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-)

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”.

Cognates

• S. cirith “cleft, ravine, defile, cleft, ravine, defile, [N.] pass”

Derivations

• √KIR “cut, cleave, pass swiftly through; shave; skim (surface), slip along, glide quickly”

Element in

• Q. Calacirya “Pass of Light” ✧ RGEO/62

Variations

• cirya ✧ RGEO/62

cirya

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

Cognates

• S. cair “ship” ✧ PE17/147

Derivations

• ✶kiryā “(small swift sailing) ship; swift (especially of things that pass easily through obstacles)”
  • √KIR “cut, cleave, pass swiftly through; shave; skim (surface), slip along, glide quickly”
• √KIR “cut, cleave, pass swiftly through; shave; skim (surface), slip along, glide quickly” ✧ PE22/150; SA/kir

Element in

• Q. aran linta ciryalion “*king of swift ships” ✧ PE17/147
• Q. aran linta ciryalíva “*king of swift ships” ✧ PE17/147
• Q. Arciryas “*Noble Ship”
• Q. Ciriáran “Mariner King, *(lit.) Ship King”
• Q. Ciryaher “*Ship Lord”
• Q. ciryalya tar “your ship, sir” ✧ PE17/058
• Q. ciryamo “mariner”
• ᴺQ. ciryampa “anchor, (lit.) boat-hook”
• Q. Ciryandil “*Ship Lover”
• Q. ciryando “sailor”
• ᴺQ. ciryapanda “haven, (lit.) ship-enclosure”
• Q. ciryaquen “shipman, sailor”
• ᴺQ. ciryasta “fleet (of ships)”
• Q. Ciryatan “Shipbuilder, Shipwright” ✧ SA/kir
• Q. ciryatan “shipbuilder, shipwright” ✧ S/265
• Q. Ciryatur “*Ship-master”
• Q. cirya tyulma “a ship-mast, ship’s mast, mast of an unspecified ship or any ship” ✧ PE21/80
• Q. Ciryon ✧ SA/kir
• Q. i tyulma ciryava “the mast of the ship” ✧ PE21/80
• Q. man cenuva fána cirya? “Who shall see a white ship?” ✧ MC/221
• Q. man tiruva fána cirya? “Who shall heed a white ship?” ✧ MC/222
• Q. man tiruva rácina cirya? “Who shall heed a broken ship?” ✧ MC/222
• Q. Tarciryan
• Q. tyulma ciryo “the mast from some ship, of some ship” ✧ PE21/80
• Q. tyulma i ciryo “the mast of the ship” ✧ PE21/80

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√KIR > kirya	[kirja]	✧ PE22/150
√kir- > círya	[kirja]	✧ SA/kir

Variations

• kirya ✧ MC/221; MC/222; MC/222; PE21/80; PE22/150
• cirya ✧ Plotz/01
• Cirya ✧ S/265
• círya ✧ SA/kir

ciris

cleft, crack

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

hyatsë

cleft, gash

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

sanca

cleft, split

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

falqua

cleft, mountain pass, ravine

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

cair

noun. ship

cair

noun. ship

Cognates

• Q. cirya “(sharp-prowed) ship; swift gliding, (sharp-prowed) ship, [ᴹQ.] boat; [Q.] swift gliding” ✧ PE17/147

Derivations

• ✶kiryā “(small swift sailing) ship; swift (especially of things that pass easily through obstacles)”
  • √KIR “cut, cleave, pass swiftly through; shave; skim (surface), slip along, glide quickly”

Element in

• S. aran cîr lim “*king of swift ships” ✧ PE17/147
• S. aran na chîr lim “*king of swift ships” ✧ PE17/147
• S. Cair Andros “Ship of Long Foam” ✧ SA/an(d)
• S. círdan “shipbuilder, shipwright”
• ᴺS. cirias “fleet (of ships)”
• ᴺS. cirion “sailor, shipman”
• S. Pelargir “Garth of Royal Ships”

Variations

• Cair ✧ SA/an(d)

cirith

noun. cleft, high climbing pass, narrow passage cut through earth or rock, ravine, defile

criss

noun. cleft, cleft, [N.] cut, slash, [G.] gash; [N.] pass, [G.] gully, ravine

A word for a “cleft, cut, slash” (PE21/81; Ety/KIRIS) derived from √KIRIS, a blend of the roots √KIR and √RIS (PE17/87).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to G. criss “cleft, gash, gully” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s where it was probably already a derivative of the early root ᴱ√KIRISI as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (GL/27; LT2A/Cris Ilbranteloth). In the Name-list to The Fall of Gondolin Tolkien gave cris with the definition “a cleft, ravine, or narrow way of waters with high walls” (PE15/21), and in this period it typically appeared in this shorter form within names like G. Cris Ilbranteloth or G. Cris Thorn.

