainen) in a book dedication to Elaine Griffiths (VT49:40). The longer dative ending -na is also attested in connection with some pronouns, such as sena, téna, véna (q.v.), also in the noun mariéna from márië "goodness" (PE17:59). Pl. -in (as in hínin, see hína), partitive pl. -lin, dual -nt (Plotz). The preposition ana (#1) is said to be used "when purely dative formula is required" (PE17:147), perhaps meaning that it can replace the dative ending, e.g. *ana Eru instead of Erun for "to God". In some of Tolkiens earlier material, the ending -n (or -en) expressed genitive rather than dative, but he later decided that the genitive ending was to be -o (cf. such a revision as Yénië Valinóren becoming Yénië Valinórëo, MR:200).

-nna

to, at, upon

-nna "to, at, upon", allative ending, originating from -na "to" with fortified n, VT49:14. Attested in cilyanna, coraryanna, Endorenna, Elendilenna, númenórenna, parma-restalyanna, rénna, senna, tielyanna, q.v. If a noun ends in -n already, the ending -nna merges with it, as in Amanna, formenna, Elenna, númenna, rómenna as the allative forms of Aman, formen, elen, númen, rómen (q.v.). Plural -nnar in mannar, valannar, q.v.

ana

to

ana (1) prep. "to" (VT49:35), "as preposition _ana _is used when purely _dative formula is required" (PE17:147), perhaps meaning that the preposition ana can be used instead of the dative ending -n (#1, q.v.) Also as prefix: ana- "to, towards" (NĀ1); an (q.v.) is used with this meaning in one source (PE17:127)_

il-

verb. no, *un-

il- (prefix) "no, *un-" (LA); cf. ilfirin "immortal" (vs. firin "dead"). This prefix "denotes the opposite, the reversal, i.e. more than the mere negation" (VT42:32). But il- can also mean "all, every"; see ilaurëa, ilqua, ilquen.

la

no, not

la negation "no, not" (see lá); also prefix la- as in lacarë, q.v. (VT45:25)

lá

no, not

lá (1) adv. "no, not" (LA, VT45:25) According to VT42:33, lá is the stressed form, alternating with la when the negation is unstressed. In another conceptual phase of Tolkien's, lá had the opposite meaning "yes" (VT42:32-33), but this idea is contradicted by both earlier and later material: usually lá is conceived as a negation. The negation can receive tense markers and be used as a negative verb "when [another] verb is not expressed" (VT49:13), apparently where the phrase "is not" is followed by a noun or an adjective as a predicate, or where some verb is understood, as in English "I do not" (i.e. "I do not do whatever the context indicates"). With pronominal endings la- in the aorist, e.g. lanyë "I do not, am not" (etc.) (Tolkien abandoned the form lamin.) Exemplified in the sentence melin sé apa lanyë hé *"I love him but I do not [love] him" (another person) (VT49:15). Present tense laia, past lánë, perfect alaië, future lauva.

na

to, towards

na (2) prep. "to, towards", possibly obsoleted by #1 above; for clarity writers may use the synonym ana instead (NĀ1). Originally, Tolkien glossed na as "at, by, near"; the new meaning entered together with the synonyms an, ana (VT45:36).

numbë

root, foundation

[numbë noun "root, foundation", also núvë (VT45:38)]

núvë

root, foundation

[núvë noun "root, foundation", also numbë (VT45:38)]

sulca

root

sulca ("k") noun "root" (especially as edible) (SÚLUK)

tulco

support, prop

tulco ("k") noun "support, prop". Given the primitive form ¤tulku, the word would have the stem-form *tulcu*- and the plural form tulqui**. (TULUK)

ui

no

ui interjection "no" (originally an endingless negative verb in the 3rd person aorist: "it is not [so]"; see #u-). Apparently this is the word for "no" used to deny that something is true (compare vá, which is rather used to reject orders, or to issue negative orders). (VT49:28) Compare uito.

taldëa

adjective. bottom

A neologism for “bottom” as an adjective coined by Luinyelle and Arael on 2022-05-23 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) as an adjectival form of Q. tal(da) “to the bottom”.

thond

noun. root, root, [N.] base; root-word

A noun in The Lord of the Rings Appendix E glossed “root”, given as an examples of how “nd remained at the end of fully accented monosyllables” (LotR/1115). It was an element in the river-name S. Morthond “Black Root” (LotR/770), so named “because its source was in the dark caverns of the Dead Men” (RC/766). As such this word refers to things that are the root or base of something, not just plant roots.

