Sindarin 

gil

noun. star; (bright) spark, silver glint, twinkle of light

The usual word for “star” in Sindarin which replaced archaic/poetic êl; it originally meant “(bright) spark” (RGEO/65; VT42/11). It was derived from the root √(Ñ)GIL meaning “shine (white)” (PE17/152) or “silver glint” (MR/388; PE17/22).

Conceptual Development: This word first appeared as G. gail “a star” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/42), derived from the early root ᴱ√Gil- (GL/38). In the Early Noldorin Grammar Tolkien said ᴱN. gail meant “sign, token, heavenly body” (PE13/123); earlier in this document he gave it the gloss {“life” >>} “sign” (PE13/120 and note #6). In Early Noldorin Word-lists written somewhat later, gail again simply meant “star” (PE13/143), and it was used this way in the Nebrachar poem from around 1930 (MC/217).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gave it as N. geil “star” from primitive ᴹ✶gilya under the root ᴹ√GIL “shine (white or pale)” (Ety/GIL; EtyAC/GIL). Christopher Tolkien incorrectly marked geil as a plural form in The Etymologies as published in The Lost Road (LR/358), but Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne corrected this in their Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies (VT45/15). Remnants of this 1930s derivation can be seen in the forms geil/gail in notes from the 1950s, derived from ancient ✶gilyā “silver spark” (PE17/30, 152). Mostly, however, Tolkien represented this word as gil in later writings, including in The Lord of the Rings Appendix E (LotR/1113).

Possible Etymology: The etymology of gil is complicated by Tolkien’s vacillation with the singular form gail (†geil) < ✶gilyā, where the diphthong ai is the result of a-affection of the base vowel from i to e, which after i-intrusion produced ei and this diphthong became ai as usual in final syllables and monosyllables: gilyā [ >✱geli(a)] > geil > gail. Signs of this etymology can be seen in the class plural giliath as in S. Dagor-nuin-Giliath “Battle-under-Stars” (S/106).

With this alternate derivation, the plural form would still be gîl, since the ancient plural prevented a-affection, and the prefixal form likewise would have been gil- (PE17/152). However, this derivation conflicts with Tolkien’s usual presentation of the singular form as gil. In some places Tolkien gave a primitive form like ✶(ñ)gillē (PE17/23) or a Sindarin form gill (PE17/50), but I think it is best to assume primitive ✱gili- to explain singular gil and class-plural giliath.

Cognates

  • Q. nillë “silver glint; Valinorian imagines [images of real stars]” ✧ MR/470; PE17/022; MR/388; MR/471

Derivations

  • (Ñ)GIL “shine (white); silver glint; white or silver light” ✧ MR/388; PE17/022; PE17/152
  • gilyā “silver spark” ✧ PE17/152
    • (Ñ)GIL “shine (white); silver glint; white or silver light” ✧ PE17/152

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
gilyā > geil > gail[giljā] > [gilja] > [gelja] > [gelia] > [geli] > [geil] > [gail]✧ PE17/152
GIL > gîl[gilji] > [gilī] > [gil] > [gīl]✧ PE17/152

Variations

  • gil- ✧ PE17/023; PE22/159
  • geil ✧ PE17/030 (geil)
  • gail ✧ PE17/030; PE17/152
  • Gill ✧ PE17/050
Sindarin [Let/427; LotR/1113; MR/388; MR/470; MR/471; PE17/022; PE17/023; PE17/030; PE17/050; PE17/152; PE22/159; RC/232; RGEO/61; RGEO/65; S/106; SA/gil; VT42/11] Group: Eldamo. Published by

gil

noun. gil

n. -.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:23] < _g)illĕ_/_g)illē_ < ÑGIL. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

gil

noun. star, bright spark

In The Etymologies (Ety/358, corrected by VT/45:15), this word was given as geil , plural gîl. However, later in LotR/E and RGEO/73, Tolkien seems to consider gil as a singular (with no hints in the sources of what the plural would be, besides the collective plural giliath )

Sindarin [LotR/E, S/431, RGEO/73] Group: SINDICT. Published by

gil-

noun. star

Sindarin [PE 22:159] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

gill

noun. star

giliath

noun. all the host of stars

Sindarin [Ety/358, RC/232] Group: SINDICT. Published by

el

star

n. star.

