Telerin 

ella

noun/adjective. Elf

Telerin [WJ/362; WJ/364; WJ/375; WJI/Eldar] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ello

noun. Elf

Telerin [WJ/362; WJ/364; WJ/373; WJ/375; WJ/376; WJI/Eldar] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Sindarin 

ell

noun. Elf

Sindarin [Let/281; PE17/141; PE17/142; PE17/152; VT50/15; VT50/19; VT50/23; WJ/363; WJ/364; WJ/377; WJ/412] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gwanwel

elf of aman

(”departed” Elf), pl. gwenwil (in gwenwil), coll. pl. gwanwellath. (WJ:378) Also gwanwen; see

miniel

first elf

(i Viniel), pl. Mínil (i Mínil), coll. pl. Miniellath. (WJ:383)

eledh

noun. Elf

Sindarin [Let/281; PE17/139; PE17/140; PE17/141; PE17/142; SA/êl; UTI/Edhelrim; UTI/Haudh-en-Elleth; WJ/363; WJ/377; WJI/Elen] Group: Eldamo. Published by

edhel

noun. Elf

Sindarin [LRI/Edhil; PE17/045; PE17/097; PE17/139; PE17/141; PE17/151; PE17/152; PM/346; RC/780; RGEO/62; SA/edhel; SA/êl; SI/Sindar; UT/255; UT/318; UTI/Edhelrim; WJ/364; WJ/377; WJ/378; WJI/Edhel] Group: Eldamo. Published by

elen

noun. Elf

gwath

noun. shade, shadow, dim light

Sindarin [Ety/397, S/432] Group: SINDICT. Published by

gwath

noun. stain

Sindarin [Ety/397, S/432] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lum

noun. shade

Sindarin [Ety/370, X/LH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

penedh

noun. Elf

Sindarin [PE17/140; PE17/141] Group: Eldamo. Published by

avar

non-eldarin elf

pl. Evair, also called

calben

elf of the great journey

(i galben, o chalben), pl. celbin (i chelbin).

dae

shade

(i dhae) (shadow), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nae)

dúnedhel

elf of beleriand

(i Núnedhel), pl. *Dúnedhil*** (i Ndúnedhil*). (WJ:378, 386)*

edhel

elf

(pl. edhil). Coll. pl. Edhelrim (or Edhellim) (UT:318). Also †eledh, pl. elidh, coll. pl. eledhrim (Letters:281), also elen, pl. elin, also with coll. pl. eledhrim (elen + rim with the regular change nr > dhr). (WJ:363, 377-78; the shorter coll. pl. Eldrim > *Elrim*** may also occur). But since elin** also means "stars", other terms for "Elf" may be preferred.

edhelharn

elf-stone

(pl. edhelhern) (SD:128-31).

elleth

elf-woman

(pl. ellith) (WJ:363-64, 377)

ellon

elf-man

(pl. ellyn)

elvellon

elf-friend

(pl. elvellyn, coll. pl. elvellonnath (WJ:412);

fuin

nightshade

(gloom, darkness, night, dead of night); no distinct pl. form.

gwâth

shade

(noun) 1) gwâth (i **wâth; construct gwath) (shadow, dim light), pl. gwaith (in gwaith) (UT:261), 2) dae (i dhae) (shadow), no distinct pl. form except with article (i nae), 3) lûm (pl. luim**).

gwâth

shade

(i ’wâth; construct gwath) (shadow, dim light), pl. gwaith (in gwaith) (UT:261)

laegel

green-elf

pl. laegil; coll. pl. laegrim or laegeldrim (WJ:385). These forms from a late source would seem to supersede the ”N” forms listed in LR:368 s.v. LÁYAK: *Lhoebenidh* or *Lhoebelidh*. The Green-elves of Beleriand were also called Lindel (pl. Lindil), also Lindedhel (pl. Lindedhil)  *(WJ:385)*.

lefn

elf left behind

pl. lifn.

lûm

shade

(pl. luim).

mornedhel

dark elf

(i Vornedhel), pl. Mornedhil (i Mornedhil). Conceivably the entire word could be umlauted in the pl.: ?Mernedhil. **(WJ:409) Another term for ”Dark Elf” is Dúredhel (i Dhúredhel), pl. Dúredhil (i Núredhil**).

peredhel

half-elf

(pl. peredhil) (PM:256, 348).

send

grey-elf

(i hend, o send, construct sen) (probably a term only used by the Noldor, borrowed from Quenya Sinda), pl. sind (i sind), coll. pl. Sendrim (the only attested form).

