Ilweran

rainbow

Ilweran, Ilweranta noun "rainbow" (GL:74) (The Etymologies gives helyanwë.)

helyanwë

rainbow

helyanwë noun "rainbow", lit. "sky-bridge" (3EL)

iluquinga

rainbow

iluquinga ("q") noun "rainbow" (LT2:348)

olba

branch

olba noun "branch" (PM:340; the form *olva may be more frequent; olba can only occur in the Quenya variant that uses lb for lv_. The Etymologies, stem GÓLOB, has _olwa. See also olvar.)

olba

noun. branch

A noun for “branch” in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968 derived from primitive √OLOB (PM/341). It may be a variant of olva “plant”, since lv was sometimes pronounced lb (LotR/1121; PE17/129).

Conceptual Development: The Etymologies of the 1930s had ᴹQ. olwa “branch” derived from primitive ᴹ✶golbā under the root ᴹ√GOLOB (Ety/GÓLOB). The lw in this word seems to be a remnant of Early Qenya phonetic developments, where sometimes lb became lw, the best example being early ᴱQ. elwen vs. Elben “heart” (QL/35; LT2/202). There was a similar word ᴱQ. olwe(n) that was cognate to G. olf(in) “branch, wand, stick” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/62), possibly also an example of lb > lw.

Derivations

• √OLOB “branch” ✧ PM/341

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√OLOB > olba	[olba]	✧ PM/341

olwa

branch

olwa noun "branch" (GÓLOB). Read perhaps *olva in LotR-style Quenya (since the root indicates that lw originates from lb, which in Tolkiens later scheme would rather yield lv, reverting to lb in some forms of late pronunciation; the form olba is attested in PM:340).

olwen

branch, wand, stick

olwen (olwenn-) noun "branch, wand, stick" (LT2:342)

luhta-

to bow

luhta- (2) vb. "to bow" (VT47:35); this intransitive verb can be distinguished from luhta- "enchant" above, since #1 is transitive and will always have a direct object, something #2 never has.

eiliant

noun. rainbow

See ianu and iant for a discussion

ninniach

noun. rainbow

ninniach

noun. rainbow

A noun for “rainbow” in the name Cirith Ninniach “Rainbow Cleft” (S/238). Ninniach “rainbow” is perhaps a combination of the S. nîn “watery” and S. iach “ford”, perhaps a metaphorical ford of water across the sky. The long nn in the initial element ninn- is tricky to explain, but might be an example of an exchange of a long vowel īn with a long consonant inn; hat-tip to Elaran for this suggestion.

Conceptual Development: The name Cirith Ninniach (and hence the word for “rainbow”) went through quite a few changes. The earliest iteration of the name was G. Cris a Teld Quing Ilon “Gully of the Rainbow Roof” (PE15/21) so that quing ilon “✱bow of heaven” was “rainbow”, but this was quickly revised to G. Cris Ilbranteloth which was the form used in the early narratives (LT2/150, 202). G. ilbrant “rainbow” appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s with variant ilvrant (GL/50). By popular etymology, this was connected to G. brant “bow”, but that was not correct (GL/24). The second element was actually G. rantha “bridge” (GL/65), and the b came from its initial element G. ilbar “heaven[s]” (GL/50), so it literally meant “✱heaven-bridge”.

In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, the name of the pass was changed to N. Cris-Ilfing >> Cirith Helvin “Rainbow Cleft” (SM/141, 146). Both ilfing and helvin have unclear etymologies, but they are probably early iterations of N. eilian(w) “rainbow, (lit.) sky-bridge” from The Etymologies of the 1930s, a combination of ᴹ√ƷEL “sky” with N. ianw “bridge” (Ety/ƷEL, YAT), with variant elianw (EtyAC/YAT). Cirith Ninniach “Rainbow Cleft” emerged in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (WJ/256, 299).

Neo-Sindarin: Noldorin eilian(w) “sky-bridge” might be adapted into Neo-Sindarin as ᴺS. eiliant using later S. iant for “bridge”, as suggested in HSD (HSD), but I see no reason not to just use attested S. ninniach for “rainbow”.

