málos

forest

málos noun "forest" (LT2:342 rather taurë in Tolkien's later Quenya)

tauno

forest

tauno noun "forest" (LT1:267; in Tolkien's later Quenya taurë)

taure

noun. forest

tauremornalómë

place name. *Forest (of) Black Night

A name of Fangorn forest, longer form of Tauremorna (LotR/469). This name is a compound of taurë “forest”, morna “black” and lómë “night”.

taurë

noun. forest, (great) wood

The common Quenya word for “forest”, derived from the root √TAW “wood” (PE17/115; VT39/7).

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon Tolkien had ᴱQ. tauno “great forest” derived from the root ᴱ√TAVA “beam” (QL/90). It seems to have had the form taur- in the early name ᴱQ. Rúsitaurion “Son of the Weary Forest” (LT2/89), and the form was ᴱQ. taure in the Oilima Markirya and its various drafts (MC/213, 220; PE16/62 ff.). In Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s it briefly had the form taurie (PE16/138). In The Etymologies of the 1930s it had the form ᴹQ. taure “great wood, forest” as a derivative of the root ᴹ√TAWAR of similar meaning (Ety/TÁWAR). It was mentioned regularly in Tolkien’s later writings, generally with the gloss “forest”.

Tauremorna

black forest

Tauremorna place-name, "black forest" (LotR2:III ch. 4, translated in PE17:82). Tauremornalómë place-name, *"Forest (of) Black Night" (LotR2:III ch. 4)

Taurë Huinéva

forest of shadow

Taurë Huinéva place-name "Forest of Shadow", Sindarin Taur na Fuin(PHUY, VT46:10)

tauremorna

place name. Black Forest

A name of Fangorn forest, shorter form of Tauremornalómë (LotR/469), translated “Black Forest” (PE17/82). This name is a compound of taurë “forest” and morna “black” (RC/385, PE17/82).

taurë

(great) wood, forest

taurë noun "(great) wood, forest" (SA:taur, Letters:308, TÁWAR. VT39:7), pl. tauri in Markirya

taurosso

masculine name. Forest-warden

Apparently a Quenya cognate of S. Tauron appearing in linguistic notes from the 1950s (PE21/85).

Taurelilómëa-tumbalemorna Tumbaletaurëa Lómëanor

forestmanyshadowed-deepvalleyblack deepvalleyforested gloomyland

Taurelilómëa-tumbalemorna Tumbaletaurëa Lómëanor "Forestmanyshadowed-deepvalleyblack Deepvalleyforested Gloomyland", Quenya elements agglutinated in Entish fashion; this supposedly means something like "there is a black shadow in the deep dales of the forest" (LotR2:III ch. 4; translated in Appendix F under "Ents"; cf. also Letters:308) Earlier (TLT) version in TI:415: Tauretavárëa Tumbalemorna Tumbaletaurëa landatavárë, perhaps *"forest-wooden deepvalleyblack deepvalleyforested wide-wood."

ve tauri lillassië

like leaves of forests

The fifteenth line of the Markirya poem (MC/222). The first word is ve “like”, followed the plural of taurë “forest” and the plural of the adjective lillassëa “having many leaves”, in agreement with the noun.

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

> ve taur-i lillass-ië = “✱like forest-(plural) manyleaved-(plural)”

taurelasselindon

like leaves of forests

taurelasselindon "like leaves of forests" (MC:213, 220; this is a "Qenya" similative form: taure-lasseli-ndon "forest-leaves-like")

(taure)lanta

noun. clearing, open space in the forest

A neologism for “clearing, open space in the forest” coined by Luinyelle posted on 2025-05-09 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of taurë “forest” and lanta, the Quenya equivalent of [N.] lhant “clearing in the forest”.

ruinalda

noun. flame tree, peacock flower, royal poinciana, phoenix flower, flame of the forest, Delonix regia

A neologism coined by Luinyelle posted on 2025-03-25 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) as a combination of ruinë “flame” and alda “tree”.

tavárëa

wooden

#tavárëa ?adj. "wooden" (tauretavárëa = "forest-wooden"?) (TI:415). If so perhaps a near-synonym of taurina.

