A word for “nightingale” appearing in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a combination of N. dû “night” and N. lhinn “tune” (Ety/DOƷ, Ety/LIN², TIN). It appeared as both dúlinn (Ety/LIN²) and dúlin (Ety/TIN). In The Notion Club Papers of the 1940s, Tolkien instead gave duilin “nightingale” as a derivative of primitive ᴹ✶dōmilindē, demonstrating a phonetic development whereby the ancient m became v and then vanished after the u, but the medial i was preserved. However, Christopher Tolkien used the form dúlin in The Silmarillion appendix (SA/dú), and that form is thus better known.
Sindarin
duilin
masculine name. Duilin
dúlin
noun. nightingale
dúlin
noun. nightingale
tuilinn
swallow
(etymologically ”spring-singer”) *tuilinn (i duilinn, o thuilinn), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thuilinn). Form normalized from tuilind in source; the latter would be an archaic form.
tuilinn
swallow
(i duilinn, o thuilinn), no distinct pl. form except with article (i thuilinn). Form normalized from tuilind in source; the latter would be an archaic form.
dúlinn
nightingale
1) dúlinn (i dhúlinn) (dusk-singer), same form pl. except with article (i núlinn) (SD:302). 2) merilin (i verilin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i merilin), coll. pl. merilinnath. Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ”moerilind” = mörilind. 3) tinúviel (”daughter of twilight”, a poetic kenning) (i dinúviel, o thinúviel), pl. ?tinúvil (i thinúvil), coll. pl. tinúviellath (MR:373, WJ:62)
dúlinn
nightingale
(i** dhúlinn) (dusk-singer), same form pl. except with article (i** núlinn) (SD:302).
Tinnúviel
noun. nightingale
nightingale
merilin
nightingale
(i** verilin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i** merilin), coll. pl. merilinnath. Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” ”moerilind” = mörilind.
tinúviel
nightingale
(”daughter of twilight”, a poetic kenning) (i** dinúviel, o thinúviel), pl. ?tinúvil (i** thinúvil), coll. pl. tinúviellath** **(MR:373, WJ:62)
A Gondorian from Blackroot Vale (LotR/770). The meaning of his name is unclear, though David Salo speculated that it might be “?Singer by the River”, containing the same element duin “river” as in the name of his father (GS/347).