Nandorin 

scella

noun. shade, screen

Probably noun. Primitive form given as skalnâ, derived from the stem SKAL1 "screen, hide (from light)" (LR:386). Since -nâ is an adjectival ending, often taking on the meaning of a kind of past participle, skalnâ must mean "screened, hidden (from light)"; this has become a noun "shade, screen" in Nandorin.

The word scella, sciella alone tells us that ln is assimilated to ll in Nandorin, and as in dunna, spenna a primitive final , usually lost, seems to persist as -a following a double consonant. The shift of a to e in skalnâ > scella is parallelled by the similar shift in spannâ > spenna, q.v. However, such a shift does not occur in what might seem to be similar environments (before a double consonant?); cf. hrassa, not hressa, from khrassê. It would seem that e might further break up into ie, scella having the alternative form sciella.

Nandorin [H. Fauskanger (LR:386)] < SKAL. Published by

sciella

noun. shade, screen

Nandorin [H. Fauskanger] < SKAL. Published by

Noldorin 

gwath

noun. shade, shadow, dim light

Noldorin [Ety/397, S/432] Group: SINDICT. Published by

gwath

noun. stain

Noldorin [Ety/397, S/432] Group: SINDICT. Published by

gwath

noun. shade

Noldorin [Ety/DYEL; Ety/WATH] Group: Eldamo. Published by

lhum

noun. shade

Noldorin [Ety/370, X/LH] Group: SINDICT. Published by

lhum

noun. shade

A word appearing as N. lhum “shade” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, derived from the root ᴹ√LUM, most notably an element in the name N. Hithlum (Ety/LUM). It was the cognate of ᴹQ. lumbe, and thus derived from primitive ✱lumbē, which explains why the final m survived as a reduction of mb.

Conceptual Development: The earliest iteration of this word was G. lôm {“pool, sl...” >>} “gloom, shade” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, based on primitive ᴱ✶lou̯me (GL/54) and probably derived from the early root ᴱ√LOMO as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Hisilómë). In this early document, G. lum or glum was “a cloud” (GL/55), likely a derivative of ᴱ√LUVU for “✱dark weather” as also suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Luvier). In Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s Tolkien had ᴱN. {lom >>} lhom “shadow” (PE13/149). This became N. lhum “shade” in The Etymologies, as noted above.

Neo-Sindarin: In later writings, Hithlum was designated North Sindarin and its final element was based on a loan from Q. lómë “dusk”, with the m surviving only because it was from the North dialect (PE17/133; WJ/400). However, the root √LUM “shadow, darkness” also survived in later writings (PE17/168), so I think N. lhum “shade” can be salvaged, though if adapted to Neo-Sindarin it would need to become ᴺS. lum as suggested in HSD (HSD). Given the later use of Q. lumbo for “(dark) cloud”, I think the Gnomish sense G. lum “[dark] cloud” can be salvaged as well.

penedh

noun. Elf

Noldorin [Ety/KWEN(ED); EtyAC/SET] Group: Eldamo. Published by

penn

noun. Elf

Noldorin [EtyAC/MOR; PE22/067] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Quenya 

laimë

shade

laimë noun "shade" (DAY; in an earlier version the gloss was "shadow (cast by an object or form)"; see VT45:8-9. Perhaps Tolkien transferred this meaning to lëo when giving laimë the more general meaning "shade".)

lëo

shade, shadow cast by any object

lëo noun "shade, shadow cast by any object" (DAY)

lómin

shade, shadow

lómin noun "shade, shadow" (LT1:255)


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!

Qenya 

ella

pronoun. of you, for you

Qenya [PE22/119; PE22/120; PE23/078; PE23/079; PE23/080] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ella karie nye te

making it for me (would be kind) of you

ella nakie nye mólome

it is hard work for you to kill me

elda

noun. Elf

Qenya [Ety/ELED; EtyAC/EDE; LR/072; LR/169; LR/181; LR/197; LR/212; LR/218; LRI/Eldar; PE18/024; PE21/57; PE22/124; PE22/125; PE23/083; PE23/099; PE23/105; PE23/106; SD/401; SDI2/Eldar; SDI2/Eledâi; SDI2/Nimrî; SMI/Eldar; VT27/07] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ha le·nye karite

making it for me (would be kind) of you

ha mólome le·nakin(ye)