Nando

valley, wide valley

nando (2) "valley, wide valley", variant of nandë #1, q.v. (PE17:80)

cinta

small

cinta adj. "small" (PE17:157)

cinta

adjective. small

A word for “small” in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 derived from the root √KIT or √KIN (PE17/157).

Neo-Quenya: This word is fairly obscure, so I would used other words for “small” for purposes of Neo-Quenya, such as níca.

inya

small

inya (2) adj. "small" (LT1:256; this "Qenya" word may be obsoleted by # 1 above)

mintë

small

mintë adj. "small" (VT45:35)

mitsa

small

mitsa adj. "small" (VT45:35) Another synonym from the same source, mitra, looks unusual for a Quenya word (because of the medial cluster tr)

nalda

valley

nalda adj. "valley" (used as an adjective), also "lowly" (LT1:261, QL:66)$

nandë

valley

nandë (1) noun "valley" in Laurenandë (UT:253), elided nand in the name Nand Ondoluncava (k") "Stonewain Valley" (PE17:28). Possibly the complete word is here meant to be the variant nando (PE17:80), as suggested by the alternative form Ondoluncanan(do) ("k") "Stonewain Valley". Also nan, nand- noun "valley" (Letters:308); Nan-Tasarion "Vale of Willows" (LotR2:III ch. 4) (Note that this and the next nandë would be spelt differently in Tengwar writing, and originally they were also pronounced differently, since nandë "harp" was ñandë in First Age Quenya.)

nandë

noun. valley

nincë

small

*nincë (ninci*-) ("k")adj. "small". The form is given as "ninki" with the last vowel marked as short; this is probably the etymological form that would underlie Quenya nincë. The word is said to mean "small" with "good senses"; contrast nípa**, *nimpë. (VT48:18)

nitya

small

#nitya adj. "small" (VT48:15, PM:365)

níca

small

níca ("k")adj. "small". The word is said to mean "small" with "good senses"; contrast nípa, *nimpë. (VT47:26, VT48:18)

níca

adjective. small

A word appearing in a note from 1968 along side a (primitive?) variant ✶ninkĭ, both derived from the root √NIK “small” and so probably of similar meaning (VT47/26; VT48/18).

pinilya

small

pinilya adj. "small" (MC:220; this is "Qenya")

tavar

wood

tavar (1) noun "wood" (TÁWAR)

toina

adjective. wood, wood, *wooden, made of wood

A word glossed “wood” appearing in a list of “large & small” roots from around 1968 derived from primitive ✶tawĭnā (PE17/115) and hence probably an adjective “✱wooden, (made) of wood” as suggested by Helge Fauskanger (QQ/toina).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien instead had ᴹQ. taurina “of wood”, an adjectival form of ᴹQ. tavar “wood (material)” (Ety/TÁWAR). The word ᴹQ. toina appeared in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1940s, but was unglossed, so whether it meant “✱wooden” is unclear.

turu

wood

turu (3) noun "wood" (properly firewood, but used of wood in general) (LT1:270)

turúva

wooden

turúva adj. "wooden" (LT1:270); cf. turu #3.

eryn

forest

_n. _forest, wood of trees.

taur

noun. forest

_ n. _forest. Q. taure. >> taw

Forest of Region

Forest of Region

Region is given as Doriathrin. The base is the word reg "holly tree", with perhaps the toponymical ending -ion "holly-land" or a plural genitive ending -ion (as in Quenya), having the meaning "(Land) of Hollies". Note that the name is unrelated to the English word "region (of land)", and thus is to be pronounced with a hard g. Compare Eregion.

rhudaur

place name. ?East Forest

The easternmost of the successor-realms of Arnor after it was divided into three kingdoms (LotR/1039). As indicated on map to The Lord of the Rings, this region was later called the “Trollshaws”, but this does not appear to be the translation of the Sindarin name.