Element in

• S. Cirith Ninniach “Rainbow Cleft” ✧ S/238

Elements

Word	Gloss
nîn	“wet, *watery”
iach	“ford”

Variations

• Ninniach ✧ S/238

cû

noun. bow, bow; [N.] arch, crescent; [G.] waxing or waning moon

Cognates

• Q. cúma “[unglossed]” ✧ PE17/122

Derivations

• ✶kūma ✧ PE17/122
  • √KU(H) “bow, [ᴱ√] bend”

Element in

• ᴺS. cungan(d) “viol(in), (lit.) bow-harp”
• ᴺS. cúron “crescent moon”
• S. Cúthalion “Strongbow” ✧ SA/cú
• S. Dor-Cúarthol “Land of Bow and Helm” ✧ SA/cú
• S. Laer Cú Beleg “Song of the Great Bow” ✧ S/209; SA/cú

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶kūma > cû(f)	[kūma] > [kūm] > [kūv] > [kū]	✧ PE17/122

Variations

• cû(f) ✧ PE17/122
• Cú ✧ S/209
• cú ✧ SA/cú

cû

bow

(i gû, o chû) (arch, crescent), pl. cui (i chui)

eilian

rainbow

eilian (pl. eiliain). Archaic elianw (so the coll. pl. may be eilianwath).

eilian

rainbow

1) eilian (pl. eiliain). Archaic elianw, hence maybe coll. pl. eilianwath. 2) ninniach (pl. ninniaich). The word appears to mean *”slender-crossing”.

eilian

rainbow

(pl. eiliain). Archaic elianw (so the coll. pl. may be eilianwath).

ninniach

rainbow

(pl. ninniaich). The word appears to mean ✱”slender-crossing”.

peng

bow

(i beng, o pheng), pl. ping (i phing)

olf

branch

olf (wand), pl. ylf, coll. pl. olvath

olf

branch

(wand), pl. ylf, coll. pl. olvath

lú

noun. bow

Derivations

• ✶lū “bow, curve” ✧ VT47/12
  • ✶luʒu “*bow” ✧ VT47/35

Variations

• lū ✧ VT47/12

olob

root. branch

A root mentioned in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from the late 1960s serving as the basis for Q. olba of the same meaning (PM/341). Q. olvar “growing things with roots in the earth” from The Silmarillion was probably related (S/45, 345). In The Etymologies of the 1930s, “branch” words were derived from unglossed ᴹ√GOLOB: ᴹQ. olwa and N. golf “branch” (Ety/GÓLOB).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume √GOLOB is a Sindarin-only variant of √OLOB, perhaps influenced by √GAL “grow”. This would allow us to retain golf = “branch”, though the one name where it appeared, N. Gurtholf “Wand of Death” (Ety/ÑGUR; LR/147), became S. Gurthang “Iron of Death” in later versions of The Silmarillion (S/210).

Derivatives

• Q. olba “branch” ✧ PM/341
• ᴺQ. olopse “broom”
• Q. olva “plant, growing things with roots in the earth”

eilian

noun. rainbow

See ianu and iant for a discussion

eilianw

noun. rainbow

See ianu and iant for a discussion

golf

noun. branch

golf

noun. branch

A noun for “branch” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from ᴹ✶golbā under the root ᴹ√GOLOB (Ety/GÓLOB). It was an element in the name N. Gurutholf “Wand of Death” (Ety/ÑGUR).

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. olf or olfin(g) “branch, wand, stick” (GL/62), an element in the earlier name G. Gurtholfin “Wand of Death” (GL/41; LT2/83). The Gnomish Lexicon originally had two words: olf “branch” and olfin “wand”, but these were deleted and merged into one word with two variants (GL/41). See ᴱN. alt for other “branch” words from the 1910s and 20s.

In Tolkien’s later writings, N. Gur(u)tholf became S. Gurthang “Iron of Death” (S/210; WJ/83). However, there was a word Q. olba “branch” in notes from 1968, derived from √OLOB (PM/341).

Neo-Sindarin: The 1968 Quenya word might mean Noldorin golf should be updated to [ᴺS.] ✱olf, but I prefer to assume there was a variant root √(G)OLOB which would allow us to retain golf “branch” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. olwa “branch” ✧ Ety/GÓLOB

Derivations

• ᴹ✶golbā “branch” ✧ Ety/GÓLOB
  • ᴹ√GOLOB “*branch” ✧ Ety/GÓLOB

Element in

• N. Gurtholf “Wand of Death” ✧ Ety/GÓLOB

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶golbā > golf	[golbā] > [golba] > [golva] > [golv]	✧ Ety/GÓLOB