Quenya 

lerta-

can

lerta- vb. "can" in the sense "be free to do", being under no restraint (physical or other). Lertan quetë "I can speak (because I am free to do so, there being no obstacle of promise, secrecy, or duty)". Where the absence of a physical restraint is considered, this verb can be used in much the same sense as pol- (VT41:6)

pol-

can

pol- (1) vb. "can" = have physical power and ability, as in polin quetë "I can speak (because mouth and tongue are free)". Cf. ista-, lerta- as verbs "can" with somewhat different shades of meaning. (VT41:6, PE17:181)

can-

command, order

*can*- (2) vb. "command, order" (give an order) or (with things as object) "demand" _(PM:361-362; where various derivatives of the stem KAN- are listed; the verb _can_- is not directly cited, but seems implied by the statement "in Quenya the sense command had become the usual one". The undefined verb _canya**- listed elsewhere [PE17:113] may also be taken as the actual verbal derivative that Tolkien here refers to.)

canuva

leaden

canuva ("k")"leaden" (LT1:268; if this "Qenya" word is used in a LotR-style Quenya context, it must not be confused with the future tense of can-)

ec-

verb. to have a chance of; may, can

Derivations

  • KE/EKE “may (be); have chance, opportunity or permission; it is open” ✧ VT49/20

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ek > eke[ek-]✧ VT49/20

Variations

  • eke ✧ VT49/34
Quenya [VT49/20; VT49/34] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ista

verb. know

Quenya [PE 22:104, 112; PE 22:158] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

ista-

know

ista- (2) vb. "know", pa.t. sintë (IS, LT2:339, VT48:25). This past tense Tolkien called "certainly irregular" (VT48:25, where an alternative pa.t. isintë is also mentioned, but sintë is said to be the older form; compare editorial notes in VT48:32. Ista- is also used for "can" in the sense of "know how to", as in istan quetë "I can speak (because I have learned (a) language)" (VT41:6) Passive participle sinwa "known, certain, ascertained" (VT49:68)

pol-

verb. can, to be able to

Cognates

  • ᴺS. pol- “can, to be able to”

Derivations

  • POL “can, have physical power and ability; large, big (strong); pound up, break up small, reduce to powder, can, have physical power and ability; large, big (strong); [ᴹ√] physically strong, [ᴱ√] have stength; [√] pound up, break up small, reduce to powder” ✧ PE17/181; VT41/06

Element in

  • ᴺQ. polëa “able”
  • ᴺQ. polië “ability”
  • Q. polin quetë “I can speak, I am able to speak” ✧ PE17/181; VT41/06
  • ᴺQ. polta- “to (physically) enable”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
POL > polin[pol-]✧ PE17/181
Quenya [PE17/155; PE17/181; VT41/06] Group: Eldamo. Published by

yam-

shout

yam- or yama- vb. "shout" (PE16:134, yamin, *"I shout", QL:105), pa.t. yámë (QL:105)

rama-

to shout

rama- vb. "to shout" (LT1:259)

rambë

shout

rambë noun "a shout" (LT1:259)

hollë

noun. shout

Derivations

  • KHOL “crow, cry aloud”

canuva

adjective. leaden

Elements

WordGloss
canu“lead”

Sindarin 

can

card

_ card. _four. Q. canta. >> canad, leben

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

can-

verb. to cry out, shout, call

Sindarin [PM/361-362] Group: SINDICT. Published by

caen-

card

_ card. _ten. Q. cainen. >> cae, mimp. This gloss was rejected.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

canad

card

_ card. _four. Q. canta. >> can, leben

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

cae

card

_ card. _ten. Q. cea. >> caen-, mimp. This gloss was rejected.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

eneg

card

_ card. _six. Q. enque, enc-. >> odog

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

er

card

_ card. _one. Q. er. >> min, tad

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

leben

card

_ card. _five. Q. lepen, lempe. >> eneg

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

min

card

_ card. _one. Q. min. >> er, tad

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

neder

card

_ card. _nine. Q. nerte. >> cae, caen-

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

nel

card

_ card. _three. Q. nelde. Fcan, canad, neledh

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

odog

card

_ card. _seven. Q. otos. >> tolod

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

tad

card

_ card. _two. Q. atta. Fnel, neledh

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

tad

card

card. two. . This gloss was rejected.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:14] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

tolod

card

_ card. _eight. Q. tolto. >> neder

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:95] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

nallon

verb. I cry

Sindarin [LotR/IV:X, RGEO/72, Letters/278] Group: SINDICT. Published by

nalla-

verb. to cry

Sindarin [nallon LotR/IV:X, RGEO/72, Letters/278] Group: SINDICT. Published by

can

shout

(i gân, i chenir) (cry out, call). Adj.