Possible Etymology: The second element is most like the lenited form -daur of taur “forest”. In Definitive Linguistic Notes (DLN) from 1959, Tolkien indicated that the initial element was the prefix rhu- “evil” (PE17/115), that is “✱Evil Forest”. It seems very unlikely that the Dúnedain would have chosen this name for their kingdom, so this may be a later re-interpretation after that land fell to evil. Prior to the publication of PE17, several authors suggested the name might mean “✱East Forest”, with the initial element being a prefixal form of rhûn “east” (e.g. Hammond and Scull, RC/690, or David Salo, GS/390).

taur

noun. forest, wood, forest, wood, [N.] great wood, [G.] dense wood

The most common Sindarin word for “forest”, derived from √TAW “wood” (PE17/115) or its extended form ᴹ√TAWAR (Ety/TÁWAR). In one place Tolkien said it was “only used of huge forests” due to the influence of N. taur “mighty” (Ety/TÁWAR), but in practice this was not the case.

Conceptual Development: The word G. taur appeared all the way back in Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s with the gloss “a dense wood or forest” (GL/69), almost certainly a derivative of the early root ᴱ√TAVA “beam” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Tavari). ᴱN. taur “forest” appeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/153), and N. taur “great wood, forest” appeared in The Etymologies as a derivative of the root ᴹ√TAWAR which is also where Tolkien said it was “only used of huge forests” as noted above (Ety/TÁWAR). This word appeared frequently in Sindarin names in Tolkien’s later writings.

taur-en-faroth

place name. *Forest of the Hunting

Highlands near Nargothrond, described as the “Hills of the Hunters” in the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s (SA/faroth, LB/214). This earlier description does not seem to be a proper translation, since the initial element of this name is clearly taur “forest”, followed by en “of the” and faroth. The last word is untranslated, but it probably has something to do with hunting, as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (SA/faroth).

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, the first Elvish name for this region was N. Duil Rewinion (SM/225), later revised to N. Taur-na-Faroth (LR/262). A similar form Taur-na-Faras appeared in The Etymologies under the root ᴹ√SPAR “hunt, pursue”, where faras is glossed “hunting” (Ety/SPAR). This is the best evidence for the meaning of Faroth.

taur-im-duinath

place name. Forest between the Rivers

The forest between the rivers Sirion and Gelion, translated “Forest between the Rivers” (S/123), a combination of taur “forest”, im “between” and the class-plural of duin “river” (RC/625).

taur-na-neldor

place name. Beech-forest

Another name for Neldoreth (LotR/469) translated “Beech-forest” (RC/384). It is a combination of taur “forest”, na(n) “of” and neldor “beech”.

taur-nu-fuin

place name. Forest under Night(shade)

A forest in northern Dorthonion corrupted by Morgoth and turned to darkness (S/155). Its name is a compound of taur “forest”, nu “under” and fuin “night” (SA/taur, fuin). The final element was often translated “nightshade” (S/155, WJ/56), but this is an allusion to the other name of this forest: Deldúwath “Deadly Nightshade”.

Conceptual Development: This name dates back to the earliest Lost Tales, and always had the elements taur and fuin. Its development was G. Taurfuin “Forest of Night” (LT2/47) >> N. Taur-na-Fuin “Forest of Night, Deadly Nightshade” (LB/34, SM/26, LR/133) >> S. Taur-nu-Fuin “Forest under Night(shade)” (S/155), with the middle preposition changing from na “of” to nu “under”.

