duin

noun. (large) river, (large) river; [N.] water

A Sindarin word for river, more specifically a large one (LotR/1138; PM/54; RC/765; VT48/24), derived from primitive ✶duinē and the root √DUY “flow (strongly), flood, inundate” (RC/766; VT48/23-24).

Conceptual Development: The first precursor to this word seems to be G. duif “stream” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, derived from primitive ᴱ✶duiwe and related to G. duil “flight” (GL/31). The Etymologies of the 1930s had N. duin under the root ᴹ√DUI̯, but there it was a loan word from Ilk. duin “water, river”. After Tolkien abandoned Ilkorin, it became a native Sindarin word.

duin

noun. (long and large) river (having strong current)

duin dhaer

place name. Duin Dhaer

Another name for the river Gelion, appearing as both lenited and unlenited forms Duin Dhaer and Duin Daer (WJ/191, 336). This name is a compound of duin “river” and the adjective daer “great”.

Duin D(h)aer

noun. great river (Gelion)

duin (“river”) + daer (“great”); #The variation of the second element might reflect Tolkien's reluctance to use the “uncouth” digraph dh.

duin

large river

duin (i dhuin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nuin), coll. pl. duinath (Names:179, PM:54)

duin

river

(long, large river with strong current) duin (i dhuin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nuin) (VT48:24)

duin

large river

duin (i dhuin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nuin), coll. pl. duinath (Names:179, PM:54); compare the river-name Anduin, ”long river”. GREAT RIVER sirion (i hirion, o sirion), pl. siryn (i siryn); compare Sirion as the name of a river in Beleriand. MOUTH (OUTFLOW) OF A RIVER ethir (estuary), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. ethiriath. Note: a homophone means "spy".

duin

large river

(i dhuin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nuin), coll. pl. duinath (Names:179, PM:54)

duin

large river

(i dhuin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nuin), coll. pl. duinath (Names:179, PM:54); compare the river-name Anduin, ”long river”.

beleg

adjective. large

adj. large, great. Q. melek-.

beleg

adjective. large

adj. large, great, big. . This gloss was rejected.

iaun

adjective. large

adj. large, extensive, wide, vast, huge. Q. yāna-. >> -ion

sîr

noun. river

celon

river

(i gelon, o chelon), pl. celyn (pl. i chelyn)

daer

large

daer (great), lenited dhaer, no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means "bridegroom", but has a different lenited form.

daer

large

(great), lenited dhaer, no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means "bridegroom", but has a different lenited form.

ethir

of a river

(estuary), no distinct pl. form, but coll. pl. ethiriath. Note: a homophone means "spy".

lind

river

”singer” may also be used of rivers (see

sîr

river

1. (also = rill) sîr (i hîr, o sîr), in compounds sir- or -hir or -hír; no distinct pl. form except with article (i sîr), coll. pl. siriath. Note: sîr is also the adverb ”today”. 2) celon (i gelon, o chelon), pl. celyn (pl. i chelyn), 3) The word lind ”singer” may also be used of rivers (see . (WJ.309).

sîr

river

(i hîr, o sîr), in compounds sir- or -hir or -hír; no distinct pl. form except with article (i sîr), coll. pl. siriath. Note: sîr is also the adverb ”today”.

duin

noun. water, river

duin morghul

place name. Duin Morghul

borg

adjective. large

A word for “large” in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1940s, in borg’ā “large ā” (PE23/26). Its etymology is unclear.

celon

noun. river

duirro

noun. river-bank

sirion

noun. great river

sîr

noun. river

sîr

noun. river

duinë

noun. (large) river

duinē

noun. (large) river

-(n)duinë

suffix. (large) river

An element in several river names such as Q. Anduinë and Q. Nunduinë, the equivalent of S. duin. It did not survive as an independent word in Quenya:

> Common Eldarin bases DUY and LUY, for instance, were distinct. DUY meant “to flood, drench, inundate”, but LUY was the base of words for “blue”. Both would become LUY in Quenya. Which probably accounts for the disappearance from Quenya of C.E. ✱duinē “large river (liable to flood surrounding land)” seen in [S.] Anduin “long river” and Baranduin “brown river”: it became identical with [Q.] luine adj. “blue” (VT48/23).

In fact, its use in Quenya river names may have been a later loan from Sindarin.

Conceptual Development: In one place Tolkien did consider the suffix’s survival as an archaic independent Quenya noun †nuine, but Tolkien rejected the note where it appeared, replacing it with the above (VT48/30 note #2).

-duinë Archaic

suffix. (large) river

-úmë

large

-úmë (3) suffix "large" (of quantity)", as in liyúmë "host" (VT48:32)

alat-

large, great in size

alat- prefix "large, great in size". (ÁLAT, cf. VT45:5). In Alatairë.

alta

large, great in size

alta (1) adj. *"large, great in size" (root meaning)(ÁLAT). Alat- in Alatairë, q.v.

celusindi

river

celusindi _("k")_noun "river" (LT1:257; hardly a valid word in Tolkien's later Quenya, where the terms sírë and sirya appear instead)

hlóna

river, especially given to those at all seasons full of water from mountains

[hlóna (2) noun "a river, especially given to those at all seasons full of water from mountains" (VT48:27; the word is marked with a query and the note containing it rejected; it was apparently replaced by lón, q.v.)]

nen

river

nen noun "river" (LT1:248), "river, water" (LT1:262) (In Tolkien's later Quenya, nén with a long vowel means "water", but hardly "river" - that is sírë.)

nerdo

large, strong man

nerdo noun "large, strong man" (compare nér) (VT47:33)

nuinë

suffix. river

pol

large, big (strong)

pol (2) adj. "large, big (strong)". Since this would be the sole example of a monosyllabic Quenya adjective, it may be that Tolkien is here citing the root POL rather than a complete word. Cf. polda.

sindi

river

sindi noun "river" (LT1:265; rather sírë in LotR-style Quenya)

sirya

river

#sirya noun "river", attested in the dual form siryat (VT47:11). Compare sírë.

sír

river

sír noun "river", shorter form of sirë (PE17:65, VT49:17)

sír(ë)

noun. river, river, [ᴱQ.] stream

The most common Quenya word for “river”, derived from the root √SIR “flow”.

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared as ᴱQ. sīre “stream” as a derivative of ᴱ√SIŘI [SIÐI] (QL/84), and this form and gloss also appeared in the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/84). The form ᴹQ. siri- “river” appeared in the Declension of Nouns (DN) from the early 1930s, along with uninflected sire with short i and various inflected forms with siry- (PE21/10). The form sīre “river” with long ī appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of ᴹ√SIR “flow” (Ety/SIR; EtyAC/SIR). In several notes from the mid-1960s, it appeared in monosyllabic form sír (PE17/65) or sīr (VT49/17), but it had dual form siryat from the late 1960s implying a stem form of sirĭ- and a development similar to that of DN from the early 1930s (VT47/11).

Neo-Eldarin: Its form síre is probably better known and more commonly used in Neo-Quenya. For example this is the typical form in Helge Fauskanger’s NQNT (NQNT).

sírë

river

sírë noun "river" (SIR, VT46:13), "stream" (LT1:265). Also short form sír, q.v.Compare #sirya.

úra

large

úra (2) adj. "large" (UR), probably obsoleted by #1 above