massë

bread

massë noun "bread" (as a material), variant of massa, q.v. (PE17:52). Notice that *massë has also been extrapolated as a question-word "where?"

massë

noun. bread

massa

bread

#massa noun "bread" (massamma "our bread", VT43:18); massánië "breadgiver", used as a title of the highest woman among any Elvish people, since she had the keeping and gift of the coimas (lembas). Also simply translated "Lady" (PM:404)

massa

noun. bread

A word for “bread” appearing as massa (VT43/12) or massë (PE17/52) in Tolkien’s later writings, most notably as an element in Q. massánië “breadgiver” (PM/404). It was in competition with, and possibly replaced, the word masta “bread”. The distinction between the two was discussed in notes from 1960s (PE17/52):

> Assume a Primitive Eldarin derivation ✱mbassē “(baked) bread”. The other derivatives were ✱mbasta with short final, an infinitive or verbal noun formation denoting a single action of the stem .. and ✱mbazdā denoting the passive result of the action, and when used substantivally a single product of this: mbazda would thus mean baked or a baked thing ... In Quenya we have masse “bread” as a material, and masta “a cake or loaf” (zd > st).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya I prefer to use massa as the typical word for “bread” rather than massë, to avoid conflict with other words like [ᴹQ.] masse “where”. I would also use masta as a more general word for baked goods, including bread but also other baked things like cakes and loafs.

Cognates

• S. bas(t) “bread”

Derivations

• ✶mbassē “(baked) bread” ✧ PE17/052
  • √MBAS “bake, bake, [ᴱ√] cook; [ᴹ√] knead” ✧ PE17/051

Element in

• Q. ámen anta síra ilaurëa massamma “give us this day our daily bread” ✧ VT43/18
• Q. coimas “life-bread, lembas”
• Q. massánië “Lady, breadgiver”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶mbassē > masse	[mbassē] > [massē] > [masse]	✧ PE17/052

Variations

• masse ✧ PE17/052

masta

noun. bread

heri

lady

heri noun "lady" (KHER, LT1:272)

heri

noun. lady

Derivations

• ✶kherī “lady”
  • √KHER “possess, possess, [ᴹ√] rule, govern, [ᴱ√] have power”

Element in

• Q. hérincë “*little lady” ✧ UT/195

Variations

• héri ✧ UT/195 (héri)

quimellë

lady

quimellë noun "lady" (GL:45)

bassoneth

noun. bread-giver

See bass for a discussion regarding this word

besoneth

noun. bread-giver

See bass for a discussion regarding this word

bass

noun. bread

In the Etymologies, the word for "bread" is given as bast , Quenya masta, but it seems that Tolkien later changed his mind and updated the word to bass, as shown in Quenya massánie, Sindarin besain, besoneth "bread-giver", and in the mutated form (i)mbas (apparently prefixed with the article). These latter Sindarin forms are however dubious, as we would rather have expected bessain (as a regular cognate of Quenya massánie) and bassoneth (without i-affection), and possibly a different mutation pattern after the article

bas(t)

noun. bread

This was the word for “bread” in Sindarin and its conceptual precursors for much of Tolkien’s life, derived from the equally long-lived root √MBAS “bake”. The word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s where G. bast “bread” was derived from the early root ᴱ√M(B)ASA “cook, bake” (GL/22). ᴱN. bast “bread” reappeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/138) and appeared again as N. bast “bread” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√MBAS “knead” (Ety/MBAS).

It appeared without a final t in the Sindarin version of the Lord’s Prayer from the 1950s: anno ammen sír i mbas ilaurui vín “give us this day our daily bread” (VT44/21). However the t was restored in the phrase penim vast “we have no bread” from around 1959 (PE17/144). The late vacillations on the presence and absence of t are likely connected to Tolkien challenges with the derivation of lembas; see that entry for discussion. Likewise, the mutated forms mbas vs. vast indicate some late uncertainty on whether the primitive form began with mb- or b-.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume the normal form was bast “bread” from ancient mbasta, so that lenited forms show mb-.

Cognates

• Q. massa “bread”
• Q. masta “bread, cake, loaf, bread, cake, loaf, *baked good”

Derivations

• √MBAS “bake, bake, [ᴱ√] cook; [ᴹ√] knead”

Element in

• S. anno ammen sír i mbas ilaurui vín “give us this day our daily bread” ✧ VT44/27
• S. lembas “waybread, journey-bread”
• ᴺS. losbas “ryebread”
• S. penim vast “we have no bread” ✧ PE17/144

bessain

noun. bread-giver

See bass for a discussion regarding this word

lembas

noun. journey bread made by the Elves

rodel

lady

1a _n._lady, high lady. >> Nimrodel

besain

noun. bread-giver

See bass for a discussion regarding this word

híril

noun. lady, lady; [G.] princess, †queen

Element in

• S. Hírilorn “Tree of the Lady” ✧ SA/heru

heruin

noun. lady

n. lady. >> heryn, Rocheruin

heruin

noun. lady

Element in

• S. Roch-cheruin “Steed of the Lady”

heryn

noun. lady

heryn

noun. lady

n. lady. >> heruin, Rocheryn

heryn

noun. lady

Derivations

• ✶kherūnī “lady” ✧ PE17/097

Element in

• S. Roch-cheruin “Steed of the Lady” ✧ PE17/097; PE17/097
• S. roch heryn “Lady(’s) horse” ✧ PE17/097
• S. roch na-heryna “the horse of (the) Lady” ✧ PE17/097
• S. Roheryn “Horse of the Lady”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶herūnī > heruin	[kʰerūnī] > [kʰerūni] > [xerūni] > [xeruin] > [heruin]	✧ PE17/097
✶herūnī > heryn	[kʰerūnī] > [kʰerunī] > [kʰeruni] > [xeruni] > [xeryni] > [xeryn] > [heryn]	✧ PE17/097

