Quenya 

firin

dead

firin adj. "dead" (by natural cause) (PHIR).This may obsolete the earlier "Qenya" word firin "ray of the sun" (LT2:341)

qualin

dead

qualin ("q")adj. "dead" (KWAL, LT1:264)

fir-

die, fade

fir- vb. "die, fade" (cf. fifíru-); aorist (?) fírë "expire"; augmentless perfect fírië, translated "she has breathed forth"(but no explicit element meaning "she" seems to be present) (MR:250, 470, VT43:34)

qual-

verb. die

Quenya [PE 22:152] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

hessa

dead, withered

hessa adj. "dead, withered" (LT1:255)

la

no, not

la negation "no, not" (see ); also prefix la- as in lacarë, q.v. (VT45:25)

lenweta-

go away, migrate, leave ones abode

lenweta- vb. "go away, migrate, leave ones abode", pa.t. lenwentë (PE17:51)

-na

suffix. slain

A shorter ending -na also occurs, e.g. nahtana "slain" (VT49:24); the example hastaina "marred" would suggest that *nahtaina is equally possible. In the example aistana "blessed" (VT43:30), -na may be preferred to -ina for euphonic reasons, to avoid creating a second diphthong ai where one already occurs in the previous syllable (*aistaina). In PE17:68, the ending -ina is said to be "aorist" (unmarked as regards time and aspect); the same source states that the shorter ending -na is "no longer part of verbal conjugation", though it obviously survives in many words that are maybe now to be considered independent adjectives. See -na #4.

no, not

(1) adv. "no, not" (LA, VT45:25) According to VT42:33, is the stressed form, alternating with la when the negation is unstressed. In another conceptual phase of Tolkien's, had the opposite meaning "yes" (VT42:32-33), but this idea is contradicted by both earlier and later material: usually is conceived as a negation. The negation can receive tense markers and be used as a negative verb "when [another] verb is not expressed" (VT49:13), apparently where the phrase "is not" is followed by a noun or an adjective as a predicate, or where some verb is understood, as in English "I do not" (i.e. "I do not do whatever the context indicates"). With pronominal endings la- in the aorist, e.g. lanyë "I do not, am not" (etc.) (Tolkien abandoned the form lamin.) Exemplified in the sentence melin sé apa lanyë *"I love him but I do not [love] him" (another person) (VT49:15). Present tense laia, past lánë, perfect alaië, future lauva.

auta-

go away, leave

auta- (1) vb. "go away, leave" (leave the point of the speaker's thought); old "strong" past tense anwë, usually replaced by vánë, perfect avánië but when the meaning is purely physical "went away (to another place)" rather than "disappear", the past tense oantë, perfect oantië was used. Past participle vanwa "gone, lost, no longer to be had, vanished, departed, dead, past and over" (WJ:366)

auta-

verb. go away

Quenya [PE 22:164] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

nanca

slain

nanca adj. *"slain" (PE17:68); see -na

vanwa

gone, lost, no longer to be had, vanished, departed, dead, past, past and over, gone on the road, over

vanwa adj. "gone, lost, no longer to be had, vanished, departed, dead, past, past and over, gone on the road, over" (WJ:366, Nam, RGEO:67, WAN, LT1:264; older wanwa, PE17:143). The word was "not applied to _dead persons _except those who would not return, either because of a special doom (as [in the case of] Men) or because of a special will of their own (as Felagund or Míriel) or a special ban of Mandos (as Feanor)" (PE17:143). Also see avanwa.

vanwa

adjective. gone, lost, departed, vanished, past, over, no longer to be had, passed away, dead, gone, lost, departed, vanished, past, over, no longer to be had, passed away, dead, [ᴹQ.] gone for good; [ᴱQ.] on the road

Derivations

  • BA(N) “meet, come up against; go (away), meet, come up against; go, [ᴹ√] proceed” ✧ PE17/016
  • wanwa “gone, taken away, lost, departed” ✧ PE17/143; PE22/137
    • WĀ/AWA “away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago, away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago; [ᴹ√] forth, out” ✧ PE17/143

