ea

verb. be

be

na

to be

na (1) form of the verb "to be", evidently the imperative (or subjunctive): Tolkien stated that na airë would mean "be holy" (VT43:14), and san na (q.v.) must mean "thus be" = "let it be so"; see ná #1 Cf. also the sentence alcar mi tarmenel na Erun "glory in high heaven be to God" (VT44:32/34). Inserted in front of a verb, na expresses a wish: aranielya na tuluva "may thy kingdom come" (ibid).

ná-

verb. to be, to be, [ᴱQ.] exist

Changes

• nā → nāner ✧ VT49/09
• nār → năr ✧ VT49/30

Cognates

• Ad. -n “predicate suffix”
• S. na- “to be”

Derivations

• √NĀ “be (the same as another), exist” ✧ PE17/093

Element in

• Q. á hyamë rámen úcarindor “pray for us sinners” ✧ VT43/34
• Q. aistana elyë imíca nísi “blessed art thou amongst women” ✧ VT43/30; VT43/30
• Q. alasaila ná lá carë tai mo nave mára “it is unwise not to do what one judges good” ✧ PE22/154; VT42/33
• Q. alcar mi Tarmenel na Erun “glory [be] to God in the highest” ✧ VT44/34; VT44/34
• Q. A (ná) calima lá B “A is brighter than B; (lit.) A is bright beyond B” ✧ PE17/090; PE17/090
• 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” ✧ PE17/057 (A arimelda na epe B)
• Q. A arimelda na ilyaron “A is dearest of all” ✧ PE17/057
• Q. á na márië “be well” ✧ PE17/162
• Q. aranielya na tuluva “thy kingdom come” ✧ VT43/14; VT43/14
• Q. Átaremma i ëa han Eä “our Father who art in Heaven” ✧ VT43/13
• Q. cemendë tambe Erumandë “on Earth as [it is] in Heaven” ✧ VT43/16
• Q. cé tulis, ní nauva tanomë “*if he/she comes, I will be there” ✧ VT49/19
• Q. cé tulis, tanomë nauvan “*if he/she comes, I will be there” ✧ VT49/19
• Q. eldar ataformaiti “the Elves were ambidexters” ✧ VT49/09; VT49/09; VT49/09; VT49/09
• Q. essë úpa nas “he is dumb” ✧ PE17/126
• Q. i Héru aselyë “the Lord is with thee” ✧ VT43/30
• Q. lá carita i hamil mára alasaila ná “not to do (in this case) what you judge good (would be) unwise” ✧ PE22/154; VT42/33
• Q. lá caritas alasaila cé nauva “not doing this may be/prove unwise” ✧ PE22/154; VT42/34
• Q. lá caritas, navin, alasaila ná “not doing this would be (I think) unwise” ✧ PE22/154; VT42/33
• Q. násië “but deliver us from evil: Amen” ✧ VT43/23
• Q. mára ná “it is good” ✧ PE17/093
• Q. ná “yes, it is so, it is a fact”
• Q. na airë esselya “hallowed be thy name” ✧ VT43/14
• Q. na carë indómelya “thy will be done” ✧ VT43/15
• Q. nai “maybe; be it that, may it be that; perhaps, it may be, there is a chance or possibility, maybe; be it that, may it be that; perhaps, it may be, there is a chance or possibility; [ᴱQ.] remoter possibility” ✧ RGEO/60; VT49/28
• Q. naitë “true” ✧ VT49/28
• ᴺQ. nalumë “sometime(s)”
• Q. namárië “farewell, (lit.) be well, let it be well (to you)” ✧ PE17/058; PE17/059; PE17/059; PE17/074
• Q. námo “person, somebody (unnamed)”
• Q. náner ataformaitë ve fírimor quetir “*were ambidextrous as mortals say” ✧ VT49/10
• ᴺQ. nanomë “someplace, somewhere”
• Q. nanwa “existing, actual (true), existing, actual (true), *real; [️ᴱQ.] being” ✧ VT49/30
• Q. nár (naitië) “they are (indeed = truly)” ✧ PE22/166
• Q. násië “*amen, (lit.) may it be so”
• Q. násan “*amen, (lit.) may it be so”
• Q. nás mára nin “I like it” ✧ VT49/30
• Q. nassë “nature, true-being, *essence; person, individual” ✧ VT49/30
• Q. návë “being”
• Q. nésë nórima rocco “he was a horse strong/swift at running” ✧ VT49/29
• Q. quí(ta) la tuldes, nánë márië (nin) “[if he had not come], it was well to me (I was glad)” ✧ PE22/158
• Q. roccor i Erulingaron márë nár (ma naitë)? “the horses of the Rohirrim are good (are they not, lit. is it true)” ✧ PE22/166
• Q. savin Elessar ar i nánë aran Ondórëo “I believe that E[lessar] really existed and that he was a King of Gondor” ✧ PE22/158; VT49/27
• Q. sínen i·anda nyarnë metta ar taina andaurenya na quanta “*with this the long tale ends and my extended long day is complete” ✧ Minor-Doc/1955-CT
• Q. sí vanwa ná, Rómello vanwa, Valimar! “now lost, lost to those from the east is Valimar!” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
• Q. sí vanwa ná, Rómello vanwa, Valimar! “now lost is, [to one] from the East lost, Valimar!” ✧ RGEO/59
• Q. umbë nin i hríve nauva urra (si loa) “I have a feeling that winter will be bad (this year)” ✧ PE22/168
• Q. yá hríve menë, ringa ná “when winter comes/arrives/is with us, it is cold” ✧ VT49/23 (yá hríve tene, ringa ná)
• ᴺQ. yonávë “company, *companionship, camaraderie”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NĀ > ná	[nā]	✧ PE17/093

