curu

skill

curu noun "skill" in names like Curufinwë (q.v.) and Sindarin Curufin, Curunir. (SA; possibly the same as curo, curu- above but there was a word curu ["k"] in Tolkien's early "Qenya", glossed "magic, wizardry" [LT1:269]).

curu

noun. skill, skill; [ᴱQ.] magic, wizardry

@@@ more accurately what men would might “magic”, but to the Elves including what is to them ordinary skills such as mental communication and powers of foresight

curufinwë

masculine name. *Skilled-Finwë

The father-name of S. Curufin, from which his Sindarin name was derived (MR/217, PM/352). It is a compound of curu “skill” and his grandfather’s name Finwë. The short form of this name was Curvo (PM/352). This name was also the father-name of Curufin’s father, Fëanor (S/63, MR/87).

curumo

masculine name. *Skilled-one

The Quenya name of Saruman (UT/401), a compound of curu “skill” and the agental suffix -mo.

Curufinwë

kurufinwë

Curufinwë (so spelt in Silm; "Kurufinwë" in PM), masc. name *"Skillful Finwë", a name of Fëanor (PM:343); also the origin of the Sindarin name Curufin; Fëanor named his favourite son after himself. Short Quenya name Curvo. (PM:352)

Curumo

cunning one

Curumo masc. name *"Cunning One", "Saruman" (UT:401)

curuni

witch

curuni _("k")_noun "witch" (of the good magic) (LT1:269)

curuvar

wizard

curuvar _("k")_noun "wizard" (LT1:269 but Gandalf, Saruman etc. were istari)

curo

skillful [?device - tolkien's handwriting was illegible]

curo (curu-) noun "a skillful [?device - Tolkien's handwriting was illegible]". (VT41:10)

curuni

noun. witch, *sorceress, female magician (not necessarily evil)

@@@ to the Elves does not have the same negative connotations as English, but it may have this sense when used by Men

Curvo

curvo

Curvo, see Curufinwë

atar

father

atar noun "father" (SA; WJ:402, UT:193, LT1:255, VT43:37, VT44:12). According to the Etymologies (ATA) the pl. is atari, but contrast #atári in Atanatári "Fathers of Men" (q.v.); possibly the word behaves differently when compounded. Atarinya "my father" (LR:70), atar(inya) the form a child would use addressing his or her father, also reduced to atya (VT47:26). Diminutive masc. name Atarincë ("k") "Little father", amilessë (never used in narrative) of Curufinwë = Curufin (PM:353). Átaremma, Ataremma "our Father" as the first word of the Quenya translation of the Lord's Prayer, written before Tolkien changed -mm- as the marker of 1st person pl. exclusive to -lm-; notice -e- as a connecting vowel before the ending -mma "our". In some versions of the Lord's Prayer, including the final version, the initial a of atar "father" is lengthened, producing #átar. This may be a contraction of *a atar "o Father", or the vowel may be lengthened to give special emphasis to #Átar "Father" as a religious title (VT43:13). However, in VT44:12 Atar is also a vocative form referring to God, and yet the initial vowel remains short.

Istar

wizard

Istar noun "Wizard", used of Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast etc. Pl. Istari is attested. Gen. pl. in the phrase Heren Istarion "Order of Wizards" (UT:388). "The istari are translated wizards because of the connexion of wizard with wise and so with witting and knowing" (Letters:207); by this translation Tolkien tries to reproduce the relationship between Quenya istar and ista- #1, 2.

Návatar

father

Návatar noun a title of Aulë referring to his position as the immediate author of the Dwarvish race, apparently including atar "father", but the first element cannot be related to any known term for "Dwarf" (PM:391 cf. 381)

atar

noun. father

atar

noun. father

The Quenya word for “father”, derived from the root √AT(AR) (PM/324; WJ/402; VT48/19).