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:55] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

elen

noun. star

elen

star

pl1. elin, pl2. elenath _n._star. Its collective plural (pl2.) designates 'the (host of all the) stars, (all) the (visible) stars of the firmament'. Q. elen, pl1. eldi, eleni. o menel aglar elenath ! lit. 'from Firmament glory of the stars !'. >> êl

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:20-1:24-5:67:139:151] < EL star. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

êl

noun. star

A Sindarin word for “star” that is largely archaic and poetic, and is mainly used as element in names like Elrond (Let/281; WJ/363; Ety/EL); the more usual word for “star” in ordinary speech was gil (RGEO/65). However, the collective form elenath is still used in common speech to refer to the entire host of stars (WJ/363). The plural of êl is elin, as this word was derived from ancient ✶elen, and the final n that was lost in the singular was preserved in the plural. In some cases Tolkien posited a restored analogical singular elen from the plural form (PE17/24, 67, 139), but this isn’t in keeping with the notion that the word was archaic, so I would ignore this for purposes of Neo-Sindarin.

Conceptual Development: This word and its root first appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, where N. el “star” was derived from the root ᴹ√EL of similar meaning, but was “only [used] in names” (Ety/EL). It seems Tolkien introduced the root to give a new etymology for names like N. Elrond and N. Elwing, which initially appeared under the root ᴹ√ƷEL “sky” (Ety/ƷEL).

Cognates

  • Q. elen “star” ✧ PE17/024; PE17/024; PE17/067; PE17/127; PE17/151; SA/êl; WJ/362

Derivations

  • EL “lo, behold; star, lo, behold; star, [ᴹ√] starry sky” ✧ Let/281; RGEO/65; SA/êl
  • elen “star” ✧ PE17/067; PE17/139; PE22/150; WJ/360
    • EL “lo, behold; star, lo, behold; star, [ᴹ√] starry sky” ✧ Let/281; PE17/067; VT42/11; WJ/360

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
EL > êl[elen] > [ele] > [el] > [ēl]✧ Let/281
elen > êl[elen] > [ele] > [el] > [ēl]✧ PE17/067
ELEN > êl[elen] > [ele] > [el] > [ēl]✧ PE17/139
elenī > elin[elenī] > [eleni] > [elini] > [elin]✧ PE22/150
EL > êl[elen] > [ele] > [el] > [ēl]✧ RGEO/65
ele > êl[elen] > [ele] > [el] > [ēl]✧ SA/êl
elen > êl[elen] > [ele] > [el] > [ēl]✧ WJ/360

Variations

  • Êl ✧ MR/373
  • el- ✧ PE17/022
  • elen ✧ PE17/024; PE17/067; PE17/139
  • el(en) ✧ PE17/025
  • el ✧ PE17/055; PM/369
Sindarin [Let/281; LotR/0238; MR/373; PE17/022; PE17/024; PE17/025; PE17/055; PE17/067; PE17/127; PE17/139; PE17/151; PE22/150; PM/369; RGEO/63; RGEO/64; RGEO/65; RGEO/67; SA/êl; WJ/363] Group: Eldamo. Published by

êl

star

pl1. elin, pl2. elenath** ** n. star. Q. elen, pl1. eldi, eleni, pl2. elelli. >> elen

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:24:67:127:139-40:151] < EL star. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

êl

noun. star (little used except in verses)

Sindarin [WJ/363, MR/373, RGEO/73, Letters/281] Group: SINDICT. Published by

Ilwen

gil

_ (LR:358) and would then have the form Ilwen (Ilwith) when lenited. But in a later source, Tolkien cited the relevant root as _Ñ

Ilwen

gil

_ (LR:358), and the lenited forms would thus be Ilwen, Ilwith. But in a later source, Tolkien cited the relevant root as _Ñ

Ngilwen

gil

_ (MR:388) and the lenited form would then be Ngilwen (Ngilwith). (In the Etymologies, the root was given as GIL, and the lenited form would then be Ilwen / Ilwith.)

Ngilwen

gil

_ (MR:388), and the lenited form would then be Ngilwen (Ngilwith).

Ngilwen

gil

_ (MR:388), and the lenited form would then be Ngilwen (Ngilwith).

gîl

star

gîl (i ngîl = i ñîl, o n**gîl, construct gil) (bright spark, silver glint), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gîl = i ñgîl), coll. pl. giliath** (RGEO, MR:388). Poetic †êl (elen-, pl. elin, coll. pl. elenath) (RGEO, Letters:281, WJ:363).