In some older writings, this forest’s name was translated “Mirkwood” (LR/282, WJ/239) and in at least one place Tolkien decided that Taur-nu-Fuin was the proper Elvish name of Mirkwood (UT/281). However, the canonical Elvish name of Mirkwood was Taur e-Ndaedelos “Forest of the Great Fear” (LotR/1134).

tawar

noun. forest, woodland, woodland, forest; [N.] wood (material)

A word for “forest” in a few Sindarin names, notably Tawar-in-Drúedain “Drúadan Forest” (UT/319) and Tawarwaith “Forest People” (UT/256). In notes from around 1969, it was translated as “woodland” (PE23/139).

Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s N. tawar meant “wood (material)” but was often used with the same sense as N. taur “forest”; it was derived from the root ᴹ√TÁWAR (Ety/TÁWAR). In Sindarin, awa often became au (and then > o), and cases where it was preserved seem to have to do with patterns of stress; see the entry on that phonetic rule for further details.

Neo-Sindarin: For “forest”, it is probably better to stick with the better known S. taur. I would use tawar mainly for “woodland” = “✱wooded region”. For “wood as material” I would use S. taw.

tawar-in-drúedain

place name. Drúadan Forest

A Sindarin name for the Forest of the Drúedain (UT/319), a combination of tawar “forest”, the plural in of the definite article i and the plural of Drúadan “Wose”.

tawarwaith

place name. Forest People

A term for the Silvan Elves (UT/256), a combination of tawar “forest” and the lenited form of gwaith “people”.

Neldoreth

place name. a forest of beeches

_ topon. _a forest of beeches.

Rhudaur

noun. east(ern) forest

rhu (from rhûn “east(ern)”) + taur (“forest”)

Taur-e-Ndaedelos

noun. forest of the great (shadow of) fear (Mirkwood)

taur (“great wood, forest”) + en (sing. gen. article) + #daer (“great”) or #dae (“shadow”) + delos (“abhorrence, loathing, detestation”) [Etym. DYEL-] probably del (“fear”) + gos, goth (#gost? “dread”); #dae is not found in Etym, but the stem is probably NDAY.

Taur-en-Faroth

noun. forest of a hunter, hunters

taur (“great wood, forest”) + en (pl. gen. article) + faroth (hunter, hunters ? [His.]) #The last element in Faroth could be suffix (-h)oth also found in Lossoth, Esgaroth and Lammoth.

Taur-im-Duinath

noun. forest between rivers

taur (“great wood, forest”) + im (prefix “between”) + duin (“long and large river”) + ath (collective plural suffix)

Taur-nu-Fuin

noun. forest under night (Mirkwood)

taur (“great wood, forest”) + nu (“under”) + fuin (“night, gloom, darkness”)

eryn

noun. wood, forest (of trees)

A word for a wood or forest of trees, most notably in the name Eryn Lasgalen “Wood of Greenleaves”, the name of Mirkwood when it was restored after the War of the Ring (LotR/1094, Let/382).

Possible Etymology: Tolkien gave a couple different explanations for this word. Sometimes he explained it as derived from ✶oronī, an ancient variant plural of S. orn reinterpreted a collective word, much like English “woods” (PE17/33, 153). But elsewhere he said it was derived from an ancient abstract noun ✶oronyē “of trees” (PE17/119). Of the two, I prefer the first explanation as a nice parallel to English.

imrad

noun. path or pass between mountains or trackless forest, *(lit.) valley path

A noun appearing in notes from the late 1960s for “a path or pass between mountains, hills or trackless forest”, a combination of (archaic) S. †im “valley” and S. râd “path” (VT47/14). It is probably the clearest Sindarin word for a mountain pass.

taur-i-melegyrn

place name. Forest of the Great Trees

Another name for Taur-im-Duinath appearing in revisions to the Silmarillion maps from the 1950s-1960s, translated “Forest of the Great Trees” (WJ/185). This name a combination of taur “forest”, the definite article i “the” and the nasal mutation of beleg “great” and the plural of orn “tree”.