Variations

• heruin ✧ PE17/097

bassoneth

lady

(bread-giver) (i massoneth, o mbassoneth), pl. bassonith (i mbassonith). Archaic ✱bassauneth.

bassoneth

bread-giver

(fem.) bassoneth (lady) (i massoneth, o mbassoneth), pl. bassonith (i mbassonith). Archaic *bassauneth. Also bessain (i messain, o mbessain), no distinct pl. except with article (i mbessain)

bassoneth

bread-giver

bassoneth (lady) (i massoneth, o mbassoneth), pl. bassonith (i mbassonith). Archaic *bassauneth.

bassoneth

bread-giver

(lady) (i massoneth, o mbassoneth), pl. bassonith (i mbassonith). Archaic ✱bassauneth. Also bessain (i messain, o mbessain), no distinct pl. except with article (i mbessain)

bass

bread

bass (i mass, o mbass, construct bas), pl. bais (i mbais). The sg. form with article "imbas" in VT44:23 may be seen as archaic Sindarin, for later *i mas(s) as suggested here. In ”Noldorin”, the word for "bread" was bast (LR:372 s.v. MBAS), but otherwise it would have the same mutations.

bass

bread

(i mass, o mbass, construct bas), pl. bais (i mbais). The sg. form with article "imbas" in VT44:23 may be seen as archaic Sindarin, for later ✱i mas(s) as suggested here. – In ”Noldorin”, the word for "bread" was bast (LR:372 s.v. MBAS), but otherwise it would have the same mutations.

lembas

way-bread, journey-bread

pl. lembais.

brennil

lady

(i vrennil), pl. same as sg. except with article: i mrennil. Coll. pl. brenillath.

dî

lady

(i nî, o ndi) (bride), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndî).

heryn

lady

1) heryn (i cheryn, o cheryn), no distinct pl. form, not even with article (i cheryn), 2) hiril (i chiril, o chiril), no distinct pl. form even with article (i chiril), coll. pl. hirillath. 3) brennil (i vrennil), pl. same as sg. except with article: i mrennil. Coll. pl. brenillath. 4) bassoneth (bread-giver) (i massoneth, o mbassoneth), pl. bassonith (i mbassonith). Archaic *bassauneth. 5) dî (i nî, o ndi) (bride), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndî).

heryn

lady

(i cheryn, o cheryn), no distinct pl. form, not even with article (i cheryn)

hiril

lady

(i chiril, o chiril), no distinct pl. form even with article (i chiril), coll. pl. hirillath.

kherī

noun. lady

Derivations

• √KHER “possess, possess, [ᴹ√] rule, govern, [ᴱ√] have power”

Derivatives

• Q. heri “lady”

Variations

• herī ✧ PE17/097

kherūnī

noun. lady

Changes

• herūnī → cherūnī ✧ PE17/098

Derivatives

• S. heryn “lady” ✧ PE17/097

Element in

• S. Roch-cheruin “Steed of the Lady” ✧ PE17/098

Elements

Word	Gloss
kherū	“lord, master”
NĪ/INI	“*female, [ᴹ√] female”

Variations

• herūnī ✧ PE17/097; PE17/098 (herūnī)
• cherūnī ✧ PE17/098

bast

noun. bread

bast

noun. bread

Cognates

• ᴹQ. masta “bread” ✧ Ety/MBAS

Derivations

• ᴹ√M(B)AS “knead” ✧ Ety/KOR; Ety/MBAS

Element in

• Ilk. basgorn “round bread” ✧ Ety/KOR
• N. basgorn “loaf, loaf, [G.] loaf of bread, [ᴱN.] round loaf, cake” ✧ Ety/MBAS

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√MBAS > bast	[mbasta] > [basta] > [bast]	✧ Ety/MBAS

brennil

noun. lady

brennil

noun. lady

Element in

• N. Gilbrennil “Varda”

hiril

noun. lady

hiril

noun. lady

Cognates

• Ilk. hiril “lady”
• ᴹQ. heri “lady” ✧ Ety/KHER

Derivations

• On. khíril “lady” ✧ Ety/KHER
  • ᴹ√KHER “rule, govern, possess” ✧ Ety/KHER

Elements

Word	Gloss
hîr	“master, lord”
-(r)il	“feminine suffix”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. khíril > hiril	[xīril] > [hīril] > [hiril]	✧ Ety/KHER