Usually enclitic and mutated as ben.2
Sindarin
ben
preposition. according to the, in the
ben
ben
be
preposition. in; ?as, like, as, like; in
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
adanath
noun. men
pen
pronoun. one, somebody, anybody
pen
preposition. without, lacking, -less
pen
preposition/prefix. without, lacking, -less
Derivations
- √PEN “lack, be without, have not” ✧ PE17/173
Element in
- S. Iarwain Ben-adar “Oldest and Fatherless” ✧ PE17/034; PE17/034; PE17/144; PE17/167
- S. penbed “not pronouncable” ✧ PE17/145
- ᴺS. pen-channas “stupid, idiotic, *(lit.) lack-wit”
- ᴺS. penestel “hopelessness, despair, desperation; hopeless, despairing, desperate”
- ᴺS. pen-ind “insane, heartless, crazy”
- S. pennod “without count” ✧ PE17/145
- S. pennoediad “innumerable” ✧ PE17/145
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √PEN > pen- [pen-] ✧ PE17/173 Variations
- pen- ✧ PE17/034; PE17/173
- pen ✧ PE17/144; PE17/145
pen
pronoun. one, somebody, anybody, one, somebody, anybody; [N.] Elf
A Sindarin pronoun with the sense “one, somebody, anybody” appearing in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60, also used as a suffix in words like orodben “mountaineer” and rochben “rider” (WJ/376), originally “✱mountain-person” and “✱horse-person”. It was thus more narrow in scope than its Quenya cognate quén “person”. Hints of this word can be found in other late writings, such as in the final element in Morben (PE17/141; EtyAC/MOR), originally “Dark-elf” but later expanded to include any people who are not among the Celbin “✱Light folk”, which applied to “peoples in alliance in the War against Morgoth” (WJ/377).
Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. penn meant “Elf” in the compound N. Morbenn “Dark-elf”, though this word was rejected (EtyAC/MOR). The word N. penn, plural i-phinn “the Elves” also appeared in notes on Ælfwine’s spelling from around 1937-8 (PE22/67). This Noldorin form was thus a cognate of ᴹQ. Qende “Elf”, though elsewhere the usual cognate was N. penedh (Ety/KWEN(ED)); see the entry on S. penedh for further discussion. However, the later Sindarin pronoun/suffix “had no special association with Elves” (WJ/376).
Cognates
- Q. quén “person, individual, man or woman; one, somebody” ✧ WJ/361
Derivations
Element in
- ᴺS. alphen “no one, nobody”
- ᴺS. alben “no one”
- S. arphen “noble, knight” ✧ WJ/376
- S. Calben “*Light One” ✧ WJ/362; WJ/376
- ᴺS. ilphen “everyone”
- S. Morben “*Dark-folk” ✧ PE17/141; WJ/362; WJ/376
- ᴺS. narphen “character [of a story]”
- S. orodben “mountaineer, one living in the mountains” ✧ WJ/376
- S. pengolodh “teaching sage, doctor (of lore), teacher of lore, teaching sage, doctor (of lore), *professor”
- S. rochben “rider” ✧ WJ/376
- ᴺS. úben “nobody, no one”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶kwenedē > pen- [-kwende] > [-pende] > [-pend] > [-penn] > [-pen] ✧ PE17/141 ✶kwēn > pen [kwene] > [pene] > [pen] ✧ WJ/360 √KWEN > pen [kwene] > [pene] > [pen] ✧ WJ/376 Variations
- pen- ✧ PE17/141
- pen ✧ WJ/362; WJ/376
pen-
without
pen-
verb. to have not
Derivations
- √PEN “lack, be without, have not” ✧ PE17/144; PE17/171; PE17/173
Element in
- S. pen “without, lacking, -less” ✧ PE17/144
- S. penim vast “we have no bread” ✧ PE17/144
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √PEN > pen- [pen-] ✧ PE17/173
vi
preposition. in
vi
preposition. in
dîr
noun. man, man, [N.] adult male; agental suffix
A word for “man” as a male person, attested only as an element in compounds or as (archaic?) ndir (PE17/60). This word likely refers to male individuals of all races including Elves, Men, Dwarves and so forth, much like its Quenya cognate Q. nér. This word must have been derived from the primitive subjective form ✶ndēr of the root √N(D)ER “male person”, where the ancient long ē became ī, and the initial cluster nd- became d-, though the ancient cluster would still be reflected in mutated forms, such as in i nîr “the man” rather than ✱✱i dhîr.
Conceptual Development: Perhaps the earliest precursor to this word is (archaic) G. †drio “hero, warrior” with variants driw, driodweg and driothweg, a cognate of ᴱQ. nēr (GL/22). This Gnomish word was derived from primitive ᴱ✶n’reu̯, where the initial nr- became dr-. At this early stage, the root was unstrengthened ᴱ√NERE (QL/65), as reflected in (archaic) ᴱN. nîr “hero, prince, warrior-elf” in the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s (PE13/164).