N. criss appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “cleft, cut, slash” under the root ᴹ√KIRIS “cut” (Ety/KIRIS). It also appeared under the root ᴹ√KIR with the gloss “cleft, pass”, but this instance was deleted (EtyAC/KIR). S. criss “cleft” was mentioned in passing in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure (EVS2) from the early 1950s as derived from primitive ✶kirissi (PE21/80-81), and it was mentioned as a blending of roots in notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s as described above (PE17/87). Its use in names diminished over time, however, the only remnant in the final version of The Silmarillion being S. Crissaegrim (S/121).

Neo-Sindarin: In The Etymologies of the 1930s it seems this word was principally used as for a “cleft, cut, slash” independent of geography. I would assume the same is true for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, since criss is used only in a single geographic name in Tolkien’s later writings; S. cirith was use more broadly in geographic features. I would also assume it was a larger and more violent cut (a “gash” or “slash”) compared to S. rest for simple cuts.

Derivations

• √KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”
• ✶kirissi “cleft” ✧ PE21/80
  • √KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”

Element in

• S. Crissaegrim “*Cleft Mountain Peaks”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶kirissi > criss	[kiríssi] > [kirísse] > [krisse] > [kriss]	✧ PE21/80

falch

noun. deep cleft, ravine

thanc

adjective. cleft, split, forked

riss

adjective. cleft

_ adj. _cleft, cloven, separate. Q. rista, risse, rinse. >> Imladris

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).

cirion

shipman

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

cirith

cleft

(i girith, o chirith) (cutting, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith)

criss

cleft

(i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss), 4) iaw (gulf, ravine), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”

cîl

cleft

(i gîl, o chîl) (pass between hills, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. A homophone means ”renewal”.

rest

cleft

(ravine, cut), pl. rist (idh rist)

rist

cleft

(noun) 1) rist (-ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh rist). Note: a homophone means ”cleaver, cutter”, 2) cirith (i girith, o chirith) (cutting, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith), 3) cîl (i gîl, o chîl) (pass between hills, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. A homophone means ”renewal”. 4) criss (i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss), 4) iaw (gulf, ravine), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”, 5) rest (ravine, cut), pl. rist (idh rist), 6) (deep cleft) falch (ravine[?]), pl. felch

rist

cleft

(-ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh rist). Note: a homophone means ”cleaver, cutter”

falch

cleft

(ravine[?]), pl. felch

thanc

cleft

(adj.) thanc (forked, split), pl. thainc

thanc

cleft

(forked, split), pl. thainc

balak

noun. ship

The noun for “ship”, attested only in the plural (balîk) and objective (balku) forms (SD/247, PM/151). Its plural form indicates that it is a strong-noun (Strong I), so its final vowel must be short. In theory its final vowel could be any of a, i or u, each of which would be replaced by long î in plural nouns. However, its attested objective form uses the variant objective-with-syncope form balku instead of ordinary ✱baluk. Since the Adûnaic syncope seems only to occur for nouns with two identical short vowels, this indicates the singular form of this word is balak.

Element in

• Ad. balîk hazad an-Nimruzîr azûlada “seven ships of Elendil [went] eastward” ✧ SD/247
• Ad. Balkumagân “Shipwright, *Shipbuilder” ✧ PM/151

kirissi

noun. cleft

Derivations

• √KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”

Derivatives

• S. criss “cleft, cleft, [N.] cut, slash, [G.] gash; [N.] pass, [G.] gully, ravine” ✧ PE21/80

ceir

noun. ship

ceir

noun. ship

Changes

• cir → cīr “ship” ✧ PE21/57

Cognates

• Ilk. cîr “ship”
• ᴹQ. kirya “ship, boat” ✧ Ety/KIR

Derivations

• ᴹ√KIR “cleave” ✧ Ety/KIR

Element in

• N. Cair Andros
• N. Cairros “*Ship-foam”
• N. cirban “haven” ✧ Ety/PAD
• N. cirdan “shipbuilder” ✧ Ety/KIR
• N. Pelargir

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√KIR > ceir	[kirja] > [kerja] > [keria] > [keri] > [keir]	✧ Ety/KIR

Variations

• ceirda ✧ EtyAC/KIR (ceirda)
• cīr ✧ PE21/57
• cir ✧ PE21/57 (cir)

cîr

noun. ship

cirith

noun. cleft, pass

Element in

• N. Kirith Gorgor “Dreadful Pass” ✧ WR/122
• N. Kirith Naglath “Cleft of the Teeth” ✧ WR/137
• N. Cirith Helvin “Rainbow Cleft”
• N. Kirith Ungol “Spider Glen”

Elements

Word	Gloss
KIR	“cut, cleave, pass swiftly through; shave; skim (surface), slip along, glide quickly”

Variations

• Kirith ✧ WR/122; WR/137

criss

noun. cleft, cut, slash

cîl

noun. cleft, pass between hills, gorge

thanc

adjective. cleft, split, forked