can

shout

can- (i gân, i chenir) (cry out, call). Adj.

can

cry out

(i gân, i chenir) (shout, call). Compare

can

cry out

can- (i gân, i chenir) (shout, call). Compare CALL OUT. (noun),

pol-

verb. can

Sindarin [Unknown] [[pol-]]. Published by

caun

shout

(i gaun, o chaun) (clamour, outcry, cry), pl. coen (i choen), coll. pl. conath, the latter is used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362). Note: a homophone of caun means "valour".

caun

shout

(noun) caun (i gaun, o chaun) (clamour, outcry, cry), pl. coen (i choen), coll. pl. conath, the latter is used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362). Note: a homophone of caun means "valour".

caun

cry

(noun) caun (i gaun, o chaun) (clamour, outcry, shout), pl. coen (i choen), coll. pl. conath, the latter often used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362). Note: a homophone of caun means "valour".

caun

cry

(i gaun, o chaun) (clamour, outcry, shout), pl. coen (i choen), coll. pl. conath, the latter often used = "lamentation" (PM:345, 362). Note: a homophone of caun means "valour".

nalla

cry

(i nalla, in nallar). Attested in the 1st person present-tense form nallon

glam

shouting

(i ’lam) (din, uproar, confused yelling of beasts; tumult, confused noise; a body of Orcs), pl. glaim (in glaim), coll. pl. glammath

pol-

verb. can, to be able to

Cognates

  • Q. pol- “can, to be able to”

Derivations

  • POL “can, have physical power and ability; large, big (strong); pound up, break up small, reduce to powder, can, have physical power and ability; large, big (strong); [ᴹ√] physically strong, [ᴱ√] have stength; [√] pound up, break up small, reduce to powder”

Element in

  • ᴺS. poltha- “to (physically) enable”
Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

Adûnaic

rûkh

noun. shout

A word glossed “shout” (SD/426). Andreas Moehn suggested (EotAL/RUKH) that it may be a verb rûkh- “to shout”, but it appears in a list of nouns, so I think it likelier that it is noun form.

Variations

  • rūkh ✧ SD/426

Primitive elvish

is

root. know

The root √IS was the basis for words having to do with “knowledge” for all of Tolkien’s life, as represented by the verb Q. ista- “to know” which likewise retained the same form and meaning for decades. The root first appeared as ᴱ√ISI in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, where somewhat cryptically Tolkien said its Gnomish form was GIS or IS (QL/43). This is mysterious because there were no such Gnomish words beginning with gis- in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, but there is an Early Noldorin word ᴱN. gist- “to know” from the 1920s, probably derived from ᴱ✶ʒist- (PE13/144, 146); in this early period initial ʒ- > g- in Gnomish (PE12/17).

Tolkien seems to have abandoned this Noldorin variant, giving the root only as ᴹ√IS in The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/IS). In this form it continued to appear in Tolkien’s later writings (PE17/155; PE22/129; VT41/6; VT48/25). In one place Tolkien gave the root in inverted form √SI (PE22/134), and such an inversion appeared in some of its derivatives, such as Q. síma “imagination, mind” (VT49/16) and sinte the irregular past tense of Q. ista-. However, the vast majority of its derivatives are from √IS.

Derivatives

  • ista- “to know” ✧ PE22/129; PE22/134
  • Q. ista- “to know” ✧ PE17/155; VT41/06; VT48/25
  • Q. síma “imagination, mind” ✧ VT48/25

Element in

Variations

  • ISI ✧ PE17/155
  • SI ✧ PE22/134
  • isi ✧ VT41/06
Primitive elvish [PE17/155; PE22/129; PE22/134; VT41/06; VT48/25] Group: Eldamo. Published by

si

root. know

pol

root. can, have physical power and ability; large, big (strong); pound up, break up small, reduce to powder, can, have physical power and ability; large, big (strong); [ᴹ√] physically strong, [ᴱ√] have stength; [√] pound up, break up small, reduce to powder

This root was connected to Elvish words for strength and physical ability for most of Tolkien’s life. It first appeared as ᴱ√POLO “have stength” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. poldor “physical strength” and ᴱQ. polka “pig”, though the latter was marked by Tolkien with a “?” (QL/75). There were also derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. polm “strength (physical)” and G. polod “power, might, authority” (GL/64). The root ᴹ√POL reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the gloss “physically strong”, extended form ᴹ√POLOD and derivatives like ᴹQ. polda “strong, burly” and ᴹQ. poldore as an element in the name ᴹQ. Poldórea (Ety/POL); this name was variously glossed “Strong One” (SM/79) or “Valiant” (LR/206), though in the later sense it was eventually replaced by Q. Astaldo (S/28).