taur-na-chardhîn

place name. Forest of Southern Silence

Another name for Taur-im-Duinath appearing in revisions to the Silmarillion maps from the 1950s-1960s, translated “Forest of Southern Silence” (WJ/185). This name a combination of taur “forest”, na(n) “of”, the nasal mutation char- of harn “southern” and the soft mutation dhîn of dîn “silence”.

taur-na-foen

place name. Forest of the Foen

Another name for Dorthonion translated “Forest of the Foen” in a philological fragment of uncertain date, a combination of taur “forest”, na(n) “of” and the mountain name Foen (WJ/187 note #32). It also appeared in another note from the early 1950s where the name was said to be “Beleriandric” (PE21/79).

taur e-ndaedelos

place name. Forest of the Great Fear

The Sindarin name of Mirkwood, translated “Forest of the Great Fear” (LotR/1134), a combination of taur “forest”, en “of the” and the mutated form of daedelos “horrible fear”.

tawarwaith

noun. forest people

tawar (“great wood, forest”) + gwaith (“people, folk”)

Brethiliand

noun. beech forest

brethil (“beech”) + and (commonly used suffix in the names of regions and counries)

Eryn Galen

noun. green forest

eryn (“wood”), calen (“green”)

imrad

noun. a path or pass (between mountains, hills or trackless forest)

lant

noun. clearing in forest

taur

noun. great wood, forest

tawar

noun. great wood, forest

Fangorn Forest

Fangorn Forest

Fangorn is a Sindarin word that translates as "Treebeard" (from fang = "beard" and orn = "tree"). Entwood is a modernization of Old English Entwudu (wudu "wood"), so modernised because it was recognisable by speakers of Westron. Gondorians used that name, assimilated to their own language.

glâd

forest

(i ’lâd, construct glad) (wood), pl. glaid (in glaid)

taur

forest

1. taur (i daur, o thaur) (great wood), pl. toer (i thoer), coll. pl. torath. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also (as adj.) ”lofty, high, sublime, noble” etc. 2) tawar (i dawar, o thawar) (wood [as material]), pl. tewair (i thewair). (

taur

forest

(i daur, o thaur) (great wood), pl. toer (i thoer), coll. pl. torath. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also (as adj.) ”lofty, high, sublime, noble” etc.

tawar

forest

(i dawar, o thawar) (wood [as material]), pl. tewair (i thewair). (SMALL)

ruindol

noun. flame tree, peacock flower, royal poinciana, phoenix flower, flame of the forest, Delonix regia, (lit.) blazing-head

A neologism coined by Echuidor posted on 2025-03-25 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) as a combination of ruin “blaze” and dol(l) “head”.

glâd

small forest

(i ’lâd, construct glad) (wood), pl. glaid (in glaid).

glâd

small) forest

glâd (i **lâd, construct glad) (wood), pl. glaid (in glaid**)

glâd

small forest

glâd (i **lâd, construct glad) (wood), pl. glaid (in glaid**).

lant

clearing in forest

lant (pl. laint, coll. pl. lannath). Note: a homophone means ”fall”.

lant

noun. clearing in the forest

lant

clearing in forest

(pl. laint, coll. pl. lannath). Note: a homophone means ”fall”.

tawarwaith

forest-people

(Silvan Elves) Tawarwaith (UT.256)

tawarwaith

forest-people

(Silvan Elves) Tawarwaith (UT.256);

tawarwaith

forest-people

(UT.256)

eryn

wood

1. (forest) eryn. No distinct pl. form. 2) glâd (i **lâd, construct glad) (small forest), pl. glaid (in glaid**) See FOREST. 2)

glâd

wood

(i ’lâd, construct glad) (small forest), pl. glaid (in glaid) See FOREST. 2)

taur

great wood

taur (i daur, o thaur) (forest), pl. toer (i thoer), coll. pl. torath. Note: homophones mean ”king (of a people)” and also ”lofty, high, sublime, noble” etc.

tawar

wood

(as material) tawar (i dawar, o thawar) (forest), pl. tewair (i thewair).

tawar

wood

(i dawar, o thawar) (forest), pl. tewair (i thewair).

im

noun. valley, valley; [N.] dell, deep vale

An archaic element meaning “valley” that survived only in compounds, a derivation of ✶imbi “between” (VT47/14). The basic sense “valley” was transferred to its more elaborate form imlad as in Imladris “Rivendell”, and †im “valley” fell out of use due to its conflicted with other words like the reflexive pronoun im.

