Quenya 

calion

masculine name. *Son of Light

Tar-Calion was the Quenya name of Ad. Ar-Pharazôn, the last king of Númenor. This name seems to be a compound of cala “light” and the patronymic suffix -ion “-son” (S/270).

Conceptual Development: This character’s name was first given as ᴹQ. Angor, but the name was quickly changed to ᴹQ. Tar-Kalion (LR/27). In the Addenda and Corrigenda to The Etymologies, there is a name ᴹQ. Tar-kulu that the editors suggested could be an otherwise unattested variant of Tar-Calion (EtyAC/KUL).

A primitive form of this name, ✶Kalajondo, appeared in some linguistic notes from the 1950s (PE21/76).

Quenya [PMI/Ar-Pharazôn; PMI/Tar-Kalion; SA/kal; SI/Tar-Calion; UTI/Ar-Pharazôn; UTI/Tar-Calion] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Calion

the golden

Calion, Tar-Calion, masc. name, the Quenya name of King Ar-Pharazôn "the Golden". Calion would seem to be connected to cal- "shine", cálë "light". (Silm)

Caliondo

rock

Caliondo, masc. name, maybe a longer form of Calion above (unless Caliondo contains ondo "rock") (UT:210)

tarcalion

tarcalion

tarcalion = Tar-Calion, masc. name, Quenya name of Ar-Pharazôn (LR:47, SD:246); see Calion

Tar-culu

gold

Tar-culu ("k"), name listed in the Etymologies but not elsewhere attested. The second element is apparently culu "gold" (a word Tolkien seems to have abandoned); Hostetter and Wynne suggest that this may be an alternative name of Tar-Calion (= Ar-Pharazôn "the Golden"); see VT45:24.

culo

gold

[culo, culu ("k")noun "gold" (substance)] (KUL, VT49:47; the word culu_ also occurred in early "Qenya" [LT1:258], but in the Etymologies it was struck out; the regular Quenya word for "gold" is apparently _malta. In another version, culo meant "flame" [VT45:24], but this is apparently also a word Tolkien abandoned.)

laurë

gold

laurë noun "gold", but of golden light and colour, not of the metal: "golden light" (according to PE17:61 a poetic word). Nai laurë lantuva parmastanna lúmissen tengwiesto "may (a) golden light fall on your book at the times of your reading" (VT49:47). In Etym defined as "light of the golden Tree Laurelin, gold", not properly used of the metal gold (LÁWAR/GLÁWAR, GLAW(-R), VT27:20, 27, PE17:159). In early "Qenya", however, laurë was defined as "(the mystic name of) gold" (LT1:255, 258) or simply "gold" (LT1:248, 268). In Laurelin and Laurefindil, q.v., Laurenandë "Gold-valley" = Lórien (the land, not the Vala) (UT:253) and laurinquë name of a tree, possibly *"Gold-full one" (UT:168). Laurendon "like gold" or "in gold fashion" (but after citing this form, Tolkien decided to abandon the similative ending -ndon, PE17:58).

malta

gold

malta noun "gold", also name of tengwa #18 (Appendix E). The Etymologies (entry SMAL) instead has malda, q.v. for discussion, but according to VT46:14, the form malta originally appeared in the Etymologies as well. Also compare the root MALAT listed in PM:366.

Noldorin 

celion

proper name. *Light Elf

Noldorin form that appeared in a marginal note in The Etymologies from the 1930s alongside a variant Caleledh, replacing a deleted form Calion (EtyAC/KAL). It appears to be a singular Noldorin equivalent ᴹQ. Kalaqendi “✱Light Elves”, a combination of ᴹ√KAL “shine” and the masculine suffix -on (though why the i was added is unclear). This might be a precursor to later S. Calben.

Noldorin [EtyAC/KAL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

caleledh

proper name. *Light Elf

Noldorin form that appeared in a marginal note in The Etymologies from the 1930s alongside a variant Celion and an unclear form Celelidh, possibly its plural (EtyAC/KAL). It appears to be a singular Noldorin equivalent to ᴹQ. Kalaqendi “✱Light Elves”, a combination of ᴹ√KAL “shine” and Eledh “Elf”.

Noldorin [EtyAC/KAL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

côl

noun. gold (metal)

Noldorin [Ety/365] Group: SINDICT. Published by

glaur

noun. gold

Noldorin [Ety/GLAW(-R); Ety/LÁWAR; Ety/MAK; EtyAC/LÁWAR] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gond

noun. rock

mallen

adjective. of gold, golden

Noldorin [Ety/386, RC/625, VT/46:14, Tengwestie/20031207] Group: SINDICT. Published by

malt

noun. gold (as metal)

Noldorin [Ety/386, VT/46:14, VT/42:27, Tengwestie/20031207] Group: SINDICT. Published by

malthen

adjective. of gold, golden

Noldorin [Ety/386, RC/625, VT/46:14, Tengwestie/20031207] Group: SINDICT. Published by

Nandorin 

lóri

noun. gold

Nandorin [NM/347; PE17/048] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Adûnaic

pharaz

noun. gold

A noun meaning “gold”, the only Adûnaic word defined in The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1114).

Conceptual Development: This noun also appears in “Lowdham’s Report on the Adunaic Language” from the 1940s (SD/426).

