cir-

verb. cir-

#cir-, see círa

ciryon

masculine name. Ciryon

Third son of Isildur (S/285). The meaning of his name is unclear, but it may contain cirya “ship” (SA/kir).

Conceptual Development: In drafts of the Lord of the Rings appendices, this character was first given the name Vëandur.

cirion’s oath

Cirion’s Oath

Cirion’s oath to Eorl that bound Gondor and Rohan as allies in the later half of the Third Age. It is one of the longer prose texts in Quenya.

cirtë

cirtë

*cirtë see certa

cir-

verb. to cut, to cut, [ᴱQ.] cleave; *to separate from

A verb for “to cut, cleave”. Its root √KIR is well established and has the same basic meaning (PE17/73; Ety/KIR). In notes for drafts of the Earendel (Poem) from around 1930, ᴱQ. kiri- was glossed “cleave” (PE16/100), and its past form was used in this sense in the finished version of the poem as part of the phrase langon veakiryo kírier “the throat of the sea-ship clove [the waters]” (MC/216). The best evidence for its meaning “cut” in later notes is in the pair of prefixed verbs aucir- and hócir- “cut off” in the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 (WJ/365, 368).

This verb also appeared in the versions of the Markirya poem from the 1960s in the phrase métima hrestallo círa “leave the last shore” (MC/221). Helge Fauskanger suggested that in this context it might mean “sail” as in “✱cut through the water” (AL/Markirya, QQ/círa). However, I think the intended meaning is actually “leave = cleave (from)”, in combination with ablative hrestallo “[from] the last shore”.

Neo-Quenya: Based on the above, I think cir- has the connotation of “cut [completely]”, so as to cleave apart the thing cut, as opposed to rista- “cut [into]”. As such I think cir- can also be used metaphorically to mean “✱separate from” when combined with the ablative.

ciryandil

masculine name. *Ship Lover

The 14th king of Gondor (LotR/1038). This name is probably a compound of cirya “ship” and the suffix -(n)dil “-friend, -lover”.

ciryatan

masculine name. Shipbuilder, Shipwright

Tar-Ciryatan was the 12th ruler of Númenor (S/265, UT/221), also known as Ad. Ar-Balkumagân (PM/151). His name is a compound of cirya “ship” and the suffixal form -tan “-builder, -wright” of tamo “smith”.

ciryatur

masculine name. *Ship-master

A Númenórean admiral in the wars against Sauron in the Second Age (UT/239). His name is probably a compound of cirya “ship” and the suffix -tur “-master”.

circa

noun. sickle

A word for “sickle” in the name Q. Valacirca “Sickle of the Valar”, which is the Quenya name for the constellation of the Great Bear (S/48; MR/166). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, ᴹQ. kirka “sickle” was derived from the root ᴹ√KIRIK (Ety/KIRIK).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s Tolkien had ᴱQ. kalka “sickle” derived from the early root ᴱ√KḶKḶ “gather, collect, reap” (QL/47; PME/47). This corresponds to the earliest Qenya name of the constellation of the Great Bear: ᴱQ. Telpea Kalka “✱Silvern Sickle” (QL/47; PME/47).

ciriáran

proper name. Mariner King, *(lit.) Ship King

The title of the lord of the Teleri (PM/341), a compound of cirya “ship” and aran “king”, with the y vocalized to i as it sometimes was in Quenya (for example Maiya > Maia). Given its unusual form (Ciri- rather than Ciry-) this name is likely Telerin rather than Quenya. @@@ revisit elements.

cirma

noun. knife

A word for “knife” attested only as an element in cirmacin “knife-edge” in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 (PE22/149). This “knife” word is probably a combination of √KIR “cut” with the instrumental suffix ✶-mā, so more literally a “cut-tool”.

cirya

noun. cleft, pass

A noun for a “cleft”, most notably in Calacirya “Light-cleft” as mentioned in the Namárië poem (RGEO/62; LotR/377).

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name was ᴹQ. Kalakilya (LR/173; MR/102), and the word ᴹQ. kilya “cleft, pass between hills, gorge” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√KIL “divide” (Ety/KIL). The word kilya also appeared with the gloss “chasm” in Lament of Atalante from the 1930s and 40s (LR/47, 56; SD/247, 310), but at some point when composing the final versions of the Namárië poem Tolkien switched to Calacirya, and he made the same change in later versions of Silmarillion drafts (MR/102).