Conceptual Development: N. imm “dell, deep vale” was mentioned in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√IMBE, alongside its elaboration N. imlad of the same meaning (Ety/IMBE).

cidinn

adjective. small

_ adj. _small. Q. cinta.

cinnog

adjective. small

_ adj. _small. Q. cinta.

eryn

noun. wood

glad

noun. wood

glad

noun. wood

A word for a “wood” in the name Methed-en-Glad “End of the Wood” (UT/153) and possibly also Gladuial “✱Twilight Wood” (WJ/183, 188 note #48). It resembles galadh “tree” and is probably related to it, but it cannot be derived directly from the same root ᴹ√GALAD as that would produce ✱✱gladh. It was either derived from a variant root ✱√GALAT, or was a loan word from Nandorin where the word for “tree” was Nan. galad (MR/182; PE17/50, 60).

imlad

noun. deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides (but a flat habitable bottom)

imloth

noun. flower-valley, flowery vale

This word only occurs in the place name Imloth Melui, a vale where roses grew

imrath

noun. long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise

niben

adjective. small, petty

niben

adjective. little finger (Elvish play-name used by and taught to children)

nimp

adjective. small and frail

tawar

noun. wood (as a material)

tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills

aew

small bird

. No distinct pl. form.

eryn

wood

. No distinct pl. form.

hûb

small landlocked bay

(i chûb, o chûb, construct hub) (harbour, haven), pl. huib (i chuib).

imloth

flowering valley

(pl. imlyth) (VT42:18).

imrath

valley

(long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise) imrath (pl. imraith)

lâd

valley

(lowland, plain), construct lad, pl. laid

mîw

small

1. mîw (tiny, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form, 2) niben (petty), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger. (VT48:6) 3) SMALL (and frail) nimp, no distinct pl. form (VT48:18)

mîw

small

(tiny, frail), lenited vîw, no distinct pl. form

nand

valley

1. nand (construct nan) (wide grassland, land at the foot of hills with many streams), pl. naind, coll. pl. nannath (VT45:36), 2) lâd (lowland, plain), construct lad, pl. laid, 3) (long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise) imrath (pl. imraith).

nand

valley

(construct nan) (wide grassland, land at the foot of hills with many streams), pl. naind, coll. pl. **nannath **(VT45:36)

niben

small

(petty), pl. nibin. Also used as a name for the the little finger. (VT48:6) 

nimp

small

no distinct pl. form (VT48:18)

pêg

small spot

(i** bêg, construct peg) (dot), pl. pîg (i** phîg) 

talath

wide valley

(i** dalath, o thalath) (flat surface, plane, flatlands, plain), pl. telaith (i** thelaith). *Tolkien changed this word from ”Noldorin” dalath, LR:353 s.v.*

talath

dal

Dirnen or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the Silmarillion.

tawaren

wooden

tawaren (lenited dawaren; pl. tewerin).

tawaren

wooden

(lenited dawaren; pl. tewerin).

thafn

wooden pillar

(post), pl. ?thefn, coll. pl. thavnath

tinu

small star

(i** dinu, o thinu; also -din at the end of compounds) (spark), analogical pl. tiny (i** thiny). Archaic tinw, so the coll. pl. is likely  tinwath.

taurē

noun. forest

taw

root. wood

Tolkien used a similar set of words for “forest” starting with the earliest versions of Elvish, but their derivation evolved somewhat over time. The earliest related root was ᴱ√TAVA “beam” with variant ᴱ√TAFA (the latter marked by Tolkien with a “?” and with no obvious derivatives) from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s as the basis for words like ᴱQ. taule “great tree”, ᴱQ. tauno “forest” and ᴱQ. tavar “dale-sprite” (QL/90). It also had derivatives in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon such as G. tavros/G. taur “forest” and G. tavor “wood fay” (GL/69).