Conceptual Development: ᴱQ. atar “father” dates all the way back to the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, though in that document it was “a more solemn word ... usually to 1st Person of the Blessed Trinity”, as opposed to more ordinary ᴱQ. attu “father” (QL/33). In the English-Qenya Dictionary of the 1920s, ᴱQ. atar was the ordinary word for “father”, but with variant archaic form †attar (PE15/72). ᴹQ. atar “father” reappeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√ATA of the same meaning (Ety/ATA). It appeared again in the Quenya Verbal System of the 1940s in various inflected forms (PE22/118-119). It continued to appear regularly in Tolkien’s later writings. Thus this word was established early and retained its form throughout Tolkien’s life with only minor variations.

atto

father, daddy

atto noun "father, daddy" (hypocoristic)(ATA, LR:49), supposedly a word in "actual 'family' use" (VT47:26), also used in children's play for "thumb" and "big toe" (VT47:10, 26, VT48:4, 6). The dual form attat listed in VT48:19 seems to be formed from the alternative form atta, though attat was changed by Tolkien from attot. - Compare atya.

curwë

craft

curwë ("k")noun "craft" (KUR), "skill of the hand" (VT41:10), Curwë ("K") "technical skill and invention" (PM:360 cf. 344)

findë

cunning

findë (2) noun? (less likely adj.) "cunning" (LT1:253; this "Qenya" word is possibly obsoleted by # 1 above)

finië

cunning

finië noun? "cunning" (LT1:253)

lér

man

**lér noun "man" (NI1; hypothetical Q form of PQ dēr; the form actually used in Quenya was nér)

nér

man

nér (1) (ner-, as in pl. neri) noun "man" (adult male elf, mortal, or of other speaking race) (MR:213, VT49:17, DER, NDER, NI1, VT45:9; see also WJ:393)

nér

noun. man

sairina

magic

sairina adj.? "magic" (evidently adj. rather than noun) (GL:72)

sairon

wizard

sairon noun "wizard" (SAY); according to LT2:337 and GL:29, Sairon is also the Quenya (or Qenya) name of Dairon (Daeron).

tanwë

craft, thing made, device, construction

tanwë noun "craft, thing made, device, construction" (TAN)

vëo

man

†vëo noun "man" (WEG; etymologically connected to vëa "manly, vigorous"; the more neutral word for "man" is nér. According to VT46:21, Tolkien indicated that vëo is an archaic or poetic word.) Tolkien at a later point defined the word as "living creature" (PE17:189). Cf. variant wëo, q.v.

finië

noun. cunning

curu

noun. skill (of the hand), craft; power, ability, skill (of the hand), craft; power, ability; [N.] cunning; [ᴱN.] magic

curu

noun. craft; applied to all cunning things or [wily?] things

_ n. _craft; applied to all cunning things or [wily?] things, esp. when intended as mysterious or secret.

Curufin

noun. Curufin

prop. n.

curufin

masculine name. *Skilled-Finwë

5th son of Fëanor, called “the crafty” (S/60). His Sindarin name is adapted from his Quenya father-name Q. Curufinwë “✱Skilled-Finwë” (MR/217, PM/343). This name is a combination of S. curu “skill” and the Sindarized form S. fin of his grandfather’s name Q. Finwë (VT41/10), also seen in the name S. Finarfin.

Conceptual Development: This character was named G. Curufin when he first appeared earliest Lost Tales, already with the sobriquet “Crafty” (LT2/241). The name N. Curufin appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s as a combination of N. curu “cunning” and a suffixal form of ON. phinya “skillful” (Ety/KUR, PHIN). The derivation from his Quenya name did not emerge until after Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (MR/217).

curunír

noun. wizard, wizard, [N.] man of craft

@@@ a compound of curu “skill, craft” (SA/curu) and the agental suffix -n(d)ir

curunír

masculine name. Man of Skill

The Sindarin name of Saruman, translated “Man of Skill” (LotR/1085), “Man of Craft” (UT/390) or “one of cunning devices” (RC/389). His name is a compound of curu “skill, craft” (SA/curu) and the agental suffix -n(d)ir.