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
auta-“to go (away), depart, leave; to disappear, be lost, pass away”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ABA/BA > vanwa[banwa] > [βanwa] > [vanwa]✧ PE17/016
wanwa > vanwa[wanwa] > [vanwa]✧ PE17/143
bā̆nwa > vanwa[banwa] > [βanwa] > [vanwa]✧ PE22/137

Variations

  • va-nwa ✧ PE17/068
  • Vanwa ✧ PE21/80
  • vánwa ✧ RGEO/58; RGEO/58
Quenya [LotR/0377; PE17/016; PE17/063; PE17/064; PE17/068; PE17/074; PE17/143; PE17/148; PE21/80; PE22/137; RGEO/58; RGEO/59; WJ/366; WJ/378] Group: Eldamo. Published by

il-

verb. no, *un-

il- (prefix) "no, *un-" (LA); cf. ilfirin "immortal" (vs. firin "dead"). This prefix "denotes the opposite, the reversal, i.e. more than the mere negation" (VT42:32). But il- can also mean "all, every"; see ilaurëa, ilqua, ilquen.

ui

no

ui interjection "no" (originally an endingless negative verb in the 3rd person aorist: "it is not [so]"; see #u-). Apparently this is the word for "no" used to deny that something is true (compare , which is rather used to reject orders, or to issue negative orders). (VT49:28) Compare uito.

hessa

adjective. withered, dead

Derivations

  • ᴺ✶. KHES “wither”

Sindarin 

fern

noun/adjective. dead, dead person; [N.] dead (of mortals)

An adjective in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “dead (of mortals)” under the root ᴹ√PHIR “die of natural causes”, used as a plural noun in the name Dor Firn i Guinar “Land of the Dead that Live” (Ety/PHIR). Christopher Tolkien choose to include the name Dor Firn-i-Guinar in the published version of The Silmarillion (S/188), and most Sindarin writers accept its ongoing validity.

Derivations

  • PHIR “exhale, expire, breathe out, exhale, expire, breathe out; [ᴹ√] die of natural causes”

Element in

gorthrim

noun. the dead

Sindarin [[Raith >] Fui 'Ngorthrim RC/526] Group: SINDICT. Published by

gwanwen

proper name. Departed

A term the Sindar used for the Elves who left Beleriand for Aman, derived from the same root as Q. vanwa: √WĀ/AWA (WJ/366, 378). Another variation was Gwanwel (WJ/378), perhaps incorporating †Ell “Elf”.

Variations

  • Gwanwel ✧ WJ/378; WJI/Gwanwen
Sindarin [WJ/378; WJI/Gwanwen] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gwanwen

adjective. departed, departed, *gone, lost [to time], past

Derivations

  • WĀ/AWA “away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago, away (from); go (away), depart, pass away, move (from speaker); before (of time), ago; [ᴹ√] forth, out”

Element in

Variations

  • Gwanwen ✧ WJ/378

gorth

noun. a dead person

Sindarin [[Raith >] Fui 'Ngorthrim RC/526, gyrth Letters/4] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dangen

adjective. slain

An adjective for “slain” derived from primitive ✶dankĭna (PE17/133), best known from its (mutated plural) appearance in the name Haudh-en-Ndengin “Hill of Slain” (S/197). N. dangen “slain” also appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√NDAK “slay” (Ety/NDAK). This adjective is likely the passive participle of the verb dag- “to slay”.

Conceptual Development: A similar adjective ᴱN. danc “killed in battle” appeared in the Early Qenya Phonology of the 1920s, also related to ᴱN. dag- “slay” (PE14/66).

