falma

noun. (crested or foaming) wave, breaker, (crested or foaming) wave, breaker; [ᴱQ.] foam

The basic Quenya word for “wave”, in particular a foaming or cresting wave, or a breaker. It was a derivative of the root √PHAL “foam, splash” (PE17/62, 73; Ety/PHAL).

Conceptual Development: Its earliest precursor seems to be ᴱQ. falmo “foam” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, derived from the root ᴱ√FALA (QL/37). It appeared as ᴱQ. falma “foam” in the Oilima Markirya poem of 1931 (MC/213). Other poems from this period use another word ᴱQ. falmar for “wave” (MC/216, 220), and falmar appeared in Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as well with the gloss “wave as it breaks” (QL/37). In the Declension of Nouns from the 1930s, it appeared as ᴹQ. falma “wave” (PE22/22, 50), and in The Etymologies of the 1930s as ᴹQ. falma “(crested) wave” from the root ᴹ√PHAL “foam” (Ety/PHAL). It was mentioned numerous times in later writings, generally as a foaming or breaking wave.

falma

(crested/foaming) wave

falma noun "(crested/foaming) wave" (PHAL/PHÁLAS), "a wave-crest, wave" (VT42:15), "foam wave" (PE17:127), "a breaker" (PE17:62), partitive pl. falmali "many waves" (PE17:73), allative falmalinnar "on the foaming waves" in Namárië(Nam, RGEO:67); the phrase an i falmalī _(PE17:74) seems to be a paraphrase of this with an independent preposition instead of the allative ending -nna (see an #1). Compounded in Falmari, a name of the Teleri, and Mar-nu-Falmar, "Home/Land under Waves", a name of Númenor after the Downfall. (SA:falas) Falmari "wave-folk", a name of the Teleri (PM:386). In earlier "Qenya", falma was glossed "foam" (LT1:253, cf. MC:213). Compare also the early "Qenya" words falmar "wave as it breaks" (LT1:253), pl. falmari "waves" (MC:216)_

falmari

collective name. Sea-elves, (lit.) Wave-folk

A name for the Teleri as Elves of the sea (S/53). It is an elaboration on falma “wave” (SA/falas) and its literal meaning is “Wave-folk” (PM/386).

Conceptual Development: Earlier Quenya words connecting the third tribe of Elves to the sea include ᴱQ. Solosimpe “Shore Piper” (LT1/50; QL/35, 85), ᴹQ. Solonyeldi “✱Surf Singers” (Ety/NYEL, SOL) and ᴹQ. Falanyel “✱Beach Singer” (Ety/PHAL).

falmar

sea-spirit, nymph

falmar, falmarin (falmarind- or simply falmarin- as in pl. falmarindi [or falmarini]) noun "sea-spirit, nymph" (PHAL/PHÁLAS)

falmari

Falmari

The name is Quenya and related to the word falma "wave". The singular term may have been Falmar or Falmaro meaning "wave-er" (cf. ending -ro).[source?] In The Silmarillion the Teleri of Aman are simply known as 'the Teleri', from the Vanyar and Noldor point of view; in fact the Teleri of Aman were properly just the branch of that people.

falmafilit

noun. budgie, (lit.) wave-bird

A neologism for “budgie” coined by Luinyelle posted on 2025-06-03 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of falma “wave” and [ᴹQ.] filit (filic-) “small bird”.

falmaril

noun. aquamarine, (lit.) wave-crystal

A neologism for a “aquamarine” coined by Valerie on 2022-04-06 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) as a combination of falma “wave” and [ᴹQ.] maril “crystal”.

falmasil

noun. mareel, sea sparkle, milky seas, blue tide, (lit.) wave-sheen

A neologism for “mareel”, which is a term for phosphorescence in the ocean, also known as “sea sparkle, milky seas, blue tide”. It was coined by Fëastorno and posted on 2025-03-01 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) as a combination of falma “wave” and THIL “shine (white)”, so more literally “wave-sheen”.

