feren

noun. beech-tree

A word for “beech-tree” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with variants feren and ferne derived from primitive ᴹ✶pheren based on the root ᴹ√PHER(EN) “beech” (Ety/BERÉTH; PHER). Its plural form was ferni < ✱fer(e)nī due to the affect of the Quenya syncope. It is likely the variant singular ferne was based on this plural, with feren being the original singular form.

Conceptual Development: In Early Qenya of the 1910s and 20s, the word for “beech” was ᴱQ. neldor derived from the early root ᴱ√NELE point (QL/65; PE16/139). Later Tolkien decided S. neldor “beech” was Sindarin; see that entry for discussion.

ferna

noun. mast, beechnuts

A word in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “mast, beechnuts” under the root ᴹ√PHER(EN) “beech” (Ety/BERETH). Most likely the gloss “mast” refers to the fallen nuts or acorns used in ancient times to feed pigs, which was one of the senses of the Old English word “mæst”. The mast of a ship would instead be tyulma (PE21/80; Ety/TYUL).

ferne

noun. beech-tree

filet

noun. cobweb

A word in in the Declension of Nouns of the early 1930s glossed {“fern” >>} “cobweb” (PE21/33 and note #3). Its initial gloss was probably a later iteration of ᴱQ. filqe “fern” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/38), and in later writings filit (filik-) was a word for “small bird, sparrow” (Ety/PHILIK; PE21/56), so this was likely a transient form.

líne

noun. cobweb, cobweb; [ᴱQ.] cotton, thread

A noun for “cobweb” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from primitive ᴹ✶slignē under the root ᴹ√SLIG (Ety/SLIG).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s Tolkien gave ᴱQ. līnẹ “thread, cotton” under the early root ᴱ√LI+ya (QL/53).

Neo-Quenya: This word is somewhat questionable, since in later writings, Tolkien derived spider words from √ungu-. However, I prefer to interpret ᴹ√(S)LIG as having to do with threads for purposes of Neo-Eldarin, and “cobweb” could be from a sense “collection of threads”. With this interpretation, I think it is also plausible to include the sense “cotton” from Early Qenya, though for “thread” I’d use other words like Q. ipsin or [ᴹQ.] lia. Helge Fauskanger suggested (QQ/líne) that this word should be ✱hlíne given primitive initial sl-, but there is another primitive form ᴹ✶ligā under the root, so perhaps the Quenya derivatives were (a) based from a variant root ᴹ√LIG or (b) reflect the Third Age Quenya pronunciation as voiced l (LotR/1114).

qalin

adjective. dead, dead, [ᴱQ.] dying

An adjective for “dead” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√KWAL “die (in pain)” (Ety/KWAL).

Conceptual Development: The adjective ᴱQ. qalin meant “dead” all the way back in the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s where it was derived from the early root ᴱ√QALA “die” (QL/76; PME/76). In the Qenya Lexicon it has an archaic variant ᴱQ. †qalna (QL/76). In Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s, qalin appeared in the stative construction qalinya {“is dead” >>} “is dying” (PE16/140).

tyulma

noun. mast

ferne

noun. beech

bredele

noun. beech-tree

fileg

noun. fern

A noun appearing as G. fileg or filc “fern” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/35), cognate to ᴱQ. filqe “fern” under the early root ᴱ√FILI “fine, thin” (GL/35).

Neo-Sindarin: In Tolkien’s later writing, N. fileg was “small bird”, so I would adapt this Gnomish word as ᴺS. fileb “fern”, assuming a primitive form of ✱philikwe with kw becoming p (and then b) as usual for Sindarin of the 1950s and 60s. I would also assume that, like N. fileg “small bird”, the singular fileb “fern” was reconstructed based on the plural filib “ferns”.

filc

noun. fern

gwidh-a-ging

noun. cobweb

A word for “cobweb” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/46). Its initial element seems to be G. gwidh- “weave”, and its final element might be a variant of G. gung “spider” (though this word was deleted).

filqe

noun. fern

A word appearing as ᴱQ. filqe “fern” in the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s, with variants filinqe and (dialectical) filimpe [probably Solosimpi/Telerin], all derived from the early root ᴱ√FILI “fine, thin” (QL/38).

Conceptual Development: The Declension of Nouns (DN) of the early 1930s had ᴹQ. filet (filek-) with glosses {“fern” >>} “cobweb” (PE21/33 note #123), and in later writings filit (filik-) was a word for “small bird, sparrow” (Ety/PHILIK; PE21/56).

Neo-Quenya: Since there are no later non-rejected words with this meaning, I would retain ᴺQ. filquë “fern” for purposes of Neo-Quenya.

filimpe

noun. fern

filinqe

noun. fern

kangawinda

noun. cobweb

A word for “cobweb” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/45), apparently a combination of the verb ᴱQ. kanga- “weave” and the noun ᴱQ. winda “woof”. It also appeared in the contemporaneous Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/45).

mána

adjective. dead

An adjective for “dead” in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s based on the verb ᴱQ. maka- “die” (PE14/58).

narka

adjective. dead

An adjective for “dead” implied by the stative formation narkea “is dead” in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/140), perhaps connected to some precursor of √NDAK “slay”.

neldor

noun. beech

neldorin

noun. beech-tree

A word in the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s glossed “beech tree”, an elaboration of ᴱQ. neldor “beech” (QL/65).

qalna

adjective. dead

tyulma

noun. mast

tyulme

noun. mast

warda

adjective. dead

An adjective for “dead” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√GWṚÐṚ “die” (QL/104), given as a cognate to G. gwarth “dead (only of persons)” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/44).

Ferny Family

Ferny Family

Ferny refers to the plant name "fern". Fern and Ferny, Fernie are real-life English surnames.

pherna

noun. mast

pheren

noun. beech-tree

pher(en)

root. beech

bereth

root. beech

A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s serving principally as the basis for N. brethil “beech” (Ety/BERÉTH). In the notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s Tolkien instead connected brethil to the root √BARATH and S. bereth “queen”, where it had the true meaning of “princess” (PE17/23). But that could be a later association rather that a genuine etymology, and doesn’t necessarily invalidate ᴹ√BERETH (especially given the other phonological issues with S. bereth < √BARATH).

kyul(u)mā

noun. mast

pheren

noun. beech-tree

tyulmā

noun. mast

deilian

noun. beech-tree

gwardh

adjective. dead

galbreth

noun. beech

A Doriathrin (and Falathrin) noun for “beech (tree)”, a combination of gald “tree” and breth “(beech) mast” (Ety/GALAD, BERÉTH). The second element originally meant “beech”, but later meant “mast”; this original meaning seems to be preserved in this compound.

neldor

noun. beech

A Doriathrin noun for “beech (tree)”, properly referring to Hirilorn with a true meaning of “three trunks” (Ety/NEL). Tolkien indicated it was a combination of neld “three” and orn “tree”, though it is unclear why the final -n vanished. He marked this derivation with a “?” perhaps because of this uncertainty.

Conceptual Development: Tolkien seems to have coined this word to explain names like Neldoreth. Its most obvious precursor is ᴱQ. neldor (QL/65).