Neo-Quenya: I’d avoid this word for Neo-Quenya, as it is too easily confused with cirya “ship”.

cirya

noun. (sharp-prowed) ship; swift gliding, (sharp-prowed) ship, [ᴹQ.] boat; [Q.] swift gliding

Cirya has been the Quenya word for “ship” for much of Tolkien’s life, and is very well-attested with this meaning. ᴱQ. kirya “ship” first appeared in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s (PE14/46, 79) and in the English-Qenya Dictionary of this same period, where Tolkien described it as the “general term” for a ship, as opposed to ᴱQ. lunte “boat” (PE15/77).

Tolkien regularly used ᴹQ. kirya “ship” in lists of noun declensions from the late 1920s and early 1930s (PE16/112-115; PE21/4, 46, 53). In one of these it was glossed “boat” rather than “ship” (PE21/53). ᴹQ. kirya “ship” appeared in The Etymologies from around 1937 under the root ᴹ√KIR (Ety/KIR), and it was derived from the root √KIR in later notes as well (PE22/150). It continued to be used in declension examples all the way up to the famous Plotz of 1966-7 (VT6/14).

The second version of Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ2) from around 1950 specified that its primitive antecedent had two variants: noun ✶kíryā “small swift sailing ship” and adjective kiryā́ “swift (especially of things that pass easily through obstacles)”, distinguished only by ancient patterns of stress (PE18/106). Hints of this second adjectival meaning can be seen in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969, where Tolkien glossed kirya as an adjective meaning “swift gliding” in a note where he tried to distinguish the meaning of the roots √KIR and √KER (PE22/150).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use cirya only as a noun for “ship”, and would assume its adjectival use “swift” was archaic. I would further assume cirya is used of faster ships with deeper hulls that cut through the water (especially if driven by sails or other motor), as opposed to a slower or flatter Q. luntë “boat” which moves mainly by floating on top of the water. Thus [in my opinion] the distinction between cirya and luntë is mainly the relative depth of the hull rather than the size of the vessel, so that luntë could refer to a large barge and cirya to a small but swift sailboat.

ciryaher

masculine name. *Ship Lord

The given name of the 15th king of Gondor, later called Hyarmendacil (LotR/1045). This name is probably a compound of cirya “ship” and heru “lord”.

Conceptual Development: In drafts of the Lord of the Rings appendices, his name was first given as Kiryahir, perhaps a combination with S. hîr “lord”.

ciryamo

noun. mariner

A word for a “mariner” in the title Indis i·Ciryamo “The Mariner’s Wife” (UT/8), a combination of cirya “ship” with the agental suffix -mo.

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. veniel “mariner” as an elaboration of ᴱQ. vene “small boat” (QL/100).

ciryando

noun. sailor

A word for a “sailor” in notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/58), a combination of cirya “ship” with the (masculine) agental suffix -ndo.

ciryaquen

noun. shipman, sailor

A word for a “shipman, sailor” in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60, a combination of cirya “ship” with quén “person” (WJ/372). Tolkien specified that “these compounds being old were accented as unitary words and the main stress came on the syllable preceding -quen” (WJ/407), so stressed cirYAquen and (plural) cirYAqueni.

Conceptual Development: The Declension of Nouns of the early 1930s had ᴹQ. veaner “sailor” as a combination of ᴹQ. vea “sea” and ᴹQ. nér “man”, along with an archaic variant ᴹQ. vainar (PE21/17), the latter with some phonetic modifications particular to this document and not seen in Tolkien’s later writings.

ciryatan

noun. shipbuilder, shipwright

A Quenya word for “shipbuilder” or “shipwright” most notably used as the name of Tar-Ciryatan, the 12th ruler of Númenor (S/265; PM/151). It is a combination of cirya “ship” and tamo (-tan) “builder, wright”. The long í is likely due to intrusion of ancient medial y into the initial syllable: ✱kirya-tan > kiry(a)-dan > kīrdan. Tolkien vacillated on tamo vs. [ᴹQ.] tano (Ety/TAN) for this second element, but seems to have settled on tamo which would make the stem form of this word ✱ciryatam-.

