Quenya 

cala

light

cala ("k")noun "light" (KAL). Concerning the "Qenya" verb cala-, see #cal- above.

cala

noun. light, light; [ᴱQ.] daytime (sunlight), 12 hours

This is the most common Quenya word for “light”, derived from the root √KAL of similar meaning (RGEO/62; PE17/84). It appears in numerous compounds, either in its full form or in a reduced form cal-.

Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. kala appeared all the way back in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “daytime (sunlight), 12 hours” and derived from the early root ᴱ√KALA “shine golden” (QL/44), but it had the sense “light” in the phrase ᴱQ. i·kal’antúlien “Light hath returned” (LT1/184), and it was given as the cognate of G. gala “light, daylight” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/37).

ᴹQ. kala “light” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√KAL “shine” (Ety/KAL). Somewhat curiously in that document its primitive form was given as ᴹ✶k’lā́ (EtyAC/KAL), a form that also appeared in the first version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ1) from the 1930s (PE18/38). Tolkien may have used this variant form to explain N. glaw “radiance” (< ᴹ✶g’lā́), but in later writings S. glaw “sunshine” was derived from √LAW.

Derivations

  • KAL “light; shine, be bright, light; shine, be bright, [ᴱ√] shine golden” ✧ PE17/084

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
CAL > Cala[kala]✧ PE17/084

Variations

  • Cala ✧ PE17/084; RGEO/62
Quenya [PE17/084; PE17/143; RGEO/62; VT39/14] Group: Eldamo. Published by

calina

light

calina ("k")adj. "light" (KAL), "bright" (VT42:32) "(literally illumined) sunny, light" (PE17:153) but apparently a noun "light" in coacalina, q.v.

cálë

light

cálë ("k")noun "light" (Markirya; in early "Qenya", cálë meant "morning", LT1:254)

cálë

noun. light

A noun for “light” appearing in the versions of the Markirya poem from the 1960s (MC/222-223).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, ᴱQ. kále “morning” was a derivative of the early root ᴱ√KALA “shine golden” (QL/44), and kāle was mentioned again Gnomish Lexicon Slips as a cognate of G. gaul “a light” (PE13/114). The form ᴱQ. kale “day” appeared in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s, but was deleted (PE14/43). It might also be an element in ᴹQ. yúkale “twilight” (= “both lights”) from The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/KAL).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d stick to the better attested Q. cala “light”.

Element in

Variations

  • kále ✧ MC/222; MC/223
Quenya [MC/222; MC/223] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Sindarin 

calad

gerund noun. light

Sindarin [Ety/362, UT/65] Group: SINDICT. Published by

calad

noun. light

_ n. _light, fire, brightness, shining. >> galad

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:84] < GAL. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

calad

noun. light, fire, brightness, shining, light, brightness, shining, fire

A noun for “light” derived from the root √KAL of similar meaning (PE17/50, 84), and appearing in the phrase Lacho calad! Drego morn! “Flame light! Flee night!” (UT/65). In one place it was glossed “light, fire, brightness, shining” (PE17/84), so it seems it could refer to any shining thing or source of light. For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would only use it in reference to “fire” as a source of illumination, not as a flame.

Conceptual Development: N. calad “light” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, already with the derivation given above (Ety/KAL). In this document it was the basis for the final element of the name N. Gil-galad, and this was true in some later writings as well (PE17/50), but Tolkien eventually decided the second element of Gil-galad was (ñ)galad “radiance”, an element also seen in the name of Galadriel (PM/347).

Derivations

  • KAL “light; shine, be bright, light; shine, be bright, [ᴱ√] shine golden” ✧ PE17/050; PE17/084

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
KAL > calad[kalata] > [kalat] > [kalad]✧ PE17/050
CAL > calad[kalata] > [kalat] > [kalad]✧ PE17/084
Sindarin [PE17/050; PE17/084; UT/065] Group: Eldamo. Published by

galad

noun. light, radiance, glittering, reflection (from jewels, glass or polished metal, or water)

Sindarin [VT/45:13, PM/347, Letters/425] Group: SINDICT. Published by

galad

light

_ n. _light, fire, brightness, shining. >> calad, Caras Galadon

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:84] < GAL. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

calad

light

_(noun) _1) calad (i galad, o chalad), pl. celaid (i chelaid), 2) gaul (i **aul), pl. goel (i ngoel = i ñoel), coll. pl. golath. Note: A homophone means "wolf-howl", but has different mutations. 3) (bright light) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad), (sunlight, brilliance, radiance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid). 4) gâl (gal-, -al in compounds, with article i **âl), pl. gail (i ngail = i ñail).