Conceptual Development: The Etymologies of the 1930s had N. sunn and sonnas as cognates to ᴹQ. sundo “base, root, root-word” under ᴹ√SUD “base, ground” (Ety/SUD; EtyAC/SUD). These Noldorin forms were revised to N. thund/thonn and N. thonnas while the root was revised to ᴹ√STUD (EtyAC/SUD). The Etymologies also had N. dum “root, foundation” derived from {ᴹ√(N)DUM >>} ᴹ√(N)DUB “lay base, foundation, root; found”, but this entry was deleted (EtyAC/NDUB).

Possible Etymology: This words seems to be a counterexample to the general rule that short u was preserved before nasals: compare it to S. mund “bull” and N. lhunt “boat” where the u remained unchanged. The Quenya cognate of this word is typically Q. sundo, so a-affection cannot be used to explain the shift of u to o. However in one place Tolkien gave the Quenya form as sunda in Tarmasundar “Roots of the Pillar” (UT/166), so perhaps the Sindarin form was derived from a variant primitive form ✱stundā.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume thond refers only to an ordinary base or root, and more abstract [N.] thonnas refers to things like root-words or a “✱foundation”.

an

preposition. to, towards, for

With suffixed article and elision in aglar'ni Pheriannath

an

to

_ prep. _to, for. naur an edraith ammen! 'fire [be] for rescue/saving for us'. aglar an|i Pheriannath  'glory to all the Halflings'.

baw

interjection. no, don't!

na

to

e _ prep. _to, towards (of spacetime). n' before vowels. >> nan 2

na

preposition. to

prep. to Na-chaered palan-díriel lit. "To-distance (remote) after-gazing" >> na-chaered, nan 2

talan

flat space

pl1. telain** **_ n. _flat space, platform. Q. talan or talma. >> tâl

thond

noun. root

thond

noun. root

n. root.

tâl

flat space

_ n. _flat space, platform. Q. talan or talma. >> talan

ú

prefix. no, not (negative prefix or particle)

û

interjection. no

adv. or interj. no, not (of fact).

an

to

(prep.) an (+ nasal mutation), with article ni "to the" (+ nasal mutation in plural).

an

to

(adverbial prefix) an-. 3)

baw!

no

! (interjection expressing refusal or prohibition, not denying facts) baw! (dont!) Prefix

baw!

no

(don’t!) Prefix

golwen

learned in deep arts

(wise), lenited ngolwen, pl. gelwin (archaic pl. ✱gölwin)

gú

no, not

also ú

maenas

art

maenas (i vaenas) (craft, handicraft), pl. maenais (i maenais), coll. pl. maenassath.

maenas

art

(i vaenas) (craft, handicraft), pl. maenais (i maenais), coll. pl. maenassath.

panas

talam

(i banas, o phanas, pl. penais (i phenais), coll. pl. panassath.

solch

root

(i holch, o solch), pl. sylch (i sylch)

talaf

floor

1. talaf (i dalaf, o thalaf) (ground), pl. telaif (i thelaif); coll. pl. talavath. The ”Noldorin” plural form listed in LR:390 s.v.

talaf

floor

(i dalaf, o thalaf) (ground), pl. telaif (i thelaif); coll. pl. talavath. The ”Noldorin” plural form listed in LR:390 s.v.

talaf

ground

talaf (i dalaf, o thalaf) (floor), pl. telaif (i thelaif); coll. pl. talavath. The ”Noldorin” plural form listed in LR:390 s.v.

talaf

ground

(i dalaf, o thalaf) (floor), pl. telaif (i thelaif); coll. pl. talavath. The ”Noldorin” plural form listed in LR:390 s.v.

thond

root

1. thond (construct thon; pl. thynd; coll. pl. thonnath), 2) thonnas, pl. thennais (archaic *thönnais) (VT46:16), 3) thund (construct thun; pl. thynd; coll. pl. thunnath) (VT46:16), 4) (esp. of edible roots) solch (i holch, o solch), pl. sylch (i sylch)

thond

root

(construct thon; pl. thynd; coll. pl. thonnath)

thonnas

root

pl. thennais (archaic ✱thönnais) (VT46:16)

thund

root

(construct thun; pl. thynd; coll. pl. thunnath) (VT46:16)

tulu

support

tulu (i dulu, o thulu) (prop), pl. tyly (i thyly)

tulu

support

(i dulu, o thulu) (prop), pl. tyly (i thyly)

ôf

noun. hood

khen

root. base of eye-words, base of eye-words; [ᴹ√] look at, see, observe, direct gaze

This root first appeared as ᴹ√KHEN “look at, see, observe, direct gaze” with an extended form ᴹ√KHEN-D-E “eye” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, with derivatives ᴹQ. hen (hend-) and N. hên “eye” (Ety/KHEN-D-E, EtyAC/KHEN).