Variations

• ná ✧ LotR/0377; PE17/090; PE17/093; PE22/154; PE22/167; VT42/33; VT49/09; VT49/23
• na ✧ Minor-Doc/1955-CT; PE17/057; PE17/074; PE17/074; PE17/090; PE17/162; VT43/13; VT43/30
• nā ✧ PE17/058; RGEO/59; VT49/09 (nā); VT49/28; VT49/30
• nā- ✧ PE22/166; VT49/27; VT49/28 (nā-)
• nā̀ ✧ RGEO/58
• Nā ✧ RGEO/60
• nā̆ ✧ VT49/30
• nār ✧ VT49/30 (nār)

návë

being

návë "being", *"to be", infinitive (or gerund) of ná; see ná #1. (PE17:68)

návë

noun. being

Cognates

• ᴺS. nast “being (abstract); being (creature)”

Element in

• Q. colbanavië “gestation, *(lit.) womb-being”

Elements

Word	Gloss
ná-	“to be, to be, [ᴱQ.] exist”
-vë	“abstract noun, adverb”

Variations

• nāve ✧ PE17/068

nëa

to be

nëa (2) an optative form of the verb na- "to be"? (nëa = LotR-style Quenya nai?): ya rato nëa "which soon may (it) be" = "which I hope will be soon" (Arct)

ve

as, like

ve (1) prep. "as, like" (Nam, RGEO:66, Markirya, MC:213, 214, VT27:20, 27, VT49:22); in Narqelion ve may mean either "in" or "as". Ve fírimor quetir *"as mortals say" (VT49:10), ve senwa (or senya) "as usual" (VT49:10). Followed by genitive, ve apparently expresses "after the manner of": ve quenderinwë coaron ("k") "after the manner of bodies of Elven-kind" (PE17:174). Tolkien variously derived Quenya ve from older wē, bē or vai(VT49:10, 32, PE17:189)

ye

as

[ye (3), also yé, prep. "as" (VT43:16, struck out; in the text in question Tolkien finally settled on sívë, q.v.)]

-vë

as, like

-vë, (3) apparently an ending used to derive adverbs from adjectives (see andavë under anda and oiavë under oia). May be related to the preposition ve "as, like".

airen

noun. sea

airë

sea

airë (2) noun "sea" (the form airen is given, intended as a genitive singular when Tolkien wrote this; in LotR-style Quenya it would rather be a dative sg.) (AYAR/AIR; cf. airon)

airë

noun. sea

An archaic word for “sea” which fell out of use to due conflict with “holy” words like aira or airë; it was a noun form of primitive ✶gaı̯ră (PE17/27). The more common modern word for “sea” is ëar.

Conceptual Development: ᴹQ. aire “sea” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of ᴹ√AYAR (Ety/AY); it appeared beside a form ᴹQ. airen that might be a genitive form, or might be a longer form; see the entry on ᴹQ. airon for discussion.

Cognates

• S. gaear “sea” ✧ PE17/027

Derivations

• ✶gayār “sea, the terrifier” ✧ PE17/027
  • √GAY(AR) “awe, dread; astound, make aghast; sea” ✧ PE17/027; PM/363; WJ/400

Element in

• Q. airon “ocean” ✧ PE17/027

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶gaı̯ră > aire	[gaira] > [ɣaira] > [aira]	✧ PE17/027

Variations

• aire ✧ PE17/027 (aire)

anat

but

anat conj. "but" (VT43:23; possibly an ephemeral form)

apa

but

apa (3) conj. "but": melinyes apa la hé "I love him but not him" (another) (VT49:15)

apa

conjunction. but

Element in

• Q. melin sé apa lanyë hé “I love him but not him (the other)” ✧ VT49/15
• Q. melinyes apa la hé “I love him but not him (the other)” ✧ VT49/15

Variations

• apa ✧ VT49/15

ea-

verb. be, exist

ier

as

ier prep. "as" (VT43:16, probably rejected in favour of sívë, q.v.). In an abandoned version of the Quenya Lord's Prayer, Tolkien used ier...ter for "as...so" (VT43:17).

mal

but

mal conj. "but" (VT43:23)

mal

conjunction. but

Element in

• Q. násië “but deliver us from evil: Amen” ✧ VT43/23

mat-

eat

mat- (1) vb. "eat" (MAT, VT45:32), also given as mata- (VT39:5), pa.t. mantë "ate" (VT39:7). The form matumnë is said to be future-past: "was going to eat", with the "OQ" (Old Quenya?) future-past element umnë (VT48:32; possibly this could function independently as a form of the verb "to be", hence "was to be"). It is not clear if the form matumnë is itself "Old Quenya" as if this is an archaic future-past formation, or it is just umnë (as an independent word) that is archaic. (Note: Tolkien's translation of matumnë is actually "I was going to eat", but the pronoun "I" does not seem to be expressed in the Quenya form.) Adj. or pseudo-participle #matya "eating" in melumatya "honey-eating" (PE17:68)

mat-

verb. eat

nan

but

nan conj. "but" (FS); the Etymologies also gives ná, nán (NDAN), but these words may be confused with forms of the verb "to be", so nan should perhaps be preferred, unless for "but" one uses the wholly distinct word mal. In Tolkien's later Quenya, it may be that he introduced new words for "but" to free up nan for another meaning (perhaps the adverb "back", compare the prefix nan-).

