endë

core, centre, middle

endë noun "core, centre, middle" (NÉD, EN, VT48:25)

endë

noun. centre, middle, centre, middle; [ᴹQ.] core

endëa

adjective. middle, middle, *average

An adjectival form of endë “middle” implied by Q. atendëa “double-middle” from the first edition of The Lord of the Rings (RC/728).

Neo-Quenya: In a Discord post from 2025-04-24, Delle suggested this adjective might mean “✱average” as well.

endëa

middle

#endëa adj. "middle" in atendëa, q.v. Compare enya.

enderi

collective name. middle-days

The name used for leap-days added to the various calendar systems of Middle-earth (LotR/1108, 1112). It is a compound of endë “middle” and the suffixal form -re of ré “day”: ✱enderë “middle-day” pluralized to enderi.

Conceptual Development: In the 1st edition of The Lord of the Rings, a similar term atendëa was used.

Ender

bridegroom

Ender noun "bridegroom", surname of Tulkas (NDER, TULUK, VT45:11). The form Enderō(VT45:11) is defined as "[?virile] young bridegroom"; Tolkien's gloss was not entirely legible. But this would seem to be an archaic form, because of the long final -ō (later Quenya *Endero).

enderi

middle-days

enderi noun "middle-days" (sg. *enderë), in the calendar of Imladris three days inserted between the months (or seasons) yávië and quellë (Appendix D)

enda

heart

enda noun "heart", but not referring to the physical organ; it literally means "centre" (cf. endë) and refers to the fëa (soul) or sáma (mind) itself. (VT39:32)

entë

center

entë (2) noun "center" (VT41:16; endë is perhaps to be preferred, see entya)

entë

noun. centre

atendëa

proper name. double-middle

The name of the leap-days used to adjust the Númenórean calendar in the 1st edition of The Lord of the Rings (RC/728). It is a combination of at(a)- “double”, endë “middle” and the adjective suffix -a. In the 2nd edition, the name was changed to the enderi (LotR/1108).

atendëa

double-middle

atendëa noun "double-middle", name of the two enderi or middle-days that occurred in leap-years according to the calendar of Imladris (Appendix D, first edition of LotR)

endemat

noun. lunch, (lit.) mid-meal

A neologism coined by Orondil posted on 2024-01-14 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of endë “middle” and [ᴹQ.] mat (matt-) “meal”.

endenta-

verb. to center, centralise; to focus, focalise

A neologism coined by Orondil and Raccoon, posted on 2025-04-10 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) as causative verb form of √ENED “centre”.

ric-

verb. to try, put forth effort, strive, endeavour

A verb for “to try” based on the root √RIK “put forth effort, strive, endeavour” in notes from around 1967 where Tolkien explored the Quenya equivalent of “try harder” = á rike amríkie (PE17/93-94). In those notes he said:

> ... this apparently simple phrase is in fact very idiomatic, and requires a context. Try retains many divergent meanings owing to its derivation from a word originally meaning “sift” > examine, judge, test, whence later in one branch > make tentative motions, trial efforts > attempt > endeavour, make efforts to a given end. Here the last: “put forth effort”, is usually the meaning (PE17/93).

The verb form rike appeared in what seems to be in a draft to these 1967 notes along with a variant rihta, both derivatives of √RIK “strive” (PE17/167).

Neo-Quenya: Based on the above, I would use ric- “try” mainly in the sense “strive, put for effort”. For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use nev- for the sense “try” = “✱seek opportunity, experiment”, a verb that appeared in the draft notes mentioned above (PE17/167); see that entry for discussion. More precisely, I would use ric- “try” when uncertain of whether I was capable of performing the action and it needed concerted effort, where I would use nev- “try” when I believed I was capable, but was uncertain what the result of the action will be.