Conceptual Development: The first version of the Tengwesta Qenderinwa (TQ1) of the 1930s had another word ᴹQ. kiryahto “shipwright” derived from ᴹ✶kirya-k’tō (PE18/62), and thus a combination ᴹQ. kirya “ship” and ᴹQ. ahto “builder, maker”.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I think both ciryatan and ciryahto can coexist, with the ciryatan referring to the principle designer or builder of the ship, and ciryahto for other workers helping build the ship.

circa

sickle

circa ("k")noun "sickle" (KIRIK)

cirinci

no bigger than wrens, but all scarlet, with piping voices on the edge of human hearing

cirinci ("k"), sg. *cirincë, noun: a species of birds, "no bigger than wrens, but all scarlet, with piping voices on the edge of human hearing" (UT:169). The word seems to incorporate the diminutive ending -incë.

ciris

cleft, crack

ciris _("k")_noun "cleft, crack" (LT2:337 - obsoleted by cirissë?)

cirissë

slash, gash

cirissë ("k")noun "slash, gash" (KIRIS; the glosses "cleft" and maybe ?"crevasse" occurred in deleted material, VT45:23)

cirmacin

noun. knife-edge

A word for “knife-edge” in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 (PE22/149), a combination of cirma “knife” with √KIM “edge”.

cirya

ship

cirya _("k")_noun "ship" (MC:213, 214, 220, 221), "(sharp-prowed) ship" (SA:kir-, where the word is misspelt círya with a long í; Christopher Tolkien probably confused it with the first element of the Sindarin name Círdan. It seems that Círyon, the name of Isildur's son, is likewise misspelt; read Ciryon as in the index and the main text of the Silmarillion. Cf. also kirya_ in Etym, stem KIR.) _Also in Markirya. In the Plotz letter, cirya is inflected for all cases except plural possessive (*ciryaiva). The curious dual form ciriat occurs in Letters:427, whereas Plotz gives the expected form ciryat. Locative ciryasse "upon a ship" (MC:216). Compounded in ciryaquen "shipman, sailor" (WJ:372), also ciryando (PE17:58), cf. also ciryamo "mariner" (UT:8). Masc. names Ciryaher* "Ship-lord" (Appendix A), Ciryandil "Ship-friend" (Appendix A), Ciryatan "Ship-builder" (Appendix A), also Tar-Ciryatan**, name of a Númenórean king, "King Shipbuilder" (SA:kir-)

ciryamo

mariner

ciryamo noun "mariner", nominative and genitive are identical since the noun already ends in -o, cf. Indis i-Ciryamo "the Mariner's Wife" (UT:8)

ciryando

sailor

ciryando ("k")noun "sailor" (PE17:58).

ciryaquen

shipman, sailor

ciryaquen ("k") "shipman, sailor" (WJ:372)

cirincë

noun. scarlet-plumed species of bird

A species of Númenorean bird that Tolkien described as “no bigger than wrens, but all scarlet, with piping voices on the edge of human hearing”, appearing only in its plural form kirinki (UT/169; NM/337). It is not clear what, if any, terrestrial species it equated to. It might be a diminutive form based on √KIR “cut”, so perhaps literally “✱little cutter”.

cirmacin

noun. knife-edge

ciryahto

noun. shipwright

shipwright

ciryalya tar

your ship, sir

cirya tyulma

a ship-mast, ship’s mast, mast of an unspecified ship or any ship

círa

sail

círa ("k")vb. "sail" (apparently the continuative stem of #cir-) (Markirya)

cirihtor

noun. reaper

A neologism for coined by Helge Fauskanger for his NQNT (NQNT), an agental form of [ᴺQ.] cirihta- “to reap”. He also used cerihtando “reaper” (perhaps intended to be ✱cirithando), but I think cirihtor is better.

ciryacarmen

noun. shipyard

A neologism for “shipyard” coined by Ellanto posted on 2024-11-03 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a blending of cirya “ship”, carmë “production”, and men “place”.

ciryampa

noun. anchor, (lit.) boat-hook

A neologism for “anchor” coined by Helge Fauskanger for his NQNT (NQNT), a combination of cirya “ship” and ampa “hook”.

ciryapanda

noun. haven, (lit.) ship-enclosure

A neologism for “haven” coined by Boris Shapiro in PPQ (PPQ) from the early 2000s, a combination of cirya “ship” and [ᴹQ.] panda “enclosure”, inspired by N. cirban “haven”. I would just used attested Q. londë “haven” instead.

ciryasta

noun. fleet (of ships)

A neologism for a “fleet”, a combination of cirya “ship” with the suffix -sta used to indicate a grouping. As far as I can tell, this word was coined by Raccoon on 2021-11-08 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), but it might have been created earlier. See also ᴺS. cirias “fleet”.