In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root became ᴹ√DER “adult male, man” of any speaking race and the derived form was N. dîr (Ety/DER). However, in this document Tolkien said:
> EN †dîr surviving chiefly in proper names (as Diriel older Dirghel [GYEL], Haldir, Brandir) and as agental ending (as ceredir “doer, maker”) ... In ordinary use EN has benn [for “man”] (properly = “husband”).
Thus in the scenario described in The Etymologies, dîr “man” was archaic and used only as an element in names or as a suffix. In ordinary speech it was replaced by N. benn, which used to mean “husband” but now meant “man”, while the word for “husband” became N. hervenn (Ety/BES). It is unlikely Tolkien imagined this exact scenario in later Sindarin, however, since the 1930s root for benn was ᴹ√BES “wed”, but by the 1960s the root for husband/wife/marry words had become √BER.
Neo-Sindarin: Since the status of N. benn is questionable given ᴹ√BES >> √BER, many Neo-Sindarin writers prefer to use S. ✱dîr as the Sindarin word for man. I am of the opinion that both dîr and benn are acceptable for “man, male person”. This is because I prefer to retain ᴹ√BES as the root for “marry, wed”, since it is the best basis for attested husband/wife words in (Neo) Sindarin.
Derivations
Element in
- S. Borondir “?Steadfast-man”
- S. Brandir “*Noble Man”
- S. condir “mayor, *(lit.) chief-man”
- S. curunír “wizard, wizard, [N.] man of craft”
- S. dagnir “slayer, bane”
- S. Dírhael “*Wise Man”
- S. dírnaith “wedge-shaped battle-formation, (lit.) man-spearhead”
- S. Emeldir “Manhearted, *Manly-mother”
- S. Haldir
- S. Handir
- S. Hathaldir
- S. Hatholdir “*Axe-man”
- S. herdir “master”
- S. Lindir
- S. Othrondir “?Stronghold Man”
- S. randir “wanderer, wandering man, pilgrim” ✧ PE17/060
- S. Thorondir “*Eagle-man”
Variations
- ndir ✧ PE17/060
min
fraction. one (first of a series)
min
cardinal. one, one, [G.] single
Cognates
- Q. min “one, one, [ᴱQ.] one (in a series), the first” ✧ PE17/095; VT48/06
Element in
Variations
- min ✧ PE17/095; VT48/06
- mîn ✧ VT42/25
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]
adan
noun. man, one of the Second People (elvish name for men)
cant
noun. shape, shape; [N.] outline
Derivations
- √KAT “shape, shape, [ᴹ√] make”
Element in
min-
preposition. (in) between (referring to a gap, space, barrier or anything intervening between two other things)
fân
shape
_n._shape, with the added notion of light and whiteness. It was thus often used where we might use 'a vision' (of something beautiful and sublime). Q. fana-. Tolkien notes that "Yet being elvish, though it may be used of things remote, it has no implication either of uncertainty or unreality" (PE17:26). In the name Fanuilos of Elbereth, the Fân was the vision of majesty of Elbereth upon the mountain where she dwelt.
mîn
fraction. one (first of a series)
mîn
preposition. (in) between (referring to a gap, space, barrier or anything intervening between two other things)
Dúnadan
noun. Man of the west, Númenórean
adanadar
noun. man, one of the Fathers of Men
drúadan
noun. wild man, one of the Woses
auth
noun. a dim shape, spectral or vague apparition
drû
noun. wild man, Wose, Púkel-Man
In PE/11:31, an older Gnomish word drû, drui meant "wood, forest", and in PE/13:142, the early Noldorin word drú was assigned the meaning "dark". Drû pl. Drúin later came to be used for the name of the Woses, with other derivatives (Drúadan, etc.). "Wose" is actually the modernization of an Anglo-Saxon word wasa only found in the compound wudu-wasa "wild man of the woods", cf. UT/385 sq. In the drafts of the "Ride of the Rohirrim" in WR/343-346, the Woses first appeared as "the dark men of Eilenach". Though internally said to derive from drughu in their own tongue, Tolkien's choice for the Sindarin name of the Woses was apparently influenced by earlier meanings assigned to this word
ar
without
(adv. prefix) ar- (outside)
ar
without
(outside)
ú
without
(adverbial prefix) ú-, u- (e.g. udalraph ”without stirrups; stirrupless”, uluithiad *”without quenching” (SD:62) = ”unquenchable”). The prefix ar- has a similiar meaning, as in:
ú
without
u- (e.g. udalraph ”without stirrups; stirrupless”, uluithiad ✱”without quenching” (SD:62) = ”unquenchable”). The prefix ar- has a similiar meaning, as in:
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)
pen
cardinal. one
(indefinite pronoun) (= somebody, anybody) pen (WJ:376); lenited ben. According to one interpretation of the phrase caro den i innas lín from the Sindarin Lords Prayer (VT44:23), this could mean *”let one do your will”, with den (perhaps a lenited form of *ten) as the indefinite pronoun ”one”. However, others interpret den as the accusative form of the pronoun ”it”: ”Do it [, that is:] your will”.
