falqua

cleft, mountain pass, ravine

falqua ("q") noun "cleft, mountain pass, ravine" (LT2:341)

sanca

cleft, split

sanca (þ) ("k") noun? (or adj, or both?) "cleft, split" (STAK)

hyatsë

cleft, gash

hyatsë noun "cleft, gash" (SYAD), apparently changed by Tolkien from hyassë (VT46:16)

lún

deep

lún adj.??? a word of obscure meaning, perhaps "deep" as used of water (VT48:28)

ciris

cleft, crack

ciris _("k")_noun "cleft, crack" (LT2:337 - obsoleted by cirissë?)

núra

deep

núra adj. "deep" (NŪ)

yáwë

ravine, cleft, gulf

yáwë noun "ravine, cleft, gulf" (YAG; according to VT46:22, the last gloss should perhaps be read as "gully" instead)

falch

noun. deep cleft, ravine

falch

noun. *cleft, ravine, [ᴱN.] cleft, ravine

An element in the (untranslated) name Orfalch Echor (S/239), but in earlier writings this word was translated “cleft, ravine”, and likely the Sindarin form of the word had a similar meaning.

Conceptual Development: The earliest iteration of this word was G. falc “cleft, gash; cleft, ravine, cliffs” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/33), where it was probably a derivative of the early root ᴱ√FḶKḶ “cleave, hew” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT2A/Glorfalc; QL/38). It reappeared as ᴱN. falch “cleft, ravine” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s as a derivative of primitive ✶spalk(w)e (PE13/143), and that’s the basis for the gloss given above.

Derivations

• √SPALAK “cleave, hew”

Element in

• S. Orfalch Echor “*High Cleft of the Outer Circle” ✧ SA/echor

cirith

noun. cleft, high climbing pass, narrow passage cut through earth or rock, ravine, defile

criss

noun. cleft, cleft, [N.] cut, slash, [G.] gash; [N.] pass, [G.] gully, ravine

A word for a “cleft, cut, slash” (PE21/81; Ety/KIRIS) derived from √KIRIS, a blend of the roots √KIR and √RIS (PE17/87).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to G. criss “cleft, gash, gully” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s where it was probably already a derivative of the early root ᴱ√KIRISI as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (GL/27; LT2A/Cris Ilbranteloth). In the Name-list to The Fall of Gondolin Tolkien gave cris with the definition “a cleft, ravine, or narrow way of waters with high walls” (PE15/21), and in this period it typically appeared in this shorter form within names like G. Cris Ilbranteloth or G. Cris Thorn.

N. criss appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “cleft, cut, slash” under the root ᴹ√KIRIS “cut” (Ety/KIRIS). It also appeared under the root ᴹ√KIR with the gloss “cleft, pass”, but this instance was deleted (EtyAC/KIR). S. criss “cleft” was mentioned in passing in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure (EVS2) from the early 1950s as derived from primitive ✶kirissi (PE21/80-81), and it was mentioned as a blending of roots in notes on Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s as described above (PE17/87). Its use in names diminished over time, however, the only remnant in the final version of The Silmarillion being S. Crissaegrim (S/121).

Neo-Sindarin: In The Etymologies of the 1930s it seems this word was principally used as for a “cleft, cut, slash” independent of geography. I would assume the same is true for purposes of Neo-Sindarin, since criss is used only in a single geographic name in Tolkien’s later writings; S. cirith was use more broadly in geographic features. I would also assume it was a larger and more violent cut (a “gash” or “slash”) compared to S. rest for simple cuts.

Derivations

• √KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”
• ✶kirissi “cleft” ✧ PE21/80
  • √KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”

Element in

• S. Crissaegrim “*Cleft Mountain Peaks”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶kirissi > criss	[kiríssi] > [kirísse] > [krisse] > [kriss]	✧ PE21/80

riss

adjective. cleft

_ adj. _cleft, cloven, separate. Q. rista, risse, rinse. >> Imladris

thanc

adjective. cleft, split, forked

riss

noun. ravine

falch

cleft

(ravine[?]), pl. felch

falch

ravine

(deep cleft), pl. felch

falch

deep cleft

(ravine[?]), pl. felch;

falch

deep cleft

falch (ravine[?]), pl. felch;

angol

deep lore

(magic), pl. engyl. Note: a homophone means "stench".