nó

but

nó (2) conj. "but" (VT41:13)

nó

conjunction. but

ono

but

ono conj. "but" (VT43:23, VT44:5/9)

ono

conjunction. but

Changes

• anat → one “*but” ✧ VT43/23

Element in

• Q. násië “but deliver us from evil: Amen” ✧ VT43/23; VT43/23; VT43/23; VT43/23
• Q. ono alyë eterúna me illumë ilya raxellor “but deliver us always from all dangers” ✧ VT44/09
• Q. orë nin caritas nó namin alasaila “I would like / feel moved to do so but judge it unwise” ✧ VT41/13

Variations

• nō ✧ VT41/13
• anat ✧ VT43/23 (anat)
• one ✧ VT43/23

onë

but

onë conj. "but" (VT43:23)

onë

conjunction. but

váya

sea

váya noun "sea" (considered as "waters, motion"). The wording of the source indicates that Tolkien only tentatively considered such a word (PE17:33)

vëa

sea

vëa (3) noun "sea" (MC:213, 214, 216; possibly obsoleted by #1 and #2 above, though some argue that the initial element of the late names Vëantur and Vëandur [q.v.] could be vëa #3 rather than #2 (it can hardly be #1) . In any case, the normal word for "sea" in LotR-style Quenya seems to be ëar.) Inflected vëan "sea" (MC:220), vëar "in sea" (a "Qenya" locative in -r, MC:213), vëassë "on sea" (MC:220). Cf. also vëaciryo.

ëa-

verb. to be, exist, to be, exist, [ᴹQ.] have being, be found extant in the real world

Derivations

• √EÑ “be, exist” ✧ PE22/147; VT49/28
• ✶eñ- “to exist” ✧ PE22/166; VT49/29; VT49/29
  • √EÑ “be, exist”

Element in

• Q. ar i Eru i or ilyë mahalmar ëa tennoio “and of the One who is above all thrones for ever” ✧ UT/305
• Q. Átaremma i ëa han Eä “our Father who art in Heaven” ✧ VT43/13; VT43/14
• Q. Eä “Creation, the (Material) Universe, Cosmos, World; it is, let it be, Creation, the (Material) Universe, Cosmos, †World; it is, let it be, [ᴹQ.] all that is”
• Q. ëala “being, spirit (not incarnate)”
• ᴺQ. ëasta “being, existence”
• Q. Eru fai, sî, euva “*Eru (was) before, (is) now, will be (after)” ✧ PE22/147
• Q. tambë engë i et... “as it was [in] the [beginning]...” ✧ VT43/38

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√EŊE > eä	[eŋa] > [eɣa] > [ea]	✧ PE22/147
✶eŋa > ëa	[eŋa] > [eɣa] > [ea]	✧ PE22/166
√eŋe > ëa	[eŋa] > [eɣa] > [ea]	✧ VT49/28
✶eŋe > ea	[eŋa] > [eɣa] > [ea]	✧ VT49/29
✶e-ēŋiı̯ē > ēŋie > ēiı̯ē > éye	[ēŋijē] > [ēɣijē] > [ēijē] > [ējē] > [ēje]	✧ VT49/29

Variations

• eä ✧ PE22/147
• ëa ✧ PE22/166
• ea ✧ VT49/29

ëar

sea

ëar noun "sea" (AYAR/AIR [gives also dat. sg. ëaren],WJ:413; see Letters:386 for etymology). Not to be confused with the pl. form of the verb ëa "be, exist". Pl. ëari "seas" (FS, LR:47); Eär "the Great Sea" (cf. ëaron "ocean"), ablative Eärello "from the Great Sea", et Eärello "out of the Great Sea" (EO). Eärë noun "the open sea" (SD:305). Compound ëaruilë noun "seaweed" (UY). Found in proper names like Eärendil "Sea-friend", Eärendur masc. name, *"Sea-servant"; in effect a variant of Eärendil(Appendix A). Eärendur was also used ="(professional) mariner" (Letters:386).Fem. name Eärwen "Sea-maiden" (Silm); Eärrámë "Sea-wing", "Wings of the Sea", name of Tuor's ship (RAM, AYAR/AIR, SA)

nai

be it that

nai (1) imperative verb "be it that", used with a verb (usually in the future tense) to express a wish. The translation "maybe" in Tolkien's rendering of Namárië is somewhat misleading; he used "be it that" in the interlinear translation in RGEO:67. Apparently this is na as the imperative "be!" with a suffix -i "that", cf. i #3. It can be used with the future tense as an "expression of wish" (VT49:39). Nai hiruvalyë Valimar! Nai elyë hiruva! "May thou find Valimar. May even thou find it!" (Nam, VT49:39). Nai tiruvantes "be it that they will guard it" > "may they guard it" (CO). Nai elen siluva parma-restalyanna "may a star shine upon your book-fair" (VT49:38), nai elen siluva lyenna "may a star shine upon you" (VT49:40), nai elen atta siluvat aurenna veryanwesto "may two stars shine upon the day of your wedding" (VT49:42-45), nai laurë lantuva parmastanna lúmissen tengwiesto "may (a) golden light fall on your book at the times of your reading" (VT49:47). Nai may also be used with a present continuative verb if an ongoing situation is wished for: Nai Eru lye mánata "God bless you" (VT49:39) or literally "be it that God is (already) blessing you". The phrase nai amanyaonnalya "be it that your child [will be] blessed" omits any copula; Tolkien noted that "imper[ative] of wishes precedes adj." (VT49:41). VT49:28 has the form nái for "let it be that"; Patrick Wynne theorizes that nái is actually an etymological form underlying nai (VT49:36)

ëala

being, spirit

ëala noun "being, spirit" (pl. ëalar is attested), spirits whose natural state it is to exist without a physical body, like Balrogs (MR:165). The word apparently originates from the participle of ëa, q.v.

sívë

as

sívë (1) prep. "as", apparently ve of similar meaning with the prefix sí- "this, here, now"; sívë therefore makes a comparison with something close, whereas tambë (q.v.) refers to something remote. Sívë...tambë "as...so" (VT43:17). Elided sív' in VT43:12, since the next word begins in the vowel e-.

imi

preposition. in, in, [ᴱQ.] inside

ná

but, on the contrary, on the other hand

ná (2), also nán, conj. "but, on the contrary, on the other hand" (NDAN; the form nan, q.v., is probably to be preferred to avoid confusion with ná "is", *nán "I am").

