Sindarin
galad
noun. radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss, radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss; [ᴱN.] dawn
Cognates
Derivations
Element in
- S. Caras Galadhon “City of the Trees” ✧ PE17/084
- S. Galadriel “Glittering-garland” ✧ Let/425; NM/346; PE17/084; PM/347
- S. Gil-galad “Starlight, (lit.) Star of Radiance” ✧ Let/425; PE17/084; PM/347
- S. Malgalad “?yellow radiance”
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √GAL > galad [galata] > [galat] > [galad] ✧ PE17/084 ✶ñalatā > galad [ŋalatā] > [ŋgalatā] > [ŋgalata] > [galata] > [galat] > [galad] ✧ PM/347
galad
radiance
galad
noun. light, radiance, glittering, reflection (from jewels, glass or polished metal, or water)
galad
light
_ n. _light, fire, brightness, shining. >> calad, Caras Galadon
galadh
noun. tree
Cognates
Derivations
- ✶galadā “great plant, tree” ✧ Let/426; NM/349; NM/352; PE17/025; PE17/050; PE17/063; PE17/135; PE17/153; PE17/153; UT/266
Element in
- S. Bregalad “Quickbeam; (lit.) Quick (Lively) Tree”
- S. Caras Galadhon “City of the Trees” ✧ Let/426; NM/352; SA/alda; UT/267
- S. Caras i-Ngelaidh “City of the Trees” ✧ PE17/060
- S. Galadhon
- S. galadhremmen “tree-meshed” ✧ PE17/136
- S. Galadhrim “Tree-people” ✧ Let/426; PE17/050; SA/alda; UT/267
- S. Galadlóriel “Golden Rain, (lit.) Golden Tree”
- S. Galador
- S. Galadriel “Glittering-garland” ✧ SA/kal; UT/267
- S. Galadwen
- S. Galathilion “White Tree”
- S. Gelennil “Lover of Trees”
- S. lais geledhion “leaves of trees” ✧ PE17/097
- S. o galadhremmin ennorath “from tree-tangled middle-lands” ✧ PE17/025
- S. Orgaladh “Day of the Tree, *Tuesday”
- S. Orgaladhad “Day of the Two Trees, *Tuesday”
- S. si loth a galadh lasto dîn “*here flower and tree listen [in] silence” ✧ LB/354
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶galadā > galadh [galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað] ✧ Let/426 ✶galada > galað [galada] > [galaða] > [galað] ✧ NM/352 ✶galadā > galadh [galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað] ✧ PE17/025 ✶galadā > galadh [galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað] ✧ PE17/050 ✶galadā > galadh [galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað] ✧ PE17/063 ✶galadā > galaða > galað > galadh [galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað] ✧ PE17/135 ✶galadā́ > galað [galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað] ✧ PE17/153 ✶galadā > galað [galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað] ✧ PE17/153 ✶galadā > galadh [galadā] > [galada] > [galaða] > [galað] ✧ UT/266 Variations
- galað ✧ MR/182; MR/470; NM/349; NM/352; PE17/060; PE17/153; PE17/153
galadh
noun. tree
galadh
tree
{ð} n. tree. In Sindarin, there was no much distinction in size between galað and orn. A galað was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. Birch, ash and oak are of the orn kind. Q. alda. >> orn
galadh
tree
_n. Bot._tree, like oak (nordh) and beech. A galadh was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. In Sindarin, there was no much distinction in size between galað and orn. A galað was more thick, dense and branching than a orn. Birch, ash and oak are of the orn kind. Q. alda. >> orn
calad
gerund noun. light
calad
noun. light
_ n. _light, fire, brightness, shining. >> galad
calad
noun. light, fire, brightness, shining, light, brightness, shining, fire
A noun for “light” derived from the root √KAL of similar meaning (PE17/50, 84), and appearing in the phrase Lacho calad! Drego morn! “Flame light! Flee night!” (UT/65). In one place it was glossed “light, fire, brightness, shining” (PE17/84), so it seems it could refer to any shining thing or source of light. For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would only use it in reference to “fire” as a source of illumination, not as a flame.
Conceptual Development: N. calad “light” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, already with the derivation given above (Ety/KAL). In this document it was the basis for the final element of the name N. Gil-galad, and this was true in some later writings as well (PE17/50), but Tolkien eventually decided the second element of Gil-galad was (ñ)galad “radiance”, an element also seen in the name of Galadriel (PM/347).
Derivations
- √KAL “light; shine, be bright, light; shine, be bright, [ᴱ√] shine golden” ✧ PE17/050; PE17/084
Element in
- S. Calben “*Light One”
- ᴺS. Forchalad “aurora, (lit.) northern radiance”
- S. Gil-galad “Starlight, (lit.) Star of Radiance” ✧ PE17/050
- ᴺS. Harchalad “aurora, (lit.) southern radiance”
- S. Lacho calad! Drego morn! “Flame light! Flee night!” ✧ UT/065
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √KAL > calad [kalata] > [kalat] > [kalad] ✧ PE17/050 √CAL > calad [kalata] > [kalat] > [kalad] ✧ PE17/084
gala-
verb. to grow
Changes
galad→ galast ✧ PE17/132Cognates
- Q. ala- “to plant, grow, to grow (of plants) [intr. and trans.], plant; *to thrive, flourish (of other creatures)” ✧ PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132; PE17/132
Derivations
- √GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive”
- ✶galā- “to grow (of plants)” ✧ PE17/131
- √GAL “grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, grow (like plants), flourish, be healthy, be vigorous, bloom, [ᴹ√] thrive” ✧ PE22/133
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶agālē > ãlē > aul [agālē] > [agāle] > [agǭle] > [aɣǭle] > [aɣaule] > [aɣaul] > [aul] ✧ PE17/131 Variations
- galad ✧ PE17/132 (
galad)
aglar
noun. radiance
_n. _radiance, glory. Q. alkar. >> aglareb
malhorn
noun. golden tree of Lothlórien
mallorn
noun. golden tree of Lothlórien
minuial
noun. "morrowdim", the time near dawn, when the star fade
malthorn
noun. golden tree of Lothlórien
orn
noun. (any large) tree
lebethron
noun. a tree - its black wood was used by the woodwrights of Gondor
In the original manuscript, one of the earlier (rejected) form of this name was lebendron. Didier Willis proposed the etymology lebed+doron "finger-oak", actually a real tree name (Finger Oak or Quercus digitata)
oron
noun. tree
n. Bot. tree. Also in compound -(o)rŏnō. >> orn
galad
sunlight
1) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad), (bright light, brilliance, radiance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid). 2) glawar (i **lawar) (gold; radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair**) (VT41:10)
galad
glittering reflection
galad (i ngalad = i ñalad), (bright light, sunlight, brilliance, radiance), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid).