pen
one
(WJ:376); lenited ben. According to one interpretation of the phrase caro den i innas lín from the Sindarin Lord’s Prayer (VT44:23), this could mean ✱”let one do your will”, with den (perhaps a lenited form of ✱ten) as the indefinite pronoun ”one”. However, others interpret den as the accusative form of the pronoun ”it”: ”Do it [, that is:] your will”.
pen
without
1) pen (lenited ben) (lacking, -less) (WJ:375) Not to be confused with the pronoun pen ”one, somebody, anybody”. When prefixed to a noun, the resulting phrase can be treated as an adjective in that it is lenited (pen- appears as ben-) where an adjective would be lenited. 2)
pen
without
(lenited ben) (lacking, -less) (WJ:375) Not to be confused with the pronoun pen ”one, somebody, anybody”. When prefixed to a noun, the resulting phrase can be treated as an adjective in that it is lenited (pen- appears as ben-) where an adjective would be lenited.
dî
in
unstressed di (beneath, under) (VT45:37). Note: a homophone means ”bride, lady”.
eru
the one
isolated from
ne
in
ned (used of time in the source), possibly followed by hard mutation (SD:129)
ne
in, inside
(prefix) (mid-)
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
in
(VT44:23), with article vin
adan
man
(pl. Edain; the coll. pl. Adanath is attested). The word Adan came to be used primarily of a member of the Three Houses of the Edain, not of the mortal race of Men in general.
dîr
man
1) (adult male of any speaking race) dîr (dír-, also agentive ending -dir or -nir; with article, i nîr, hard mutation as in o ndîr), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndîr); coll. pl. díriath. Also benn (i venn, construct ben), pl. binn (i minn). The latter is in archaic language used = "husband" (the etymological meaning). The ending -we in names may also express ”being, man, person”. 2) (mortal human as opposed to Elf) Adan (pl. Edain; the coll. pl. Adanath is attested). The word Adan came to be used primarily of a member of the Three Houses of the Edain, not of the mortal race of Men in general.
dîr
man
(dír-, also agentive ending -dir or -nir; with article, i nîr, hard mutation as in o ndîr), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndîr); coll. pl. díriath. Also benn (i venn, construct ben), pl. binn (i minn). The latter is in archaic language used = "husband" (the etymological meaning). The ending -we in names may also express ”being, man, person”.
min
cardinal. one
1) (number ”one” as the first in a series) min, mîn (VT48:6), Note: homophones include the noun ”peak” and the adjective ”isolated, first, towering”. 2) (number) êr, whence the adjectival prefix er- (alone, lone); 3)
min
one
mîn (VT48:6), Note: homophones include the noun ”peak” and the adjective ”isolated, first, towering”.
êr
one
whence the adjectival prefix er- (alone, lone)
cant
shape
(noun) cant (i gant, o chant) (outline), pl. caint (i **chaint). The mutated pl. -chaint is attested as part of the compound morchaint**; see SHADOW.
cant
shape
(i gant, o chant) (outline), pl. caint (i chaint). The mutated pl. -chaint is attested as part of the compound morchaint; see SHADOW.
bôr
trusty man
(boron-) (i vôr, construct bor) (steadfast man, faithful vassal), pl. *b**ŷr* for older beryn, i meryn (archaic böryn, i möryn). In ”Noldorin”, the older pl. forms were berein, beren.
echad
shape
(verb) echad- (i echad, in echedir) (fashion, make), pa.t. echant (VT45:19)
echad
shape
(i echad, in echedir) (fashion, make), pa.t. echant (VT45:19)
firion
mortal man
(pl. firyn).
rhavan
wild man
(?i thravan or ?i ravan – the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhevain (?idh revain) (WJ:219). – The following terms apparently apply to ”men” of any speaking race:
thalion
dauntless man
(hero), pl. thelyn. Also used as an adj. ”dauntless, steadfast, strong”.
curunír
man of craft
(i gurunír, o churunír) (wizard), no distinct pl. form except with article (i churunír), coll. pl. ?curuníriath.
dúnadan
man of the west
(i Núnadan), pl. Dúnedain (i Ndúnedain) (WJ:378, 386).
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. @@@