cirihta-

verb. to reap, harvest

A neologism for “to reap” or “to harvest” coined by Helge Fauskanger for his NQNT (NQNT) based on ᴹ✶k’rikta- “reap” from The Etymologies of the 1930s (Ety/KIRIK). Petri Tikka instead suggested ᴺQ. cer- “to reap” in PPQ (PPQ) from the early 2000s inspired by Cermië “July” assuming that word also means “✱harvest”, but that seems rather unlikely to me.

ciryassëa

adjective. *ship-board, on-board, [ᴱQ.] what is on board ship

cirda

noun. splinter, wood shaving

corin

circular enclosure

corin ("k")noun "circular enclosure" (KOR). In the early "Qenya Lexicon", this word was defined as "a circular enclosure, especially on a hill-top" (LT1:257). (Con-)alcorin ("k") *"blessed garth (in the centre)" (VT27:20, 23, 24)

cormë

circular enclosure, garth

cormë ("k")noun "circular enclosure, garth", or possibly mound" (VT27:20, 24, 25)

rinda

circular

rinda adj. "circular" (RIN)

rindë

circle

rindë noun "circle" (RIN)

corto

noun. circle

oscir-

verb. to circumcise, (lit.) around-cut

pepella-

verb. to circulate, orbit

rinqua

adjective. revolving, returning, recurrent; round, circular

menda

adverb. approximately, circa, about, (orig.) towards the direction

A neologism coined by Luinyelle posted on 2024-06-03 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of √MEN “direction” and ancient suffix -da “toward”.

oswen-

verb. to circumvent, work around [something]

A neologism coined by Luinyelle, Orondil, and Delle, posted on 2024-09-16 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) as a combination of [ᴺQ.] os “around” and men- “go”.

-o

of goodness

-o (1) genitive ending, as in Altariello, Oromëo, Elenna-nórëo, Rithil-Anamo, Rúmilo, Lestanórëo, neldëo, omentielvo, sindiëo, Valinórëo, veryanwesto, q.v. In words ending in -a, the genitive ending replaces this final vowel, hence atto, Ráno, Vardo, vorondo as the genitive forms of atta, Rána, Varda, voronda (q.v.) Following a noun in -ië, the ending can have the longer form -no, e.g. *máriéno "of goodness" (PE17:59, but contrast sindiëo "of greyness" in PE17:72). Where the word ends in -o already, the genitive is not distinct in form, e.g. ciryamo (q.v.) = "mariner" or "mariners". Pl. -ion and -ron, q.v.; dual -to (but possibly -uo in the case of nouns that have nominative dual forms in -u rather than -t). The Quenya genitive describes source, origin or former ownership rather than current ownership (which is rather covered by the possessive-adjectival case in -va). The ending -o may also take on an ablativic sense, "from", as in Oiolossëo "from (Mount) Oiolossë" (Nam), sio "hence" (VT49:18). In some of Tolkiens earlier material, the genitive ending was -n rather than -o, cf. such a revision as Yénië Valinóren "Annals of Valinor" becoming Yénië Valinórëo (MR:200).

attat

2 fathers or neighbours

-t (1) dual ending, on nouns denoting a _pair of something: attat "2 fathers or neighbours" (VT48:19; see _atto), máryat "her (pair of) hands" (Nam), siryat "two rivers" (VT47:11), ciriat "2 ships" (Letters:427 read ciryat as in the Plotz Letter?), maquat "group of ten" (from maqua, meaning among other things "group of five") (VT47:7), nápat "thumb and index as a pair" (VT48:5), also compare met "us two" as the dual form of me "us" (Nam, VT47:11). Other dual endings known from the Plotz letter: genitive -to, possessive -twa, dative -nt, locative -tsë, allative -nta, ablative -lto, instrumental -nten, plus -tes as a possible short locative. It may be that these endings only apply to nouns that would have nominative dual forms in -t, and that nouns preferring the alternative dual ending -u would simply add the otherwise "singular" case endings to this vowel, e.g. *Alduo rather than ?Alduto as the genitive form of "Two Trees" (Aldu). The ending -t is also used as a verbal inflection, corresponding to pl. -r (elen atta siluvat**, "two stars shall shine", VT49:45; the verb carit** "do" would also be used with a dual subject, VT49:16; cf. also the endings listed in VT49:48, 50).