-uva

fill

-uva future tense ending. In avuva, caluva, cenuva, hiruva, (en)quantuva, (en)tuluva, laituvalmet, lauva, maruvan, termaruva, tiruvantes. A final -a drops out before the ending -uva is added: quanta- "fill", future tense quantuva (PE17:68). A verbal stem in -av- may be contracted when -uva follows, as when avuva is stated to have become auva (VT49:13). Origin/etymology of the ending -uva, see VT48:32. In VT49:30, the future tense of the verb "to be" is given as uva, apparently the future-tense "ending" appearing independently, but several other sources rather give nauva for "will be" (see ná #1).

imi

in

imi prep. "in"; see mi (VT43:30)

mi

in, within

mi prep. "in, within" (MI, VT27:20, VT44:18, 34, VT43:30; the latter source also mentions the variant imi); mí "in the" (Nam, RGEO:66; CO gives mi; the correct forms should evidently be mi = "in" and mí = mi i "in the"; VT49:35 also has mí with a long vowel, though the gloss is simply "in"). Used in PE17:71 (cf. 70) of people clad "in" various colours, e.g. mi mísë "in grey". Allative minna "to the inside, into" (MI), also mina (VT43:30). The forms mimmë and mingwë seem to incorporate pronominal suffixes for "us", hence ?"in us", inclusive and exclusive respectively. The pronoun -mmë denoted plural inclusive "we" when this was written, though Tolkien would later make it dual instead (see -mmë). Second person forms are also given: mil or milyë *"in you" (sg.), millë "in you" (pl.) (VT43:36). A special use of mi appears in the phrase Wendë mi Wenderon "Virgin of Virgins" (VT44:18); here mi appears superfluous to achieve the desired meaning, but this combination of singular noun + mi + plural genitive noun may be seen as a fixed idiom expressing that the initial noun represents the most prominent member of a class.

mi

preposition. in, in, [ᴹQ.] within

Cognates

• S. mi “*in”

Derivations

• ✶mī “in, within” ✧ PE17/092; VT47/30
  • √MI/IMI “in, within, [ᴹ√] inside” ✧ PE17/092; VT47/30
• √MI/IMI “in, within, [ᴹ√] inside” ✧ VT43/30

Element in

• Q. Aina Wendë mi Wenderon “Holy Virgin of virgins” ✧ VT44/18
• Q. aistana elyë imíca nísi “blessed art thou amongst women” ✧ VT43/30; VT43/30
• Q. alcar mi Tarmenel na Erun “glory [be] to God in the highest” ✧ VT44/34
• Q. ar mi cemen rainë i hínin “and on earth peace, good will toward men” ✧ VT44/34; VT44/34
• Q. Átaremma i ëa han Eä “our Father who art in Heaven” ✧ VT43/13
• ᴺQ. micol- “to import”
• Q. mina “into, in, into, in, [ᴹQ.] to the inside”
• ᴺQ. minomë “instead, in place of, in exchange of”
• Q. mi oromardi lissë miruvóreva “of the sweet mead in lofty halls” ✧ LotR/0377; RGEO/58
• Q. lissë miruvóreva mí oromardi “of sweet nectar in the high-halls” ✧ RGEO/58
• Q. mirröanwë “incarnate”
• Q. Mírondina “Incarnate”
• Q. nai tiruvantes i hárar mahalmassen mi Númen “in the keeping of those who sit upon thrones of the West” ✧ UT/305
• Q. sanomë tarnë Olórin, Aracorno, Eomer, Imrahil, mi mísë, mi telepta yo morna, mi laiqua yo ninquë, mi luinë, ta Gimli mi lossëa “There stood Gandalf, Aragorn, Eomer and Imrahil in grey, in silver and black, in green and white, and in blue, and also Gimli in white” ✧ PE17/071; PE17/071; PE17/071; PE17/071; PE17/071

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶mī > mĭ	[mi]	✧ PE17/092
√mi > imi	[imi]	✧ VT43/30
√mi > mi	[mi]	✧ VT43/30
✶mī > mĭ	[mi]	✧ VT47/30

Variations

• mĭ ✧ PE17/092; VT47/30
• mī ✧ RGEO/58; VT49/35
• imi ✧ VT43/30
• mil ✧ VT43/30 (mil)

quanta-

fill

quanta- (2) vb. "fill" (PE17:68), cf. enquantuva "will refill" in Namárië. This verb seems to spring from a secondary use of the adjective quanta "full" as a verbal stem, whereas the synonym quat- (q.v.) is the original primary verb representing the basic root KWAT.

quat-

fill

quat- vb. "fill" (WJ:392), future #quantuva "shall fill" (enquantuva "shall refill") (Nam, RGEO:67) Irrespective of the prefix en- "re", the form enquatuva (VT48:11) displays the expected future tense of quat-. The Namárië form enquantuva seems to include a nasal infix as well, which is possibly an optional feature of the future tense. On the other hand, PE17:68 cites the verb as quanta- rather than quat-, and then the future-tense form quantuva would be straightforward.