POL appeared in a list of roots from around 1959-60 with a minor shift in meaning:

> √pol can, have physical power and ability [as in] “I can jump that”. polin quete means I can speak (because mouth and tongue are free)” (VT41/6).

In another note around this time but probably later (and thus maybe in the early 1960s), Tolkien wrote:

> √POL. This cannot refer to strength. (Too obvious a reminiscence of [Latin] pollens); also it does not account for poli- “meal”, grist. √POL- should have senses “pound up”, break up small, reduced to powder etc. Poldórea, as adjective applied to Tulkas, should be derived from the Elvish nickname of Tulkas (not being derived from Valarin), Poldor, Poldorno: “breaker up of the hard/tough”, √DOR- “hard, tough” (PE17/181).

The mention of poli- “meal” seems to be a reference to a different early root ᴱ√POL-I from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like ᴱQ. pole “oats, grain; flour” and ᴱQ. polu “kernel” (QL/75), whereas in The Etymologies of the 1930s the word for “flour, meal” was ᴹQ. pore derived from ᴹ√POR (Ety/POR). This shift in sense to “pound up” seems to be motivated by the similarity of √POL “strength” to Latin “pollens” (able, strong).

However, in another later-still note Tolkien wrote the phrase Q. á rike empollie that seems to mean “try harder” (PE17/167), likely a rough contemporary of other notes from around 1967 exploring the same phrase (PE17/94). This later use of empollie seems to be connected to physical effort, and thus is in line with the 1959-60 note with √POL “can, have physical power and ability” mentioned above.

Finally in a note from around 1968, Tolkien wrote:

> Q. pol, large, big (strong). polda, big. DELETE pole “meal”! Make it mule (PE17/115).

This is explanation appears in a set of notes having to do with “large and small”, probably from around 1968, the date given for an apparently related root-list with similar information (VT47/26 note #26). It seems to firmly discard the connection of √POL to “pound, meal” and restored its connection to “strength” along with a new connection to “largeness”.

Assuming this analysis is correct, the conceptual evolution seems to be:

  • 1910s: ᴱ√POLO “have stength”; ᴱ√POL-I “✱grain, flour”.

  • 1930s: ᴹ√POL(OD) “physically strong”; ᴹ√POR “✱flour, meal”.

  • 1959-60: √POL “can, have physical power and ability”.

  • early 1960s: √POL “pound up” > ✶poli “meal”.

  • late 1960s: √POL “large, big (strong)” vs. Q. mulë “meal”.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin I think it is best to assume √POL has to do with “physical ability” and its extended form √POLOD with “strength”. I think it better to assume the connection of the root to √POL “meal, flour” was abandoned, and use ✱√MUL and possibly ᴹ√POR for that purpose instead.

Derivatives

  • poli “meal”
    • Q. polë “meal, grist, meal, grist, [ᴹQ.] flour, [ᴱQ.] oats, grain (unground kernels of oats, wheat, etc.)”
  • pollō “ram”
  • Q. empollië “*harder”
  • Q. pol- “can, to be able to” ✧ PE17/181; VT41/06
  • ᴺQ. polca “pig”
  • Q. polda “big, big; [ᴹQ.] strong, burly; [ᴱQ.] mighty, powerful” ✧ PE17/115
  • ᴺQ. pollië “hard, strongly”
  • Q. polë “meal, grist, meal, grist, [ᴹQ.] flour, [ᴱQ.] oats, grain (unground kernels of oats, wheat, etc.)” ✧ PE17/181
  • ᴺS. pol- “can, to be able to”
  • ᴺS. polodh “power, might, authority”

Element in

  • Q. Poldórëa “Valiant; Breaker up of the Hard/Tough” ✧ PE17/181

Variations

  • pol ✧ PE17/115 (Q. pol); VT41/06; VT41/06
  • pōlo ✧ PE22/148
  • pōl ✧ PE22/148
Primitive elvish [PE17/115; PE17/160; PE17/181; PE22/148; VT41/06] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

hûl

noun. cry of encouragement in battle

Noldorin [Ety/386] 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!

