cirion

masculine name. Cirion

The 12th ruling steward of Gondor (LotR/1039). The meaning of this name is unclear. David Salo suggested it means “✱Shipman”, an ancient combination of cair “ship” and the agental suffix -(r)on, from (unattested) primitive ✶kiriondo (GS/245, 346).

Conceptual Development: In drafts of the Lord of the Rings appendices, this name first appeared as Hador (PM/219).

cirion

noun. shipman, sailor

cirion

shipman

cirion (i girion) (sailor), pl. ciryn (i chiryn), coll. pl. cirionnath.

cirion

sailor

cirion (i girion) (shipman), pl. ciryn (i chíryn), coll. pl. cirionnath.

cirion

shipman

(i girion) (sailor), pl. ciryn (i chiryn), coll. pl. cirionnath.

cirion

sailor

(i girion) (shipman), pl. ciryn (i chíryn), coll. pl. cirionnath.

cirion

noun. sailor, shipman

A neologism for “sailor” coined by David Salo, a combination of cair “ship” with the agental suffix -on (GS/165). Compare this to the class plural ciriath “ships” of cair.

cair

noun. ship

The Sindarin word for “ship”, most notably appearing as an element in the name Cair Andros “Ship of Long Foam” (LotR/812; PM/371). It is derived from primitive ✶kiryā, with the ancient i becoming e via a-affection [kery(a)], then the y intruding into the main syllable to form the diphthong ei [keir], and ultimately ei becoming ai as usual in final syllables in Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s [kair]. This word has a somewhat unusual plural, since ī replaced final ā in its ancient plural [kiryā-ī > kirī], so that a-affection did not occur resulting in a modern plural form cîr “ships” (PE17/147). Its class plural is likewise the somewhat unusual ciriath “[all the] ships” for similar reasons.

Conceptual Development: The Etymologies from around 1937 had N. ceir “ship” under the root ᴹ√KIR “cleave” (Ety/KIR), since in Noldorin of the 1930s ei did not (usually) become ai in final syllables. In Primitive Quendian Structure: Final Consonants from 1936, Tolkien gave cīr “ship”, first marked “N.”, then “Ilk.”, then “N. & Ilk.” (PE21/57 and note #28). It had the class plurals círiath or ciriath but it is not clear which of these was the intended final form (PE21/57 note #28). I think ciriath is more phonologically plausible; compare class plural S. Firiath “Mortals” vs. ordinary plural Fîr (WJ/387).

Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s had the word ᴱN. cair followed by ᴱN. braithgair, but neither word was translated (PE13/139-140).

cair

noun. ship

cair

ship

cair (in compounds cír-) (i gair, o chair), pl. cîr, i chîr; coll. pl. ciriath.

cair

ship

(in compounds cír-) (i gair, o chair), pl. cîr, i chîr; coll. pl. ciriath.

círdan

shipbuilder, shipwright

(i gírdan, o chírdan) (shipwright), pl. círdain (i chírdain).