Cognates

  • north S. dachen “slain” ✧ PE17/133

Derivations

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
dankĭna > daŋχen > danghen > dangen[daŋkina] > [daŋkʰina] > [daŋxina] > [daŋxena] > [daŋxen] > [daŋgen]✧ PE17/133
dankĭna > nenghin[daŋkini] > [daŋkʰini] > [daŋxini] > [deŋxini] > [deŋxin] > [deŋgin]✧ PE17/133
Sindarin [PE17/097; PE17/133] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gorth

noun/adjective. dead; dead (person)

A noun for a “dead [person]” appearing its plural form in the phrase Dor Gyrth i Chuinar “Land of the Dead that Live” (Let/417) and its mutated class-plural form in the phrase Fui ’Ngorthrim “Paths of the Dead” (RC/526). It is clearly based on the root √ÑGUR “death”. In a Discord conversation from 2022-10-14, Lokyt suggested that this form is likely a nominalized adjective, from primitive ✱ngurtā “dead”. As such, it can probably be used as both an adjective for “dead” and a noun for a “dead (person)”.

Derivations

  • ÑGUR “death; to die”

Element in

Sindarin [Let/417; NM/364; RC/526] Group: Eldamo. Published by

baw

interjection. no, don't!

Sindarin [WJ/371] Group: SINDICT. Published by

ú

prefix. no, not (negative prefix or particle)

Sindarin [WJ/369, LotR/A(v)] Group: SINDICT. Published by

no, not

also ú

û

interjection. no

adv. or interj. no, not (of fact).

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:144] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

gorth

dead

(adj.) 1) gorth (lenited ngorth; pl. gyrth), also fern, pl. firn. These adjectives may also be used as nouns ”dead person(s)”. According to LR:381 s.v. _

gwann

departed

(dead), lenited ’wann; pl. gwain

gwanwen

departed

1) (past participle) gwanwen (lenited wanwen; pl. gwenwin), also as noun: a ”departed” one, one of the Elves of Aman: Gwanwen (i **Wanwen), pl. Gwenwin (in Gwenwin) (WJ:378), 2) gwann (dead), lenited wann; pl. gwain**;

gwanwen

departed

(lenited ’wanwen; pl. gwenwin), also as noun: a ”departed” one, one of the Elves of Aman: Gwanwen (i ’Wanwen), pl. Gwenwin (in Gwenwin) (WJ:378)

dag

slain

(passive participle of dag- "slay", but treated almost like a derived noun) dangen (i nangen, o ndangen), pl. dengin (i ndengin; the spelling "in-ndengin" occurs in the Silmarillion). Compare SLAY.

dag

slain

"slay", but treated almost like a derived noun) dangen (i nangen, o ndangen), pl. dengin* (i ndengin*; the spelling "in-ndengin" occurs in the Silmarillion). Compare

fir

die

1) fir- (i fîr, i firir) (fade), 2) gwanna- (i **wanna, in gwannar**) (depart)

fir

die

(i fîr, i firir) (fade)

gwanna

die

(i ’wanna, in gwannar) (depart)

mân

departed spirit

(i vân, construct man), pl. main (i main)

tharn

withered

tharn (sapless, stiff, rigid), pl. thern

tharn

withered

(sapless, stiff, rigid), pl. thern

baw!

no

! (interjection expressing refusal or prohibition, not denying facts) baw! (dont!) Prefix

baw!

no

(don’t!) Prefix

bannen

gone

#bannen (pl. bennin). Isolated from govannen ”met”, based on the assumption that this past participle includes a form of the verb #bad- ”go”.

bannen

adjective. gone

Elements

WordGloss
bad-to tread, travel, to tread, [G.] travel”
Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/reconstructions. Published by

bannen

gone

(pl. bennin). Isolated from govannen ”met”, based on the assumption that this past participle includes a form of the verb #bad- ”go”.

hesg

adjective. withered, dead; chilled, chill

Derivations

  • ᴺ✶. KHES “wither”
Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/adaptations. Published by

Primitive elvish

dankĭna

adjective. slain

Derivatives

  • north S. dachen “slain” ✧ PE17/133
  • S. dangen “slain” ✧ PE17/133
Primitive elvish [PE17/133] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Noldorin 

fern

noun/adjective. dead person

Noldorin [Ety/381] Group: SINDICT. Published by

gwann

adjective. departed, dead

Noldorin [Ety/397] Group: SINDICT. Published by

gwann

adjective. departed, dead, dead, (lit.) departed

An adjective in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “departed, dead” derived from primitive ᴹ✶wannā under the root ᴹ√WAN “depart” (Ety/WAN).