This verb also conflicts with ric- “to twist”, but I believe the two can coexist since ric- “try” would usually be followed by a verb (rincen mate “I tried to eat”) as opposed to ric- “twist” either used intransitively or followed by a noun (rincen i sicil “I twisted the dagger”).

ric-

try, put forth effort, strive, endeavour

#ric- ("k") (1) vb. "try, put forth effort, strive, endeavour" (PE17:93, 94, 167), imperative á ricë "try!", pl. á ricir "let them try", á rice am(a)ricië "try harder!" (or more idiomatically á carë (sí) ancarië, lit. *"do (now) with more doing!"

toc-

verb. to appraise, tax, assess, assay; to try, test, essay, endeavour; to feel with the hand, handle

tumba-

verb. to cast down (into depths); *to dive; (orig.) to go or cause to go deep, endeepen

nev-

verb. to try, to try, *seek opportunity, experiment

A verb for “to try” based on the root √NDEB in notes from the 1960s (PE17/167). As suggested by Christopher Gilson, this appears to be a draft of Tolkien’s attempt to define the phrase “try harder” in Quenya. Of the root √NDEB, Tolkien said it “too obviously = endeavor”, and he wrote another root √RIK below it, with Quenya verb forms rike or rihta. It seems Tolkien here changed √NDEB >> √RIK, but in later notes from 1969 Tolkien had the root √NDAB “endeavor, try, seek opportunity” with a Quenya verb form nauva “will try” (PE22/151), indicating that the concept of √NDEB was not entirely abandoned.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would mainly use ric- for “to try (put forth effort)”, but I think nev- is worth retaining with a different connotation: “to try, ✱seek opportunity, experiment”. In other words, you use ric- “try” when you are uncertain whether you are capable of performing the action, and nev- “try” when you know you are capable, but are uncertain what the result of the action will be. I prefer nev- over the 1969 form ✱nav- because it has a Sindarin cognate S. dev-.

In 2024-08-19 post on the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), Luinyelle suggested this verb might be used with an adverb to describe someone’s approach to a task or situation, roughly equivalent to English “take” in phrases like “take something seriously”. For example: néves i hrangwe lungo “he tried the problem serious[ly] (with seriousness)” = English “he took the problem seriously”.

Teleri

noun. Last-comers

Last-comers, Enders

arato

noble

arato noun "a noble" (PE17:147), in PE17:118 given as aratō and there glossed "lord" (often = "king"). Cf. aráto. The form cited in the latter source, aratō with a long final vowel, is evidently very archaic (compare Enderō under Ender); later the vowel would become short. (PE17:118)

entya

central, middle

entya, enetya adj. "central, middle" (VT41:16; these forms, as well as the noun entë "centre", come from a late, somewhat confused source; the adjective #endëa and the noun endë from earlier material may fit the general system better, and #endëa is even found in the LotR itself as part of the word atendëa, q.v.)

enya

middle

enya < endya adj. "middle" (EN). Compare #endëa.

tólë

centre

tólë noun "centre" (LT1:269; the word endë is to be preferred in Tolkien's later Quenya)

rihta

noun. effort

A neologism for “effort” coined by Tamas Ferencz in the 1000W project based on the root √RIK “put forth effort, strive, endeavour”.

Ara-

noble

Ara-, ar- a prefixed form of the stem Ara- "noble" (PM:344). In the masc. names Aracáno "high chieftain", mothername (amilessë, q.v.) of Fingolfin (PM:360, cf. 344), Arafinwë "Finarfin" (MR:230)

a-

complete

a- (1) prefix occurring in the word Atalante, said to denote "complete". Probably just a prefixed stemvowel; cf. a root like ANÁR, said to be derived from NAR. (TALÁT)

arquen

noble

arquen noun "a noble" (WJ:372), "knight" (PE17:147)

elwen

heart

elwen noun "heart" (LT1:255; rather hón or enda in LotR-style Quenya)

en

there, look! yon (yonder)

en (1) interjection "there, look! yon (yonder)" (EN, VT45:12)

endya

middle

endya > enya adj. "middle" (ÉNED)

enquë

cardinal. six

enquë ("q") cardinal "six" (ÉNEK, VT48:4, 6, 9, VT49:57); enquëa ordinal "sixth" (VT42:25); see also enquië. According to VT48:8, the word for "six" may have been encë ("k") in very early Quenya (the form is asterisked by Tolkien), but this was altered to enquë under the influence of yunquë "twelve" (perceived as meaning "2 times 6", *yú-enquë, with the prefix yú- "twi-").