ya

as

ya (2) or yan, prep. "as" (VT43:16, probably abandoned in favour of sívë)

be

preposition. in; ?as, like, as, like; in

A preposition appearing in the King’s Letter, glossed “in”. Carl Hostetter’s suggested it is connected to the root √MI/IMI “in” via the strengthened form MBI that appears in Q. imbë “between” (VT31/19-20). David Salo instead proposed that it may be a cognate of Q. ve “as, like” derived from primitive ✶bē, suffixed with a form of the definite article -n and having the sense “as in the [Shire-reckoning]” (SG/226). This second option seems more likely to me; the primitive form ✶bē was not published when Carl Hostetter made his analysis. @@@

Cognates

• Q. ve “as, like, similar, after the manner [of], as, like, similar, after the manner [of]; [ᴹQ.] with”

Derivations

• ✶bē “as, like”

Element in

• S. egor ben genediad Drannail erin Gwirith edwen “or in the Shire-reckoning the second day of April” ✧ AotM/062; SD/129
• ᴺS. govai “alike, similar”

Variations

• ben ✧ AotM/062

no

verb. be!

na-

verb. to be

na-

verb. to be

Changes

• dôd → dád ✧ VT44/22
• dád → hae ✧ VT44/22
• hae → no ✧ VT44/24

Cognates

• Q. ná- “to be, to be, [ᴱQ.] exist”

Derivations

• √NĀ “be (the same as another), exist”

Element in

• S. no aer i eneth lín “hallowed be thy name” ✧ VT44/24
• ᴺS. novaer “goodbye, farewell, (lit.) be well”
• ᴺS. navaer “farewell, (lit.) be well”
• S. sí il chem en i Naugrim en ir Ellath thor den ammen “*now all (?hands) of the Dwarves and Elves will be (?against) to us” ✧ VT50/23

Variations

• dôd ✧ VT44/22 (dôd)
• dád ✧ VT44/22 (dád)
• hae ✧ VT44/22 (hae)

aear

noun. sea

Tolkien changed this word several times, see gaear

aear

Sea

_n. _Sea, especially the Great (Western) Sea. Q. ear. nef aear, sí nef aearon lit. 'beyond the Sea, here beyond the Great Sea'. >> gaear, gaer

aear

noun. sea

aer

noun. sea

Tolkien changed this word several times, see aear , gaear

gaear

noun. sea

gaear

Sea

_n. _Sea, especially the Great (Western) Sea. Shorter form gaer. Q. ear. >> aear, gaer

gaear

noun. sea

A word for “sea” variously attested as gaear (PE17/027; PM/363; WJ/400), gaer (PE17/27; PE17/149), and aear (Let/386; RGEO/65) in later writings. Of these, I prefer gaear for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, reduced to gaer in compounds.

Possible Etymology: The presence or absence of the initial g- depends on whether the word’s root is √AY(AR) (as it appears in The Etymologies and some later writings) or √GAY(AR) (as it appears in other later writings). See the entry of the root √GAY(AR) for a discussion of this vacillation. Similarly, the form gaer appears primarily as an element in compounds, and can be explained as a reduced form of gaear in that context. For these reasons, this entry uses gaear as the ordinary Sindarin word for “sea”. This has the additional advantage of disambiguating it from the adjective gaer “dreadful”.

Conceptual Development: This word appeared as N. oer or oear “sea” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, reflecting the Noldorin sound change of ai to oe (Ety/AY). However name for the “Great Sea” was N. {Belegar >>} Belegaer in the narratives of this period (LR/19), and the name N. Rhûnaer “Eastern Sea” appeared in draft Lord of the Rings maps from 1943 (TI/307). The element N. oer did appear in the day-of-the-week name N. Aroeren “✱Sea-day” in drafts of The Lord of the Rings appendices, but this was revised to S. Oraeron (PM/130, 138).

Cognates

• Q. airë “sea” ✧ PE17/027
• Q. ëar “sea, great sea, sea, great sea, [ᴹQ.] open sea; water” ✧ Let/386; PE17/027; PM/363; RGEO/65; SA/ëar; WJ/400

Derivations

• √AY(AR) “sea” ✧ Let/386
• √GAY(AR) “awe, dread; astound, make aghast; sea” ✧ PE17/027; PE17/149; SA/gaer
• ✶gayār “sea, the terrifier” ✧ PE17/027; PM/363; WJ/400
  • √GAY(AR) “awe, dread; astound, make aghast; sea” ✧ PE17/027; PM/363; WJ/400

Element in

• S. Aerandir “Sea-wanderer”
• S. Belegaer “Great Sea” ✧ PM/363; SA/ëar; SA/gaer
• S. gaearon “ocean, (lit.) great sea” ✧ PE17/027; PE17/149; PM/363; RGEO/65
• S. Gaerdil “*Sea-lover” ✧ PE17/027
• ᴺS. gaeruil “seaweed”
• S. Gaerys “Ossë” ✧ SA/gaer
• ᴺS. gaessarn “pearl, (lit.) sea-pebble”
• S. nef aear, sí nef aearon “here ... beyond the Sea, beyond the wide and sundering Sea” ✧ LotR/0238; PE17/027; RGEO/63; RGEO/64
• S. Tirith Aear “Sea-ward Tower”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶gaı̯ră > gaer	[gaira] > [gair] > [gaer]	✧ PE17/027
✶Gayar- > gaear	[gaiara] > [gaiar] > [gaear]	✧ PM/363

Variations

• aear ✧ Let/386; RGEO/65
• gaer ✧ PE17/027; PE17/149; SA/ëar; SA/gaer

gaer

noun. sea

gaer

Sea

_n._Sea, especially the Great (Western) Sea. Shorter form of gaear.Q. aire (obsolete). >> aear, gaear

gaer

noun. sea

ned

preposition. (uncertain meaning) in, of (about time, e.g. giving a date)