Conceptual Development: Tolkien used a number of similar words for “dead” in his earlier writings. In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s Tolkien had G. gwarth “dead (only of persons)” from primitive ᴱ✶gwṝþa (GL/44), and in Early Noldorin Word-lists he had ᴱN. {gwarth >>} gwardh “dead”, probably of similar derivation (PE13/146). In The Etymologies itself Tolkien also had N. goren “dead (of elves)” under the root ᴹ√ÑGUR, but this word was deleted (EtyAC/ÑGUR).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would use the word gwann primarily in the sense “dead”, and for “departed” would use the related word gwanwen (WJ/378).

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶wannā “departed, dead” ✧ Ety/WAN
    • ᴹ√WAN “depart, go away, disappear, vanish” ✧ Ety/WAN

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶wannā > gwann[wannā] > [wanna] > [gwanna] > [gwann]✧ Ety/WAN

dangen

noun. slain

Noldorin [Ety/375] Group: SINDICT. Published by

dangen

adjective. slain

Derivations

  • ᴹ√(N)DAK “slay” ✧ Ety/NDAK

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√NDAK > dangen[ndaŋkina] > [ndaŋkʰina] > [ndaŋxina] > [daŋxina] > [daŋxena] > [daŋxen] > [daŋgen]✧ Ety/NDAK
ᴹ√NDAK > Ndengin[ndaŋkini] > [ndaŋkʰini] > [ndaŋxini] > [daŋxini] > [deŋxini] > [deŋxin] > [deŋgin]✧ Ety/NDAK
Noldorin [Ety/NDAK] Group: Eldamo. Published by

fern

noun/adjective. dead (of mortals)

Noldorin [Ety/381] Group: SINDICT. Published by

al-

prefix. no, not

Noldorin [Ety/367] Group: SINDICT. Published by

interjection. no

Derivations

  • ᴹ√ “no, not” ✧ Ety/MŪ

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√ > [mū]✧ Ety/MŪ
Noldorin [EtyAC/MŪ] Group: Eldamo. 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!

North sindarin

dachen

adjective. slain

Cognates

  • S. dangen “slain” ✧ PE17/133

Derivations

Element in

North sindarin [PE17/133] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Qenya 

qalin

adjective. dead, dead, [ᴱQ.] dying

An adjective for “dead” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√KWAL “die (in pain)” (Ety/KWAL).

Conceptual Development: The adjective ᴱQ. qalin meant “dead” all the way back in the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s where it was derived from the early root ᴱ√QALA “die” (QL/76; PME/76). In the Qenya Lexicon it has an archaic variant ᴱQ. †qalna (QL/76). In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s, qalin appeared in the stative construction qalinya {“is dead” >>} “is dying” (PE16/140).

Derivations

  • ᴹ√KWAL “die (in pain)” ✧ Ety/KWAL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√KWAL > qalin[kwalin]✧ Ety/KWAL

vanwa

adjective. gone (for good), departed, vanished, lost, past, over, dead

Derivations

  • ᴹ√WAN “depart, go away, disappear, vanish” ✧ Ety/WAN
  • ᴹ√BA(N) “go, proceed” ✧ PE22/097; PE22/106; PE22/112