enquë

cardinal. six

hón

heart

hón noun "heart" (physical) (KHŌ-N); hon-maren "heart of the house", a fire (LR:63, 73; this is "Qenya" with genitive in -en, not -o as in LotR-style Quenya read *hon-maro?)

indo

heart, mood

indo (1) noun "heart, mood" (ID), "state" (perhaps especially state of mind, given the other glosses) (VT39:23), "mind, region/range of thought, mood" (PE17:155, 179), "inner thought, in fea as exhibited in character or [?personality]" (PE17:189). In another post-LotR source, indo is translated "resolve" or "will", the state of mind leading directly to action (VT41:13). Indo is thus "the mind in its purposing faculty, the will" (VT41:17). Indo-ninya,a word occurring in Fíriels Song, translated "my heart" (see ninya). In the compound indemma "mind-picture", the first element would seem to be indo.

nav-

verb. to try

nev-

try

nev- vb. "try" (PE17:167; Tolkien in the source expresses uncertainty as to whether this word should be adopted or not)

palta-

feel with the hand, stroke

palta- (2) vb. "feel with the hand, stroke" etc. (basic meaning: "pass the sensitive palm [palta] over a surface") (VT47:9)

sanomë

there

sanomë adv. "there" (PE17:71). Cf. sinomë, tanomë.

sanomë

adverb. there

A word for “there” appearing in notes from mid-1960s in the phrase sanome tarne Olórin, Aracorno, Eomer, Imrahil “There stood Gandalf, Aragorn, Eomer and Imrahil” (PE17/71). A similar form ᴹQ. sanome(s) appeared in Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from the late 1940s, where it was based on ᴹ√NOM “spot, place” (PE23/112).

The word can be contrasted with tanome “there” in different notes from the late 1960s (VT49/11, 19), and also in DRC from the 1940s. DRC made the distinction between these two words clear, in that tanome was “demonstrative there” pointing to a place not previously mentioned, while sanome was “anaphoric there” referring back to a place mentioned before. So “go there” would be á mene tanome, but “I went to the city and found Aragorn there” would be mennen i ostonna ar hirnen Aracorno sanome.

Lokyt originally suggested this distinction to me in a Discord conversation from 2022, and was eventually proven right by the publication of DRC in 2024.

ta

there

ta (5) adv. "there" (VT49:33; this may be an Elvish root or "element" rather than a Quenya word; see tanomë; see however also tar, tara, tanna under ta #1).

tasse

there

tassë

there

tassë adv. "there" (VT49:11), short form tás. These seem to be properly locative forms of ta "that, it", hence "in that [place]". Compare allative tanna "thither" and ablative talo "thence".

tassë

adverb. there

The words tās and tasse “there” appeared in a list of demonstratives from 1968 (VT49/11), combinations of ta “that” and the locative suffix -ssë. Short form tas appeared in the phrase tas kennen nótime eldali “I saw a few elves there” in notes from 1969 (PE22/155). Similarly formed ᴹQ. tasse “there” appeared in Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from 1948, also with a short variant tas (PE23/97, 111).

tás

there

tás adv. "there" (VT49:11); also tassë, q.v.

tás

adverb. there

órë

heart

órë (1) noun "heart" (inner mind), also name of tengwa #21 (Appendix E), "premonition" (VT41:13), "nearest equivalent of 'heart' in our application to feelings, or emotions (courage, fear, hope, pity, etc.)" (VT41:13). The órë apparently defines a person's personality, cf. the description of Galadriel in PM:337, that "there dwelt in her the noble and generous spirit (órë) of the Vanyar". Órenya "my heart" (VT41:11).

endëranda

noun. Middle-Ages

enek

root. six

The root and words for “six” remained very similar throughout Tolkien’s life. The earliest form of this root was ᴱ√ENE “six” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, with the derivative ᴱQ. ende “six” (QL/35). In the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s, the Qenya word for “six” became ᴱQ. enqe [enkwe] with variant enekse (PE14/49, 82), implying a primitive base ✱enek-. This primitive form was made explicit in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where the root was given as ᴹ√ENEK “six” with derivatives ᴹQ. enqe and N. eneg (Ety/ÉNEK). The root and its derivatives retained this form thereafter.