certa

rune

certa noun "rune" (pl. certar given), adapted from Sindarin certh (a "true" or inherited Quenya form of primitive ¤kirtē would have been *cirtë, but this word did not occur). (WJ:396)

cormen

round(ed) place

cormen ("k")noun literally "a round(ed) place" = "circular enclosure" or *"mound" (VT27:20, 24, 25)

hérincë

little lady

hérincë ("k") noun *"little lady" (UT:195). Concerning the diminutive ending, cf. Atarincë, cirinci.

quén

one, (some)body, person, individual, man or woman

quén (quen-, as in pl. queni; as final element in compounds -quen) noun "one, (some)body, person, individual, man or woman", pl. queni = "persons", "(some) people", "they" with the most general meaning (as in "they [= people in general] say that..."). The element is combined with noun and adjective stems in old compounds to denote habitual occupations or functions, or to describe those having some notable (permanent) quality; examples include roquen, ciryaquen, arquen, q.v. Also in aiquen "whoever", ilquen "everybody" (WJ:361 cf. 360, 372).

tano

craftsman, smith

tano noun "craftsman, smith" (TAN), cf. final element -tan in calmatan "lampwright" (PE17:123), Ciryatan *"ship-builder" (Appendix A).

sacillë

noun. splinter

A neologism for “splinter” created by Boris Shapiro in PPQ (PPQ) from the early 2000s, derived from the root ᴹ√STAK “split, insert”. I prefer instead to adapt the early word ᴱQ. kinda “splinter” as ᴺQ. cirda.

certa

noun. rune

corma

noun. ring

A word for “ring” appearing as an element in Q. Cormacolindor “Ring-bearers” (LotR/953), clearly derived from the root √KOR “round”. It also appeared in a translation of the title of The Lord of the Rings that Tolkien included in a 1973 letter to Phillip Brown: i Túrin i Cormaron.

Conceptual Development: Another translation of “Lord of the Rings” is known from an exhibit of Tolkien manuscripts: Heru imillion, where presumably the element millë means “ring” (DTS/54). In a deleted entry from The Etymologies of the 1930s, Tolkien had ᴹQ. kolma “ring ([?on] finger)” [or possibly “or finger”] derived from a deleted root ᴹ√KOL (EtyAC/KOL).

a

cardinal. one

corima

round

corima _("k")_adj. "round" (LT1:257; rather corna in Tolkien's later Quenya)

corma

ring

#corma noun "ring", isolated from #cormacolindo "Ring-bearer", pl. cormacolindor (LotR3:VI ch. 4, translated in Letters:308); Cormarë "Ringday", a festival held on Yavannië 30 in honour of Frodo Baggins (Appendix D)

corna

round, globed

corna ("k")adj. "round, globed" (KOR)

er

one, alone

er cardinal "one, alone" (ERE, VT48:6, VT49:54), in an early source also adv. "only, but, still" (LT1:269); Eru er "one God" (VT44:17; er was here emended by Tolkien from erëa, which seems to be an adjectival form *"one, single".)

erëa

cardinal. one

erëa adj.? "one" or *"single", apparently an adjectival form (see er) (VT44:17)

falqua

cleft, mountain pass, ravine

falqua ("q") noun "cleft, mountain pass, ravine" (LT2:341)

hyatsë

cleft, gash

hyatsë noun "cleft, gash" (SYAD), apparently changed by Tolkien from hyassë (VT46:16)

hópa

haven, harbour, small landlocked bay

hópa noun "haven, harbour, small landlocked bay" (KHOP)

lútë

sail

lútë noun "sail" (MC:213; this is "Qenya")

min

cardinal. one

min numeral "one", also minë (VT45:34, VT48:6)

min

cardinal. one, one, [ᴱQ.] one (in a series), the first

minë

cardinal. one

minë numeral "one", also min (MINI, VT45:34)

mir

cardinal. one

mir (2) cardinal "one" (LT1:260; in LotR-style Quenya rather minë)

mo

one, someone, anyone

mo, indefinite pronoun "one, someone, anyone" (VT42:34, VT49:19, 20, 26)

panda

enclosure

panda noun "enclosure" (PAD)

risil

ring

*risil (þ) noun "ring" (on the ground) in Rithil-Anamo, q.v.

sanca

cleft, split

sanca (þ) ("k") noun? (or adj, or both?) "cleft, split" (STAK)

cerihtando

noun. reaper

unco

noun. jar

A neologism for “jar” coined by Luinyelle posted on 2024-10-06 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), based on ᴹ√UNUK “✱hollow” and inspired by ᴱQ. unqilla(r) “jar handle” (of different origin).

veluntë

noun. sail