Conceptual Development: Saruman’s Sindarin name did not emerge until late in the writing of The Lord of the Rings (PM/228), but the noun N. curunir “a man of craft, wizard” appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/KUR), where it had essentially the same derivation as above. This noun was capitalized (EtyAC/KUR) and so could have been Saruman’s name, but curunír also appeared in Tolkien’s later writings as a general word for “wizard” (PE22/151). Any even earlier precursor might be G. curug “wizard” in the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s (GL/28).

curunír ’lân

masculine name. Saruman the White

Sindarin translation of “Saruman the White” (UT/390), a combination of his Sindarin name Curunír and lenited form ’lân of the (otherwise unattested) adjective glân “white”.

curunír

noun. man of craft, wizard

curunír

noun. wizard

coru

adjective. cunning, wily

curu

skill

curu (i guru, o churu) (cunning, cunning device, craft), pl. cyry (i chyry). Archaic *curw, hence the coll. pl. is likely curwath. (VT45:24)

curu

cunning device

curu (i guru, o churu) (skill, craft), pl. cyry (i chyry) (VT45:24). Similar forms function as adjectives:

curu

cunning device

(i guru, o churu) (skill, craft), pl. cyry (i chyry) (VT45:24). Similar forms function as adjectives:

curu

skill

(i guru, o churu) (cunning, cunning device, craft), pl. cyry (i chyry). Archaic ✱curw, hence the coll. pl. is likely curwath. (VT45:24)

curunír

man of craft

(i gurunír, o churunír) (wizard), no distinct pl. form except with article (i churunír), coll. pl. ?curuníriath.

curunír

wizard

curunír (i gurunír, o churunír) (man of craft), no distinct pl. form except with article (i churunír), coll. pl. curuníriath.

curunír

man of craft

(i gurunír, o churunír) (wizard), no distinct pl. form except with article (i churunír), coll. pl. ?curuníriath

curunír

man of craft

curunír (i gurunír, o churunír) (wizard), no distinct pl. form except with article (i churunír), coll. pl. ?curuníriath

curunír

man of craft

curunír (i gurunír, o churunír) (wizard), no distinct pl. form except with article (i churunír), coll. pl. ?curuníriath.

curunír

wizard

(i gurunír, o churunír) (man of craft), no distinct pl. form except with article (i churunír), coll. pl. curuníriath.

curunis

noun. witch

coru

cunning

(adj.) coru (wily), lenited goru, analogical pl. cery. Archaic corw (pl. cyrw).

coru

cunning

(wily), lenited goru, analogical pl. cery. Archaic corw (pl. cyrw).

maenas

craft

maenas (i vaenas) (handicraft, art), pl. maenais (i maenais), coll. pl. maenassath. Also curu (i guru, o churu) (cunning, cunning device, skill), pl. cyry (i chyry) (VT45:24);

maenas

craft

(i vaenas) (handicraft, art), pl. maenais (i maenais), coll. pl. maenassath. Also curu (i guru, o churu) (cunning, cunning device, skill), pl. cyry (i chyry) (VT45:24);

dîr

noun. man, man, [N.] adult male; agental suffix

A word for “man” as a male person, attested only as an element in compounds or as (archaic?) ndir (PE17/60). This word likely refers to male individuals of all races including Elves, Men, Dwarves and so forth, much like its Quenya cognate Q. nér. This word must have been derived from the primitive subjective form ✶ndēr of the root √N(D)ER “male person”, where the ancient long ē became ī, and the initial cluster nd- became d-, though the ancient cluster would still be reflected in mutated forms, such as in i nîr “the man” rather than ✱✱i dhîr.

Conceptual Development: Perhaps the earliest precursor to this word is (archaic) G. †drio “hero, warrior” with variants driw, driodweg and driothweg, a cognate of ᴱQ. nēr (GL/22). This Gnomish word was derived from primitive ᴱ✶n’reu̯, where the initial nr- became dr-. At this early stage, the root was unstrengthened ᴱ√NERE (QL/65), as reflected in (archaic) ᴱN. nîr “hero, prince, warrior-elf” in the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s (PE13/164).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root became ᴹ√DER “adult male, man” of any speaking race and the derived form was N. dîr (Ety/DER). However, in this document Tolkien said:

> EN †dîr surviving chiefly in proper names (as Diriel older Dirghel [GYEL], Haldir, Brandir) and as agental ending (as ceredir “doer, maker”) ... In ordinary use EN has benn [for “man”] (properly = “husband”).