-li

the elves

-li partitive pl. ending (simply called a plural suffix in the Etymologies, stem LI). The ending is used to indicate a plural that is neither generic (e.g. Eldar "the Elves" as a race) nor definite (preceded by article); hence Eldali is used for "some Elves" (a particular group of Elves, when they are first mentioned in a narrative, VT49:8). Sometimes Tolkien also lets -li imply a great number; in PE17:129, the form falmalinnar from _Namárië _is broken down as falma-li-nnar "foam wave-many-towards-pl. ending", and falmali by itself Tolkien translated "many waves" (PE17:73). A distinct accusative in -lī seems to occur in the phrase an i falmalī (PE17:127, apparently meaning the same as i falmalinnar, but replacing the allative ending with a preposition). Genitive -lion in vanimálion, malinornélion (q.v. for reference), allative -linna and -linnar in falmalinnar, q.v. The endings for other cases are only known from the Plotz letter: possessive -líva, dative -lin, locative -lissë or -lissen, ablative -lillo or -lillon, instrumental -línen, "short locative" -lis. When the noun ends in a consonant, r and n is assimilated before l, e.g. Casalli as the partitive pl. of Casar "Dwarf" (WJ:402), or elelli as the partitive pl. of elen "star" (PE17:127). It is unclear whether the same happens in monosyllabic words, or whether a connecting vowel would be slipped in before -li (e.g. ?queneli or ?quelli as the partitive pl. of quén, quen- "person").

an

for

an (1) _conj. and prep. _"for" (Nam, RGEO:66), an cé mo quernë… "for if one turned…" (VT49:8), also used adverbially in the formula an + a noun to express "one more" (of the thing concerned: an quetta "a word more", PE17:91). The an of the phrase es sorni heruion an! "the Eagles of the Lords are at hand" (SD:290) however seems to denote motion towards (the speaker): the Eagles are coming. Etym has an, ana "to, towards" (NĀ1). The phrase an i falmalī _(PE17:127) is not clearly translated but seems to be a paraphrase of the word falmalinnar "upon the foaming waves" (Nam)_, suggesting that an can be used as a paraphrase of the allative ending (and if falmalī is seen as a Book Quenya accusative form because of the long final vowel, this is evidence that an governs the accusative case). In the "Arctic" sentence, an is translated "until". Regarding an as used in Namárië, various sources indicate that it means an "moreover, further(more), to proceed" (VT49:18-19) or ("properly") "further, plus, in addition" (PE17:69, 90). According to one late source (ca. 1966 or later), an "is very frequently used after a full stop, when an account or description is confirmed after a pause. So in Galadriels Elvish lament […]: An sí Tintallë, etc. [= For now the Kindler, etc…] This is translated by me for, side an is (as here) often in fact used when the additional matter provides an explanation of or reason for what has already been said". Related is the use of an + noun to express "one more"; here an is presumably accented, something the word would not normally be when used as a conjunction or preposition.

falasta-

verb. to foam

falasta- vb. "to foam", participle falastala "foaming, surging" in Markirya

ten

for

ten (2) conj. "for", in Fíriel's Song; apparently replaced by an in LotR-style Quenya.

winga hlápula

the foam blowing

The eleventh line of the Markirya poem (MC/222). The first word is winga “foam” followed by the active-participle (“-ing”) of the verb hlapu- “to blow”.

Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:

> winga hlápu-la = “✱foam blow-ing”

faltha

foam

(i faltha, i falthar)

falf

foam

(breaker), pl. felf, coll. pl. falvath

gwing

foam

(i ’wing) (spindrift, spume, spray blown off wave-tops), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwing)

ross

foam

(construct ros) (rain, dew, spray [of fall or fountain]), pl. ryss (idh ryss) (Letters:282). Note: homophones mean ”reddish, russet, copper-coloured, red-haired” and also ”polished metal, glitter”

ammen

for us

(to us).

an

for

(prep.) an (+ nasal mutation), with article ni ”for the” (+ nasal mutation in plural).

an

for

(adverbial prefix) an-

an

for

(+ nasal mutation), with article ’ni ”for the” (+ nasal mutation in plural).

an

for the

(for) + i (the).

oeros

masculine name. Osse