Tolkien spent a fair amount of time analyzing the origin of this root and the basis for the Q. addition of w in various notes on Elvish numbering systems written in 1968 (VT41, VT42, VT47, VT48). One connection Tolkien regularly made was between √ENEK “six” and √ENED “middle”, as “six” was the “middle” of the duodecimal system of numbering (VT41/16; VT48/9); in this respect it was probably an elaboration of the root √NEK “divide, separate, part” by analogy with √ENED (VT47/16; VT48/9). The Quenya -we may have been either a dual suffix based on “six” as twice three (VT48/10) or it might have been by analogy with other important duodecimal numbers like Q. minquë “eleven” and Q. yunquë “twelve” (48/7). Personally I find the second theory more compelling.

ndab

root. endeavor, try, seek opportunity

This is one of various roots that Tolkien considered for “try”. It first appeared as √NDEB in notes from around 1967, but Tolkien noted that this was “too obviously = endeavor”, and followed this with a new root √RIK “strive”, though √NDEB was not explicitly rejected (PE17/167). In Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 Tolkien reintroduced a similar root √NDAB “endeavor, try, seek opportunity”, with a verb form Q. nauva “will try” (PE22/151).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I think √NDAB is problematic in that it collides with other forms like √NDAB “judge” (VT42/34; PE22/154), but √NDEB “try” might still be useful, perhaps with the nuance “✱make an attempt, expirement” as opposed to √RIK “strive, ✱work towards, put forth effort”.

rik

root. put forth effort, strive, endeavour, try

This root was connected to Tolkien’s attempt to translate the phrase “try harder” into Quenya around 1966-67. √RIK “strive” first appeared in rough notes as a replacement for √NDEB which Tolkien thought was too close to “endeavor” (PE17/167). Tolkien then firmed up the meaning of √RIK in another note, giving it the gloss “put forth effort, strive, endeavour”, so that “try!” = ā rike in Quenya (PE17/93). Another note had √RIK meaning “try” in the sense “endeavour, make an effort, strive (to do something against an obstacle or opponent)”; this note indicated the root was intransitive and the preposition “against” was required before any obstacle (PE17/182). It seems Tolkien did not entirely abandon √NDEB, however, since a similar form √NDAB “endeavor, try, seek opportunity” appeared in Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 (PE22/151); see that entry for discussion.

Note that √RIK “strive” is also identical in form to √RIK or ᴹ√RIK(H) “twist”, a root that had a long history in Tolkien’s writings. For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I assume the two roots co-exist.

tok

root. appraise, tax, assess, assay; try, test, essay, endeavour; feel with the hand, handle

henet

root. middle

ened

adjective. middle

enec

cardinal. six

aráta

adjective. noble

eneg

cardinal. six

eneg

cardinal. six

enner

masculine name. Bridegroom

Noldorin equivalent of ᴹQ. Ender, another name for ᴹQ. Tulkas (Ety/TULUK, EtyAC/E).

enedh

noun. centre, middle, core

doer

noun. bridegroom

doer

noun. bridegroom

A noun appearing as N. doer “bridegroom” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√NDER of similar meaning (Ety/NDER). It is unusual in that its primitive form is ᴹ✶ndǣr, a rare example of the a-fortification of primitive e to ǣ (PE18/46). In Old Noldorin this became ON. ndair, and in Noldorin of the 1930s the diphthong [[n|[ai] became [oe] or [ae]]]. Indeed, in another entry in The Etymologies, Tolkien gave a variant form daer for “bridegroom”, though somewhat mysteriously he marked it as Old Noldorin (Ety/DER).