Thus in the scenario described in The Etymologies, dîr “man” was archaic and used only as an element in names or as a suffix. In ordinary speech it was replaced by N. benn, which used to mean “husband” but now meant “man”, while the word for “husband” became N. hervenn (Ety/BES). It is unlikely Tolkien imagined this exact scenario in later Sindarin, however, since the 1930s root for benn was ᴹ√BES “wed”, but by the 1960s the root for husband/wife/marry words had become √BER.

Neo-Sindarin: Since the status of N. benn is questionable given ᴹ√BES >> √BER, many Neo-Sindarin writers prefer to use S. ✱dîr as the Sindarin word for man. I am of the opinion that both dîr and benn are acceptable for “man, male person”. This is because I prefer to retain ᴹ√BES as the root for “marry, wed”, since it is the best basis for attested husband/wife words in (Neo) Sindarin.

drúadan

noun. wild man, one of the Woses

drû

noun. wild man, Wose, Púkel-Man

In PE/11:31, an older Gnomish word drû, drui meant "wood, forest", and in PE/13:142, the early Noldorin word drú was assigned the meaning "dark". Drû pl. Drúin later came to be used for the name of the Woses, with other derivatives (Drúadan, etc.). "Wose" is actually the modernization of an Anglo-Saxon word wasa only found in the compound wudu-wasa "wild man of the woods", cf. UT/385 sq. In the drafts of the "Ride of the Rohirrim" in WR/343-346, the Woses first appeared as "the dark men of Eilenach". Though internally said to derive from drughu in their own tongue, Tolkien's choice for the Sindarin name of the Woses was apparently influenced by earlier meanings assigned to this word

Dúnadan

noun. Man of the west, Númenórean

adan

noun. man, one of the Second People (elvish name for men)

adanadar

noun. man, one of the Fathers of Men

adanath

noun. men

adar

noun. father

adar

noun. father

The Sindarin word for “father”, derived from the root √AT(AR) (PM/324; VT44/21-22; VT48/19).

Conceptual Development: N. adar “father” also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√ATA of the same meaning (Ety/ATA). In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, however, G. †ador “father” was marked as archaic, and it seems {athon >>} G. nathon was the ordinary word for ”father” (GL/17, 59).

atheg

noun. "litte father"

atheg

noun. thumb (Elvish play-name used by and taught to children)

gûl

noun. magic lore, long study (being used mostly of secret knowledge, especially such as possessed by artificers who made wonderful things)

gûl

noun. perverted or evil knowledge, sorcery, necromancy

ithron

noun. wizard

ithron

noun. Wizard

ada

father

(pl. edai)

adan

man

(pl. Edain; the coll. pl. Adanath is attested). The word Adan came to be used primarily of a member of the Three Houses of the Edain, not of the mortal race of Men in general.

adanadar

father of men

normally pl. Edenedair "Fathers of Men", the early Edain.

adar

father

adar (pl. edair);

adar

father

(pl. edair);

angol

magic

(deep lore), pl. engyl. Note: a homophone means "stench".

bôr

trusty man

(boron-) (i vôr, construct bor) (steadfast man, faithful vassal), pl. *b**ŷr* for older beryn, i meryn (archaic böryn, i möryn). In ”Noldorin”, the older pl. forms were berein, beren.

dîr

man

1) (adult male of any speaking race) dîr (dír-, also agentive ending -dir or -nir; with article, i nîr, hard mutation as in o ndîr), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndîr); coll. pl. díriath. Also benn (i venn, construct ben), pl. binn (i minn). The latter is in archaic language used = "husband" (the etymological meaning). The ending -we in names may also express ”being, man, person”. 2) (mortal human as opposed to Elf) Adan (pl. Edain; the coll. pl. Adanath is attested). The word Adan came to be used primarily of a member of the Three Houses of the Edain, not of the mortal race of Men in general.

dîr

man

(dír-, also agentive ending -dir or -nir; with article, i nîr, hard mutation as in o ndîr), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndîr); coll. pl. díriath. Also benn (i venn, construct ben), pl. binn (i minn). The latter is in archaic language used = "husband" (the etymological meaning). The ending -we in names may also express ”being, man, person”.

dúnadan

man of the west

(i Núnadan), pl. Dúnedain (i Ndúnedain) (WJ:378, 386).