The derived forms arose earlier, with ᴱQ. hen “eye” appearing in The Qenya Phonology of the 1910s, but there it was a derivative of ᴱ√þeχe > þχe-ndǝ > hen (PE12/21). Indeed, the majority of the derivatives of this early root show s- in Qenya, and the root was given as ᴱ√SEHE or ᴱ√SE’E in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/82). Contemporaneous forms in the Gnomish Lexicon such as G. thê- “see” and G. thest “sight” (GL/72), but G. sî “bead, small gem or pearl” may also be related, perhaps indicate a blending between ᴱ√SEHE and ᴱ√ÞEHE [þeχe].

The word G. hen “eye” also appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon (GL/48), probably with an origin similar to ᴱQ. hen, and these two words reappeared in Early Noldorin word lists from the 1920s, but as a derivative of ✶ske-ndá (PE13/147). Thus it seems the initial combination evolved from the 1910s þχ- >> 1920s sk- >> 1930s kh-. In the 1930s, the base root ᴹ√KHEN meant “see”, but Tolkien established a distinct root √KEN “see” by the 1940s (PE22/103), and in notes from 1955 Tolkien described √KHEN as “base of eye­words” without mentioning sight (PE17/187).

ma

root. interrogative base, interrogative base; [ᴱ√] root of indef[inite]

This root is the basis for Elvish question words. When it first appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, Tolkien said ᴱ√MA was the “root of indef[inites]” (GL/55), and it served as the basis for the indefinitive suffix G. -(u)m and ᴱQ. -(u)ma (GL/55; PE14/42, 71). In the Gnomish Lexicon, question words were derived from the root ᴱ√DO instead: G. don “who”, G. dos “when”, G. dui “where”, etc. (GL/30). There are no signs of interrogative ᴱ√DO in Tolkien’s later writings, but indefinite -(u)ma survived until at least the late 1940s (PE23/99, 105).

By the time Tolkien wrote the ᴱQ. Oilima Markirya poem around 1930, Quenya question words also generally began with ma-: ᴱQ. man kiluva kirya ninqe? “Who shall see a white ship?” (MC/213). This remained true thereafter, and the same seems to be true of Sindarin as well, though we have far fewer examples: S. man agorech?, untranslated but apparently: “✱and said Rían to Tuor: what have we done?” (VT50/5). The “interrogative base” √MA is mentioned in Quenya Notes from 1957 (QN: PE17/162) and again in notes from around 1968 (VT47/19).

√MA was not completely divorced from indefinites in Tolkien’s later writings, however, given late 1940s indefinite suffix -(u)ma (PE23/99, 105) and his use of Q. ma for an indefinite neuter pronoun “(some)thing” as opposed to the indefinite personal pronoun Q. mo “(some)one” (PE22/154; VT42/34). The exact relationship of interrogative √MA with these indefinite forms is not entirely clear, however.

talam

root. flat space, flat space, [ᴹ√] floor, ground; base, root, foundation

ñwe

pronoun. 1 pl. inclusive base

talmā

noun. basis

an

preposition. to

thonn

noun. base, root, root-word

thonnas

noun. base, root, root-word, root-word; *foundation; base, root

al-

prefix. no, not

heltha-

verb. to strip

The form helta- in the Etymologies is a misreading according to VT/46:14

mû

interjection. no

panas

noun. floor

panas

noun. floor

A noun for “floor” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, an elaboration of N. pân “plank” under the root ᴹ√PAN (Ety/PAN). As such, it likely refers to a constructed floor made of wood or other materials.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. blath “a floor” (GL/23), probably derived from the early root ᴱ√PALA having to do with flat things as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Palúrien).

solch

noun. root (especially as edible)

talaf

noun. ground, floor

tulu

noun. support, prop

u

preposition. to

kulbu

noun. root

A noun appearing only in its plural form kulbî “roots”, corresponding to the collective-noun kulub “roots, edible vegetables that are roots not fruits” (SD/431). As such, it most likely refers to root vegetables only, rather than other senses of the English word “root”.