cirith

cleft

(i girith, o chirith) (cutting, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith)

im

deep vale

(dell), no distinct pl. form (though the pl. article in will mark the word as pl. when definite). The word typically occurs, not by itself, but in compounds like imlad, imloth, imrath, imrad (VT45:18, VT47:19)

iaw

ravine

1) iaw (cleft, gulf), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”. 2) ress (construct res), pl. riss (idh riss), 3) rest (cleft, cut), pl. rist (idh rist), 4) riss (construct ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh riss)

iaw

ravine

(cleft, gulf), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”.

imlad

deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides

(glen), pl. imlaid;

tûm

deep valley

tum- (i** dûm, o thûm, construct tum), pl. t**uim (i** thuim**)

maeg

going deep in

(lenited vaeg; no distinct pl. form) (sharp, penetrating). (WJ:337);

tofn

deep

tofn (lenited dofn; pl. tyfn) (low, low-lying), also nûr (pl. nuir). Note: homophones of the latter mean ”sad” and ”race”.

tofn

deep

(lenited dofn; pl. tyfn) (low, low-lying), also nûr (pl. nuir). Note: homophones of the latter mean ”sad” and ”race”.

criss

cleft

(i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss), 4) iaw (gulf, ravine), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”

cîl

cleft

(i gîl, o chîl) (pass between hills, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. A homophone means ”renewal”.

rest

cleft

(ravine, cut), pl. rist (idh rist)

rist

cleft

(noun) 1) rist (-ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh rist). Note: a homophone means ”cleaver, cutter”, 2) cirith (i girith, o chirith) (cutting, pass), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chirith), 3) cîl (i gîl, o chîl) (pass between hills, gorge), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chîl), coll. pl. cíliath. A homophone means ”renewal”. 4) criss (i griss, o chriss, construct cris) (cut, slash), no distinct pl. form except with article (i chriss), 4) iaw (gulf, ravine), pl. ioe. Note: a homophone means ”corn”, 5) rest (ravine, cut), pl. rist (idh rist), 6) (deep cleft) falch (ravine[?]), pl. felch

rist

cleft

(-ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh rist). Note: a homophone means ”cleaver, cutter”

thanc

cleft

(adj.) thanc (forked, split), pl. thainc

thanc

cleft

(forked, split), pl. thainc

ress

ravine

(construct res), pl. riss (idh riss)

rest

ravine

(cleft, cut), pl. rist (idh rist)

riss

ravine

(construct ris), no distinct pl. except with article (idh riss)****

kirissi

noun. cleft

Derivations

• √KIRIS “cleave, cleave, [ᴹ√] cut, [ᴱ√] split”

Derivatives

• S. criss “cleft, cleft, [N.] cut, slash, [G.] gash; [N.] pass, [G.] gully, ravine” ✧ PE21/80

iau

noun. ravine, cleft, gulf

rhis

noun. ravine

rhis

noun. ravine

Derivations

• ᴹ✶risse- “a ravine” ✧ Ety/RIS²
  • ᴹ√RIS “slash, rip” ✧ Ety/RIS²

Element in

• N. Imladris(t) “Rivendell” ✧ Ety/RIS²

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶risse- > rhis	[risse] > [riss] > [r̥iss]	✧ Ety/RIS²
ᴹ✶risse- > rhess	[rissa] > [ressa] > [ress] > [r̥ess]	✧ Ety/RIS²

Variations

• rhess ✧ Ety/RIS²

criss

noun. cleft, cut, slash

cîl

noun. cleft, pass between hills, gorge

rhess

noun. ravine

rhess

noun. ravine

thanc

adjective. cleft, split, forked

nûr

adjective. deep

nûr

adjective. deep

Cognates

• ᴹQ. núra “deep” ✧ Ety/NU

Derivations

• ᴹ✶nūrā “deep” ✧ Ety/NU
  • ᴹ√NUR “deep” ✧ Ety/NU
  • ᴹ√NU/UNU “*down, under” ✧ Ety/NU

Element in

• N. Núron “Ulmo” ✧ Ety/NU

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶nūrā > nûr	[nūrā] > [nūra] > [nūr]	✧ Ety/NU

Variations

• nûr ✧ Ety/NU