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-.

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

bassoneth

noun. bread-giver

See bass for a discussion regarding this word

besain

noun. bread-giver

See bass for a discussion regarding this word

besoneth

noun. bread-giver

See bass for a discussion regarding this word

bessain

noun. bread-giver

See bass for a discussion regarding this word

lembas

noun. journey bread made by the Elves

besain

noun. the Lady, breadgiver

In notes from the 1950s Tolkien said word besain was a title for noble Elf ladies as the provider of lembas, the equivalent of (and probably an adaption from) Q. massánië, literally “bread giver [giving]” (PM/404). It was likely coined based on the historical developments of this name: ✱mbassānye > (m)bessenı̯ > bessein > besain. Christopher Tolkien noted that his father wrote oneth “✱giving” above -ain, indicating an alternate form, which Christopher Tolkien wrote as ✱besoneth (PM/405). However, I think it is likelier the alternate would be ✱basoneth = S. bas “bread” + oneth “giving”, because in this alternate form there would be no reason for the initial element bas- to undergo i-affection.

ledhbas(t)

noun. waybread

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.

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)

lembas

way-bread, journey-bread

pl. lembais.

basoneth Reconstructed

noun. breadgiver

bassoneth

lady

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

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).

cram

noun. cake of compressed flour or meal (often containing honey and milk)

heruin

noun. lady

n. lady. >> heryn, Rocheruin

heruin

noun. lady

heryn

noun. lady

heryn

noun. lady

n. lady. >> heruin, Rocheryn

heryn

noun. lady

híril

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

rodel

lady

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

brennil

lady

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

cram

cake

(of compressed flour or meal, often containing honey and milk, for use on long journeys) cram (i gram, o chram), pl. craim (i chraim), coll. pl. crammath

cram

cake

(i gram, o chram), pl. craim (i chraim), coll. pl. crammath

dî

lady

(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.

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.

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)

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

masta

noun. bread

háva

noun. bread (collective), [unleavened] bread (collective)

A collective word for “bread” appearing in notes on the origin of Elvish waybread written in 1968 (NM/295). It was derived from primitive ✶khābā which Tolkien said “originally applied to most vegetable foods, but after the coming of corn was restricted to those made from grain”. Tolkien also specified that the result of its baking was “(unleavened) bread”.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would reserve this word for unleavened flat bread, and would use massa for baked bread with yeast and coimas as the Quenya term for the more specialized Elvish waybread more typically known as [S.] lembas.

hávanissi

collective name. Bread-women

A term for the women responsible for grinding flour and baking bread, a combination of háva “bread” and the plural of nissë “woman”, a notion tied to the mythical origin of lembas (NM/295). A similar term was Massánië “Breadgiver” (PM/404), but that was limited to noble elf women.

masta

noun. bread, cake, loaf, bread, cake, loaf, *baked good

This was the basic Quenya word for “bread” for much of Tolkien’s life, appearing as ᴱQ. masta “bread” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√M(B)ASA “cook, bake” (QL/59) and appearing again in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/141). It was ᴹQ. masta “bread” in The Etymologies under the root ᴹ√MBAS “knead” (Ety/MBAS) and the word appeared again in sentences from the Quenya Verbal System written in 1948 (PE22/119).

Starting with Quenya prayers in the 1950s Tolkien began to experiment with other forms, however. In the Átaremma “prayer” Tolkien revised mastamma “our bread” to massamma in the final version of the prayer (VT43/11-12), and in notes on lembas from the late 1950s he had massánië “Lady, breadgiver” as the title of the keeper of lembas (PM/404). This change seems to have been inspired by the Sindarin word lembas itself, and the problem of how to explain its final s rather than st. In notes probably from the mid-1960s (PE17/51-52) Tolkien wrote:

> lembas “waybread”. This seems meant to be associated with Primitive Eldarin stems ✱LED “go” and ✱MBAS “bake” but is not readily derived from them according to Sindarin developments. Something like ✱leðbast would be expected.

He resolved this quandary by separating the basic word for “bread” from masta:

> 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).

Thus it seems that massa or massë was the word for “bread” (giving a clean explanation for the final s in lembas) while masta was a more general term for baked goods, including other items like cakes and loafs. Note, however, that Tolkien continued to use masta for “bread” in later sentences, including one in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969: vá matuvatyë mastanya “you are not to eat my bread” (PE22/162).

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 reserve masta as a more general word for baked goods, including bread but also other baked things like cakes and loafs.

lerembas

noun. bread taken on leaving home (for a long journey)

massánië

noun. Lady, breadgiver

A title for noble Elvish women as the keeper of the recipe for lembas (PM/404), a compound of Q. massa “bread” and an abstract form of anta- “give”. Christopher Tolkien suggested this term was probably inspired by the etymology of the English word “Lady”, derived from Old English “hlæfdige” meaning “kneader of bread” (PM/405 note #1).

mastacornë

noun. [bread] loaf

masta

cake or loaf

masta noun "cake or loaf" (PE17:52), in an earlier source defined as "bread" (MBAS, PM:404; later sources have massa or massë for this meaning). Mastamma "our bread" in Tolkiens translatation of the Lords Prayer (VT43:18). In the Etymologies, Tolkien emended the gloss of masta from "dough" to "bread" (VT45:33).

heri

lady

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

heri

noun. lady

quimellë

lady

quimellë noun "lady" (GL:45)

bast

noun. bread

bast

noun. bread

lembas

noun. waybread

brennil

noun. lady

brennil

noun. lady

cram

noun. cake of compressed flour or meal (often containing honey and milk)

cramb

noun. cake of compressed flour or meal (often containing honey and milk)

hiril

noun. lady

hiril

noun. lady

le(n)dembassē Speculative

noun. bread taken on leaving home (for a long journey)

kherī

noun. lady

kherūnī

noun. lady