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ√WAN > vanwa[wanwa] > [vanwa]✧ Ety/WAN
ᴹ√BĀ/BANA > vanwa[banwa] > [βanwa] > [vanwa]✧ PE22/097
ᴹ√vā- > vanwa[banwa] > [βanwa] > [vanwa]✧ PE22/106
ᴹ√BA > vanwa[banwa] > [βanwa] > [vanwa]✧ PE22/112
Qenya [Ety/WAN; PE21/69; PE22/097; PE22/106; PE22/112] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

wannā

adjective. departed, dead

Derivations

  • ᴹ√WAN “depart, go away, disappear, vanish” ✧ Ety/WAN

Derivatives

  • N. gwann “departed, dead, dead, (lit.) departed” ✧ Ety/WAN
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/WAN] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

hesc

adjective. withered, dead; chilled, chill

Cognates

  • Eq. hessa “dead, withered” ✧ LT1A/Heskil

Derivations

  • ᴱ√HESE “wither” ✧ GL/49; LT1A/Heskil

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√heth² > hesc[xeθk] > [heθk] > [hesk]✧ GL/49
Gnomish [GL/49; LT1A/Heskil] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

gwardh

adjective. dead

Changes

  • gwarthgwardh ✧ PE13/146

Derivations

Variations

  • gwarth ✧ PE13/146 (gwarth)
Early Noldorin [PE13/146] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

gwṛðṛ

root. die

Derivatives

Variations

  • GWṚÐR ✧ QL/104
Early Primitive Elvish [QL/104] Group: Eldamo. Published by

qala

root. die

Derivatives

  • Eq. qalin “dead, dying” ✧ LT1A/Qalmë-Tári; QL/076
  • Eq. qalna “dead” ✧ QL/076
  • Eq. qalme “death, agony” ✧ LT1A/Qalmë-Tári; QL/076
  • Eq. qalume “death” ✧ QL/076
  • Eq. qal- “to die”
  • Eq. qalma “deadly” ✧ QL/076

Element in

  • Eq. Qalvanda “Road of Death” ✧ LT1A/Qalmë-Tári
Early Primitive Elvish [LT1A/Qalmë-Tári; QL/076] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

mána

adjective. dead

An adjective for “dead” in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s based on the verb ᴱQ. maka- “die” (PE14/58).

Variations

  • māna ✧ PE14/058
Early Quenya [PE14/058] Group: Eldamo. Published by

narka

adjective. dead

An adjective for “dead” implied by the stative formation narkea “is dead” in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/140), perhaps connected to some precursor of √NDAK “slay”.

Early Quenya [PE16/140] Group: Eldamo. Published by

qalna

adjective. dead

Derivations

  • ᴱ√QALA “die” ✧ QL/076

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√QALA > qalna[kʷalnā] > [kʷalna]✧ QL/076
Early Quenya [QL/076] Group: Eldamo. Published by

warda

adjective. dead

An adjective for “dead” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√GWṚÐṚ “die” (QL/104), given as a cognate to G. gwarth “dead (only of persons)” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/44).

Cognates

  • G. gwarth “dead (only of persons)” ✧ GL/44

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ✶gu̯r̄́þa > warda[gʷṝθā] > [gʷṝθa] > [wṝθa] > [warθa] > [warða] > [warda]✧ GL/44
ᴱ√GWṚÐR > warda[gʷṝðā] > [gʷṝða] > [wṝða] > [warða] > [warda]✧ QL/104
Early Quenya [GL/44; QL/104] Group: Eldamo. Published by

qalin

adjective. dead, dying

Derivations

  • ᴱ√QALA “die” ✧ LT1A/Qalmë-Tári; QL/076

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√QALA > qalin[kʷalina] > [kʷalinǝ] > [kʷalin]✧ QL/076
Early Quenya [LT1A/Qalmë-Tári; PE16/140; PE16/141; PME/076; QL/076; QL/078] Group: Eldamo. Published by

hessa

adjective. dead, withered

Cognates

  • G. hesc “withered, dead; chilled, chill” ✧ LT1A/Heskil

Derivations

  • ᴱ√HESE “wither” ✧ LT1A/Heskil; QL/040

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√HESE > hessa[xessā] > [xessa] > [hessa]✧ QL/040
Early Quenya [LT1A/Heskil; QL/040] Group: Eldamo. Published by

il(l)oite

adjective. withered, dead

Early Quenya [QL/041] Group: Eldamo. Published by