Neo-Sindarin: The a-fortification of primitive e remained a feature in Tolkien’s later writings, though in the 1950s Tolkien marked the result as ę̄ rather than ǣ (PE18/95). Thus primitive √NDER > ✱ndę̄r > OS. ndair > S. daer remains a plausible scenario in Sindarin, but ai > oe no longer occurred as it did in Noldorin. Therefore, I’d use the form ᴺS. daer for “bridegroom” in Neo-Sindarin, as suggested in HSD (HSD).

enedh

noun. core, centre, middle

While the word is written enedh in the Etymologies, it seems that Tolkien considered and reconsidered its form throughout his life. Late rough jottings (c. 1968), as well as the text of letter no. 168 and the fact that the toponym Enedwaith was never changed on the LotR map, seem to imply that ened is the (most) definitive form. See also the possibly related preposition ned , which has sometimes been suggested to mean "in" (while again a prefix nedh- is seen in the Etymologies)

hûn

noun. heart (physical)

ened

noun. centre

ened

noun. core, centre, middle

While the word is written enedh in the Etymologies, it seems that Tolkien considered and reconsidered its form throughout his life. Late rough jottings (c. 1968), as well as the text of letter no. 168 and the fact that the toponym Enedwaith was never changed on the LotR map, seem to imply that ened is the (most) definitive form. See also the possibly related preposition ned , which has sometimes been suggested to mean "in" (while again a prefix nedh- is seen in the Etymologies)

eneg

cardinal. six

eneg

cardinal. six

eneg

cardinal. six

eneg;

eneg

six

;

rîth

noun. effort, endeavour

A neologism for “effort, endeavour” coined by Elaran and posted on 2018-01-04 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) based on the root √RIK “put forth effort, strive, endeavour”. Elaran originally derived rîth from ✱riktā inspired by [ᴺQ.] rihta, but I would assume primitive ✱riktē to avoid the question of whether or not a-affection should occur.

enedh

noun. centre, middle, centre, middle; [N.] core

@@@ Tolkien vacillated between enedh (< √ENED) and ened (perhaps < √ENET) in his later writings. In HSD/ened, it is suggested that ened is the likely “final” form based on Enedwaith as it appears in The Lord of the Rings and as discussed on Let/224. I prefer enedh for better compatibility with its Quenya cognate endë as in Q. enderi “middle-days” (LotR/1108, endë + ré “day”). If the Sindarin form were ened < √ENET, the corresponding Quenya form would instead be entë. Furthermore, in a general discussion of the uses of dh on VT42/20, Tolkien states that “Enedhwaith is misspelt”, possibly meaning that the normal spelling (Enedwaith) is not strictly correct.

dev-

verb. to try, to try, *seek opportunity, experiment

A verb for “to try” based on the root √NDEB in notes from the 1960s (PE17/167). As suggested by Christopher Gilson, this appears to be a draft of Tolkien’s attempt to define the phrase “try harder” in Quenya. Of the root √NDEB, Tolkien said it “too obviously = endeavor”, and he wrote another root √RIK below it, with a Sindarin verb form ritha- or raitha. It seems Tolkien here changed √NDEB >> √RIK, but in later notes from 1969 Tolkien had the root √NDAB “endeavor, try, seek opportunity” (PE22/151), indicating that the concept of √NDEB was not entirely abandoned.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would mainly use ritha- for “to try (put forth effort)”, but I think dev- is worth retaining with a different connotation: “to try, ✱seek opportunity, experiment”. In other words, you use ritha- “try” when you are uncertain whether you are capable of performing the action, and dev- “try” when you know you are capable, but are uncertain what the result of the action will be.

arod

adjective. noble

arod

noble

1b _adj._noble. >> raud

arod

adjective. noble

adj. #noble.

arod

adjective. noble

d adj. noble. Q. arata. >> raud

arod

adjective. noble

arphen

noun. a noble

arth

adjective. (unknown meaning, perhaps (?) noble, lofty, exalted)

daer

noun. bridegroom

ennas

adverb. there, in that place

ennas

adverb. there

gûr

noun. heart (in the moral sense), counsel

raitha-

verb. try

an e is written above raitha, prob. Indicating alternative forms reitha or retha.