galad
reflection
(glittering reflection) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad) (bright light, sunlight, brilliance, radiance), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid)
galad
radiance
1) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad) (bright light, sunlight, brilliance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid), 2) glaw (i **law), pl. gloe (in gloe), 3) thîl; no distinct pl. form, coll. pl. ?thiliath**.
galadh
tree
1) galadh (i **aladh), pl. gelaid (i ngelaidh = i ñelaidh) (Letters:426, SD:302). 2) orn (pl. yrn**). Note: a homophone means ”tall”.
calad
light
_(noun) _1) calad (i galad, o chalad), pl. celaid (i chelaid), 2) gaul (i **aul), pl. goel (i ngoel = i ñoel), coll. pl. golath. Note: A homophone means "wolf-howl", but has different mutations. 3) (bright light) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad), (sunlight, brilliance, radiance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid). 4) gâl (gal-, -al in compounds, with article i **âl), pl. gail (i ngail = i ñail).
gail
light
(adjective) 1) gail (bright), lenited ngail, no distinct pl. form (VT45:18), 2) lim (clear, sparkling), no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fish”.
glawar
sunlight
glawar (i **lawar) (gold, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair**) if there is a pl. (VT41:10)
minuial
dawn
minuial (i vinuial) (morrowdim, twilight), pl. minuiail (i minuiail)
A word for “radiance, glittering reflection” derived from primitive ✶ñ(g)alatā and the root √Ñ(G)AL “shine by reflection” (PM/347). Most notably it was an element in the names Galadriel and Gil-galad. In the latter name, since the ancient form began with ñg-, its mutated form was -galad rather than the more usual ’alad.
Conceptual Development: This word had a long and intricate history, and was intertwined with the shifting conceptions of various roots and names. It’s earliest iteration was G. {gâl(a) >>} gala “light, daylight” (GL/37), cognate to ᴱQ. kala of similar meaning, derived from the early root ᴱ√KALA “shine golden” (QL/44). Since ancient initial g- became k- in Early Qenya, is very likely the early root was actually ✱ᴱ√GALA. In early notes, Tolkien experimented with various alternate forms for this word such as gâl or gaul (GL/37; PE13/114), and in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s Tolkien had the word ᴱN. galad with the gloss “dawn” (PE13/144).
By the 1930s, Tolkien had revised the phonology of Quenya so that primitive initial g became ʒ and then vanished, but he wished to retain the kal-/gal- variation in “light” words, and so introduced a Noldorin-only variant ᴹ√GAL of the root ᴹ√KAL “shine” (Ety/GAL). In The Etymologies, Tolkien had both N. calad (Ety/KAL) and N. galad (EtyAC/GAL) for “light”, the former appearing in its mutated form as an element in the name N. Gil-galad “Starlight” (Ety/GIL).
S. calad continued to be the basis for the second element of S. Gil-galad in some later writings (PE17/50), but Tolkien began to have problems with another name from The Lord of the Rings, that is Galadriel. When Tolkien first introduced her name, it basically meant “Tree-lady” (TI/249), but this was no longer suitable for her more elevated role in the Legendarium, and in any case the proper Sindarin word for “tree” was galadh. In 1955 notes Tolkien considered making the initial element of her name mean “blessed” or “bliss” instead (NM/346).
In notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s Tolkien connected the names Gil-galad and Galadriel as sharing a common element meaning “light” and experimented with various derivatives of the roots √KAL and √GAL (PE17/50), but couldn’t contrive a satisfactory solution since the shared word would be mutated in Gil-Galad but unmutated in Galadriel. Eventually Tolkien resolved this quandary by introducing a new root √Ñ(G)AL in various notes from the late 1960s (PE17/59-60; NM/353) whose primitive form in Sindarin was strengthened ✶ñgalatā that would produce the correct result for both names. Tolkien discussed this new word at length in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968:
> The name [Galadriel] was derived from the Common Eldarin stem ÑAL “shine by reflection”; ✱ñalatā “radiance, glittering reflection” (from jewels, glass or polished metals, or water) > Quenya ñalta, Telerin alata, Sindarin galad ... The whole = “maiden crowned with a garland of bright radiance” was given in reference to Galadriel’s hair. Galad occurs also in the epesse of Ereinion (“scion of kings”) by which he was chiefly remembered in legend, Gil-galad “star of radiance” (PM/347).
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume (ñ)galad refers to radiant, glittering and reflected light, as opposed to S. calad (lit. = “shining”) which refers to direct light and the sources of such light, such as lamps and flames.