[Another possible interpretation: "another, one more" (related to Q. net(e)), VT/47:40]

aearon

noun. great sea, ocean

Tolkien changed this word several times, see gaearon

gaeron

noun. great sea, ocean

gaearon

noun. great sea, ocean

sui

conjunction. as, like

min-

preposition. (in) between (referring to a gap, space, barrier or anything intervening between two other things)

mîn

preposition. (in) between (referring to a gap, space, barrier or anything intervening between two other things)

dî

in

unstressed di (beneath, under) (VT45:37). Note: a homophone means ”bride, lady”.

panna-

verb. to fill

pathra

fill

pathra- (i bathra, i phathrar). Also panna- (i banna, i phannar), but pathra- may be preferred for clarity since panna- also means ”open, enlarge”.

pathra

fill

(i bathra, i phathrar). Also panna- (i banna, i phannar), but pathra- may be preferred for clarity since panna- also means ”open, enlarge”.

sui

as

1) prep. “like, as”) sui (VT44:23), 2) (prep.) be (like, according to). Followed by lenition? With article ben (followed by "mixed mutation" according to David Salos reconstruction)

sui

as

(VT44:23)

vi

preposition. in

vi

in

(prep.) 1) vi (VT44:23), with article vin; 2) ne, ned (used of time in the source), possibly followed by hard mutation (SD:129); 3) dî, unstressed di (beneath, under) (VT45:37). Note: a homophone means ”bride, lady”.

vi

preposition. in

vi

in

(VT44:23), with article vin

be

as

(like, according to). Followed by lenition? With article ben (followed by "mixed mutation" according to David Salo’s reconstruction)

be

like

(as, according to) Followed by lenition? With article ben (followed by "mixed mutation" according to David Salo’s reconstruction)

be

according to

(prep.) be (as, like) Followed by lenition? With article ben (followed by "mixed mutation" according to David Salos reconstruction)

be

according to

(as, like) Followed by lenition? With article ben (followed by "mixed mutation" according to David Salo’s reconstruction)

na

be

: The verb ”to be” is poorly attested. Apparently the root is na-. The imperative is attested as no, and nad (used = ”thing”) may be seen as an original gerund *”a being”. It seems that the copula ”is, are” (and ”was, were”?) can be omitted altogether, as in the ”Noldorin” sentence lheben teil brann i annon ”five feet high [is] the door” (AI:92), in Sindarin perhaps *leben tail brand i annon.

na

be

. The imperative is attested as no, and nad (used = ”thing”) may be seen as an original gerund ✱”a being”. It seems that the copula ”is, are” (and ”was, were”?) can be omitted altogether, as in the ”Noldorin” sentence lheben teil brann i annon ”five feet high [is] the door” (AI:92), in Sindarin perhaps ✱leben tail brand i annon.

ne

in

ned (used of time in the source), possibly followed by hard mutation (SD:129)

ne

in, inside

(prefix) (mid-)

ach

conjunction. but

[it] appears that ach is the contrastive coordinating conjunction 'but'.

ach

conjunction. but

[it] appears that ach is the contrastive coordinating conjunction 'but'.

aear

sea

aear (ocean); pl. aeair. The shorter form aer (for N oer) is maybe best avoided since it can be confused with aer "holy", unless the latter is actually a lenited form of gaer. Forms with g-, representing an alternative concept of the word for ”sea”: gaear (i **aear) (ocean), pl. gaeair (i ngaeair = i ñaeair) (PM:363), also gaer (i **aer, no distinct pl. form except with article: i ngaer = i ñaer), but homophones of the latter mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy".

aear

sea

(ocean); pl. aeair. The shorter form aer (for N oer) is maybe best avoided since it can be confused with aer "holy", unless the latter is actually a lenited form of gaer. Forms with g-, representing an alternative concept of the word for ”sea”: gaear (i ’aear) (ocean), pl. gaeair (i ngaeair = i ñaeair) (PM:363), also gaer (i ’aer, no distinct pl. form except with article: i ngaer = i ñaer), but homophones of the latter mean "reddish, copper-coloured, ruddy" and also "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy".

mad

eat

mad- (i vâd, i medir). HONEY-EATER, see BEAR

mad

eat

(i vâd, i medir).

sui

like

(prep. ”as, like”) 1) sui (VT44:23), 2) #be (as, according to) Followed by lenition? With article ben (followed by "mixed mutation" according to David Salos reconstruction)

sui

like

(VT44:23)

tyaz-

verb. like

ishi

preposition. in, inside

Usually placed after the noun in Black Speech, c.f. burzum-ishi (darkness-inside).

azra

noun. sea

The Adûnaic word for “sea” (SD/429), appearing as azar in some early texts (SD/305). It is fully declined on SD/431.

Element in

• Ad. azra-zâin “sea-lands, maritime regions” ✧ SD/429; SD/435
• Ad. azrîya du-phursâ akhâsada “that [the] seas should gush into [the] chasm” ✧ SD/247
• Ad. azrē nai {phurusam >>} phurrusim akhās-ada “seas might-flow Chasm-into” ✧ SD/311
• Ad. Azrubêl “Sea-lover, Friend of the Sea” ✧ PM/373; SD/305; SD/429

Variations

• azar ✧ PM/373; SD/305

pharaz

noun. sea

A draft word for “sea”, deleted and replaced with azar (SD/305), which later become azra. This word reappeared later with a different meaning: pharaz “gold”.