Adûnaic [LotR/1114; PE17/120; SD/426] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Primitive elvish

mal

root. gold, yellow, gold

This was the root for Elvish words meaning “yellow” for much of Tolkien’s life, though with some minor variations. It appeared as ᴱ√MALA “yellow” (usually mali-) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. malina “yellow” and ᴱQ. malikon “amber” (QL/58). It also appeared in a list of M-roots at the end of that section (QL/63). It had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. malon “yellow” and G. malthos “butter cup” (GL/56).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s it seems Tolkien first gave this root as ᴹ√MAL (EtyAC/MAL) but rejected this and replaced it with ᴹ√SMAL “yellow” (Ety/SMAL). It had derivatives like ᴹQ. malina/N. malen “yellow”, ᴹQ. malta/N. malt “gold (as metal)” and ᴹQ. malo/N. hmâl “pollen, yellow powder” (< ᴹ✶smalu), with some revisions in Noldorin forms as Tolkien vacillated on whether or not primitive sm- resulted in voiceless nasal hm- or a voiced nasal m-.

This √SMAL vs. √MAL variation seems to have continued into Tolkien’s later writings, as seen in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s where ✶malu >> ✶smalu “dust, grit” (PE21/80), probably a later iteration of ᴹ✶smalu “pollen, yellow powder” from The Etymologies. But it seems Tolkien settled on √MAL as evidenced by the extended root √MALAT “gold” from The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968 (PM/366).

Primitive elvish [SA/mal] Group: Eldamo. Published by

malat

root. gold

Primitive elvish [PM/366] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Sindarin 

caledhel

proper name. *Light Elf

Sindarin [PE17/140] Group: Eldamo. Published by

malt

noun. gold, gold (as metal)

A noun for “gold” based on the root √MALAT. The Etymologies of the 1930s specified that N. malt was “gold (as metal)” derived from the root ᴹ√SMAL “yellow” (Ety/SMAL). This is consistent with Tolkien’s later notes in which Q. malta was “gold (metal)”, as opposed to Q. laurë/S. glaur which was “gold (colour or light)” (PE17/51, 159). Note that in The Etymologies the form was revised to (h)malt indicating an archaic voiceless hm that was the result of ancient sm (EtyAC/SMAL), but this would no longer be the case after the root became √MALAT.

Sindarin [PE17/050; PE23/136; VT42/27] Group: Eldamo. Published by

carag

tooth of rock

(i garag, o charag) (spike), pl. ceraig (i cheraig)

gond

rock

gond (i **ond, construct gon) (great stone), pl. gynd (i ngynd = i ñynd), coll. pl. gonnath** (Letters:410).

gond

rock

(i ’ond, construct gon) (great stone), pl. gynd (i ngynd = i ñynd), coll. pl. gonnath (Letters:410).

malad

gold

(as metal) 1) malad (i valad), pl. melaid (i melaid) if there is a pl. 2) malt (i valt), pl. melt (i melt) if there is a pl. (VT42:27). ”Gold” in extended senses: glawar (i **lawar) (sunlight, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair**) (VT41:10) GOLD (COLOUR?) *mall (i vall), pl. mail (i mail) if there is a pl. Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” malt.

malad

gold

(i valad), pl. melaid (i melaid) if there is a pl.

mall

gold

(i vall), pl. mail (i mail) if there is a pl. – Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” malt.

malt

gold

(i valt), pl. melt (i melt) if there is a pl. (VT42:27). ”Gold” in extended senses: glawar (i ’lawar) (sunlight, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair) (VT41:10)


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!

Qenya 

tar-kalion

masculine name. Tar-Kalion

Qenya [LR/027; LR/047; LRI/Angor; LRI/Tar-Kalion; SD/246; SD/310; SDI2/Ar-Pharazôn; SDI2/Tar-kalion] Group: Eldamo. Published by

laure

noun. gold

Qenya [Ety/GLAW(-R); Ety/LÁWAR; PE19/037; PE22/019; PE22/046] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

culu

noun. gold

Gnomish [GG/14; GL/26; GL/27; GL/38; LT1A/Ilsaluntë; LT1A/Kulullin; LT2A/Glingol; PE15/22] Group: Eldamo. Published by

glôr

noun. gold

Gnomish [GG/12; GL/40; LT1A/Glorvent; LT1A/Laurelin; LT2A/Glingol; LT2A/Glorfalc; PE15/22; PE15/25; QL/051] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

glór

noun. gold

Early Noldorin [PE13/144] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

kulu

root. gold

Early Primitive Elvish [LT1A/Kulullin; QL/049] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kulū

noun. gold

Early Primitive Elvish [PE14/071] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

kulu

noun. gold

Early Quenya [LT1/100; LT1A/Laurelin; LT2A/Glingol; LT2A/Parma Kuluinen; MC/220; PE14/046; PE14/050; PE14/071; PE14/083; PE14/084; PE14/110; PE15/22; PE15/72; PE15/73; PE16/057; PE16/060; PE16/062; PE16/072; PE16/074; PE16/077; PME/049; QL/049; QL/051] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Doriathrin

laur

noun. gold

A Doriathrin noun for “gold” developed from primitive ᴹ✶laurē, properly golden light rather than the metal (Ety/LÁWAR).

Doriathrin [Ety/LÁWAR] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Ossriandric

laur

noun. gold

A noun for “gold” developed from primitive ᴹ✶laurē, and one of the few words explicitly marked as Ossiriandic (Ety/LÁWAR). In this word the long final vowel was lost. Unlike the rules described in the Comparative Tables, this [[dan|[au] did not become [ō]]], so perhaps Tolkien changed his mind on the development of [au] in Ossiriandic.

Ossriandric [Ety/LÁWAR] Group: Eldamo. Published by