ᴱQ. taure “forest” did not appear as an independent word until drafts of the Oilima Markirya from around 1930 (PE16/62; MC/213). Thereafter Tolkien mostly stuck with Q. taurë and N./S. taur for “forest”. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave the root ᴹ√TAWAR “wood, forest” (Ety/TÁWAR), though in one place it was ᴹ√TAR (EtyAC/TUR). In notes associated with the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 Tolkien gave √TAWA “wood”, and in notes on “large & small” roots from 1968 Tolkien had √TAW “wood” (PE17/115).

nik

root. small

One of various roots for “small” Tolkien used in his later writings. The root √NIK “small” first appeared in notes on Eldarin Hands, Fingers and Numerals from the late 1960s (VT47/26; VT48/18), but was connected to the diminutive suffix ✶-i(n)ki which had a much longer conceptual history. One of the earliest known diminutive suffix was ᴱQ. -íne(a) in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s from the root ᴱ√INI “small” (QL/42), which might be a precursor to √NIK; these suffixes reappeared in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s (PE14/49, 81). In the Gnomish Grammar of the 1910s, the word G. inc “small” was used as the basis for the “diminutive superlative” -inci (PE11/16).

In the Qenya Lexicon, Tolkien connected ᴱ√INI “small” to the root ᴱ√MINI of similar meaning (QL/42, 61). There are no signs of ᴱ√MINI “small” in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon, but the word G. migin “little” (GL/57) hints at a (hypothetical) variant root ✱ᴱ√MIKI. Further support for ✱ᴱ√MIKI can be found in other diminutive forms in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s such as prefixal diminutive ᴱQ. mike- along adverbial ᴱQ. mike “little” (QL/48, 81), the latter appearing with the gloss “a bit” in the English-Qenya Dictionary from this period (PE15/70) along with other similar words in both the dictionary and the grammar. This ✱ᴱ√MIKI might be another precursor to √NIK. An early hint at √NIK itself might appear in the word ᴹQ. nikse “minnow, little fish” from the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s (PE21/27).

In Noldorin and Sindarin, the primary diminutive suffix became -eg, which was connected to the Common Eldarin suffix -iki elsewhere in notes on hands and fingers (VT47/14 note #21). In the notes where √NIK “small” appeared in the late 1960s, Tolkien gave the primitive diminutive as -inkĭ along with variants ikki, -iksi, -si, -ensi, -ki.

One of the main competing roots for “small” was ᴹ√PIK [see the entry for √PI(N)], itself with a lengthy conceptual history. The shift of pitya >> nitya “little” in the father name of Amrod from the late 1960s may represent a replacement of √PIK by √NIK (PM/365), but I think it is likelier the two roots coexisted with slightly different meanings, as was the case for their earlier precursors. In the notes from the late 1960s, √NIK was also contrasted with √NIP “small (usually with connotation of weakness)” (VT48/18), from which the word S. niben “petty” was derived, as in S. Nogoth Niben (WJ/388).

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I would assume √NIK meant “small” in a neutral sense, √PIK “tiny” (along with variants √PĪ and √PIN) and √NIP “small and weak”. I would use these as the major Eldarin roots for “small” words, along with a number of other more specialized roots.

nimpĭ

adjective. small

ninkĭ

adjective. small

tawinā

adjective. wood

taur-na-danion

place name. Forest of Pines

Earliest name of Dorthonion in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, first appearing as Taur Danin (SM/197) and later expanded to Taur-na-Danion (LR/127) with variants -Thanion, -Donion, -Thonion before ultimately being replaced by the Ilkorin name Dorthonion (LR/145). It is a combination of taur “forest”, na “of” and early variants of thaun “pine”, possibly as an earlier Gnomish-style genitive plural.