Changes

• pharaz → azar “sea” ✧ SD/305

Element in

• Ad. Pharazîr “Sea-lover” ✧ SD/305 (Pharazîr*)

Variations

• pharaz ✧ SD/305 (pharaz)

bē

preposition. as, like

Tolkien used the word Q. ve for “as, like” in Quenya for much of his life, but its etymological origins varied. In the the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, Tolkien had two distinct roots for “similarity”: unglossed ᴱ√SĒ with variant ᴱ√SENE⁽²⁾ and derivatives like ᴱQ. se “as, like, in manner of” and ᴱQ. (a)sesta- “to liken, compare” (QL/82), and also ᴱ√VĪ “as” with variant ᴱ√VI‘I and derivatives like ᴱQ. ve “as, like”, ᴱQ. vealta- “to resemble”, and ᴱQ. vīkana- “compare” (QL/101). The semantic distinction between the two roots isn’t clear, and in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon there was a third set of forms beginning with fel- such as G. fel “as, like”, G. feleg “equal”, and G. feltha- “resemble, seem like” (GL/34).

In later notes Tolkien proposed a variety of primitive origins for Q. ve “as, like”: ✶wē (we’e) in 1957 Quenya Notes (VT49/10; PE17/189), ✶bē from notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s (VT49/32 note #10), and ✶vai as a relative of suffixal -va in notes from 1968 (VT49/32 note #10). As there are not any definite Sindarin cognates for Q. ve in Tolkien’s published writings, it is hard to know which of these is more likely.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would go with primitive ✶bē as the most widely excepted option, producing S. ✱be “as, like”.

Derivatives

• Q. ve “as, like, similar, after the manner [of], as, like, similar, after the manner [of]; [ᴹQ.] with” ✧ VT49/10; VT49/32; VT49/32
• ᴺQ. véta- “to compare, liken”
• S. be “in; ?as, like, as, like; in”
• ᴺS. bída- “to compare, liken”
• ᴺS. bîl “likeness, similarity”

Variations

• wē ✧ VT49/10
• vai ✧ VT49/32

(au)be

adverb. not so

Changes

• ve → be ✧ PE22/139

Derivatives

• Q. au “if only” ✧ PE22/139

Variations

• be ✧ PE22/139
• aube ✧ PE22/139
• au ✧ PE22/139 (au); PE22/139 (au)
• ve ✧ PE22/139 (ve)

-b(iy)ē

suffix. -ing

Derivatives

• Q. -vë “abstract noun, adverb”

Variations

• bē ✧ PE22/129
• bijē ✧ PE22/129

ay(ar)

root. sea

Changes

• AY(AR) → GAY(AR) ✧ PE17/027

Derivatives

• ✶airō “ocean” ✧ PE18/097
  • Q. airon “ocean” ✧ PE17/149
• Q. ëar “sea, great sea, sea, great sea, [ᴹQ.] open sea; water” ✧ Let/386
• S. gaear “sea” ✧ Let/386

Element in

• Q. ailin “a large lake, (large) lake, [ᴹQ.] pool” ✧ PE17/160
• Q. Eärendil “Lover of the Sea” ✧ Let/386
• S. ael “lake, pool”

Variations

• AYAR ✧ Let/386; PE18/097
• AYA(R) ✧ PE17/149; PE17/160

eñ

root. be, exist

Throughout much of its conceptual development, Quenya had two distinct roots for the verb to be: the root √NĀ functioning mainly as a copula in “to be” expressions like Elrondo Elda ná “Elrond is an Elf” or Aracorno halla ná “Aragorn is tall”, versus a distinct root used mainly for existential statements such as Eru ëa “God exists”. The copula-root was established very early as √NĀ, but the existential-root varied considerably.

The earliest version of the existential root was ᴱ√Ō “be, exist” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/69). By the 1920s it seems this root has changed to ᴱ√Ī as it appeared in Early Qenya words lists from that period (PE16/140), and the verb for “to be” in the contemporaneous Early Qenya Grammar was ᴱQ. e- or i (PE14/51, 57).

A similar root ᴹ√YĒ or ᴹ√I appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, albeit with no derivatives (EtyAC/YE). It was most likely the basis for the so-called “stative” suffix ᴹQ. -ie seen in the contemporaneous Fíriel’s Song (LR/72). The root ᴹ√YE was also mentioned in both the first and second versions of the Tengwesta Qenderinwa from 1937 (TQ1: PE18/60) and around 1950 (TQ2: PE18/84), though in the latter it was rejected (PE18/84 note #69). This root is reflected in the use of ᴹQ. ye- in the Quenya Verbal System (QVS) from 1948 (PE22/107, 115, 117, 119-120), but this verb was rejected and replaced towards the end of that document by a new verb ᴹQ. ea- (PE22/122-124 and PE22/123 note #130). The rejection of ye- “to be” may be due to the introduction of Q. yén for the Elvish long year, as suggested by Christopher Gilson (PE22/86).

In QVS, the new verb ea- was derived from a primitive ✱eʒe or ✱eñe (PE22/122); the root ᴹ√EƷ “be” had already been mentioned in Outline of Phonetic Development (OP1) from the late 1930s, indicating Tolkien had been considering this form for some time. In 1948 QVS, Tolkien said:

> The primary sense of this verb was “to exist, to have being, to be found, extant, in the real world”. But it was often weakened to the copula, in statements of identity or predication. This however in classical Quenya was limited mainly to the past and future (PE22/123).

Thus in 1948 Tolkien started the process of establishing ea- as primarily an existential verb. A few years later, Tolkien mentioned the root √EÑ “be” in the Outline of Phonology (OP2) from the early 1950s (PE19/96) and he described √EÑ more fully in verbal notes from 1969 where he said:

> Stem of verb “exist” (have being in primary world of history) was √EŊE, distinct from √NA joining adjs./nouns/pronouns in statements (or wishes) asserting (or desiring) a thing to have a certain quality, or to be the same as another (PE22/147).