Qenya 

kav-

verb. to be able

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶kab- “can, I can”
    • ᴹ√KAB “to be able, capable”
  • ᴹ√KAB “to be able, capable” ✧ PE22/105; PE22/127

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KAV- > kavuva > kauva[kabubā] > [kaβuβā] > [kauβā] > [kauβa] > [kauva]✧ PE22/105
Qenya [PE22/092; PE22/102; PE22/105; PE22/121; PE22/127] Group: Eldamo. Published by

noun. shout

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶ “shout” ✧ PE21/38
Qenya [PE21/38; PE21/41] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

kab-

verb. can, I can

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KAB “to be able, capable”

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. kav- “to be able”

Element in

  • ᴹ✶kabinjē antāsa “I can give it” ✧ PE22/092 (ni-kabi antā-t(ĕ)); PE22/092
Middle Primitive Elvish [PE22/092] Group: Eldamo. Published by

khes

root. command

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “command”, with derivatives ᴹQ. hesto “captain” and a word hest of the same meaning but whose language designation is unclear, perhaps Bel[eriandic] as suggested by Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne (EtyAC/KHES).

Derivatives

  • Ilk. hest “captain” ✧ EtyAC/KHES
  • ᴹQ. hesto “captain” ✧ EtyAC/KHES
Middle Primitive Elvish [EtyAC/KHES] Group: Eldamo. Published by

noun. shout

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. “shout” ✧ PE21/38

Variations

  • hō- ✧ PE21/38
Middle Primitive Elvish [PE21/38] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

sana-

verb. can; to know how to; to have knowledge, craft or skill

Derivations

  • ᴱ√SANA “*know”
Gnomish [GL/67; GL/68] Group: Eldamo. Published by

odra-

verb. am able, can

Variations

  • odra ✧ GL/62 (odra)
  • od² ✧ GL/62 (od²)

gam

noun. shout

Derivations

  • ᴱ√YAMA “*call, shout”

og-

verb. to be able, can

Element in

  • G. ogor “might, power, ability” ✧ GL/62
  • G. ogra “able to” ✧ GL/62

Variations

  • ogra- ✧ GL/62

ogra-

verb. to be able, can

auba

noun. shout

Derivations

  • ᴱ√OHO “cry”

Variations

  • auba- ✧ GL/20
Gnomish [GL/20; GL/75] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tur-

verb. can, to have power to

Derivations

  • ᴱ√TURU “am strong” ✧ LT1A/Meril-i-Turinqi
Gnomish [GL/69; GL/72; LT1A/Meril-i-Turinqi] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

garw

noun. shout

Derivations

  • ᴱ√YAMA “*call, shout”
Early Noldorin [PE13/144] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

aha

root. know

A root in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “know”, but most of its derivatives have to do with “mind” (QL/29). There are quite a few later roots filling this same semantic space, and this root was probably abandoned.

Derivatives

  • Eq. â “mind, inner thought” ✧ QL/029
  • Eq. akta “notion” ✧ QL/029
  • Eq. áma “mind, heart, thought”
  • G. ôm “mind, heart, thought”

Variations

  • ‘AHA ✧ QL/029
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/029] Group: Eldamo. Published by

oho

root. cry

Derivatives

  • Eq. ohta- “to shout” ✧ QL/069
  • Eq. óma “voice” ✧ QL/069
  • G. auba “shout”
  • G. ûm “voice”
  • G. uptha- “to shout”
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/069] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

kanuva

adjective. leaden

Early Quenya [LT1A/Tilkal; QL/044] Group: Eldamo. Published by

turu-

verb. can, to be able

Changes

  • turu-turu- “can, have power, is able, have strength” ✧ QL/095

Derivations

  • ᴱ√TURU “am strong” ✧ QL/095

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√TURU > turu-[turu-]✧ QL/095

Variations

  • turu- ✧ QL/095; QL/096 (turu-)
Early Quenya [QL/095; QL/096] Group: Eldamo. Published by

holle

noun. shout

Derivations

  • ᴱ√HO “shout, scream” ✧ QL/040

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√HO > holle[xollē] > [xolle] > [holle]✧ QL/040
Early Quenya [QL/040] Group: Eldamo. Published by