neldor

beech

neldor noun "beech" (LT2:343)

aranel

princess

aranel noun "princess" (likely *aranell-) (UT:434)

aranel

noun. princess

Elements

Word	Gloss
aran	“king”
-iel	“-daughter; feminine suffix”

Variations

• Aranel ✧ UT/209; UTI/Emerwen

feren

beech, beech-tree

feren (stem fern-, as in pl. ferni) noun "beech, beech-tree". Also fernë. (BERÉTH, PHER/PHÉREN)

brethil

noun. beech, beech-tree, silver birch

brethil

place name. Brethil

Forest where the Men of the House of Haleth dwelled in Beleriand, often called the Forest of Brethil (S/147). It is simply brethil “silver-birch” used as a name (Ety/NEL).

Conceptual Development: This name appeared in the Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (SM/115 note #11, LR/261). N. Brethil appeared in The Etymologies, along with a variant N. Brethorn “Forest of Brethil” (Ety/NEL, EtyAC/NEL).

Elements

Word	Gloss
brethil	“silver birch, silver-birch; [N.] beech”

brethil

noun. silver birch

_n. Bot. _silver birch, an emblem of Elbereth. Because of its association with Elbereth, Elves associated this tree with stars, and the word was often interpreted as 'daughter of the Queen', 'princess'. >> fimbrethil, nimbrethil

brethil

noun. silver birch, silver-birch; [N.] beech

A word for a “silver-birch”, an element in the names Nimbrethil and Fimbrethil (SA/brethil). According to Tolkien it was associated with bereth “queen”:

> ... since this tree was an emblem of Elbereth, was associated by Elves with the stars, and the word by them often interpreted as “daughter of the Queen, princess”. Fuller forms nimbrethil “white princess” and fimbrethil “slender princess” were also used (PE17/23).

Tolkien went on to add that “the ordinary non-mythological word for birch was ... S chwind, whinn”, so it seems brethil was only for the specific species of birch associated with Elbereth, and the ordinary word for “birch” was hwinn. In this note, Tolkien also derived brethil from √BARATH, but he may have changed his mind later; see the entry to bereth “queen” for discussion.

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s, N. brethil was “beech (tree)” and it was derived from the root ᴹ√BERETH of the same meaning (Ety/BERETH, NEL). In later writings, “beech” was S. neldor; see that entry for discussion.

Derivations

• √BARATH “height combined with strength/size/majesty” ✧ PE17/022
  • √BAR “[ᴹ√] raise; uplift, save, rescue(?)”

Element in

• S. Brethil
• S. Fimbrethil “Wandlimb, (lit.) Slender-beech” ✧ SA/brethil
• S. Nimbrethil “Silver-birches” ✧ PE17/019; SA/brethil

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√BARATH > brethil	[barátʰil] > [bratʰil] > [braθil] > [breθil]	✧ PE17/022

Variations

• brethil ✧ PE17/019; PE17/023; PE17/082; SA/brethil

brethil

daughter of the Queen

_ n. _daughter of the Queen, princess.

brethil

noun. princess, (lit.) queen-daughter

Element in

• S. Fimbrethil “Wandlimb, (lit.) Slender-beech” ✧ PE17/023; PE17/082
• S. Nimbrethil “Silver-birches” ✧ PE17/019; PE17/023

Elements

Word	Gloss
bereth	“queen, spouse; supreme, sublime”
-il	“feminine suffix”

Variations

• brethil ✧ PE17/019; PE17/023; PE17/082

neldor

noun. beech

A Sindarin word for “beech” appearing in the names Taur-na-Neldor “Beech-forest” (LotR/469; RC/384) and Neldoreth, the name of a forest with beeches (S/55; PE17/81).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Ilk. neldor was an Ilkorin word based on ᴹ√NÉL-ED “three”, which Tolkien said was “properly name of Hirilorn the great beech of Thingol with three trunks = neld-orn ? [question mark from Tolkien]” (Ety/NEL). In the 1910s and 20s, ᴱQ. neldor “beech” was an Early Qenya word (PE16/139; QL/65), and its cognates in this period were G. deldron “beech” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/30), G. deil(i)an or delwen “beech” in Gnomish Lexicon Slips (PE13/112), and ᴱN. {de(i)lian >>} deilian “beech-tree” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/142).

Possible Etymology: The Ilkorin derivation from √NELED is no longer suitable in Sindarin, since we would expect [[s|[d] > [ð]]] as in S. neledh “three”. It is possible Tolkien simply never reexamined the etymology of this word after it became Sindarin. Alternately, it could be nel- “tri-” + taur “forest” or -dor “-lord” or something similar.

Element in

• S. Neldoreth ✧ SA/neldor
• S. Taur-na-Neldor “Beech-forest” ✧ LotR/0469

Elements

Word	Gloss
nel-	“tri-”
orn	“(tall straight) tree”

brethil

birch tree

1) brethil (i vrethil), pl. same as sg. except with article (i mrethil), coll. pl. ?brethiliath.

brethil

birch tree

(i vrethil), pl. same as sg. except with article (i mrethil), coll. pl. ?brethiliath. 

riel

princess

#riel (garlanded maiden), pl. ?rîl (idh rîl), coll. pl. riellath. Isolated from the name Galadriel.

riel

princess

(garlanded maiden), pl. ?rîl (idh rîl), coll. pl. riellath. Isolated from the name Galadriel.

fêr

beech

†fêr (stem feren-, pl. ferin) (mast);

fêr

beech

(stem feren-, pl. ferin) (mast);

neldor

beech tree

(pl. neldyr), also brethorn (i vrethorn), pl. brethyrn (i mrethyrn) (VT46:3). The mallorn or ”golden-tree” found in Lórien was supposedly beechlike: mallorn (i vallorn), pl. mellyrn (i mellyrn).

brethil

noun. beech

Changes

• brethil → brethel ✧ Ety/NEL

Cognates

• ᴹT. bredele “beech-tree” ✧ Ety/BERÉTH

Derivations

• ᴹ√BERETH “beech” ✧ Ety/NEL; Ety/PHER

Element in

• N. Brethil ✧ Ety/NEL
• N. Brethilian(d) “Forest of Brethil” ✧ Ety/BERÉTH
• N. Nimbrethil

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√BERÉTH > brethel	[berétʰele] > [bretʰel] > [breθele] > [breθel]	✧ Ety/NEL
ᴹ√BERÉTH > brethil	[berétʰelī] > [bretʰelī] > [bretʰeli] > [breθeli] > [breθili] > [breθil]	✧ Ety/NEL

Variations

• brethel ✧ Ety/NEL

brethil

place name. Brethil

brethel

noun. beech, beech-tree, silver birch

brethel

noun. beech

fêr

noun. beech-tree