it is hard work for you to kill me

qen

noun. Elf

Qenya [PE21/19; PE21/25] Group: Eldamo. Published by

qende

noun. Elf

Qenya [Ety/KWEN(ED); LR/119; LR/168; LR/212; LRI/Qendi; MRI/Quendi; PE18/023; PE21/69; SM/085; SM/086; SMI/Quendi; TII/Qendi] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Ancient quenya

eldā

noun. Elf

Ancient quenya [PE23/141] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Ossriandric

sc(i)ella

noun. shade, screen

A noun glossed “shade, screen” developed from the root ᴹ√SKAL (Ety/SKAL¹), perhaps from a primitive form ✱✶skallā (though Helge Fauskanger suggested ᴹ✶skalnā). As noted by Helge Fauskanger (AL-Nandorin/scella), it seems the vowel [a] became [e]: scella. The mechanism is unclear, but perhaps [[dan|this change was triggered by the initial [s] plus voiceless stop]]. Also noted by Helge Fauskanger, the word seems to have undergone further vowel-breaking of [e] to [ie]: sciella. The mechanism here is easier to explain, probably analogous to similar changes in Old English, where [[dan|[e] became [ie] after initial [sk]]].

Ossriandric [Ety/SKAL¹; EtyAC/SKAL¹] Group: Eldamo. Published by

cwenda

noun. Elf

A noun for “Elf” developed from primitive ᴹ✶kwenedē (Ety/KWEN(ED)). It is an example of the Danian syncope, with second unstressed [e] vanishing after the identical vowel. It is also one of the Danian words for which a long final vowel developed into short final [a].

Ossriandric [Ety/KWEN(ED)] Group: Eldamo. Published by

edel

noun. Elf

A noun for “Elf” derived from primitive ᴹ✶edel-, an inversion of the primitive root ᴹ√ELED (Ety/ELED). Unlike most similar Danian nouns, it did not undergo the Danian syncope and retained its second vowel. One possible explanation is that the primitive form of this noun ended in a short vowel, ✱✶edelă, and this short final vowel vanished before the period of the syncope, preventing it from occurring in this word. Helge Fauskanger originally suggested a theory much like this one (AL-Nandorin/edel).

Conceptual Development: In an earlier version of this entry, the Danian word for Elf was given as Elda (Ety/ELED).

Ossriandric [Ety/ELED] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

kainella

noun. fortnight

kainendan

noun. fortnight

Early Quenya [PE14/016; PE14/022] Group: Eldamo. Published by

qen

noun. Elf

Early Quenya [GL/32; LRI/Qendi; LT1/235; LT1I/Qendi; PE13/099; PE13/146; PE14/009; QL/092; SM/013; SM/168] Group: Eldamo. Published by

qende

noun. Elf

Gnomish

caineglad

noun. fortnight

Gnomish [PE14/016; PE14/022] Group: Eldamo. Published by

cwenn

noun. Elf

Gnomish [GL/28; GL/32; PE13/099; PE14/009] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

egol

noun. elf

gwenn

noun. Elf

Early Noldorin [PE13/146] Group: Eldamo. Published by

idhel

noun. elf

ileth

noun. elf

uidhol

noun. elf

uigol

noun. elf

Doriathrin

cwend

noun. Elf

A Doriathrin noun meaning “Elf” derived from primitive ᴹ✶kwenedē (EtyAC/KWEN(ED)), an example of the Ilkorin syncope.

Conceptual Development: This word is nearly identical to earlier Gnomish Cwenn “Elf” before Tolkien revised the phonological history of the Noldorin language so that [[on|[kw] became [p]]].

Doriathrin [EtyAC/KWEN(ED)] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gwath

noun. shade

A noun glossed “shade” (shadow) derived from the root ᴹ√WATH (Ety/WATH). It is a clear example of how [[ilk|initial [w] became [gw]]] in Ilkorin, and it appears in several names: Thuringwethil “(Woman of) Secret Shadow” and Urthin Gwethion (unglossed but presumably “✱Mountains of Shadow”).

Doriathrin [Ety/WATH; EtyAC/WATH] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Old Noldorin 

watha

noun. shade

Old Noldorin [Ety/WATH] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

kwen(ed)

root. Elf

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/KWEN(ED); PE18/034; PE18/061] Group: Eldamo. Published by

kwenedē

noun. Elf

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/KWEN(ED); PE19/057; PE19/059; PE21/25; PE21/69] Group: Eldamo. Published by

wath

root. shade

Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/THUR; Ety/WAƷ; Ety/WATH; EtyAC/MBAT(H)] Group: Eldamo. Published by