Thus the conceptual development of this root seems to have roughly been √Ō (1910s) >> √YĒ/Ī (1920s) >> √EƷ (late 1940s) >> √EÑ (early 1950s). This is an oversimplification however, in that √EƷ appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s and Tolkien may have been considering it much earlier. Furthermore, the role of √EÑ as primarily as existential root (vs. copula √NĀ) was only firmly established in Tolkien’s later writings. When the root was √YĒ/Ī in the 1920s through 1940s, it seems the verbs ᴱQ. e- and ᴹQ. ye- were used for both existential statements and as a copula, and in this period √NĀ (though mentioned) was rarely used and may have been out of favor.

Derivatives

• ✶eñ- “to exist”
  • Q. ëa- “to be, exist, to be, exist, [ᴹQ.] have being, be found extant in the real world” ✧ PE22/166; VT49/29; VT49/29
• ✶eñna
  • Q. éna “[unglossed]” ✧ PE19/097
• Q. Eä “Creation, the (Material) Universe, Cosmos, World; it is, let it be, Creation, the (Material) Universe, Cosmos, †World; it is, let it be, [ᴹQ.] all that is” ✧ PE22/147; VT49/28
• Q. ëa- “to be, exist, to be, exist, [ᴹQ.] have being, be found extant in the real world” ✧ PE22/147; VT49/28
• Q. engë “ago, in the past, ago, in the past, [ᴹQ.] once (in past), †it was” ✧ PE19/096
• Q. engwë “thing”

Variations

• EŊE ✧ PE22/147
• eŋe ✧ PE22/147; VT49/28

mat

root. eat

This was the root for eating words for all of Tolkien’s life, appearing very regularly. It was ᴱ√MATA “eat” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/59), ᴹ√MAT “eat” in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/MAT), and √MAT “eat” in etymological notes from the late 1960s (VT48/26), among its many other appearances. This puts it among the most conceptually stable of Elvish roots.

Derivatives

• ✶ammat- “to devour, eat up” ✧ PE18/085; PE18/088
• ✶amtā ✧ PE18/085; PE18/087
  • Q. anta “jaw” ✧ PE18/085
• ✶mammata- “to gobble up, devour” ✧ PE22/136
  • Q. mammata- “to gobble up; to go on eating, gorge oneself, to gorge (oneself), gobble up, [ᴹQ.] devour; [Q.] (lit.) to go on eating”
• ✶masta- “to feed up, fatten” ✧ PE18/095
  • ᴺS. masta- “to [put to] feed, graze”
• ✶mat- “to eat”
  • Q. mat- “to eat” ✧ PE22/132; PE22/157
  • S. mad- “to eat” ✧ PE17/131; PE17/131
  • T. mat- “to eat”
• ✶matwā
  • S. maud “[unglossed]” ✧ PE17/148
• ✶matyā- “to feed”
  • ᴺQ. matya- “to feed”
  • ᴺS. media- “to feed”
• ✶maita- “to feed” ✧ PE18/095
• Q. anto “mouth, mouth [as a thing for eating]; [ᴱQ.] jaw”
• Q. maita “hungry” ✧ VT39/11
• Q. mat- “to eat” ✧ VT39/07
• ᴺS. mâd “meal”
• ᴺS. mast “fodder, feed, food, nourishment”
• ᴺS. math “food”

Element in

• ᴺ✶. womātē “*community, (lit.) eating-together”

Variations

• mata ✧ VT39/05
• MATA ✧ VT39/07

-m(iy)ē

suffix. -ing

Variations

• mē ✧ PE22/129
• mijē ✧ PE22/129

imi

root. in

pū

noun. ‽

sisti

root. ‽

Derivatives

• ᴺQ. sistë “ulcer, sore, boil”

skā

noun. ‽

skū

noun. ‽

aer

noun. sea

ne-

prefix. in

Derivations

• ᴹ√NE “*in”

Element in

• N. neledh- “*to go in, enter”
• N. nestag- “to insert, stick in” ✧ Ety/STAK
• ᴺS. nethan- “to inspire, kindle inside”

oear

noun. sea

oear

noun. sea

oer

noun. sea

oer

noun. sea

Cognates

• ᴹQ. aire “sea” ✧ Ety/AY
• ᴹQ. ear “(open) sea; water” ✧ Ety/AY

Derivations

• ᴹ√AY(AR) “sea” ✧ Ety/AY; Ety/AY; Ety/UY

Element in

• N. Airlond “(?sea-stead)”
• N. Belegoer “Great Sea” ✧ Ety/AY
• N. oeruil “seaweed” ✧ Ety/UY
• N. Oeros “Osse”
• N. Aroeren “Sea-day”
• N. Rhûnaer “Eastern Sea” ✧ TI/307

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√ÁYAR > oear	[ajar] > [aiar] > [oear]	✧ Ety/AY
ᴹ√AI̯R > oer	[ajr] > [air] > [oer]	✧ Ety/AY

Variations

• oear ✧ Ety/AY
• aer ✧ TI/307 (aer)

nedh-

prefix. in, inside, mid-

See also the preposition ned , and the noun ened for a discussion of this form

mad-

verb. to eat

di

preposition. in

Derivations

• ᴹ√(N)DI “in” ✧ EtyAC/NDI

Element in

• N. di ngorgoros “*in deadly fear” ✧ EtyAC/NDI

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√NDI/DI > di	[ndi] > [di]	✧ EtyAC/NDI

pannod

verb. to fill

pathra-

verb. to fill