calad

light

(i galad, o chalad), pl. celaid (i chelaid), 2) gaul (i ’aul), pl. goel (i ngoel = i ñoel), coll. pl. golath. Note: A homophone means "wolf-howl", but has different mutations. 3) (bright light) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad), (sunlight, brilliance, radiance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid). 4) gâl (gal-, -al in compounds, with article i ’âl), pl. gail (i ngail = i ñail).

gail

light

(adjective) 1) gail (bright), lenited ngail, no distinct pl. form (VT45:18), 2) lim (clear, sparkling), no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fish”.

gail

light

(bright), lenited ngail, no distinct pl. form (VT45:18)

glaur

golden light

(i ’laur), pl. gloer (in gloer).

glawar

sunlight

(i ’lawar) (gold, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair) if there is a pl. (VT41:10)

lim

light

(clear, sparkling), no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fish”.

glóren

shining with golden light

(glórin-) (golden), lenited ’lóren; pl. glórin

Telerin 

cala

noun. light

Primitive elvish

kalat

noun. light

Derivatives

Variations

  • kalā́t- ✧ PE18/087
Primitive elvish [PE18/087; PE21/71] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

calad

gerund noun. light

Noldorin [Ety/362, UT/65] Group: SINDICT. Published by

calad

noun. light

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KAL > calad[kalata] > [kalat] > [kalad]✧ Ety/KAL
Noldorin [Ety/KAL; Ety/KIL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

galad

noun. light

Derivations

  • ᴹ√GAL “shine” ✧ Ety/GAL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√GAL > galad[galata] > [galat] > [galad]✧ Ety/GAL
Noldorin [EtyAC/GAL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gail

noun. bright light

Noldorin [Ety/362] Group: SINDICT. Published by

gal-

prefix. light

Noldorin [galvorn, etc.] Group: SINDICT. Published by

glaur

noun. golden light (of the golden tree Laurelin)

Noldorin [Ety/358, Ety/368] Group: SINDICT. Published by

glor-

noun. golden light (of the golden tree Laurelin)

Noldorin [Ety/358, Ety/368] Group: SINDICT. Published by

Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Valarin 

ithīr

noun. light

Qenya 

kala

noun. light

Cognates

  • N. glaw “radiance” ✧ Ety/KAL

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶k’lā “light” ✧ Ety/KAL
    • ᴹ√KAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL; PE18/038

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶k’lā́ > kala[kala]✧ Ety/KAL

kalina

adjective. light

Cognates

  • N. calen “green, (orig.) bright-coloured” ✧ Ety/KAL

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KAL > kalina[kalina]✧ Ety/KAL

Doriathrin

gôl

noun. light

A (rejected?) Doriathrin noun for “light” derived from primitive ᴹ✶gālæ appearing in The Etymologies (Ety/KAL, EtyAC/KAL). According to Christopher Tolkien’s notes, it was part of a rejected etymology for the name Thingol, but it isn’t clear whether this noun was rejected or if it was just the etymology. Its long primitive vowel [[ilk|[ā] became [ō]]] as was the norm in Ilkorin.

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶gālæ “light” ✧ Ety/KAL
    • ᴹ√KAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL

Element in

  • Ilk. ThingolGrey-wise” ✧ Ety/KAL (Thingol*)

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶gālæ > gôl[gālæ] > [gāla] > [gōla] > [gōl]✧ Ety/KAL

Variations

  • gôl ✧ Ety/KAL (Dor. gôl); EtyAC/KAL (N. gôl)
Doriathrin [Ety/KAL; EtyAC/KAL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

gālæ

noun. light

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL

Derivatives

  • Ilk. gôl “light” ✧ Ety/KAL
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/KAL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kalat

noun. light

Variations

  • kalat- ✧ PE21/56
Middle Primitive Elvish [PE21/56] Group: Eldamo. Published by

k’lā

noun. light

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAL “shine” ✧ Ety/KAL; PE18/038

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. kala “light” ✧ Ety/KAL

Element in

  • ᴹQ. Kalion “Son of Light, Valinorian Elda” ✧ PE21/37 (kalion)

Variations

  • k’lā́ ✧ Ety/KAL
  • klā́ ✧ PE18/038
  • kalĭ ✧ PE21/37 (kalĭ)
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/KAL; EtyAC/KAL; PE18/038; PE21/37] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

gaul

noun. light

Early Noldorin

glaiw

noun. light

Derivations

  • ᴱ√KALA “shine golden”
Early Noldorin [PE13/144] Group: Eldamo. Published by