taur-na-delduath

place name. *Forest of Deadly Nightshade

A variant name of Taur-na-Fuin appearing in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/ÑGOROTH), simply an expanded form of its other variant Deldúwath “Deadly Nightshade” with the addition of taur “forest” and na “of”.

taur-na-fuin

place name. Forest of Night

Earlier name of S. Taur-nu-Fuin, this form of the name first appeared in The Lays of Beleriand (LB/34). Early in this period, Tolkien often translated this name as “Deadly Nightshade” (LB/34, SM/103, SM/299), but he eventually decided that this translation was actually a second name for the forest, whose Elvish form was N. Deldúwath.

In The Etymologies, Tolkien also posited that this name was a punning alteration of N. Dor-na-Thuin, the proper Noldorin form of Ilk. Dorthonion, the name of the region before it was corrupted by Morgoth (Ety/THŌN). When the Noldorin language became Sindarin, this development no longer made sense.

taur-rimmon

place name. Forest of Rimmon

Name of the forest of Rimmon in Lord of the Rings drafts (WR/351), a combination of that region’s name with taur “forest”.

brethilian(d)

place name. Forest of Brethil

A variant name for the forest Brethil appearing in The Etymologies from the 1930s, a combination of brethil “beech” and the suffix -ian(d) “land” (Ety/BERÉTH).

lhant

noun. clearing in the forest

A word given as N. lhant “clearing in the forest” in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√LAT “lie open” (Ety/LAT).

Neo-Sindarin: If adapted to Neo-Sindarin, this word would be ᴺS. lant as suggested in HSD (HSD).

brethorn

place name. Forest of Brethil

A variant name for the forest Brethil appearing in The Etymologies from the 1930s, a combination of breth “mast” and orn “tree” (EtyAC/NEL).

taur-nan-erig

place name. Forest of Region

A name appearing only in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/ERÉK), a combination of taur “forest”, nan “of” and ereg “holly”.

tawar

noun. wood (material), *forest

taur

noun. forest, great wood

tauros

masculine name. Lord of Forests; (lit.) Forest-Dread

lhant

noun. clearing in forest

taur

noun. great wood, forest

taur-na-faroth

place name. *Forest of Hunting

tawar

noun. great wood, forest

Rhudaur

Rhudaur

The name Rhudaur is translated by Tolkien as "Troll shaw" (rhû "evil, wicked" and taur, "forest"). It is unknown whether it is intended to be the same as Trollshaws.

deldúwath

place name. Deadly Nightshade

mithren

adjective. small

tawaren

adjective. wooden

gwathfuin-daidelos

place name. Deadly Nightshade

An earlier name for S. Deldúwath appearing in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, glossed “Deadly Nightshade” (LR/133) or “Night of Dread’s Shadow” (LR/406). It is a combination of gwath “shade”, fuin “night” and Daedhelos “Shadow of Fear”.

imlad

noun. deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides (but a flat habitable bottom)

math-fuin-delos

place name. Deadly Nightshade

Earliest name for S. Deldúwath appearing in Silmarillion drafts from the early 1930s, glossed “Deadly Nightshade” (SM/299). It is a combination of G. math “dusk”, N. fuin “night” and a variant form delos of deloth “abhorrence”.

mîw

adjective. small, tiny, frail

tawar

noun. wood (as a material)

tawaren

adjective. wooden

tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills

duban

noun. valley

nand

noun. valley

Isolated from Lindórinand, Lórinand (q.v. for reference). While this word is not given in the Etymologies, it is clearly derived from the stem NAD (LR:374) and hence a close cognate of the similar Doriathrin word nand "field, valley". The Quenya cognate nanda (meaning "water-mead, watered plain") indicates a primitive form *nandâ; as in most cases, the final -â is lost in Nandorin.