firion

mortal man

(pl. firyn).

gûl

magic

1) gûl (i ngûl = i ñûl, o n**gûl = o ñgûl, construct gul) (sorcery, necromancy, evil knowledge), pl. guil (in guil = i ñguil) (Silm:App, MR:250, WJ:383), 2) angol (deep lore), pl. engyl**. Note: a homophone means "stench". DARK MAGIC, see .

gûl

magic

(i ngûl = i ñûl, o n’gûl = o ñgûl, construct gul) (sorcery, necromancy, evil knowledge), pl. guil (in guil = i ñguil) (Silm:App, MR:250, WJ:383)

ithron

wizard

1) ithron (= Quenya istar, one of the order Gandalf belonged to), pl. ithryn, coll. pl. ithronnath (UT:388), 2)

ithron

wizard

(= Quenya istar, one of the order Gandalf belonged to), pl. ithryn, coll. pl. ithronnath (UT:388)

lúthad

noun. enchantments, sorcery

rhavan

wild man

(?i thravan or ?i ravan – the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhevain (?idh revain) (WJ:219). – The following terms apparently apply to ”men” of any speaking race:

thalion

dauntless man

(hero), pl. thelyn. Also used as an adj. ”dauntless, steadfast, strong”. 

curu

noun. cunning

curu

noun. craft, skill

curufin

masculine name. Crafty

curunir

noun. a man of craft, wizard

curunir

noun. man of craft, wizard

curw

noun. craft, skill

ada

noun. father, daddy

adar

noun. father

adar

noun. father

benn

noun. man, male

corw

adjective. cunning, wily

dîr

noun. man, referring to an adult male (elf, mortal, or of any other speaking race)

forodrim

noun. Northmen

forodwaith

noun. Northmen

forodwaith

noun. the lands of the North

forodweith

noun. Northmen

forodweith

noun. the lands of the North

gûl

noun. magic lore, long study (being used mostly of secret knowledge, especially such as possessed by artificers who made wonderful things)

gûl

noun. perverted or evil knowledge, sorcery, necromancy

gûl

noun. magic

maenas

noun. craft

attô

noun. father

A noun for “father” (SD/434). Tolkien gave two forms of this word, attû and attô, with no indication as to which would be preferred. For reasons similar to those given in the entry for ammê “mother”, my guess is that attû is an archaic form, and attô was preferred by the time of Classical Adûnaic. This word is probably related to the Elvish root √AT(AR) “father”, perhaps from Primitive Elvish ᴹ✶atū.

zigûr

noun. wizard

A noun translated “wizard” and given as an example of a noun with a long vowel in its final syllable that (archaically) uses the declension for a strong-noun (SD/437), the rare class of Strong-Ib nouns. By the time of Classical Adûnaic, it could be declined as an ordinary weak-noun instead. As the proper name Zigûr, it was the Adûnaic name for Sauron.

at(ar)

root. father

As the basis for “father” words, √AT and its extended form √ATAR date all the way back to Tolkien’s earliest ideas. The root itself did not explicitly appear in the Qenya or Gnomish Lexicons of the 1910s, but forms like ᴱQ. atar, G. †ador “father” indicate its presence (QL/33; GL/17). The root ᴹ√ATA “father” did appear in The Etymologies of the 1930s with derivatives ᴹQ. atar, N. adar (Ety/ATA) and the base √AT(AR) “father” was mentioned again in late 1960s notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals (VT48/19). In this late period, the Elvish words for “father” remained Q. atar and S. adar (PM/324).

atar

noun. father

ndē̆r

noun. man

atta

noun. father

beorn

noun. man

The shift of e to eo is strange and has no direct parallels, but compare eo from i in meord "fine rain" (< primitive mizdê). Normally final -ô becomes -â in Nandorin (see golda), but here it is simply lost instead of producing *beorna. C.f. meord the other word where we might have expected to see a final -a (in that case from -ê); it may be that final vowels are lost in words that would otherwise come to have more than two syllables. - The shift of primitive s to r in besnô > beorn may be ascribed primarily to the blending with ber(n)ô, but r from z is seen in meord < mizdê; perhaps the s of besnô first became z and then r. Such developments are common in Quenya.