ar

noble

(adjectival prefix) ar- (high, royal). In the form ar(a)- this is an element in the names of the kings of Arnor and Arthedain.

ar

noble

(high, royal). In the form ar(a)- this is an element in the names of the kings of Arnor and Arthedain.

arn

noble

(adjective) 1) arn (royal), pl. ern, also arth (lofty, exalted), pl. erth, or arod (archaic *araud), pl. aroed. 2) brand (high, lofty, fine), lenited vrand, pl. braind; 3) raud (eminent, high), in compounds -rod, pl. roed. 4) taur (also tor-, tar- in compounds) (lofty, high, sublime; vast, masterful, mighty, overwhelming, huge, awful), lenited daur, pl. toer. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”great wood, forest”. Also used as noun ”a noble”; see below.

arn

noble

(royal), pl. ern, also arth (lofty, exalted), pl. erth, or arod (archaic ✱araud), pl. aroed.

arphen

noble

(noun, "a noble") 1) arphen, pl. erphin; 2) raud (eminent man, champion), pl.roed (idh roed), coll. pl. rodath.

arphen

noble

pl. erphin

arwen

noble woman

(pl. erwin).****

brand

noble

(high, lofty, fine), lenited vrand, pl. braind

daer

bridegroom

daer (i naer, o ndaer), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndaer). Note: a homophone means "great, large", but has different mutations.

daer

noun. bridegroom

daer

bridegroom

(i naer, o ndaer), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ndaer). Note: a homophone means "great, large", but has different mutations.

enecthui

sixth

also ✱engui (the latter is David Salo’s suggested normalized form of a word that actually appears as enchui in the source, but the longer form enecthui can be used to avoid the problem) (VT42:25).

enedh

middle

enedh (core, center), pl. enidh

enedh

middle

(core, center), pl. enidh

enedh

center

1) enedh (core, middle), pl. enidh, 2) nest (heart, core), pl. nist

enedh

center

(core, middle), pl. enidh

enedh

core

1) enedh (middle, center), pl. enidh, 2) nest (heart, center), pl. nist

enedh

core

(middle, center), pl. enidh

ennas

there

ennas (SD:128-31)

ennas

there

(SD:128-31)

gûr

heart

(i ’ûr, construct gur), pl. guir (i nguir = i ñuir). Note: A homophone means ”death”, but has different mutations. (VT41:11).

hûn

heart

1) (physical heart) hûn (i chûn, o chûn, construct hun), pl. huin (i chuin), 2) (inner mind) gûr (i **ûr, construct gur), pl. guir (i nguir = i ñuir). Note: A homophone means ”death”, but has different mutations. (VT41:11). 3) ind (inner thought, mind, meaning), no distinct pl. form;, coll. pl. innath. 4) nest (core, center), pl. nist. Also notice the prefix hû**- apparently meaning ”heart”..

hûn

heart

(i chûn, o chûn, construct hun), pl. huin (i chuin)

ind

heart

(inner thought, mind, meaning), no distinct pl. form;, coll. pl. innath.

nest

center

(heart, core), pl. nist

nest

heart

(core, center), pl. nist. Also notice the prefix hû- apparently meaning ”heart”..

nest

core

(heart, center), pl. nist

nuitha

prevent from coming to completion

(i nuitha, in nuithar) (stunt; stop short; not allow to continue) (WJ:413)

pant

complete

pant (lenited bant; pl. paint) (full, whole); COMPLETELY, see

pant

complete

(lenited bant; pl. paint) (full, whole);

plada

feel with the hand

(pass the sensitive palm over a surface) plada- (i blada, i phladar) (VT47:9)

raud

noble

(eminent, high), in compounds -rod,  pl. roed.  4) taur (also tor-, tar- in compounds) (lofty, high, sublime; vast, masterful, mighty, overwhelming, huge, awful), lenited daur, pl. toer. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”great wood, forest”. Also used as noun ”a noble”; see below.

tass

1,D adverb. then, there

A Quenya-influenced neologism meaning "there, then, in that (place/time)", from Q. tassë.