dîn

noun. silence

Adjectival use seems to be attested in several place names (Amon Dín "Silent Hill", etc.), though an adjective dínen.1 is also attested (Rath Dínen "Silent Street"). When compared with other toponyms where lenition does occur (Taur-na-Chardhîn "Forest of the Southern Silence" in WJ/185,193 and Dor Dhínen in WJ/333,338), the forms dîn and dínen clearly seem to be unmutated. Absence of lenition in these examples from LotR was therefore tentatively explained by resistance to mutation (as in Nan Tathren, Ered Mithrin). However, Tolkien apparently changed his mind in his unfinished index of names from LotR, where he explains both words as mutated adjectives whose unlenited forms are respectively tîn.2
and tínen . Such hesitations between mutated and unmutated forms is not unusual, for instance a similar issue is met with gaear and aear . Of course, Taur-na-Chardhîn and Dor Dhínen would hardly be explainable in that alternate scenario

dîn

noun. silence

_ n. _silence. >> Amon Dîn, dínen

glam

noun. din, uproar, the confused yelling and bellowing of beasts, din, uproar, bellowing of beasts, [N.] shouting, confused noise; barbarous speech; [ᴱN.] hatred, [G.] loathing, fierce hate

Derivations

• √LAM “(inarticulate voiced) sound” ✧ WJ/416

Element in

• S. Glamhoth “Orcs, (lit.) Din-horde, Host of Tumult” ✧ WJ/391
• S. glamog “orc” ✧ WJ/391

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√LAMA > glamb > glamm > glam	[glamb] > [glamm] > [glamm] > [glam]	✧ WJ/416

Variations

• Glam ✧ WJ/391

glam

din

glam (i **lam) (uproar, tumult, confused yelling of beasts; shouting, confused noise; a body of Orcs), pl. glaim (in glaim), coll. pl. glammath **

glam

din

(i ’lam) (uproar, tumult, confused yelling of beasts; shouting, confused noise; a body of Orcs), pl. glaim (in glaim), coll. pl. glammath

glam

shouting

glam (i **lam) (din, uproar, confused yelling of beasts; tumult, confused noise; a body of Orcs), pl. glaim (in glaim), coll. pl. glammath**

din Reconstructed

root. silence

A hypothetical (Sindarin-only?) root serving as the basis for Sindarin words like dîn “silence” and dínen “silent” (PE17/95, 98). Tolkien’s use of these words in The Lord of the Rings is rather inconsistent, reflecting shifting rules on the circumstances in which words mutated in Sindarin. In his Unfinished Index of The Lord of the Rings, he said these words were tîn and tínen (RC/551). Given the conflict this would have with the root √TIN “spark”, for purposes of Neo-Eldarin I think it is best to assume this root is √DIN.

Derivatives

• S. dîn “silence; silent, quiet”

tin²

root. silence